Open AccessSurface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors: approaching their limits?
Author(s) -
Marek Piliarik,
Jiřı́ Homola
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.17.016505
Subject(s) - optics , surface plasmon resonance , prism , grating , surface plasmon , detector , guided mode resonance , coupled mode theory , modulation (music) , plasmon , wavelength , coupling (piping) , materials science , diffraction grating , physics , optoelectronics , refractive index , nanotechnology , acoustics , nanoparticle , metallurgy
We report on a unified theoretical model of the resolution of SPR sensors which makes it possible to predict the ultimate performance of all major configurations of SPR sensors. The theory indicates that the performance of SPR sensors is independent of the method of excitation of surface plasmons (prism or grating coupling) or the method of modulation (amplitude, angular or wavelength) and depends dominantly on the noise properties of the light source and detector. Results of the theoretical analysis are compared with the performance reported for several SPR sensors to illustrate that the best state-of-art SPR sensors are approaching their theoretical limits. Possibilities for further advances in the performance of SPR sensor technology are discussed.