Wen Tingdun

A Novel Method for Heightening Sensitivity of Prism Coupler-Based SPR Sensor

We present a novel method for heightening the sensitivity of a prism coupler-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor. The method is based on the total reflection prism made of BK7 glass combined with the Kretschmann geometry of theattenuated total reflection (ATR) method. Compared to the conventional methods of prism coupler-based SPR, the novel method provides higher sensitivity to the measurement system. Theoretical simulations show that the detection sensitivity to the refractive index (RI) of the sensor based on the novel approach has a strong dependence on the thickness of the metal layer. The RI resolution of the sensor is predicted to be 8 × 10−7 refractive index units (RIU) under the condition of optimum metal film thickness. This novel method can leave out a precision angle rotation device in the angle modulation and it is unnecessary to adjust the acceptance angle of the light detector. The principal advantage of this method over other methods of light intensity modulation based on prism coupler-based SPR is high sensitivity, expediency to measure and application of long distances.

Influence of incident angle on the defect mode of locally doped photonic crystal

By means of a transfer matrix method, this paper deduces the transmittance calculation equation of light travelling in locally doped (including one defect layer) mirror heterostructure (ABCCBA)P D(ABCCBA)Q photonic crystals. In the cases of defect layers being either introduced or not introduced, an ORIGIN simulation shows the influence of incident angle change on the number of photon band gap, bandwidth and defect mode numbers. Studies indicate that when such photonic crystals have 8 mirror cycles and the thickness of defect layer D meets nDdD = λ0/2 or nDdD = 4λ0, the photonic crystal defect mode transmission peak changes significantly. Also, with the change of incident angle, the number of defect mode transmission peaks changes. By altering incident angle and defect layer thickness, we can get photon band gaps and defect mode transmission peaks at different frequency domains and different relative angular frequencies. This provides theoretical reference for achieving light wave multi-channel filtering and tunable filtering.

A Novel Method for Enhancing Goos–Hänchen Shift in Total Internal Reflection

Due to the tiny shift in order of optical wavelength for Goos–Hanchen (GH) shift, it is very difficult to directly measure and apply the GH shift. We develop a new method for enhancing GH shift of both TE and TM polarized waves. The method is based on a total reflection prism made of BK9 glass combined with a precise measurement of the resulting spatial displacement with a one-dimensional charge coupled device (CCD). Measurements are performed to examine the validity of the method. Experimental and theoretical results indicate the feasibility of the method with an enhancement in optical wavelenghth shift at millimetre scale. The method is advantageous to application the GH shift in the optical domain, and is also meaningful for measuring even smaller changes in the refractive index of a liquid.

A Simple Model for Measuring Refractive Index of a Liquid Based upon Fresnel Equations

Due to many experimental data required and a lot of calculations involved, it is very complex and cumbersome to model prism-based liquid-refractive-index-measuring methods. We develop a new method of mathematical modelling for measuring refractive index of a liquid based upon the Fresnel formula and prism internal reflection at an incident angle less than the critical angle. With this method, only two different concentrations measurements for a kind of solution can lead to the determination of computational model. Measurements are performed to examine the validity of the theoretical model. Experimental results indicate the feasibility of the theoretical model with an error of 1%. The method is also capable of measuring even smaller changes in the optical refractive index of the material on a metal surface by the surface plasma resonance sensing techniques.