Theoretical modeling of a nonlinear asymmetric metal-clad planar waveguide based sensors

The present paper deals with the theoretical modeling of a nonlinear asymmetrical metal-clad planar waveguide for sensor application to achieve high sensitivity. We take the appropriate field distributions for the proposed structure and impose the boundary conditions to derive the mode equation and other necessary formulae for the proposed sensor. The effect of nonlinearity on the sensitivity of the waveguide is studied. Also, we have compared our computed results with the results given for a similar sensor having five layers structure. It is observed that the sensitivity of the sensor is improved by introducing a nonlinear material in the cover medium. (C) 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.