It has been recently suggested that the nonlinear optical processes in plasmonic nanoantennas allow for a substantial boost in the sensitivity of plasmonic sensing platforms. Here, we present a sensing device based on an array of non-centrosymmetric plasmonic nanoantennas featuring enhanced second harmonic generation (SHG) integrated in a microfluidic chip. We evaluate its sensitivity both in the linear and nonlinear regime using a figure of merit (FOM=I/In) that accounts for the relative change in the measured intensity, I, against the variation of the environmental refractive index n. While the signal-to-noise ratio achieved in both regimes allows attaining a resolution (i.e., minimum detectable refractive index variation) nmin-10-3, the platform operation in the nonlinear regime features a sensitivity (i.e., the FOM) that is at least 3 times higher than the linear one. Thanks to the surface sensitivity of plasmon-enhanced SHG, our results show that the development of such SHG sensing platforms with sensitivity performances exceeding those of their linear counterparts is within reach.
Plasmon-Enhanced Second Harmonic Sensing
Pellegrini G.;
2018-01-01
Abstract
It has been recently suggested that the nonlinear optical processes in plasmonic nanoantennas allow for a substantial boost in the sensitivity of plasmonic sensing platforms. Here, we present a sensing device based on an array of non-centrosymmetric plasmonic nanoantennas featuring enhanced second harmonic generation (SHG) integrated in a microfluidic chip. We evaluate its sensitivity both in the linear and nonlinear regime using a figure of merit (FOM=I/In) that accounts for the relative change in the measured intensity, I, against the variation of the environmental refractive index n. While the signal-to-noise ratio achieved in both regimes allows attaining a resolution (i.e., minimum detectable refractive index variation) nmin-10-3, the platform operation in the nonlinear regime features a sensitivity (i.e., the FOM) that is at least 3 times higher than the linear one. Thanks to the surface sensitivity of plasmon-enhanced SHG, our results show that the development of such SHG sensing platforms with sensitivity performances exceeding those of their linear counterparts is within reach.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.