Is there a frontier in sensitivity with Lossy mode resonance (LMR) based refractometers?

Aritz Ozcariz; Carlos R Zamarreño; Pablo Zubiate; Francisco J Arregui

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11145-9

Is there a frontier in sensitivity with Lossy mode resonance (LMR) based refractometers?

Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 31;7(1):10280. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-11145-9.

Authors

Aritz Ozcariz^{1

2}, Carlos R Zamarreño^{3

4}, Pablo Zubiate^{3

4}, Francisco J Arregui^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Public University of Navarre, 31006, Pamplona, Spain. aritz.ozcariz@unavarra.es.
² Institute of Smart Cities, Public University of Navarre, 31006, Pamplona, Spain. aritz.ozcariz@unavarra.es.
³ Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Public University of Navarre, 31006, Pamplona, Spain.
⁴ Institute of Smart Cities, Public University of Navarre, 31006, Pamplona, Spain.

Abstract

A tin dioxide thin layer has been studied in order to improve the sensitivity of lossy mode resonances (LMR) based sensors. The effects of the thin film thickness and the polarization of light in a SnO₂ coated D-shaped single mode optical fiber have been evaluated. The optimization of such parameters in the fabrication of refractometers have led to an unprecedented sensitivity of over one million nanometers per refractive index unit (RIU), which means a sensitivity below 10^-9 RIU with a pm resolution detector. This achievement is a milestone for the development of new high sensitivity devices and opens the door to new industrial applications, such as gear oil degradation, or biomedical devices where previous devices could not provide enough sensitivity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't