Plasmon Coupled Nanophotonic Devices Based on Encapsulated 2-D Silver Nanoparticle Arrays

Ordered and encapsulated 2-D arrays of silver nanoparticles have been fabricated for applications as reliable, durable, reproducible, and high sensitivity sensors and photoconductors based on plasmon resonance enhanced local electromagnetic fields. Silver nanopartilces are encapsulated by anodic aluminum oxide or atomically thin graphene to isolate silver from adverse environmental effects. In this paper, fabrication process of the sensor and its applications to SERS detection of adenine molecures and wavelength dependent photoconductive sensing of light are presented. This structure combines excellent intrinsic performance of silver plasmon resonance and the effective isolation of silver from harsh environments by encapsulation to achieve high performance and long-term reliability.