Kretschmann-Raether Configuration Research Articles

Insulin biotrapping using plasmofluidic optical fiber chips: A benchmark

Plasmonic optical fiber-based biosensors are currently in their early stages of development as practical and integrated devices, gradually making their way towards the market. While the majority of these biosensors operate using white light and multimode optical fibers (OFs), our approach centers on single-mode OFs coupled with tilted fiber Bragg gratings (TFBGs) in the near-infrared wavelength range. Our objective is to enhance surface sensitivity and broaden sensing capabilities of OF-based sensors to develop in situ sensing with remote interrogation. In this study, we comprehensively assess their performance in comparison to the gold-standard plasmonic reference, a commercial device based on the Kretschmann-Raether prism configuration. We present their refractive index sensitivity and their capability for insulin sensing using a dedicated microfluidics approach. By optimizing a consistent surface biotrapping methodology, we elucidate the dynamic facets of both technologies and highlight their remarkable sensitivity to variations in bulk and surface properties. The one-to-one comparison between both technologies demonstrates the reliability of optical fiber-based measurements, showcasing similar experimental trends obtained with both the prismatic configuration and gold-coated TFBGs, with an even enhanced limit of detection for the latter. This study lays the foundation for the detection of punctual molecular interactions and opens the way towards the detection of spatially and temporally localized events on the surface of optical probes.

Surface exciton polariton enhanced Goos-Hänchen and Imbert-Fedorov shifts and their applications in refractive index sensing.

The spatial and angular Goos-Hänchen shifts (GHSs) and Imbert-Fedorov shifts (IFSs) are theoretically investigated in a modified Kretschmann-Raether configuration consisting of glass prism, J-aggregate cyanine dye, and air. With the excitation of surface excitation polaritons (SEPs), the spatial and angular GHSs and IFSs for the transverse magnetic polarized light are strongly enhanced around the resonant angle of SEP. A highly sensitive gas sensor based on the SEP enhanced GHS (or IFS) is proposed, which exhibits the refractive index sensitivity on the order of 106λ/RIU (or 105λ/RIU) (λ: illumination wavelength; RIU: refractive index unit) for the GHS- (or IFS-) based gas sensor, respectively.

Simulation of Delta and Omicron Variants Detection Using Surface Plasmon Resonance Based on Kretschmann-Raether Configuration

COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been mutated and emerged into different types of variants. Delta and Omicron variants remained as variants of concern as the Delta variant severely infects the unvaccinated individual, while the Omicron variant is the dominant variant circulating globally. Therefore, it is vital to identify these variantsby developing a simpler method that detects both variants based on the antibody-antigen interactions. The Surface Plasm on Resonance (SPR) sensor based on the Kretschmann-Raether configuration provides label-free detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants by the antibody-antigen interaction. However, to date, there is no multiple SARS-CoV-2variants detection methods have been implemented using SPR sensors based on the Kretschmann-Raether configuration. Therefore, this study is carried out to design anPR sensor based on the Kretschmann-Raether configuration and to simulate the detection of these variants by this sensor using COMSOL Multiphysics software. In this study, an SPR sensor was designed with two detecting cells named Cell 1 and Cell 2, where each cell contains a 2E8 monoclona antibody and COV2-06 monoclonal antibody respectively. The results show that the designed SPR sensor can distinguish and detect the Delta and Omicron variants successfully based on the antibody-antigen interaction with the sensitivities of 3.3968 deg RIU−1 for Cell 1 and 4.5803 deg RIU−1 for Cell 2. Therefore, this SPR sensor based on the Kretschmann-Raether configuration could be a potential alternative tool for currently available multiple SARS CoV2 variants detection methods as it provides label-free detection that is based on antigen-antibody interaction.

Enhanced MOKE Via Tunable Plasmon Resonance Field in the Otto Configuration

Here, we demonstrate the enhancement of the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (TMOKE) signal, due to surface plasmon resonance in the Otto configuration, where the low index dielectric has a variable thickness. This constitutes a demonstration that, in principle, a separation of the magnetic sample from the plasmonic device and the modulation of the plasmon resonance with an enhancement of the MOKE signal is possible. We have achieved this by using air as a low index dielectric where the evanescent wave extends, preceding to excitation of surface plasmons. The magnetic sample under consideration is a thin layer of cobalt coated by an ultrathin silver layer, on a silicon substrate (Ag/Co/Si). The sample is brought close enough to the prism/air interface, allowing surface plasmon excitation in the air/Ag interface. This leads to an increase of the TMOKE signal up to ~ 2 ‰ with respect to the incident light. This is about 7 times the traditional MOKE signal in the absence of plasmons. This is comparable with previous works using the Kretschmann-Raether configuration. Furthermore, the fact that the plasmon field generated at the metal-air interface substitutes the laser light used in traditional MOKE allows new functionalities such as controlling the penetration depth of the plasmonic field into the sample. This should find applications in magnetometry and related technology.

