High Figure of Merit Lossy Mode Resonance Sensor with Graphene

Lossy mode resonance (LMR) is the resonance of the lossy mode with a specific type of guided mode. LMR can be generated both for TE and TM polarizations; hence, it can overcome the problem of the polarization and make up for deficiencies in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR). However, conventional LMR sensors get much lower figure of merit (FOM) by comparison with SPR sensors. Based on the deficiency of LMR sensor in FOM performance, a new type of graphene thin layer LMR sensor is proposed in this paper to greatly improve FOM performance and enhance the detection sensitivity of the target in practical applications. In particular, the maximum value of FOM as high as 410 RIU −1 has been reached in TM mode for the LMR sensor which is nearly 10 times that of SPR sensor. It is believed that the proposed LMR sensor will be widely used in biological detection, chemical inspection, and environmental monitoring.