FDTD Modeling of Plasmonic Enhancement in Two-Dimensional Gold Lattice Structures

Recent progression in the development and implementation of point-of-use biosensors has contributed to their widespread adoption in the fields of biotechnology, food and drug safety, drug discovery, environmental protection, medicine, solar cells, microscopy, magneto-optic data storage, and public security [1-4, 7]. Specifically, the capability of biosensors to improve the overall quality of life through real-time detection of various pathogens, infectious diseases, antigen-antibody reactions, biomarkers, etc. has led to an increased interest in the research of these devices [1-5]. Further advancements in modern biosensor development will be realized through novel electrochemical, electromechanical, bioelectrical, and/or optical transduction methods aimed at reducing the size, cost, and limit of detection (LOD) of these devices [3]. This work explores the FDTD simulation of gold lattice structures with the goal of enhancing the electromagnetic (EM) fields above the surfaces of these nanopillars for improving current fluorescence-based detection methods.