Scanning-resonance optical sensing based on a laterally graded plasmonic layer—optical properties of Ag[formula omitted]Al[formula omitted] in the range of [formula omitted] to 1

Plasmonic AgAl/Si3N4 sensor layer structure was deposited on a fused silica glass slide by dual DC magnetron sputtering. The composition of the AgxAl1−x layer was laterally graded in which x linearly changes from x=0 to x=1 over a distance of 20 mm. The Si3N4 layer serves both as a resonator and a protective layer providing homogeneous chemical properties on top of the inhomogeneous AgAl layer. The structure was illuminated through a hemi-cylinder for variable-angle measurements in the Kretschmann–Raether configuration using a focused spot that enabled the change of x by moving it along the gradient of the composition. Optical properties of AgxAl1−x in the whole composition range were obtained. The positions of resonant peaks were shifted by changing the angle of incidence and the lateral position of the spot in a flow-cell configuration. The optical sensing performance of the bilayer system was investigated for x=0 and x=1. Based on the capabilities of ellipsometry limit of detection in refractive index unit values of ≈4−8⋅10−6 can be achieved in the resonant positions utilizing both p- and s-polarizations. Due to the flexible tunability of the resonant wavelengths by moving a focused spot, the above sensitivity is available in-situ, over the spectral range of 265-1504 nm.

Plexciton modes guided by an exciton slab in a columnar thin film

In this study, we reported the plasmon-exciton coupling for excitation of the surface plexciton wave in columnar thin film with a central exciton slab using the transfer matrix method in Turbadar–Kretschmann–Raether configuration. The optical absorptance spectra for surface plasmon polariton, surface exciton and surface plexciton was investigated at different structural parameters in proposed structure. The characteristics of surface optical modes were analyzed and there was an anticrossing behavior between polariton branches of plexciton spectra. Localization of surface modes on interfaces and hybridization between plasmons and excitons at both interfaces of exciton slab were proved by the time-averaged Poynting vector. We found that the types of coupling regimes between plasmons and excitons from weak to strong could be achieved. We obtained a high Rabi splitting energy 840 meV corresponding to the time period 5 fs which indicates to the fast energy transfer between surface plasmon polaritons and surface excitons.

Axionic surface wave in dynamical axion insulators

The electromagnetic response of three-dimensional topological insulators can be described by an effective axion action with a quantized axion field. Once both time-reversal and inversion symmetries are broken, for example, in antiferromagnetic topological insulators, the axion field becomes dynamical along with magnetic fluctuations. The dynamical axion field, when coupled to electromagnetic fields, can lead to rich physical phenomena. Here, based on the modified Maxwell's equations, we reveal the existence of an exotic type of polariton excitation, termed a surface axion polariton, which propagates in the interface between a dynamical axion insulator and a dielectric. When doping the dynamical axion insulator to be metallic, the coexistence of axion-photon coupling and plasmon-photon coupling will further generate a mixed surface axion plasmon polariton. We also propose a Kretschmann-Raether configuration to experimentally detect the surface axion polariton. Our result provides an alternative way to study the axion electrodynamics in condensed matter physics.

Influence of spatial dispersion on phase and lateral shifts near the reflection dip in the Kretschmann-Raether structure.

The influence of spatial dispersion of metals on phase and Goos-Hänchen (GH) shifts near the reflection dip has been investigated in the Kretschmann-Raether configuration, within the hydrodynamic model framework. We have derived an analytical expression of the reflection coefficient and discussed the optical properties when the nonlocality of metals based on the phenomenological model and Kretchmann's theory is taken into account. Our results show that nonlocality has a significant impact for large wavevectors and causes a shift of the critical point corresponding to the total absorption. Furthermore, these changes also lead to diverse changes in the optical properties including amplitude, phase and GH shift close to the conditions of excitation for the surface plasmon. Our work provides a solid foundation for the understanding of nonlocality in multilayered plasmonic structures and paves the way for future experiments.

