Silver thin film and water dielectric SPR sensor experimental and simulation characteristics

Abstract

This research project is the study of the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) at the interface between silver thin film and the water dielectric layer. The purpose is to find the suitable thickness of the silver thin film layer which produces SPR and is suitable for SPR sensor applications. Both physical experiments and simulations are conducted using the Kretschmann Configuration. In the physical experiments, BK7 prisms are coated with silver thin films with the thickness of 60Â nm, 80Â nm, and 100Â nm. The light source is p-polarized He-Ne Laser with the wavelength of 632.8Â nm. Hawkeye laser detectors are used to detect the laser light intensity of reflected light for each desired angle. In the simulations, results of SPR signals are analyzed using the finite element method. The simulated results are found to agree with the results from the physical experiments.