Self-optimized metal coatings for fiber plasmonics by electroless deposition

We present a novel method to prepare optimized metal coatings for infrared Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensors by electroless plating. We show that Tilted Fiber Bragg grating sensors can be used to monitor in real-time the growth of gold nano-films up to 70 nm in thickness and to stop the deposition of the gold at a thickness that maximizes the SPR (near 55 nm for sensors operating in the near infrared at wavelengths around 1550 nm). The deposited films are highly uniform around the fiber circumference and in spite of some nanoscale roughness (RMS surface roughness of 5.17 nm) the underlying gratings show high quality SPR responses in water

Plasmon-enhanced refractometry using silver nanowire coatings on tilted fibre Bragg gratings

A novel technique for increasing the sensitivity of tilted fibre Bragg grating (TFBG) based refractometers is presented. The TFBG sensor was coated with chemically synthesized silver nanowires 100nm in diameter and several micrometres in length. A 3.5-fold increase in sensor sensitivity was obtained relative to the uncoated TFBG sensor. This increase is associated with the excitation of surface plasmons by orthogonally polarized fibre cladding modes at wavelengths near 1.5μm. Refractometric information is extracted from the sensor via the strong polarization dependence of the grating resonances using a Jones matrix analysis of the transmission spectrum of the fibre

Silver nanowire coated tilted fibre bragg gratings

a 3.5-fold increase in sensitivity of Tilted Fibre Bragg grating based refractometers is reported. The sensor was coated with silver nanowires which resulted in strong polarization dependence of the grating resonances

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We present a novel method to prepare optimized metal coatings for infrared Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensors by electroless plating. We show that Tilted Fiber Bragg grating sensors can be used to monitor in real-time the growth of gold nano-films up to 70 nm in thickness and to stop the deposition of the gold at a thickness that maximizes the SPR (near 55 nm for sensors operating in the near infrared at wavelengths around 1550 nm). The deposited films are highly uniform around the fiber circumference and in spite of some nanoscale roughness (RMS surface roughness of 5.17 nm) the underlying gratings show high quality SPR responses in water

Polarization-resolved near- and far-field radiation from near-infrared tilted fiber Bragg gratings

The radiation pattern of near-infrared light from 10° tilted fiber Bragg gratings is measured as a function of position along the grating, azimuthal direction, and input light polarization. An anomalous spatial periodicity in the radiation pattern is found and assigned to the presence of imperfect zero-order nulling and on the uncertainty in the exact alignment between the optical fiber and the phase mask used to form the grating. Furthermore, the intensity of the radiated light is correlated with the transmission spectrum of the tilted grating, showing narrowband spectral regions of increased and decreased radiation