We explored localized plasmonic field enhancements using nanowire patterns to improve the sensitivity of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor. Two different materials, gold and silver, were considered for sample materials. Gold and silver nanowire patterns were fabricated by electron beam lithography for experimental measurements. The wavelength SPR sensor was also designed for these experiments. The material-dependent field enhancements on nanowire patterns were first calculated based on Maxwell’s equations. Resonance wavelength shifts were indicated as changes in the refractive index from 1.33 to 1.36. The SPR sensor with silver nanowire patterns showed a much larger resonance wavelength shift than the sensor with gold nanowire patterns, in good agreement with simulation results. These results suggest that silver nanowire patterns are more efficient than gold nanowire patterns, and could be used for sensitivity enhancements in situations where biocompatibility is not a consideration.
