Analysis and applications of nanocavity structures used as tunable filters and sensors

This paper reports on a novel design for a tunable filter and plasmonic sensor based on the metal–insulator–metal waveguide with a nanocavity resonator. Simulation results show that as a one-channel filter, the resonance wavelengths show a linear red-shift with an increase in nanocavity length with a slope of 1742 nm/μm and a nonlinear blue-shift with an increase in nanocavity width, respectively. A two-channel filter can be realized using two nanocavities and the arrangement of the two nanocavities with respect to the waveguide and the value of the distance between the nanocavities has only a marginal effect on the filter notch wavelength. Finally, both in-slit and out-slit refractive index plasmonic sensors are investigated with a sensitivity of 710 nm/RIU and 250 nm/RIU, respectively.

► The filter wavelengths show linear red-shift and nonlinear blue-shift to the nanocavity length and width, respectively.
► For dual-channel filter, the arrangement of the two nanocavities has only a marginal effect on the filter wavelengths.
► In-slit and out-slit refractive index sensors show a sensitivity of 710 nm/RIU and 250 nm/RIU, respectively.