Development and analysis of whispering gallery mode model for refractive index sensing

Abstract

Abstract A refractive index sensor based on a whispering gallery mode resonator is numerically investigated in this paper. Whispering gallery mode resonators confine light and can be used in sensing applications, and this work presents the model built using COMSOL software to analyze their sensing performance. This work has investigated the WGM resonators’ response to refractive index changes numerically using 2D models in the refractive index ranges 1.000 and 1.333. The resonator showed a sensitivity of 167 nm/RIU in the refractive index range of 1.3331.4 and a sensitivity of 95 nm/RIU in the refractive index range of 1.000-1.010. The sensing resonator has potential applications for biological and chemical analytes.