Design and analysis of efficient biosensors based on 1D ternary photonic crystals for malaria detection

This study presents an optical biosensor design based on a one-dimensional ternary photonic crystal to detect the malaria stages in human blood. The biosensor’s structure consists of periodic unit cells, each encompassing three layers of silica, sapphire, and zinc selenide. A gap in the middle of the structure is designated to be filled with serum. The functionality of the biosensor is assessed through numerical simulations of its transmittance spectra, utilizing the well-known transfer matrix method. The influence of various factors, including the number of periods, gap thickness, and incident angle of radiation, on the biosensor’s performance is explored. Performance parameters, such as sensitivity (S), quality factor (Q), figure of merit (FOM), and limit of detection (LOD), are calculated using the shift in resonant wavelength and the width of the resonant peaks. The sensor exhibits a notable average sensitivity of 680[Formula: see text]nm/refractive index unit (RIU) across different blood samples. Additionally, it achieves a high-quality factor, a substantial figure of merit, and a low detection limit of 27,434, 79,823/RIU, and [Formula: see text] RIU, respectively. Therefore, due to its exceptional performance characteristics, compact design, ease of fabrication, and low cost, the proposed biosensor is deemed an effective device for biosensing applications.