Optimization of Mid Infra-red Plasmonic Resonance for Sensor Applications

Plasmonic resonances are strong candidates for applications in the fields of biomedical and environmental sensing. Previous related work has not investigated fully the optimization of resonant behaviour based on the various metallic metamaterial structure designs now available. The performance of structures that exhibit two distinct plasmonic resonances can be improved by varying the design parameters e.g. the period of metamaterial arrays and asymmetry in the basic elements. In addition, selection of an appropriate substrate for the metamaterial array should be considered for the production of plasmonic resonances in regions of the electromagnetic spectrum that are of particular interest. In the present work, we report work on optimization of the resonances produced by gold asymmetric split-ring resonators (A-SRRs) fabricated on fused silica and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. The specific technological aspects of using a SOI substrate are also highlighted.