A stable and high resolution optical waveguide biosensor based on dense TiO 2 /Ag multilayer film

Abstract Optical waveguide (OWG) biosensor has attracted much attention according to the high sensitivity and resolution compared with conventional surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor. Nanoporous materials are usually used as the waveguide layer for absorbing analytes into the porous structure and enhancing the sensor signal. However, this kind of waveguide layer provides poor protection to the metal film and leads to the damage of the biosensor. Ag film can provide great sensitivity in SPR sensing comparing to other metal but was rarely used because of its poor chemical stability. Fabricating high stability Ag based SPR biosensor is still a challenge. In this work we produce an OWG biosensor using a dense TiO2 film as the waveguide layer which provides high resolution and remarkable protection to the metal film. This waveguide structure makes long time detection possible using Ag as the metal layer and is able to lead an enhancement of sensitivity comparing to the Au-based biosensor.