Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor Based on Inkjet 3D Printing †

Abstract

A novel surface plasmon (SPR) sensor was designed, manufactured and experimentally tested. A novel approach was followed to fabricate the sensor. It is based on a combination of both the inkjet 3D printing process and the use of optical adhesives, which were used as an alternative solution to the use of plastic optical fibers (POFs). The obtained experimental results showed good performances, at least in terms of figure of merit (FOM), for the 3D-printed sensor, which were quite similar to those gained by an SPR–POF configuration. Next, through a cost analysis, the possibility of manufacturing the SPR sensor at a low cost was demonstrated, thus being economically advantageous towards conventional sensors.