Abstract
We optimized the resolution of nanohole arrays in metal films for refractive-index sensing by increasing the sensitivity with modifications to the hole-array parameters and by increasing the signal to noise ratio of the sensor system. The nanohole-array parameters (including film thickness, periodicity and diameter) were first optimized by finite-difference time-domain simulations, and then the arrays were fabricated and tested, showing good agreement between the two cases (theory and experiment) in terms of optimal parameters. To improve the sensitivity and to reduce the noise, the laser source wavelength was optimized (including the efficiency of the camera for detection) and the intensity was increased. A bulk resolution of 6×10−7 refractive-index units was demonstrated. Due to the collinear microscope geometry and potential for multiplexing of nanohole arrays, these results are encouraging for future biosensing applications.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
T.W. Ebbesen, H.J. Lezec, H.F. Ghaemi, T. Thio, P.A. Wolff, Nature 391, 667 (1998)
W.L. Barnes, A. Dereux, T.W. Ebbesen, Nature 424, 824 (2003)
A.G. Brolo, R. Gordon, B. Leathem, K.L. Kavanagh, Langmuir 20, 4813 (2004)
R. Gordon, D. Sinton, K.L. Kavanagh, A.G. Brolo, Acc. Chem. Res. 41, 1049 (2008)
A. Lesuffleur, H. Im, N.C. Lindquist, S.H. Oh, Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 243110 (2007)
W.L. Barnes, W.A. Murray, J. Dintinger, E. Devaux, T.W. Ebbesen, Phys. Rev. 92, 107401 (2004)
A. Lesuffleur, H. Im, N.C. Lindquist, K.S. Lim, S.H. Oh, Opt. Express 16, 219 (2008)
L. Pang, G.M. Hwang, B. Slutsky, Y. Fainman, Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 123112 (2007)
R. Gordon, A.G. Brolo, D. Sinton, K.L. Kavanagh, Laser Photonics Rev. 4, 311 (2010)
J. Homola, S. Yee, G. Gauglitz, Sens. Actuators B, Chem. 54, 3 (1999)
A. De Leebeeck, L.K.S. Kumar, V. de Lange, D. Sinton, R. Gordon, A.G. Brolo, Anal. Chem. 79, 4094 (2007)
H. Gao, J. Henzie, T.W. Odom, Nano Lett. 6, 2104 (2006)
N.C. Lindquist, A. Lesuffleur, H. Im, S.H. Oh, Lab Chip 9, 382 (2009)
Y. Liu, S. Blair, Opt. Express 28, 507 (2003)
J. Dintinger, S. Klein, T.W. Ebbesen, Adv. Mater. 18, 1267 (2006)
J.C. Sharpe, J.S. Mitchell, L. Lin, N. Sedoglavich, R.J. Blaikie, Anal. Chem. 80, 2244 (2008)
T. Allsop, R. Neal, E.M. Davies, C. Mou, P. Bond, S. Rehman, K. Kalli, D.J. Webb, P. Calverhouse, I. Bennion, Meas. Sci. Technol. 21, 094029 (2010)
J. Ji, J.G. O’Connell, D.J. Carter, D.N. Larson, Anal. Chem. 80, 491 (2008)
X. Shou, A. Agrawal, A. Nahata, Opt. Express 13, 9834 (2005)
P.R.H. Stark, A.E. Halleck, D.N. Larson, Methods 37, 37 (2005)
K.L. Lee, S.H. Wu, P.K. Wei, Opt. Express 17, 23104 (2009)
C.J. Alleyne, A.G. Kirk, R.C. McPhedran, N.A.P. Nicorovici, D. Maystre, Opt. Express 15, 816369 (2007)
J. Homola, Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 377, 528 (2003)
T. Akimoto, S. Sasaki, K. Ikebukuro, I. Karube, Appl. Opt. 38, 4058 (1999)
A. Dhawan, M.D. Gerhold, J.F. Muth, IEEE Sens. J. 8, 942 (2008)
J. Homola, Chem. Rev. 108, 462 (2008)
Biacore, www.biacore.com
A.K. Tetz, L. Pang, Y. Fainman, Opt. Express 31, 1528 (2006)
A.-P. Blanchard-Dionne, L. Guyot, S. Patskovsky, R. Gordon, M. Meunier, Opt. Express 19, 15041 (2011)
C. Escobedo, S. Vincent, A.I.K. Choudhury, J. Campbell, A.G. Brolo, D. Sinton, R. Gordon, J. Micromech. Microeng. 21, 115001 (2011)
C. Escobedo, A.G. Brolo, R. Gordon, D. Sinton, Nano Lett. 12, 1592 (2012)
F. Eftekhari, C. Escobedo, J. Ferreira, X. Duan, E.M. Girotto, A.G. Brolo, R. Gordon, D. Sinton, Anal. Chem. 81, 4308 (2009)
C. Escobedo, A.G. Brolo, R. Gordon, D. Sinton, Anal. Chem. 82, 10015 (2010)
P.B. Johnson, R.W. Christy, Phys. Rev. B 6, 4370 (1972)
D.C. Duffy, J.C. McDonald, O.J.A. Schueller, G.M. Whitesides, Anal. Chem. 70, 4974 (1998)
H.F. Ghaemi, T. Thio, D.E. Grupp, T.W. Ebbesen, H.J. Lezec, Phys. Rev. B 58, 6779 (1998)
A. Krishnan, T. Thio, T.J. Kim, H.J. Lezec, T.W. Ebbesen, P.A. Wolff, J. Pendry, L. Martin-Moreno, F.J. Garcia-Vidal, Opt. Commun. 200, 1 (2001)
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the support of the NSERC Strategic Network for Bioplasmonic Systems (Biopsys).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cervantes Tellez, G.A., Ahmed, A. & Gordon, R. Optimizing the resolution of nanohole arrays in metal films for refractive-index sensing. Appl. Phys. A 109, 775–780 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-012-7405-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-012-7405-5