US 2009/0021727 A1 · DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING CHANGES IN THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF A DIELECTRIC MEDIUM

Abstract

The device for detecting changes in the refractive index of a dielectric medium comprises: at least one metallic layer (300) ready to be placed in contact with the dielectric medium (200); at least one light source (20) configured to direct transversal magnetic (TM) polarized light towards such metallic layer, so that the light is reflected on such metallic layer; coupling means (10); and at least one detector (31) configured to receive light reflected by the metallic layer and to detect at least one feature of such light. According to the invention, the metallic layer contains a ferromagnetic material. The invention also relates to a method.

Claims45

Dependent claims

A device for detecting changes in the refractive index of a dielectric medium (200), this device comprising:

at least one metallic layer (300) configured to be placed in contact with the dielectric medium (200);
at least one light source (20) configured to direct transversal magnetic polarized light towards said metallic layer, so that the light falls on said metallic layer,
coupling means (10) associated to said light source (20) and to said metallic layer (300), so that the light can excite surface plasmon resonance on the metallic layer when falling on the metallic layer;
at least one detector (31) configured to receive light reflected by the metallic layer and to detect at least one feature of said light;
wherein
the metallic layer contains ferromagnetic material;
characterized in that
the device further comprises magnetization means (50) configured to magnetize the metallic layer (300).

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Device and method for detecting changes in the refractive index of a dielectric medium

Life of this patent

Device and method for detecting changes in the refractive index of a dielectric medium

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims45