Mach-Zehnder refractometric sensor using long-range surface plasmon waveguides

We demonstrate refractometric sensing using long-range surface plasmons on a compact integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) formed from thin Au stripes in Cytop with an etched microfluidic channel defining the sensing arm. The transfer characteristics of MZIs were obtained by sequentially injecting solutions of increasing refractive index in the sensing arm. A detection limit of 9 × 10−7 RIU was achieved at λ0 = 1310 nm, limited by unbalanced losses in the sensing and reference arms. A model is proposed for the MZIs, taking into account all loss mechanisms, and may be applied to MZI sensors in other technologies.

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