CMOS-compatible plasmonic magnetic field sensor: An alternative approach using ultra-compact MIM configuration

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel magnetic field sensor (MFS) that utilizes a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide integrated with a resonator structure and incorporates water-based Fe3O4 magnetic fluid. The sensor uses titanium nitride (TiN) as the plasmonic material which offers numerous advantages over conventional noble plasmonic materials. The sensor takes advantage of the tunable optical properties of the magnetic fluid and TiN to detect changes in the external magnetic field and quantify the magnetic field strength which has been demonstrated using the Finite Element Method (FEM). Our proposed MFS exhibits a high sensitivity of 11.97 pm/Oe, a narrow-band full-width half maximum of 93.66 nm, and a resolution of 8.36 × 10−4 Oe. The sensor is also compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication techniques, which enables chip-scale integration and low-cost production. The sensor can be used for various applications in navigation, military, space, healthcare, and beyond.