COL 11(11), 110607(2013) CHINESE OPTICS LETTERS November 10, 2013
D-shaped fiber optic SPR biosensors based on a
metal-graphene structure
Dejun Feng (
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)
1∗
, Guanxiu Liu (
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1
, Maosen Zhang (
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, and Dongfang Jia (
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2
1
School of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
2
College of Precision Instrument and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
∗
Corresponding author: dejunfeng@sdu.edu.cn
Received July 18, 2013; accepted October 17, 2013; posted online November 8, 2013
We design a D-shaped fiber optic biosensor based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of a metal-
graphene layer and simulate this SPR using the finite element method. Using a metal-graphene layer as the
sensing material, surface plasma resonance is simulated as the refractive index of the external environment
ranges from 1.33 to 1.36. Simulation results show that a metal-graphene layer attached to the D-shaped
optical fiber core can couple with light under a specific polarization state and excite strong plasma os-
cillations on the layer surface. Calculated transmission coefficients show that the resonance wavelength
obviously moves toward longer wavelengths as the refractive index of the test medium increases, and a sen-
sitivity of 5400 nm/RIU is obtained. Because of its large surface volume ratio and good biocompatibility,
graphene may be utilized in many applications in the field of biosensing.
OCIS codes: 060.0060, 060.2370, 170.0170.
doi: 10.3788/COL201311.110607.
Rapid developments in modern electronics and biotech-
nology have a llowed the emergence of fiber optic biosen-
sor technology as an independent high-tech field
[1]
. Fiber
optic biosensors can be divided into evanescent wave
[2]
,
fluorescence labeled
[3]
, and surface plasmon resona nce
[4]
(SPR) sensors according to the operating principle. SPR
technology is widely used in optical biosensors because
it features a dvantages such as absence of marking, high
sensitivity, high specificity, and real-time results
[5]
.
Graphene film is a monolayer of carbon atoms packed
into a dense honeycomb crystal structure that ca n be
viewed as an individual atomic plane extracted from
graphite. As a novel material with unique optical and
electrical pr operties, graphene has been extensively stud-
ied in a number of areas
[6,7]
. It pos sesses advantages of
large surface volume ratio and good biocompatibility
and thus allows fixing of large amounts of biomolecules.
Biosensors bas e d on graphene are known to have wide lin-
ear ranges and low detection thresholds. Thus, gra phene
provides a good platform from which to build a variety
of biosensors
[8]
.
Each carbon atom of graphene features an unfilled e lec-
tron structure. As such, graphene is a typical zero-band
gap semi-metallic material that can replace traditional
precious metals to produce SPR
[9]
. Pradeep Kumar
Maharana et al. developed a chalcogenide prism and
graphene multilayer-based SPR biosensor in 2012
[10]
.
Graphene increases the absorption of biomolecules,
thereby improving the sensitivity of the resulting biosen-
sor. Jang Ah Kim et al. reported an SPR based fiber op-
tic sensor coated with graphene
[11]
. When streptavidin-
biotin and double-cross DNA are combined, the refractive
index increases and the resona nce wavelength at 7.726
nm moves toward longer wavelengths.
While combining graphene biosensor technology
with optical fibers shows good prospects for sensing
applications
[12]
, domestic research on graphene-based
optical biosensors is fairly limited. Traditional opti-
cal fiber sensors have advantages of large transmission
capacity, rapid measurement, anti-electromagnetic inter-
ference, and miniaturization. Thus, this letter designs a
fiber optic biosensor based on the SPR effect on a metal-
graphene layer. The resulting sensor is expected to be
widely used in the chemical, biomedical, environmental
safety, and food safety industries as well as in many other
aspects.
Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are electromagnetic
waves excited by the interaction between light and free
electrons on a metal surface typically presenting in the
interface of a metal and dielectric layer
[13]
. Given their
high sensitivity depending on the surface environment,
SPPs are widely used in biosensors.
Figure 1 shows the interface of the metal-dielectric.
The incident light is decomposed into s-polarized light
(TE wave ) whose electric vector E is perpendicular to the
incident plane, and p-polarized light (TM wave) whose
E is in the incident plane. Since the s-polarized E is
parallel to the direction of the interface, it does not hin-
der the movement of electrons and cannot excite surface
plasmon waves (SPWs); thus, SPR phenomena cannot
occur. In p-polarized light, the E has a component in the
vertical direction of the interface, and electrons around
the nucleus vibrate perpendicular to the interface driven
by the electric field of light. On the metal surface, the
transverse movement (perpendicular to the interface) of
electrons is blocked by the surface to form a gradient dis-
tribution of the electron conce ntration. This distribution
causes plasma oscillation or SPWs on the metal surface.
SPPs are non-radiative electromagnetic waves con-
strained to the surface of a conductor. Generally, surface
plasmons ar e accompanied by a longitudinal (TM or p-
polarized) electric field, which decays exponentially in
metal as well as in dielectrics. Because o f the exponential
decay of the field intensity, the field has its maximum
at metal-dielectr ic interface itself. High losses in the
metal cause SPWs to propagate with high attenuation in
the visible and near-infrared spectral regions, eventually
depleting SPWs within a limited range of propagation
1671-7694/2013/110607(4) 110607-1
c
2013 Chinese Optics Letters