Fano resonances in a single defect nanocavity coupled with a plasmonic waveguide

Analysis of the water-soluble vitamins based on MIM waveguide structure and Fano resonance

Fano resonance (FR) is extremely sensitive to extremely small changes in the surrounding environment. We first propose an optical nano-refractive index sensor based on Fano resonance, which is applied to the identification of water-soluble vitamins B1, B5 and B6 and the measurement of the concentration of vitamin B1. The sensor can be used to rapidly identify pure vitamins B1, B5, and B6 at a concentration of 1 g/50 mL at 25 °C based on the relationship between the wavelength shift in the FR line spectrum and the refractive index. This work shows that the sensitivity of the sensor can reach 1327.5 nm/RIU, the sensor can be used to rapidly identify vitamins B1, B5, and B6 through changes in refractive index under certain conditions. Moreover, rapid calculation of vitamin B1 solution concentration is achieved based on the relationship between different concentrations of vitamin B1 solution and their corresponding refractive indexes and wavelength shifts in their FR line spectrums, which is an important step for the application of the designed MIM waveguide structures to the fields of biology, chemistry, and medicine.

Analogous plasmon-induced absorption based on an end-coupled MDM structure with area-cost-free cavities

We theoretically investigate an end-coupled metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) structure that achieves analogous plasmon-induced absorption (APIA) in an area-cost-free manner. First, a squared ring is set to end-couple with MDM input and output waveguides, generating three Lorentzian-like peaks in the spectrum. Then, two APIA windows as well as two Fano resonances can be induced via appropriately arranging two area-free cavities. Numerous numerical results demonstrate that the proposed structure has remarkable sensing and phase characteristics. Our proposed PIA-based MDM structure is promising in potential applications of bio-chemical sensing, slow light devices, optical switching, and chip-scale plasmonic devices.

Improved Refractive Index-Sensing Performance of Multimode Fano-Resonance-Based Metal-Insulator-Metal Nanostructures

This work proposed a multiple mode Fano resonance-based refractive index sensor with high sensitivity that is a rarely investigated structure. The designed device consists of a metal–insulator–metal (MIM) waveguide with two rectangular stubs side-coupled with an elliptical resonator embedded with an air path in the resonator and several metal defects set in the bus waveguide. We systematically studied three types of sensor structures employing the finite element method. Results show that the surface plasmon mode’s splitting is affected by the geometry of the sensor. We found that the transmittance dips and peaks can dramatically change by adding the dual air stubs, and the light–matter interaction can effectively enhance by embedding an air path in the resonator and the metal defects in the bus waveguide. The double air stubs and an air path contribute to the cavity plasmon resonance, and the metal defects facilitate the gap plasmon resonance in the proposed plasmonic sensor, resulting in remarkable characteristics compared with those of plasmonic sensors. The high sensitivity of 2600 nm/RIU and 1200 nm/RIU can simultaneously achieve in mode 1 and mode 2 of the proposed type 3 structure, which considerably raises the sensitivity by 216.67% for mode 1 and 133.33% for mode 2 compared to its regular counterpart, i.e., type 2 structure. The designed sensing structure can detect the material’s refractive index in a wide range of gas, liquids, and biomaterials (e.g., hemoglobin concentration).

Formation Laws of Direction of Fano Line-Shape in a Ring MIM Plasmonic Waveguide Side-Coupled with a Rectangular Resonator and Nano-Sensing Analysis of Multiple Fano Resonances

Plasmonic MIM (metal-insulator-metal) waveguides based on Fano resonance have been widely researched. However, the regulation of the direction of the line shape of Fano resonance is rarely mentioned. In order to study the regulation of the direction of the Fano line-shape, a Fano resonant plasmonic system, which consists of a MIM waveguide coupled with a ring resonator and a rectangle resonator, is proposed and investigated numerically via FEM (finite element method). We find the influencing factors and formation laws of the ‘direction’ of the Fano line-shape, and the optimal condition for the generation of multiple Fano resonances; and the application in refractive index sensing is also well studied. The conclusions can provide a clear theoretical reference for the regulation of the direction of the line shape of Fano resonance and the generation of multi Fano resonances in the designs of plasmonic nanodevices.

