Thermal infrared sensor based on coupled photonic crystal nanobeam cavities

We report the design and simulation of a photonic thermal infrared sensor. The sensing mechanism is based on a combination of the deflection of a V-beam nanomechanical structure and the resonance wavelength shift of a selected... [ view full abstract ]

We report the design and simulation of a photonic thermal infrared sensor. The sensing mechanism is based on a combination of the deflection of a V-beam nanomechanical structure and the resonance wavelength shift of a selected mode of two coupled photonic crystal nanobeam cavities. The sensitivity of the proposed infrared sensor is 0.102nm/μW based on simulation. The performance of this infrared sensor can be further improved by optimizing the V-beam structure design and reducing initial gap between coupled nanobeams.