Design Optimization and Fabrication of Graphene/J-Aggregate Kretschmann-Raether Devices for Refractive Index Sensing Using Plasmon-Induced Transparency Phenomena

Here, a novel plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) sensing platform based on a Kretschmann–Raether configuration with graphene/J-aggregate materials is proposed. The J-aggregate material, despite its dielectric optical properties, can strongly confine the surface wave-like metal layers. These features promise to highly enlarge the range of plasmonic sensing devices. Therefore, the sensing parameters have been numerically and experimentally investigated using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results show that the PIT resonance of the structure has a sharp reflection, in turn, leads to high sensitivity. To deep benchmark the structure, the effects of the structural parameters and environmental variables such as temperature and magnetic field on the sensing properties of the device are analyzed in detail. The maximum sensitivity is obtained as high as 1400 angle per refractive-index unit (RIU) with an extra high figure of merit of 36 RIU−1 around the PIT resonance angle of 53°. By considering the magnetic field of 0.01 T and graphene chemical potential of μ = 0.4 eV and environmental room temperature, the proposed structure may potentially be applied in advanced off-chip PIT sensors.

Ultrasensitive Optical Temperature Transducers Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance Enhanced Composited Goos-Hänchen and Imbert-Fedorov Shifts

The spatial and angular Goos-Hänchen and Imbert-Fedorov shifts occur simultaneously for the light beam reflected from a lossy surface (e.g., metal surface). The mixture of spatial and angular Goos-Hänchen (Imbert-Fedorov) shifts, referred to as composited Goos-Hänchen (Imbert-Fedorov) shift, has been experimentally confirmed in recent years. The temperature-dependent composite Goos-Hänchen and Imbert-Fedorov shifts for a light beam reflected from the prism-gold interface in the Kretschmann-Raether configuration are theoretically investigated. The spatial and angular Goos-Hänchen and Imbert-Fedorov shitfs of p-polarized incident light are significantly enhanced around the resonant angle with the generation of surface plasmon resonance. The ultrahigh temperature sensitivities of 0.79 cm/K and 188 μm/K are obtained with the composite Goos-Hänchen and Imbert-Fedorov shift, respectively, which are about 5 orders higher than those obtained with a bare gold surface. The ultrahigh temperature sensitivity is mostly contributed by the angular shift effect. Our results demonstrated the importance of angular shift effect in achieving an ultrahigh sensitivity. This work can serve as a guidance for the design of temperature sensor, chemical sensor and biosensor based on composite Goos-Hänchen and Imbert-Fedorov shifts.

Evolution of epsilon-near-zero plasmon with surface roughness and demonstration of perfect absorption in randomly rough indium tin oxide thin films

Any degree of surface roughness could play a significant role in determining the optical properties of ultra-thin films required for epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) applications. In this report, we have provided a systematic analysis of the evolution of an ENZ mode with increasing surface roughness values and established both experimentally and theoretically that roughness acts as a supporting mechanism for achieving a strong ENZ plasmon resonance response in randomly rough indium tin oxide thin films. For pulsed laser deposited indium tin oxide thin films, ENZ plasmon-mediated absorption is enhanced monotonically with the increasing surface roughness. A value of 99.75%, depicting near-perfect absorption, at a wavelength of 1335 nm for the incidence angle of 50° is demonstrated experimentally via Kretschmann–Raether configuration for the film with the highest surface roughness. A modified transfer matrix method based on the anisotropic Bruggemann effective medium approximation is being used to effectively simulate the experimental spectra, and based on this analysis, an even higher absorption is predicted at lower angles outside the experimentally viable domain. Such a high value of absorption just above the ENZ wavelength is due to the strong electric field enhancement inside the film layer, while in terms of absorption loss, surface roughness leads the way and contributes immensely toward the occurrence of perfect absorption in the collective media. Modification of the ENZ mode dispersion in the presence of a surface roughness layer is also discussed, and observed perfect absorption is recognized as the outcome of the crossover between the internal damping and radiation damping terms.

Strong coupling of Bloch surface waves and excitons in ZnO up to 430 K

We report on the investigation and observation of Bloch surface wave polaritons, resulting from the interaction between excitons in ZnO and a Bloch surface wave supported by a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR), for temperatures up to 430 K. The samples were fabricated using pulsed laser deposition and consist of a DBR made of 6.5 layer pairs of yttrica-stabilized zirconia and Al2O3 with a ZnO surface layer. We measured the reflectivity of transverse electric modes using a SiO2 prism in Kretschmann–Raether configuration, giving access to high in-plane momenta. Whereas the lower polariton branch was clearly observable, the upper polariton branch was not visible, due to the strong absorption in ZnO above the excitonic resonance. By employing a coupled oscillator model for the interaction between the bare surface mode and exciton, we derived a corresponding Rabi splitting between 100–192 meV at 294 K, which decreases with increasing temperature.

