Guided-Mode Resonance-Based Relative Humidity Sensing Employing a Planar Waveguide Structure

In this paper, we present a new type of guided-mode resonance (GMR)-based sensor that utilizes a planar waveguide structure (PWS). We employed a PWS with an asymmetric three-layer waveguide structure consisting of substrate/Au/photoresist. The ellipsometric characterization of the structure layers, the simulated reflectance spectra, and optical field distributions under GMR conditions showed that multiple waveguide modes can be excited in the PWS. These modes can be used for refractive index sensing, and the theoretical analysis of the designed PWS showed a sensitivity to the refractive index up to 6600 nm per refractive index unit (RIU) and a figure of merit (FOM) up to 224 RIU−1. In response to these promising theoretical results, the PWS was used to measure the relative humidity (RH) of moist air with a sensitivity up to 0.141 nm/%RH and a FOM reaching 3.7 × 10−3%RH−1. The results demonstrate that this highly-sensitive and hysteresis-free sensor based on GMR has the potential to be used in a wide range of applications.

[1]  Junbo Yang,et al.  Double Spectral Electromagnetically Induced Transparency Based on Double-Bar Dielectric Grating and Its Sensor Application , 2020 .

[2]  R. C. Thompson,et al.  Optical Waves in Layered Media , 1990 .

[3]  A. Nabok,et al.  The method of total internal reflection ellipsometry for thin film characterisation and sensing , 2008 .

[4]  Christophe Dupuis,et al.  Free-standing guided-mode resonance band-pass filters: from 1D to 2D structures. , 2012, Optics express.

[5]  R. Magnusson,et al.  New principle for optical filters , 1992 .

[7]  S. Weiss,et al.  Guided mode biosensor based on grating coupled porous silicon waveguide. , 2011, Optics express.

[8]  R. Magnusson,et al.  Agarose-Gel Based Guided-Mode Resonance Humidity Sensor , 2007, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[9]  Jicheng Wang,et al.  Single layer narrow bandwidth angle-insensitive guided-mode resonance bandstop filters , 2017 .

[10]  K. Elwasife,et al.  Guided Modes In A Metal-Clad Waveguide Comprising a Left Handed Material As a Guiding Layer , 2012 .

[11]  W. Hsieh,et al.  Intensity-detection-based guided-mode-resonance optofluidic biosensing system for rapid, low-cost, label-free detection , 2017 .

[12]  Andrea M. Armani,et al.  Hybrid microcavity humidity sensor , 2013 .

[13]  Xiang Wu,et al.  Guided Mode Resonance Sensors with Optimized Figure of Merit , 2019, Nanomaterials.

[14]  Khalid Qaraqe,et al.  Planar broad-band and wide-angle hybrid plasmonic IMI filters with induced transmission for visible light applications. , 2017, Applied optics.

[15]  Hee Jun Shin,et al.  Terahertz Guided Mode Resonance Sensing Platform Based on Freestanding Dielectric Materials: High Q-Factor and Tunable Spectrum , 2020 .

[16]  Kaiming Zhou,et al.  Toward a New Generation of Photonic Humidity Sensors , 2014, Sensors.

[17]  Graham J. Triggs,et al.  Chirped guided-mode resonance biosensor , 2017, Optica.

[18]  Yunping Qi,et al.  Investigation of wide-range refractive index sensor based on asymmetric metal-cladding dielectric waveguide structure , 2018, AIP Advances.

[19]  Xianfeng Chen,et al.  Symmetrical Metal Cladding Waveguide for Absorption Sensing and its Sensitivity Analysis , 2017, IEEE Photonics Journal.

[20]  Zouheir Sekkat,et al.  Extremely narrow resonances, giant sensitivity and field enhancement in low-loss waveguide sensors , 2016 .

[21]  Dalibor Ciprian,et al.  Surface Plasmon Resonance Based Measurement of the Dielectric Function of a Thin Metal Film , 2018, Sensors.

[22]  Hua Yang,et al.  Theoretical Investigation of a Highly Sensitive Refractive-Index Sensor Based on TM0 Waveguide Mode Resonance Excited in an Asymmetric Metal-Cladding Dielectric Waveguide Structure , 2019, Sensors.

[23]  I. Del Villar,et al.  Generation of lossy mode resonances in a broadband range with multilayer coated coverslips optimized for humidity sensing , 2020 .

[24]  Minghong Yang,et al.  Thin films based one-dimensional photonic crystal for humidity detection , 2017 .

[25]  Hossein Mosallaei,et al.  Electro-optical Amplitude and Phase Modulators Based on Tunable Guided-Mode Resonance Effect , 2019, ACS Photonics.

[26]  Jicheng Wang,et al.  Characteristics of multiple Fano resonances in waveguide-coupled surface plasmon resonance sensors based on waveguide theory , 2018, Scientific Reports.

[27]  Jinpeng Nong,et al.  High-performance refractive index sensor based on guided-mode resonance in all-dielectric nano-silt array , 2019, Physics Letters A.

[28]  Guy Levy-Yurista,et al.  Light modulation with electro-optic polymer-based resonant grating waveguide structures. , 2005, Optics express.

[29]  Petr Hlubina,et al.  Bloch Surface Wave Resonance Based Sensors as an Alternative to Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors , 2020, Sensors.

[30]  I. Matías,et al.  Generation of Lossy Mode Resonances in Planar Waveguides Toward Development of Humidity Sensors , 2019, Journal of Lightwave Technology.

[31]  Jesús M. Corres,et al.  Recent Developments in Fiber Optics Humidity Sensors , 2017, Sensors.

[32]  P. K. Sahoo,et al.  High sensitivity guided-mode-resonance optical sensor employing phase detection , 2017, Scientific Reports.