Dual-resonant-peak single-mode fiber surface plasmon resonance gas sensor with V-groove for methane detection

The simple structure of single-mode fibers as a sensing platform circumvents the technical bottlenecks associated with manufacturing difficulties. Meanwhile, compared to photonic crystal fibers, they have lower manufacturing costs and can achieve similar performance to other types of fibers, providing greater possibilities for mass production. The V-groove in the SMF destroys the original symmetry of the fiber and renders the core mode energy leak controllable, consequently enhancing the sensitivity and confinement loss (CL) intensity of the core mode as well as the resolution. The composite nanolayer (gold gas-sensitive film) combines the advantages of both the materials and mutual gain to strengthen the detection ability and continuously outputs high-quality free electrons to promote mode coupling. A dual-resonant-peak single-mode fiber (SMF) surface plasmon resonance (SPR) gas sensor with a V-groove is designed for the sensitive detection of methane and analyzed by the full-vector finite element method (FEM). By optimizing the structural parameters and polarization states, the SPR sensor can be operated in the concentration range between 0 % and 3.5 %, which can be spread across two transmission bands simultaneously with the maximum wavelength sensitivities being 12 nm/% and 8 nm/% and the corresponding resolution being 0.0083 % and 0.013 %, respectively. The tolerance of the structural parameters of the sensor is below 0.88 nm/μm to make manufacturing easier compared to conventional products. This sensor has good prospects and application potential in areas such as gas leakage diagnostics and environmental safety.