Self-Referencing in Optical-Fiber Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors

Abstract

We have achieved a self-referencing function in optical-fiber surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors by fabricating two tandem SPR sections in a single optical fiber and by coating one of the sections with a reference material to create an additional resonance at a longer wavelength for referencing, while keeping the other one for regular sensing. By choosing a reference material with a very large thermooptic coefficient, we have demonstrated an SPR optical fiber sensor that can, by itself, correct the effect of temperature variation in the testing medium.