Optimization of periodic gold nanostructures for intensity-sensitive detection

We study the optimal sensing condition for periodic gold nanoslits. The intensity sensitivities for various periods, from 400 to 900 nm, were measured. The experimental results show that 500-nm-period array has a maximum bulk sensitivity, three times larger than the sensitivities of 400 and 700 nm periods. The optimal period is attributed to the coincidence of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) wavelength and lowest imaginary dielectric constant of gold film. The structure reaches a figure of merit of 23.9 and achieves a detection limit of 2.6 x 10(-5) refractive index units at 0.2% stability, better than the grating-based SPR sensors using intensity interrogation. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3628641]