title: Surface plasmon interferometer in silicon-on-insulator: novel concept for an integrated biosensor.
abstract: We propose a novel configuration for a highly integrated and highly sensitive optical biosensor. The basic element of the sensor is a surface plasmon interferometer consisting of a thin layer of gold embedded in a silicon membrane. We investigate the performance of the sensor by simulation using eigenmode expansion. We calculate that refractive index changes in the order of 10(-6) RIU should be easily detectable for a component of length 10 microm. Moreover, we illustrate that the operation wavelength of the sensor can be easily tuned to a desired wavelength for a wide range of environmental refractive indices, making our device suitable for chemo- and biosensing.
authors.affiliation: Photonics Research Group, Dept. of Information Technology, Ghent University-IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000 Gent, Belgium. Peter.Debackere@intec.UGent.be
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Debackere
authors.forename: Stijn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scheerlinck
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bienstman
authors.forename: Roel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baets
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D008027:Light; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012825:Silicon; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D012825:Silicon