Sensing devices and techniques using 3-D arrays based on surface plasmon excitations

A surface plasmon based sensing device, comprising:

• a substrate;
• a layer of an anti-reflective coating formed over the substrate;
• a dielectric layer formed on the anti-reflective coating, wherein the dielectric layer includes an array of nanoholes formed in the dielectric layer and spaced from one another;
• and
• a metal layer formed on the dielectric layer, wherein the metal layer includes openings over the array of nanoholes in the dielectric layer, wherein each opening is over a respective nanohole in the array of nanoholes, thereby forming a 3-dimensional composite metallodielectric nanoresonant array,
• wherein the 3-D composite metallodielectric nanoresonant array is structured to excite both propagating surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waves and localized surface plasmon resonant (LSPR) modes when a light beam impinges on the 3-D composite metallodielectric nanoresonant array, and wherein the excited SPP and LSPR provide surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing.