Hyperbolic Metamaterial-Based Optical Biosensor for Detecting Cancer Cells

Study was made of a hyperbolic metamaterial (HMM)-based optical biosensor in view of possible usage to detect early-stage cancerous cells. The effective medium theory was used to determine the constitutive properties of the metasurface. The reflectance was obtained under different conditions to observe shifts in spectral minima, thereby determining the status of the measurand. The sensitivity and figure-of-merit (FoM) of the structure were evaluated. Observations revealed the device showing relatively high FoM, which depends on the thickness of the HMM and sensing medium, and also, the radius of nanoholes (in HMM) and the angle of incidence of light waves.