Bragg-Mirror-Assisted High-Contrast Plasmonic Interferometers: Concept and Potential in Terahertz Sensing
A Bragg-mirror-assisted terahertz (THz) high-contrast and broadband plasmonic interferometer is proposed and theoretically investigated for potential sensing applications. The central microslit couples the incident THz wave into unidirectional surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) waves travelling to th...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Nanomaterials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/7/1385 |
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| author | Youqiao Ma Jinhua Li Zhanghua Han Hiroshi Maeda Yuan Ma |
| author_facet | Youqiao Ma Jinhua Li Zhanghua Han Hiroshi Maeda Yuan Ma |
| author_sort | Youqiao Ma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A Bragg-mirror-assisted terahertz (THz) high-contrast and broadband plasmonic interferometer is proposed and theoretically investigated for potential sensing applications. The central microslit couples the incident THz wave into unidirectional surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) waves travelling to the bilateral Bragg gratings, where they are totally reflected over a wide wavelength range back towards the microslit. The properties of interference between the SPPs waves and transmitted THz wave are highly dependent on the surrounding material, offering a flexible approach for the realization of refractive index (RI) detection. The systematic study reveals that the proposed interferometric sensor possesses wavelength sensitivity as high as 167 μm RIU<sup>−1</sup> (RIU: RI unit). More importantly, based on the intensity interrogation method, an ultrahigh Figure-of-Merit (FoM) of 18,750% RIU<sup>−1</sup>, surpassing that of previous plasmonic sensors, is obtained due to the high-contrast of interference pattern. The results also demonstrated that the proposed sensors are also quite robust against the oblique illumination. It is foreseen the proposed configuration may open up new horizons in developing THz plasmonic sensing platforms and next-generation integrated THz circuits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:26:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1c257852bfc541278261aa8c74b9625a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-4991 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:26:23Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
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| series | Nanomaterials |
| spelling | doaj.art-1c257852bfc541278261aa8c74b9625a2023-11-20T06:56:08ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912020-07-01107138510.3390/nano10071385Bragg-Mirror-Assisted High-Contrast Plasmonic Interferometers: Concept and Potential in Terahertz SensingYouqiao Ma0Jinhua Li1Zhanghua Han2Hiroshi Maeda3Yuan Ma4School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaSchool of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaShandong Key Laboratory of Optics and Photonic Devices, School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, ChinaDepartment of Information and Communication Engineering, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Fukuoka 811-0295, JapanDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3J 2X4, CanadaA Bragg-mirror-assisted terahertz (THz) high-contrast and broadband plasmonic interferometer is proposed and theoretically investigated for potential sensing applications. The central microslit couples the incident THz wave into unidirectional surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) waves travelling to the bilateral Bragg gratings, where they are totally reflected over a wide wavelength range back towards the microslit. The properties of interference between the SPPs waves and transmitted THz wave are highly dependent on the surrounding material, offering a flexible approach for the realization of refractive index (RI) detection. The systematic study reveals that the proposed interferometric sensor possesses wavelength sensitivity as high as 167 μm RIU<sup>−1</sup> (RIU: RI unit). More importantly, based on the intensity interrogation method, an ultrahigh Figure-of-Merit (FoM) of 18,750% RIU<sup>−1</sup>, surpassing that of previous plasmonic sensors, is obtained due to the high-contrast of interference pattern. The results also demonstrated that the proposed sensors are also quite robust against the oblique illumination. It is foreseen the proposed configuration may open up new horizons in developing THz plasmonic sensing platforms and next-generation integrated THz circuits.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/7/1385plasmonicsterahertzinterferometersrefractive index sensors |
| spellingShingle | Youqiao Ma Jinhua Li Zhanghua Han Hiroshi Maeda Yuan Ma Bragg-Mirror-Assisted High-Contrast Plasmonic Interferometers: Concept and Potential in Terahertz Sensing Nanomaterials plasmonics terahertz interferometers refractive index sensors |
| title | Bragg-Mirror-Assisted High-Contrast Plasmonic Interferometers: Concept and Potential in Terahertz Sensing |
| title_full | Bragg-Mirror-Assisted High-Contrast Plasmonic Interferometers: Concept and Potential in Terahertz Sensing |
| title_fullStr | Bragg-Mirror-Assisted High-Contrast Plasmonic Interferometers: Concept and Potential in Terahertz Sensing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bragg-Mirror-Assisted High-Contrast Plasmonic Interferometers: Concept and Potential in Terahertz Sensing |
| title_short | Bragg-Mirror-Assisted High-Contrast Plasmonic Interferometers: Concept and Potential in Terahertz Sensing |
| title_sort | bragg mirror assisted high contrast plasmonic interferometers concept and potential in terahertz sensing |
| topic | plasmonics terahertz interferometers refractive index sensors |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/7/1385 |
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