Abstract
Based on evanescent-wave guiding properties of nanowire waveguides, we propose to use single-mode subwavelength-diameter silica nanowires for optical sensing. Phase shift of the guided mode caused by index change is obtained by solving Maxwell’s equation, and is used as a criterion for sensitivity estimation. Nanowire sensor employing a wire-assembled Mach-Zehnder structure is modeled. The result shows that optical nanowires, especially those fabricated by taper drawing of optical fibers, are promising for developing miniaturized optical sensors with high sensitivity.
©2005 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Stephen C. Warren-Smith, Shahraam Afshar, and Tanya M. Monro
Opt. Express 18(9) 9474-9485 (2010)
Limin Tong, Jingyi Lou, and Eric Mazur
Opt. Express 12(6) 1025-1035 (2004)
Jingyi Lou, Limin Tong, and Zhizhen Ye
Opt. Express 14(16) 6993-6998 (2006)