Performance of Bloch-like Surface Wave Refractometers Based on Laterally Polished Photonic Crystal Fibers with Single-Layer Coatings: From Nanolayer to Nanostrip

Bloch-like surface waves (BLSWs) are electromagnetic waves generated at the interface between a dielectric medium and a photonic crystal.BLSWs have significant potential for sensing applications, since their electromagnetic fields are tightly confined near the interface, reaching comparable sensitivities to those of surface plasmon polariton (SPP)based devices, but with higher figures of merit (FOM).This work explores a sensor based on BLSW at the interface formed by a TiO 2 thin film deposited on the flat surface of a laterally polished photonic crystal fiber (PCF).The performance of the sensor is studied when the TiO 2 film is partially removed, transforming the nanolayer into a nanostrip.The results of this study contribute to the optimization of the sensing performance of the proposed structure.