Design, Characterization, and Evaluation of a Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor

Characterization of thin films, prominently including self-assembled monolayers is important to the understanding of interfacial events in both biological and manufactured systems. To facilitate such work, a surface plasmon resonance device, or SPR, was constructed, and tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the system relative to current systems and mathematical models. First, relevant analytical equations are introduced to describe the behavior of the system. In subsequent chapters, the design of the device, its calibration, and operating procedure are explained. Finally, the system is tested against samples with known behaviors, and the experimental and analytical results are compared.