Influence of temperature effects on sensitivity of surface plasmon resonance sensors

The variation of instrumental sensitivity as function of environmental temperature of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor has been exploited here experimentally and theoretically for both, angular and wavelength interrogation modes (AIM, WIM). A compact, robust commercial SPR device has been used, operating in the AIM at the range 275 K < T < 320 K At temperature < 300 K, S steadily deteriorates from 120 to 30 deg/RIU (refractive index unit). A singularity has been identified in the simulations, based on analytical and numerical approaches, near the freezing point of water, while a soft transition appears in the experiment. Towards higher device temperatures at 300 K < T < 370 K, instrumental sensitivities for both AIM and WIM decreases weakly. The effect is more pronounced at shorter wavelength les 550 nm, and in the WIM. A steady increase towards higher T was observed for the SPR-line broadening parameter in the AIM, but a distinct maximum resolved at 305 K for wavelength interrogation.