In this paper, we propose two kinds of composite structures based on the one- and two-dimensional (1D&2D) gold grating on a gold film for plasmonic refractive index sensing. The resonance modes and sensing characteristics of the composite structures are numerically simulated by the finite-difference time-domain method. The composite structure of the 1D gold semi-cylinder grating and gold film is analyzed first, and the optimized parameters of the grating period are obtained. The sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM) can reach 660RIU/nm and 169RIU−1, respectively. Then, we replace the 1D grating with the 2D gold semi-sphere particles array and find that the 2D grating composite structure can excite strong surface plasmon resonance intensity in a wider period range. The sensitivity and FOM of the improved composite structure can reach 985RIU/nm and 298 RIU−1, respectively. At last, the comparison results of the sensing performance of the two structures are discussed. The proposed structures can be used for bio-chemical refractive index sensing.
We propose a two-dimensional metal grating with rhombus particles on a gold film structure for refractive index sensing due to its perfect absorption at near-infrared wavelength. Via two-dimensional metal grating coupling, the incident light energy is effectively transformed into the surface plasmons which propagate along the upper surface of the gold film and interact with the surrounding environment in a wide range. The plasmonic resonance mechanism of the structure is discussed in detail by theoretical analysis and finite-difference time-domain method. After optimizing the geometrical parameters, the designed structure shows the sensing performance with a refractive index sensitivity of 1006 nm/RIU. More importantly, this plasmonic refractive index sensor achieves an ultra wide refractive index sensing range from 1.0 to 2.4 with a stable sensing performance. The promising simulation results of the structure show that the sensor has a broad application prospect in the field of biology and chemistry.
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