Optical sensor, manufacturing method thereof, and fluid analysis method using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10488333-B2
Application number	US-201815935055-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2018
Priority date	Jul 24, 2017
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an optical sensor includes forming a reflective metal layer on a substrate, forming an insulator layer on the reflective metal layer, inducing self-assembly of a metal nanostructure layer on the insulator layer, and selectively etching the insulator layer through a reactive ion etching process to form a plurality of pillars and a plurality of spaces defined by the plurality of pillars. The method for manufacturing a plasmonic optical sensor according to this embodiment facilitates the formation of nanostructures difficult to pattern and form on the large scale at a low cost, and provides a plasmonic optical sensor with repeatability.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing an optical sensor, comprising:
forming a reflective metal layer on a substrate;
forming an insulator layer on the reflective metal layer;
inducing self-assembly of a metal nanostructure layer including a plurality of nanoislands directly on the insulator layer opposite to the reflective metal layer without etching the metal nanostructure layer; and
selectively etching the insulator layer using the self-assembled metal nanostructure layer as a mask to form a plurality of pillars under the plurality of nanoislands and a plurality of spaces defined by the plurality of pillars.

2. The method for manufacturing an optical sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pillars includes a hydrophobic material.

3. The method for manufacturing an optical sensor according to claim 2 , wherein the hydrophobic material is amorphous fluoropolymer, and a refractive index of the plurality of pillars and a refractive index of the plurality of spaces are different.

4. The method for manufacturing an optical sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the reflective metal layer is a gold thin film layer, and
a metal applied to the self-assembly of the metal nanostructure layer is gold.

5. The method for manufacturing an optical sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the forming of the reflective metal layer and the inducing of the self-assembly of the metal nanostructure layer are performed through a thermal evaporation process, and
a thermal evaporation rate of the reflective metal layer is faster than a thermal evaporation rate of the nanostructure layer.

6. The method for manufacturing an optical sensor according to claim 5 , wherein the thermal evaporation rate in inducing the self-assembly of the metal nanostructure layer is 0.3 Å/s.

7. The method for manufacturing an optical sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the metal nanostructure layer is a nanoisland network structure in which the plurality of nanoislands is connected.

8. The method for manufacturing an optical sensor according to claim 1 , wherein selectively etching the insulator layer is performed on portions of the insulator layer where the self-assembled metal nanostructure layer does not overlap.

Assignees

• Korea Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Ryu Yong-Sang
• Kim Chulki
• Jhon Young Min
• Lee Sin-Doo
• Yu Eui-Sang
• Kim Jae Hun

Classifications

• G01N21/27

  using photo-electric detection (G01N21/31 takes precedence){; circuits for computing concentration (logarithmic circuits G06G7/24; photometric circuits in general G01J)} · CPC title

• H01J37/3056

  for microworking, e. g. etching of gratings or trimming of electrical components · CPC title

• H01J2237/3174

  Etching microareas · CPC title

• H01L31/09

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01N21/4133 Primary

  Refractometers, e.g. differential · CPC title