Design nano cluster high Q-factor perfect plasmonic absorber for bacteria detection in the optical range

Abstract

Plasmonic nanostructures enable strong light absorption at the nanometer scale, making them highly attractive for a variety of applications including sensing, imaging, and spectroscopy. In this work, we propose and simulate a dual-band plasmonic absorber based on a Pentamer and split ring resonator (SRR) hybrid structure. The absorber operates at terahertz frequencies of 209 and 229 THz, corresponding to free-space wavelengths of 1310 nm and 1430 nm. At the lower frequency band, the absorber provides perfect absorption up to 100 %, while at the higher band, the absorption is 95 %. The high absorption selectivity at the two target bands is enabled by the hybrid heptamer-SRR design. The central Pentamer consists of a central nanodisk surrounded by four peripheral nanodisks with precise dimensions and spacing. This Pentamer provides a dual-band response tuned to the desired frequencies. To further enhance the quality factor and absorption, the Pentamer is encircled by an SRR designed to boost the Q-factor. At 229 THz, the SRR pushes the quality factor to around 635, significantly higher than typical plasmonic absorbers. The final optimized design enables strong absorption together with high Q-factor and frequency selectivity. It exhibits sensitivity around 450 nm/RIU and a Figure of Merit of 227 RIU−1. The full-wave simulation is used for designing the absorber in CST Microwave Studio to optimize the dimensions for maximum dual-band absorption for biosensing applications. This absorber can be realistically fabricated for terahertz sensing applications such as detecting bacteria as studied.