Tuning surface plasmon-exciton coupling via thickness controlling of excitonic layer

We present the Rabi energy tuning effects in strong coupling effects between surface plasmon (SP) and exciton in the Kretschmann-Raether configuration by varying excitonic layer thickness. Both experimental results and theoretical calculations indicate that the anticross-like dispersion relation comes from the rapid change of permittivity near the exciton state and can be attributed to the strong coupling between SP and exciton. Our findings reveal that the excitonic layer plays a key role in the SP-exciton coupling. The increase of the excitonic layer will not only enlarge the Rabi splitting energy, but also cause the redshift of SP dispersion relation. Thus to fulfill the coupling condition, there is a critical thickness of the excitonic layer at specific incident angle . With the increase of excitonic layer thickness, the Rabi energy increases monotonously and tends to saturate. Our findings will be beneficial for the better understanding of SP-exciton strong coupling in KR configuration and can be useful in tuning the Rabi energy and resonant conditions according to practical applications.

All-optical switching of an epsilon-near-zero plasmon resonance in indium tin oxide

Nonlinear optical devices and their implementation into modern nanophotonic architectures are constrained by their usually moderate nonlinear response. Recently, epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials have been found to have a strong optical nonlinearity, which can be enhanced through the use of cavities or nano-structuring. Here, we study the pump dependent properties of the plasmon resonance in the ENZ region in a thin layer of indium tin oxide (ITO). Exciting this mode using the Kretschmann-Raether configuration, we study reflection switching properties of a 60 nm layer close to the resonant plasmon frequency. We demonstrate a thermal switching mechanism, which results in a shift in the plasmon resonance frequency of 20 THz for a TM pump intensity of 70 GW cm−2. For degenerate pump and probe frequencies, we highlight an additional two-beam coupling contribution, not previously isolated in ENZ nonlinear optics studies, which leads to an overall pump induced change in reflection from 1% to 45%.

Spectral Characterization of Mid-Infrared Bloch Surface Waves Excited on a Truncated 1D Photonic Crystal.

The many fundamental roto-vibrational resonances of chemical compounds result in strong absorption lines in the mid-infrared region (λ ∼ 2–20 μm). For this reason, mid-infrared spectroscopy plays a key role in label-free sensing, in particular, for chemical recognition, but often lacks the required sensitivity to probe small numbers of molecules. In this work, we propose a vibrational sensing scheme based on Bloch surface waves (BSWs) on 1D photonic crystals to increase the sensitivity of mid-infrared sensors. We report on the design and deposition of CaF2/ZnS 1D photonic crystals. Moreover, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate the possibility to sustain narrow σ-polarized BSW modes together with broader π-polarized modes in the range of 3–8 μm by means of a customized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy setup. The multilayer stacks are deposited directly on CaF2 prisms, reducing the number of unnecessary interfaces when exciting in the Kretschmann–Raether configuration. Finally, we compare the performance of mid-IR sensors based on surface plasmon polaritons with the BSW-based sensor. The figures of merit found for BSWs in terms of confinement of the electromagnetic field and propagation length puts them as forefrontrunners for label-free and polarization-dependent sensing devices.

Bloch surface waves biosensing in the ultraviolet wavelength range – Bragg structure design for investigating protein adsorption by in situ Kretschmann-Raether ellipsometry

We designed a Bragg mirror structure with an SiO2 top layer to create a resonance in the ultraviolet wavelength range, near the absorption peak position of various proteins. We demonstrate that the wavelength of enhanced sensitivity can be adjusted by proper design of the 1D photonic structure. The possibility to design the wavelength of enhanced sensitivity supports measurements of better selectivity, optimized for the absorption of the target material. Since the width of the resonant peak in the reflectance spectra can be sharper than those of plasmonics, and they can be positioned at more favourable regions of the instrument and material (e.g., in terms of intensity or selectivity), the sensitivity can exceed those of plasmon-enhanced measurements. In this study we demonstrate the main features of the concept at the example of in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry of fibrinogen adsorption in the Kretschmann-Raether configuration. We realized a resonant peak with a full width at half maximum of 3 nm near the wavelength of 280 nm, which coincides with the absorption maximum of fibrinogen. The influence of depolarization and surface roughness on the measurements, and the potential for improving the current experimental detection limit of 45 pg/mm2 is also discussed.

