Analysis of Surface Plasmon Resonance

S.P. Yushanov, L.T. Gritter, J.S. Crompton and K.C

Koppenhoefer
AltaSim Technologies, LLC
COMSOL Conference: October 3-5, 2012

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Excerpt from the Proceedings of the 2012 COMSOL Conference in Boston
Surface Plasmon Resonance
Life Science Vapor Detection

SPR

Surface Coatings Environmental Safety

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 Surface Plasmon Resonance

Component of scattering vector parallel to surface produces surface plasmon

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 SPR Problem Description

Material #1 Material #2 Material #3

Incident transverse magnetic (TM)

Layer of thickness d and permittivity ε2
Between two layers with permittivity ε1 and ε3

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 SPR Problem Set-up: Analytical
• Transverse Magnetic
Material #1 Material #2 Material #3
wave reflection
response:
1   2 e 2 jk2 xd


1  1  2 e 2 jk 2 xd

• Wave vectors
• Evanescent wave
propagation

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 SPR Problem Set-up: COMSOL
Material #1 Material #2 Material #3
• Floquet BCs on surfaces
of the layers
– Electric field symmetry
– Phase shift
• Wave vectors
• Incident wave
– Active port BC
• Exit wave
Propagation using Maxwell’s equation: – Passive port BC
– Transmission without
 j 

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  E  k 02   r  E  0 reflection
r   0 

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 SPR: Application

• Kretschmann-Raether • Otto

Parameter K-R Otto

ε1 2.25 (Quartz) 2.25 (Quartz)
ε2 -16-0.5j (Silver) 1 (Air)
d 50 nm 1000 nm
ε3 1 (Air) -16-0.5j (Silver) 7
 SPR - Results

Agreement between analytical and computational solution

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 SPR - Results

ΘSPR= 43.58° ΘSPR= 43.49°

Difference in ΘSPR for K-R and Otto
ΘSPR sensitive to ε2

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 SPR - Results
Kretschmann-Raether Otto

Metal must be “lossy” to excite plasmon resonance

K-R: Evanescent wave below the critical angle
K-R: TIR at, and above, the critical angle
Otto: Total internal reflection for all incidence angles

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 SPR - Results
Magnetic field distribution at resonance: Kretschmann-Raether

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 SPR - Results
Magnetic field distribution at resonance: Otto

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 Surface Plasmon Resonance
Summary

• Implementation of SPR in COMSOL

demonstrated
• Two most common configurations analyzed
• Effect of permittivity documented
• Tool for application

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