High-Sensitivity Refractive Index Sensor of Arc-Shape Photonic Crystal Fiber Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance

A surface plasmon resonance-based arc-shaped photonic crystal fiber high-sensitivity refractive index (RI) sensor is proposed. An open arc-shaped analyte channel is produced at the top of the fiber to facilitate RI detection of the analyte, and a gold film is coated inside the arc-shaped structure to stimulate mode coupling. The performance of the sensor is analyzed by using the finite element method (FEM). The results have demonstrated that the sensor can detect a sensing range of 1.35–1.42 with maximum RI sensitivity of 24900 nm/RIU and resolution of 4.01×10−6 RIU. Furthermore, the highest figure of merit (FOM) of 661.71 RIU−1 is obtained. Additionally, the effects of air hole size and air hole distance on sensitivity are investigated. Finally, the proposed sensor characterizes great potential in biomedical, chemical, and other fields due to its excellent performance. © 2023, Electromagnetics Academy. All rights reserved.