Localized surface electromagnetic waves in CrI3-based magnetophotonic structures.

Resulting from strong magnetic anisotropy two-dimensional ferromagnetism was recently shown to be stabilized in chromium triiodide, CrI3, in the monolayer limit. While its properties remain largely unexplored, it provides a unique material-specific platform to unveil its electromagnetic properties associated with coupling of modes. Indeed, trigonal symmetry in the presence of out-of-plane magnetization results in a non-trivial structure of the conductivity tensor, including the off-diagonal terms. In this paper, we study the surface electromagnetic waves localized in a CrI3-based structure using the results of ab initio calculations for the CrI3 conductivity tensor. In particular, we provide an estimate for the critical angle corresponding to the surface plasmon polariton generation in the Kretschmann-Raether configuration by a detailed investigation of reflectance spectrum as well as the magnetic field distribution for different CrI3 layer thicknesses. We also study the bilayer structure formed by two CrI3 layers separated by a SiO2 spacer and show that the surface plasmon resonance can be achieved at the interface between CrI3 and air depending on the spacer thickness.

Excitation of surface plasmon–polariton waves at the interface of a metal and an isotropic chiral material in the prism-coupled configurations

Excitation of surface plasmon–polariton (SPP) waves guided by the planar interface of a metal and an isotropic chiral material was investigated in the prism-coupled configurations. The characteristics of the SPP waves in both the Turbadar–Kretschmann–Raether configuration and the Turbadar–Otto configuration were studied. The results for SPP-wave excitation in the latter configuration were easily discernible than the former. The associated canonical boundary-value problem was numerically solved for the confirmation of the results of the prism-coupled configurations. It was seen that the SPP waves can exist only if the chirality pseudo-scalar has magnitude that is less than a threshold value.

Numerical simulations on strong coupling of Bloch surface waves and excitons in dielectric-semiconductor multilayers

Simulations on Bloch surface waves and Bloch surface wave–exciton–polaritons based on the transfer matrix method were performed using only the layer thicknesses and refractive indices of the materials. We demonstrate that the incorporation of the influence of active layer is necessary to accurately determine the Bloch surface wave dispersion. Furthermore, the mode splitting that gives rise to the lower and upper polariton branches can be simulated by including the full dispersive refractive index of the active layer in the transfer matrix calculation. We show the dependence of coupling strength on active layer and truncation layer thicknesses, which implies that the Bloch surface wave–exciton interaction strength can be tuned just by changing these structural parameters. Furthermore, we calculate the area inside the dips corresponding to the lower and upper polariton modes, which can serve as an indicator of mode visibility. We find that in the Kretschmann–Raether configuration, a tradeoff between high Rabi splitting and good mode visibility must be taken into account in designing multilayer structures for Bloch surface wave–exciton–polaritons. Angle-resolved reflectivity maps were also calculated to illustrate how these results can be observed in an experimental set-up. This work serves as a guide map in the design and potential optimization of multilayer structures for the study of two-dimensional polaritonic systems.

Auxiliary Top‐Illumination in the Kretschmann–Raether Configuration: A Theoretical Study on the Surface Plasmon Resonance Response

A new variation of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors design with Kretschmann–Raether (KR)‐type configuration is presented. Using a rotational incident angle scanning platform, the conductor nanolayer is normally irradiated with an auxiliary unpolarized light beam from the dielectric side. Both illumination sources should have a coherence length much larger than their source/Au layer optical path. Beginning with a Lorentzian‐type oscillator model, a general dispersion equation for the metal nanolayer is developed that incorporates interband transitions and polychromaticity of the top‐illumination beam. SPR curves are then predicted based on the transfer‐matrix method. Simulation results show that the top‐illumination frequency and its relative amplitude with respect to the bottom laser beam may impart significant changes to the SPR curve. It is shown that the implementation of short‐wave ultraviolet light (180 nm) may considerably improve the performance of SPR sensors in terms of the figure‐of‐merit. Larger wavelengths generally lead to performance deterioration. Based on the transverse magnetic solutions of the wave equation, a theoretical interpretation of the results is presented that confirms the strong effect of top illumination on the magnitude of the decay lengths in the conductor/dielectric and the propagation constant.