Palladium-Based Photonic Microresonator Hydrogen Sensors

Abstract

This chapter explores palladium-based photonic microresonator sensors, leveraging palladium’s unique hydrogen absorption properties to enhance sensor performance. These sensors exhibit high sensitivity and rapid response due to changes in optical properties induced by hydrogen-palladium interactions, including refractive index shifts and volumetric expansion. Various photonic architectures, such as microring resonators and plasmonic nanostructures, are analyzed for their efficacy in hydrogen detection. Emphasis is placed on the integration of palladium with PICs to develop compact, efficient, and highly sensitive hydrogen sensors. The chapter concludes with an evaluation of performance metrics such as sensitivity, Q-factor, and FOM, highlighting the potential of these advanced sensing platforms to revolutionize hydrogen monitoring across diverse applications.