A Novel Optical Temperature Sensor Based on Surface Plasmon Polariton Resonator

In this letter, we present a novel optical temperature sensor based on a nanoscale surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonator. A bimetal layer is applied in the structure to detect the changes in temperature. The resonance wavelength of the SPP resonator shifts with the deformation of the bimetal layer. The effect of temperature on the refractive index of the material is also discussed. The finite element method is employed to numerically calculate the reflectance spectra. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first design of an SPP temperature sensor based on thermal deformation, and this structure may be applied in the future integrated optical circuit.