Plasmonic Narrowband Filter Based on an Equilateral Triangular Resonator with a Silver Bar

A kind of plasmonic structure consisted of an equilateral triangle-shaped cavity (ETSC) and a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide is proposed to realize triple Fano resonances. Numerically simulated by the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method, Fano resonances inside the structure are also explained by the coupled mode theory (CMT) and standing wave theory. For further research, inverting ETSC could dramatically increase quality factor to enhance resonance wavelength selectivity. After that, a bar is introduced into the ETSC and the inverted ETSC to increase resonance wavelengths through changing the structural parameters of the bar. In addition, working as a highly efficient narrowband filter, this structure owes a good sensitivity (S = 923 nm/RIU) and a pretty high-quality factor (Q = 322) along with a figure of merit (FOM = 710). Additionally, a narrowband peak with 1.25 nm Full-Width-Half-Maximum (FWHM) can be obtained. This structure will be used in highly integrated optical circuits in future.

Ultrawide Bandgap and High Sensitivity of a Plasmonic Metal-Insulator-Metal Waveguide Filter with Cavity and Baffles

A plasmonic metal-insulator-metal waveguide filter consisting of one rectangular cavity and three silver baffles is numerically investigated using the finite element method and theoretically described by the cavity resonance mode theory. The proposed structure shows a simple shape with a small number of structural parameters that can function as a plasmonic sensor with a filter property, high sensitivity and figure of merit, and wide bandgap. Simulation results demonstrate that a cavity with three silver baffles could significantly affect the resonance condition and remarkably enhance the sensor performance compared to its counterpart without baffles. The calculated sensitivity (S) and figure of merit (FOM) in the first mode can reach 3300.00 nm/RIU and 170.00 RIU⁻¹. Besides, S and FOM values can simultaneously get above 2000.00 nm/RIU and 110.00 RIU⁻¹ in the first and second modes by varying a broad range of the structural parameters, which are not attainable in the reported literature. The proposed structure can realize multiple modes operating in a wide wavelength range, which may have potential applications in the on-chip plasmonic sensor, filter, and other optical integrated circuits.

Highly Sensitive and Tunable Plasmonic Sensor Based on a Nanoring Resonator with Silver Nanorods

We numerically and theoretically investigate a highly sensitive and tunable plasmonic refractive index sensor that is composed of a metal-insulator-metal waveguide with a side-coupled nanoring, containing silver nanorods using the finite element method. Results reveal that the presence of silver nanorods in the nanoring has a significant impact on sensitivity and tunability performance. It gives a flexible way to tune the system response in the proposed structure. Our designed sensor has a sensitivity of 2080 nm/RIU (RIU is the refractive index unit) along with a figure of merit and a quality factor of 29.92 and 29.67, respectively. The adequate refractive index sensitivity can increase by adding the silver nanorods in a nanoring, which can induce new surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) modes that cannot be found by a regular nanoring. For a practical application, a valid introduction of silver nanorods in the nanoring can dramatically reduce the dimension of the proposed structure without sacrificing performance.

Independently tunable Fano resonances in a metal-insulator-metal coupled cavities system

Herein, multiple Fano resonances with excellent ability to be tuned independently are produced in a sub-wavelength metal-insulator-metal system. The input and output waveguides are separated by a metal gap, and a stub and an end-coupled cavity are placed below and to the right side of the input waveguide, respectively, as discrete states. Owing to the mode interferences, double ultra-sharp and asymmetric Fano resonant peaks are observed in the transmission spectrum. Successfully, the basic structure is extended by two extra rectangular cavities, giving rise to four Fano resonances with high refractive index sensitivity and figure of merit. Due to the discrete modes of Fano resonances from different coupling cavities, their resonant wavelengths can be controlled independently, which can provide greater flexibility for tuning Fano resonances. The performances of the proposed structure are investigated by both the finite-difference time-domain method and the multimode interference coupled-mode theory. It is believed that the research can provide important guidance in designing Fano resonance structures, and the proposed structure has a wide application in sensors, switches, and nano-photonic integrated circuit devices.

Ultra-compact high-sensitivity plasmonic sensor based on Fano resonance with symmetry breaking ring cavity

Miniaturizing optical devices with desired functionality is a key prerequisite for nanoscale photonic circuits. Based on Fano resonance, an on-chip high-sensitivity sensor, composed of two waveguides coupling with a symmetry breaking ring resonator, is theoretically and numerically investigated. The established theoretical model agrees well with the finite-difference time-domain simulations, which reveals the physics of Fano resonance. Differing with the coupled cavities, the Fano resonance originates from the interference between symmetry-mode and asymmetry-mode in a single symmetry-broken cavity. The spectral responses and sensing performances of the plasmonic structure rely on the degree of asymmetry of cavity. In particular, the plasmonic sensor can detect the refractive index changes as small as 10^-5, and the figure of merit (FOM) of symmetry-breaking cavity structure is 17 times larger than that of symmetrical cavity system. Additionally, the sensitivity to temperature of ethanol analyte achieves 0.701 nm/^○C. Compared with the coupled cavities, the on-chip high-sensitivity sensor using a single cavity is more compact, which paves the way toward highly integrated photonic devices.

Independently Tunable Fano Resonances Based on the Coupled Hetero-Cavities in a Plasmonic MIM System

In this paper, based on coupled hetero-cavities, multiple Fano resonances are produced and tuned in a plasmonic metal-insulator-metal (MIM) system. The structure comprises a rectangular cavity, a side-coupled waveguide, and an upper-coupled circular cavity with a metal-strip core, used to modulate Fano resonances. Three Fano resonances can be realized, which originate from interference of the cavity modes between the rectangular cavity and the metal-strip-core circular cavity. Due to the different cavity-cavity coupling mechanisms, the three Fano resonances can be divided into two groups, and each group of Fano resonances can be well tuned independently by changing the different cavity parameters, which can allow great flexibility to control multiple Fano resonances in practice. Furthermore, through carefully adjusting the direction angle of the metal-strip core in the circular cavity, the position and lineshape of the Fano resonances can be easily tuned. Notably, reversal asymmetry takes place for one of the Fano resonances. The influence of the direction angle on the figure of merit (FOM) value is also investigated. A maximum FOM of 3436 is obtained. The proposed structure has high transmission, sharp Fano lineshape, and high sensitivity to change in the background refractive index. This research provides effective guidance to tune multiple Fano resonances, which has important applications in nanosensors, filters, modulators, and other related plasmonic devices.

Fano Resonance Enhanced Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors Operating in Near-Infrared

In the phase-sensitivity-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing scheme, the highest phase jump usually happens at the darkness or quasi-darkness reflection point, which results in low power for detection. To overcome such a limitation, in this paper, a waveguide-coupled SPR configuration is proposed to work at near-infrared. The coupling between surface plasmon polariton (SPP) mode and photonic waveguide (PWG) mode results in electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and asymmetric Fano resonance (FR). Near the resonance, the differential phase between p-polarized and s-polarized incident waves experience drastic variation upon change of the surrounding refractive index. More importantly, since the FR occurs at the resonance slope of SPP mode, the corresponding phase change is accompanied with relatively high reflectivity, which is essential for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enhancement and power consumption reduction. Phase sensitivity up to 106 deg/RIU order with a minimum SPR reflectivity higher than 20% is achieved. The proposed scheme provides an alternative approach for high-performance sensing applications using FR.

Self-Reference Refractive Index Sensor Based on Independently Controlled Double Resonances in Side-Coupled U-Shaped Resonators

A plasmonic, refractive, index nanosensor is investigated theoretically and numerically in two U-shaped cavities side-coupled to a metal–dielectric–metal (MDM) waveguide. A transparency window between two transmission dips is observed. The physical origin of the transmission phenomenon is revealed by mapping the magnetic field distribution. Independent double resonances are realized through the proposed design. Double resonances showed diverse responses to the variations of the structural dimensions. In particular, they presented different dependences on a refraction index of the medium in an individual resonator. One resonance exhibited a remarkable shift with the increase of the refraction index; however, the other resonance remained unchanged. On the basis of this unique characteristic of differing sensitivities, self-reference sensing is discussed. The nanosensor yielded a high sensitivity of 917 nm/RIU and a figure of merit of 180 RIU⁻¹. This work is helpful in terms of the design of on-chip optical sensors with high sensitivity and improved detection accuracy in complicated environments.

Tunable Nanosensor Based on Fano Resonances Created by Changing the Deviation Angle of the Metal Core in a Plasmonic Cavity

In this paper, a type of tunable plasmonic refractive index nanosensor based on Fano resonance is proposed and investigated. The sensor comprises a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) nanocavity with a center-deviated metal core and two side-coupled waveguides. By carefully adjusting the deviation angle and distance of the metal core in the cavity, Fano resonances can be obtained and modulated. The Fano resonances can be considered as results induced by the symmetry-breaking or geometric effect that affects the field distribution intensity at the coupling region between the right waveguide and the cavity. Such a field-distribution pattern change can be regarded as being caused by the interference between the waveguide modes and the cavity modes. The investigations demonstrate that the spectral positions and modulation depths of Fano resonances are highly sensitive to the deviation parameters. Furthermore, the figure of merit (FOM) value is calculated for different deviation angle. The result shows that this kind of tunable sensor has compact structure, high transmission, sharp Fano lineshape, and high sensitivity to the change in background refractive index. This work provides an effective method for flexibly tuning Fano resonance, which has wide applications in designing on-chip plasmonic nanosensors or other relevant devices, such as information modulators, optical filters, and ultra-fast switches.

