Multispectral nano-cavity-based plasmonic refractive index sensor: Higher bulk and surface sensitivity for detection of biological analytes

Abstract

In this paper, a Nano-cavity based multispectral plasmonic refractive index sensor for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) detection was investigated. The proposed structure includes two cavities in the form of a T and E shape inside a metal layer. The validity of the findings was verified through the use of the 3D finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The identification of biomolecules is difficult for conventional biosensors in which there is a very limited amount of analyte, other metrics should be used. In most cases, there is enough analyte to completely cover the sensing surface. Here, in addition to bulk sensitivity, the surface sensitivity was analyzed. The proposed structure has three resonance modes. According to our findings, the designed structure has a bulk sensitivity of 958.3 nm/RIU for the third mode (mode III), 550 nm/RIU for the second mode (mod II), and 637.1 for the first mode (mode I). Having three resonance modes makes this structure a suitable option for use in multispectral applications. The surface sensitivity of 429.4, 457.6, and 465.5 nm/RIU was obtained for surface layer thicknesses of 3.5 nm, 5 nm, and 6.5 nm, respectively. Our results show the proposed structure has good potential in different biological applications.