Reflection based extraordinary optical transmission fiber optic probe for refractive index sensing

Fiber optic probes for chemical sensing based on the extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) phenomenon are designed and fabricated by perforating subwavelength hole arrays on the gold film coated optical fiber endface. The device exhibits a red shift in response to the surrounding refractive index increases with high sensitivity, enabling a reflection-based refractive index sensor with a compact and simple configuration. By choosing the period of hole arrays, the sensor can be designed to operate in the near infrared telecommunication wavelength range, where the abundant sources and detectors are available for easy instrumentation. The new sensor probe is demonstrated for refractive index measurement using refractive index matching fluids. The sensitivity reaches 573 nm/RIU in the 1.333–1.430 refractive index range.