Coupled-resonator-induced plasmonic bandgaps

By drawing an analogy with the conventional photonic crystals, the plasmonic bandgaps have mainly employed the periodic metallic structures, named as plasmonic crystals. However, the sizes of the plasmonic crystals are much larger than the wavelengths, and the large sizes considerably decrease the density of the photonic integration circuits. Here, based on the coupled-resonator effect, the plasmonic bandgaps are experimentally realized in the subwavelength waveguide-resonator structure, which considerably decreases the structure size to subwavelength scales. An analytic model and the phase analysis are established to explain this phenomenon. Both the experiment and simulation show that the plasmonic bandgap structure has large fabrication tolerances (>20%). Instead of the periodic metallic structures in the bulky plasmonic crystals, the utilization of the subwavelength plasmonic waveguide-resonator structure not only significantly shrinks the bandgap structure to be about λ²/13, but also expands the physics of the plasmonic bandgaps. The subwavelength dimension, together with the waveguide configuration and robust realization, makes the bandgap structure easy to be highly integrated on chips.

Self-reference plasmonic sensors based on double Fano resonances

High-sensitivity plasmonic refractive index sensors show great applications in the areas of biomedical diagnostics, healthcare, food safety, environmental monitoring, homeland security, and chemical reactions. However, the unstable and complicated environments considerably limit their practical applications. By employing the independent double Fano resonances in a simple metallic grating, we experimentally demonstrate a self-reference plasmonic sensor, which significantly reduces the error contributions of the light intensity fluctuations in the long-distance propagation and local temperature variations at the metallic grating, and the detection accuracy is guaranteed. The numerical simulation shows that the two Fano resonances have different origins and are independent of each other. As a result, the left Fano resonance is quite sensitive to the refractive index variations above the metal surface, while the right Fano resonance is insensitive to that. Experimentally, a high figure of merit (FOM) of 31 RIU^-1 and a FOM* of 860 RIU^-1 are realized by using the left Fano resonance. More importantly, by using the right Fano resonance as a reference signal, the influence of the light intensity fluctuations and local temperature variations is monitored and eliminated in the experiment. This simple self-reference plasmonic sensor based on the double Fano resonances may find important applications in highly-sensitive and accurate sensing under unstable and complicated environments, as well as multi-parameter sensing.

Fano resonances based on multimode and degenerate mode interference in plasmonic resonator system

In this paper, three Fano resonances based on three different physical mechanisms are theoretically and numerically investigated in a plasmonic resonator system, comprised of two circular cavities. And the multimode interference coupled mode theory (MICMT) including coupling phases is proposed to explain the Fano resonances in plasmonic resonator system. According to MICMT, one of the Fano resonances originates from the interference between different resonant modes of one resonator, the other is induced by the interference between the resonant modes of different resonators. Mode degeneracy is removed when the symmetry of the system is broken, thereby emerging the third kind of Fano resonance which is called degenerate interference Fano resonance, and the degenerate interference coupled mode theory (DICMT) is proposed to explain this kind of Fano resonance. The sensitivity and FOM* (figure of merit) of these Fano resonances can be as high as 840 nm/RIU and 100, respectively. These are useful for fundamental study and applications in sensors, splitters and slow-light devices.

Influential and theoretical analysis of nano-defect in the stub resonator

We investigate a classic optical effect based on plasmon induced transparency (PIT) in a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) bus waveguide coupled with a single defective cavity. With the coupled mode theory (CMT), a theoretical model, for the single defective cavity, is established to study spectral features in the plasmonic waveguide. We can achieve a required description for the phenomenon, and the theoretical results also agree well with the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Our researches show that the defect’s position and size play important roles in the PIT phenomenon. By adjusting the position and size of the defect, we can realize the PIT phenomenon well and get the required slow light effect. The proposed model and findings may provide guidance for fundamental research of the control of light in highly integrated optical circuits.

