High-resolution surface plasmon resonance sensor with Fano resonance in waveguide-coupled multilayer structures

An ultra-high resolution refractive-index sensor with the Kretschmann configuration was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The Fano resonance (FR) in the attenuated total reflection curve arose from the interactions between the surface plasmon polariton and planar waveguide modes. It was shown to depend strongly on the structural parameters that governed the position of the FR and to be in good agreement with the results of electromagnetic calculations. The sensitivity by intensity was estimated to be 3.56 × 102-fold higher than that of conventional surface plasmon resonance sensors.