Highly Sensitive Plasmonic Temperature Sensor Based on Photonic Crystal Surface Plasmon Waveguide

We propose a highly sensitive temperature sensor based on photonic crystal surface plasmon waveguides comprising different plasmonic active metals such as gold, silver, and aluminum, utilizing surface plasmon resonance phenomenon. We found that the resonance wavelength can be easily and substantially tuned over a broad spectral range by changing the temperature and also by judiciously choosing the different plasmonic metals. Employing coupled mode theory, we found that the proposed sensor can be used in harsh environment with sensitivity as high as similar to 70 pm/K around telecommunication window.