ELE Master of Science Thesis Defense by Tahmina Tabassum Treena - ECE Department
Topic: Nanoscale MIM Plasmonic Sensors for Real-Time Marine Environmental Monitoring
Abstract: Plasmonic sensing has emerged as a promising approach for high sensitivity, label free detection in environmental and marine monitoring applications. However, existing plasmonic sensor designs are often limited by single parameter operation, insufficient spectral selectivity, channel interference, and lack of robustness in saline environments. These limitations restrict their ability to perform simultaneously, accurately, and real time detection of multiple seawater parameters and emerging contaminants. As a result, current sensing platforms are not well suited for integrated, in situ monitoring systems that require compactness, high resolution, and multi analyte capability.
To address these limitations, this thesis develops advanced metal insulator metal waveguide based plasmonic sensors that enable simultaneous multi parameter and multi analyte detection. The proposed designs leverage tailored resonator geometries, optimized material compositions, and enhanced light matter interaction to improve sensing performance while maintaining compact device footprints. A multi-channel sensing configuration is established to allow independent and simultaneous sample analysis without cross contamination. The incorporation of corrosion resistant materials enhances the operational stability of the sensors in saline environments, enabling reliable long-term use. In addition, nanostructure assisted resonant configurations are introduced to amplify localized surface plasmon effects, significantly improving the detection of subtle refractive index variations associated with salinity, temperature, nanoplastic concentration, microplastics, and aquatic microorganisms. These structures exhibit high sensitivity, figure of merit, and low detection limits, enabling precise identification of low concentration analytes. The proposed models are validated through comprehensive numerical simulations, and key performance metrics are evaluated to assess their effectiveness. The results demonstrate that the developed sensor architectures achieve significant improvements over conventional plasmonic designs in terms of sensitivity, multi parameter capability, and robustness under realistic environmental conditions. Overall, this thesis establishes a unified and scalable framework for next generation plasmonic sensing platforms, providing a pathway toward compact, high performance, and real time marine monitoring systems.
Advisor(s): Dr. Mohammad Karim, Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth
Committee Members: Dr. Yifei Li, Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth; Dr. Md Habibor Rahman, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Tariq Manzur, Adjunct Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth and Scientist & Engineer, Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC)
NOTE: All ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All interested parties are invited to attend. Open to the public.
*For further information, please contact Dr. Mohammad Karim email at mkarim@umassd.edu
Lester W. Cory Conference Room, Science & Engineering Building (SENG), Room 213A
: Zoom Link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/95305552951 Meeting ID: 953 0555 2951 Passcode: 167374
Mohammad Karim
5089998434
mkarim@umassd.edu
https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93281343753?pwd=UWd5TGsweFpyMC9ydWhzaWErZnlndz09