Hybrid Tamm-surface plasmon polariton mode for highly sensitive detection of protein interactions.

The total internal reflection ellipsometry (TIRE) method was used for the excitation and study of the sensitivity properties of the hybrid Tamm plasmon polariton - surface plasmon polariton (TPP-SPP) and single surface plasmon resonance (SPR) modes of the GCSF receptor immobilization. Additionally, the optimized sensitivity of the hybrid TPP-SPP mode was investigated and compared with the single SPR mode when the BSA proteins formed a layer on the gold surface. The dispersion relations for the hybrid TPP-SPP and single SPR modes were used to explain the enhanced sensitivity of the ellipsometric parameters for the hybrid TPP-SPP mode over the conventional SPR. The SPP component (δΔh-SPP/δλ=53.9°/nm) of the hybrid TPP-SPP mode was about 6.4 times more sensitive than single SPR (δΔSPR/δλ=8.4°/nm) for the BSA protein layer on the gold film. It was found that the sensitivity of the hybrid plasmonic mode can be made controllable by using the strong coupling effect between the TPP and SPP components. The strong coupling regime reduces absorption and scattering losses of the metal for the SPP component in the hybrid TPP-SPP mode and, as a result, narrows the plasmonic resonance.

Influence of the graphene layer on the strong coupling in the hybrid Tamm-plasmon polariton mode.

The total internal refection ellipsometry (TIRE) method was used for the generation and study of the hybrid TPP-SPP mode on a photonic crystal structure with a thin layer of silver and graphene/PMMA. Raman spectroscopy showed a consistent monolayer graphene present on the Ag layer. Recent studies have also shown that TPP and SPP components in the hybrid plasmonic mode is sensitive to the variation of coupling strength due to presence of the graphene monolayer. The decrease of the TPP and SPP dip components in the TPP-SPP hybrid mode can be explained by the changes of the conductivity of the silver layer due to the presence of this additional graphene/PMMA structure, which results in the non-optimal resonance conditions for the hybrid plasmonic mode. The modified positions of the TPP and SPP components in the wavelength spectra when compared to their original, separate excitations, indicates a strong coupling regime. The design of these hybrid plasmonic/graphene-based nanostructures has attractive capabilities for the development of advanced optical sensors and integrated optical circuit technologies.