Comparative Study of Group-IV Materials in SPR Sensors: Silicon as an Optimized Choice for Chemical and Biochemical Sensing

Comparative Study of Group-IV Materials in SPR Sensors: Silicon as an Optimized Choice for Chemical and Biochemical Sensing | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Comparative Study of Group-IV Materials in SPR Sensors: Silicon as an Optimized Choice for Chemical and Biochemical Sensing Mohan Kumar Paswan, Rikmantra Basu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6576656/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 13 Aug, 2025 Read the published version in Silicon → Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study presents an optimized high-sensitivity Surface Plasmon Resonance(SPR) sensor based on Group-IV materials integrated with a CaF2 prism in the Kretschmann configuration. The research aims to enhance sensor performance by leveraging the high refractive index and strong plasmonic coupling of Group-IV materials with silver. The proposed structure consists of CaF2/Ag/Group-IVmaterials/Analyte and operates at a wavelength of 633 nm. A systematic opti-mization process identifies silicon with seven layers as the most effective material,achieving a maximum sensitivity of 472◦/RIU, a Figure of Merit (FoM) of 140.89,a Limit of Detection (LoD) of 1.059 × 10−5, and a Full Width at Half Maxi-mum (FWHM) of 3.35 for a refractive index range of 1.331 to 1.336. Compared to conventional SPR sensors, this optimized design exhibits superior plasmonic confinement and reduced damping losses, leading to enhanced sensing accuracy. These findings highlight the sensor’s potential for highly precise chemical and biochemical detection. Group-IV Materials Carbon Nanotube (CNTs) Graphene Silicon (Si) Germanium (Ge) Chemical Sensor Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) Kretschmann configuration Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 13 Aug, 2025 Read the published version in Silicon → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 30 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 20 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 16 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 15 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 07 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 05 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 04 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 23 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 23 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 02 May, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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