ZrN-based Plasmonic Sensor: A Promising Alternative to Traditional Noble Metal-based Sensors for CMOS-Compatible and Tunable Optical Properties

Abstract

In this article, we introduce a novel comb shaped plasmonic refractive index sensor that employs a ZrN-Insulator-ZrN configuration. The sensor is constructed using Zirconium Nitride (ZrN), an alternative refractory material that offers advantages over traditional metals such as silver and gold, as ZrN is Standard Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible and has tunable optical properties. The sensor has recorded a maximum sensitivity, figure of merit (FOM), and sensing resolution of 1445.46 nm/RIU, 140.96, and 6.91 × 10^−7 𝑅𝐼𝑈^-1, respectively. Beyond that, the integration of ZrN offers the sensor with various advantages, including higher hardness, thermal stability at high temperatures, better corrosion and abrasion resistance, and lower electrical resistivity, whereas traditional plasmonic metals lack these properties, curtailing the real-world use of plasmonic devices. As a result, our suggested model surpasses the typical noble material based (Metal-Insulator-Metal) MIM arrangement and offers potential for the development of highly efficient, robust, and durable nanometric sensing devices which will create a bridge between nanoelectronics and plasmonics.