Tuning Fano resonances with a nano-chamber of air

By designing a polymer-film-coated asymmetric metallic slit structure that only contains one nanocavity side-coupled with a subwavelength plasmonic waveguide, the Fano resonance is realized in the experiment. The Fano resonance originates from the interference between the narrow resonant spectra of the radiative light from the nanocavity and the broad nonresonant spectra of the directly transmitted light from the slit. The lateral dimension of the asymmetric slit is only 825 nm. Due to the presence of the soft polymer film, a nano-chamber of air is constructed. Based on the opto-thermal effect, the air volume in the nano-chamber is expanded by a laser beam, which blueshifts the Fano resonance. This tunable Fano resonance in such a submicron slit structure with a nano-chamber is of importance in the highly integrated plasmonic circuits.

Fano Resonance Based on Metal-Insulator-Metal Waveguide-Coupled Double Rectangular Cavities for Plasmonic Nanosensors

A refractive index sensor based on metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguides coupled double rectangular cavities is proposed and investigated numerically using the finite element method (FEM). The transmission properties and refractive index sensitivity of various configurations of the sensor are systematically investigated. An asymmetric Fano resonance lineshape is observed in the transmission spectra of the sensor, which is induced by the interference between a broad resonance mode in one rectangular and a narrow one in the other. The effect of various structural parameters on the Fano resonance and the refractive index sensitivity of the system based on Fano resonance is investigated. The proposed plasmonic refractive index sensor shows a maximum sensitivity of 596 nm/RIU.

Theoretical analysis and applications in inverse T-shape structure

An inverse T-shape structure, consisting of a bus waveguide coupled with two perpendicular rectangular cavities, has been investigated numerically and theoretically. The position of the transparency window can be manipulated by adjusting the lateral displacement between the two perpendicular cavities. The effects of changing different structural parameters on the transmission features are investigated in detail. The results indicate that the length of two cavities play important roles in optimizing optical response. Finally, two simple applications based on the inverse T-shape structure are briefly discussed. The findings demonstrate that the first- and second-order modes can be separated without interference, and the sensitivity of the inverse T-shape is as high as 1750 nm per refractive index unit (RIU); the corresponding figure of merit (FOM) reaches up to 77.1  RIU^-1, which is higher than in previous reports. The plasmonic configuration possesses the advantages of easy fabrication, compactness, and higher sensitivity as well as higher FOM, which will greatly benefit the compact plasmonic filter and high-sensitivity nanosensor in highly integrated optical devices.

Tunable control of electromagnetically induced transparency analogue in a compact graphene-based waveguide

An easily-integrated compact graphene-based waveguide structure is proposed to achieve an analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect at terahertz frequencies. The structure is composed of a graphene waveguide and two identical-shape graphene ribbons located parallel on the same side of the waveguide at different distances, in which the closer and the farther ribbons behave as the bright and the dark resonators, respectively. The EIT-like effect is caused by the destructive interference of the two resonators. By shifting the Fermi energy levels of ribbons, the transparency window can be dynamically tuned. The structure may offer another way for tunable integrated optical devices.

Plasmon-induced transparency in a single multimode stub resonator

We investigate electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like effect in a metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) waveguide coupled to a single multimode stub resonator. Adjusting the geometrical parameters of the stub resonator, we can realize single or double plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) windows in the plasmonic structure. Moreover, the consistency between analytical results and finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations reveals that the PIT results from the destructive interference between resonance modes in the stub resonator. Compared with previous EIT-like scheme based on MDM waveguide, the plasmonic system takes the advantages of easy fabrication and compactness. The results may open up avenues for the control of light in highly integrated optical circuits.

The sensing characteristics of plasmonic waveguide with a ring resonator

A surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) refractive index sensor which consists of two metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguides coupled to each other by a ring resonator is proposed. The transmission properties are numerically simulated by finite element method. The sensing characteristics of such structure are systematically analyzed by investigating the transmission spectrum. The results indicate that there exist three resonance peaks in the transmission spectrum, and all of which have a linear relationship with the refractive index of the material under sensing. Through the optimization of structural parameters, we achieve a theoretical value of the refractive index sensitivity as high as 3460nmRIU(-1). Furthermore, this structure can also be used as a temperature sensor with temperature sensitivity of 1.36nm/°C. This work paves the way toward sensitive nanometer scale refractive index sensor and temperature sensor for design and application.