Theoretical modelling of a bi-dimensional U-shaped surface plasmon resonance based fibre optic sensor for sensitivity enhancement

Theoretical analysis of a surface plasmon resonance based fibre optic sensor with a uniform semi-metal coated U-shaped probe is carried out using a bi-dimensional model. All the rays of the p-polarized light launched in the fibre and their electric vectors are assumed to be confined in the plane of bending of the U-shaped probe. The effect of the bending radius of the probe on the sensitivity of the sensor is studied. The study shows that as the bending radius of the probe decreases the sensitivity of the sensor increases. For the light launching conditions used, the maximum sensitivity achieved is several times more than that reported for a fibre optic tapered probe. In addition to high sensitivity, the most advantageous feature of a U-shaped probe is that it can be used as a point sensor.