One-dimensional mid-IR defect-mode photonic crystal biosensor for oral cancer detection

Abstract A graphene-assisted one-dimensional photonic crystal biosensor for oral cancer detection in the mid-infrared region is theoretically proposed and analyzed using the transfer matrix method. The designed structure consists of alternating high- and low-refractive-index dielectric layers surrounding an oral-tissue defect cavity that supports a highly localized defect-mode resonance inside the photonic band gap. Variations in the refractive index of healthy and cancerous oral tissues modify the optical path length of the cavity and induce measurable resonance wavelength shifts, forming the basis of the sensing mechanism. The proposed biosensor exhibits a high refractive-index sensitivity of 1629.82 nm/RIU with excellent linearity (R 2 = 0.9997). In addition, the structure demonstrates a narrow resonance linewidth with an average full width at half maximum of 17.01 nm and a high quality factor of 470.25. The obtained figure of merit, detection accuracy, and limit of detection are 95.81 RIU − 1 , 0.0588 nm − 1 , and 0.0104 RIU, respectively. Reflectance and transmittance analyses confirm the formation of a stable localized defect mode, while electric-field distribution maps reveal strong electromagnetic confinement inside the oral-tissue cavity, leading to enhanced light–matter interaction and improved sensing performance. Furthermore, angular-response analysis, defect-thickness optimization, and fabrication-tolerance evaluation demonstrate the robustness and stability of the proposed design under practical operating conditions. The obtained results indicate that the proposed graphene-assisted photonic crystal biosensor provides a promising platform for highly sensitive and reliable oral cancer detection in the mid-infrared spectral region.