Modeling and design of hydrogen gas sensors based on a membrane-supported surface plasmon waveguide

The modeling and design of membrane-supported surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waveguide devices is described for application as hydrogen (H2) gas sensors for leak detection. The proposed structures employ thin palladium (Pd) stripes on a free-standing Cytop membrane. Various sensing architectures and design considerations are explored in detail using two-dimensional finite element method (FEM) analysis. A straight waveguide would produce a very good sensor, as a simple, compact and integrated design.