Deep-UV All-dielectric qBIC Metasurface for Refractive Index Sensing
Abstract
All-dielectric metasurfaces supporting quasi-bound states in the continuum (qBICs) have emerged as powerful platforms for biosensing, yet their operation remains largely concentrated in the visible and near-infrared regimes. Extending these resonances into the deep-ultraviolet (DUV) to probe the intrinsic electronic absorption of biomolecules presents substantial material and nanofabrication challenges. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a hafnium dioxide (HfO2) metasurface supporting DUV qBICs in the wavelength range from 225 nm to 340 nm with quality factors reaching 500. We further demonstrate its refractive index sensing capabilities through integration with a microfluidic cell and optical characterization in reflection mode. We show that the introduction of an aqueous buffer leads to a further quality factor enhancement. Achieving a sensitivity of up to approximately 60 nm/RIU and an operational figure of merit of 40 RIU−1, this low-loss HfO2 metasurface provides a robust foundation for label-free DUV biosensing.
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BibTeX
@misc{idesova2026deepuv,
title = {{Deep-UV All-dielectric qBIC Metasurface for Refractive Index Sensing}},
author = {Beáta Idesová and Alexander A. Antonov and Lina Rohrer and Leonardo de Souza Menezes and Andreas Tittl and Tomáš Šikola and Filip Ligmajer},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2611.08733},
eprint = {2611.08733},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.08733},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Deep-UV All-dielectric qBIC Metasurface for Refractive Index Sensing
AU - Beáta Idesová
AU - Alexander A. Antonov
AU - Lina Rohrer
AU - Leonardo de Souza Menezes
AU - Andreas Tittl
AU - Tomáš Šikola
AU - Filip Ligmajer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2611.08733
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.08733
AB - All-dielectric metasurfaces supporting quasi-bound states in the continuum (qBICs) have emerged as powerful platforms for biosensing, yet their operation remains largely concentrated in the visible and near-infrared regimes. Extending these resonances into the deep-ultraviolet (DUV) to probe the intrinsic electronic absorption of biomolecules presents substantial material and nanofabrication challenges. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a hafnium dioxide (HfO_2) metasurface supporting DUV qBICs in the wavelength range from 225 nm to 340 nm with quality factors reaching 500. We further demonstrate its refractive index sensing capabilities through integration with a microfluidic cell and optical characterization in reflection mode. We show that the introduction of an aqueous buffer leads to a further quality factor enhancement. Achieving a sensitivity of up to approximately 60 nm/RIU and an operational figure of merit of 40 RIU^−1, this low-loss HfO_2 metasurface provides a robust foundation for label-free DUV biosensing.
ER -