Spring 2011 Senior Design EE492 Liquid Flow Cell for Surface Plasmon Sensing

Group Members: Amanda Bares, John Schuldt, and Chris ZhangFaculty Advisor: Dr. Wataru Nakagawa

Figure 1: The optical alignment with cylidrical lens and rotation stages

Project Goals:

1. Detect the index of refraction for a given liquid

2. Increase system usability i.e. better user interface

3. Build an effective sensor that will be used for various disciplines across campus

Project Summary:

We are to design a sensor that uses the surface plasmon resonance that occurs on the gold slide conductor for a particular angle of incedence to determine properties of the sample liquid. The index of refraction can uniquely identify a particular substance and we can theoretically determine this if we can determine the angle of incidence at which surface plasmon resonance occurs. The sensor could have various applications in biomedical applications, and we could provide a low cost solution for multidisciplinary experiments across campus.

Needs Description:

to incorporate a previous senior design group's plasmon sensor flow cell into a complete plasmon sensor that is capable of accurately measuring changes in index of refraction.
to design a new optical layout which can be semi-automated with a software user interface.

Project Constraints:

Time - The senior design course is 15 weeks long, so all preliminary testing, design, final testing and analysis, and documentation must be completed within this constrictive time limit.
Cost - The budget for this project is a nominal $800. However, this budget may be increased if deemed necessary
Size - The finished system must be small and robust enough to transport for the design fair demonstration . With more surface area to cover, more optical arrangements would be possible

Figure 3: the interface between gold and liquid sample