Optical Refractive Index Sensors with Plasmonic and Photonic Structures: Promising and Inconvenient Truth

Abstract Optical sensors are widely used for refractive index measurement in chemical, biomedical, and food processing industries. Due to specific field distribution of the resonances, optical sensors provide high sensitivity to ambient refractive index variations. The sensitivity of an optical sensor is highly dependent on material and structure of the sensor. Here, six major categories of optical refractive index sensors using plasmonic and photonic structures are reviewed: i) metal‐based propagating plasmonic eigenwave structures, ii) metal‐based localized plasmonic eigenmode structures, iii) dielectric‐based propagating photonic eigenwave structures, iv) dielectric‐based localized photonic eigenmode…

• AF
  Agency for Science, Technology and Research
• NR
  National Research Foundation Singapore

  Awards: NRF2017NRF‐NSFC002‐015, NRF2016‐NRF‐ANR002
• AF
  Air Force Office of Scientific Research

  Award: FA2386‐17‐1‐4020