This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been
fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI 10.1109/TIM.2021.3084315, IEEE
Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement
IEEE TIM JOURNAL, VOL., NO., MAY 2021
An automated platform for surface plasmon
resonance based sensors
Francisco J. da Silva∗ , Leiva C. Oliveira†∗ and Antonio M.N. Lima‡
∗ Electrical Engineering Graduate Program UFERSA
† Department of Computing, Center for Exact and Natural Sciences
Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Mossoró-RN, Brasil
‡ Department of Electrical Engineering, Center for Electrical Engineering and Informatics
Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campina Grande-PB, Brasil
Abstract—This paper presents the design of an automated
platform to quickly, efficiently, and accurately manipulate the
components required for a typical SPR sensing instrument. In
traditional SPR platforms, such parts are at pre-arranged and
fixed positions. The proposed solution enables individual and
group component movements by adjusting the alignment and
positioning to ensure either the proper excitation and detection
of the surface plasmon resonance. The platform’s mechanical
chassis is constructed with an aluminum V-slot profile and
trapezoidal thread spindles and nuts to guide the components’
displacement. An L-shaped frame specially designed for this
purpose holds all the parts. Besides mechanical chassis, micro-
controllers, motors, distance sensors, temperature sensors, and a
touch-screen compose the automated platform components. The
use of the so-called PPBIO biochip operating in the angular
interrogation mode demonstrates the platform’s functioning. The
obtained experimental results agree with the ones acquired with
a similar but manually adjusted test platform.
Index Terms—optoelectronic devices, surface plasmon reso-
nance, biosensor, thin-film, intelligence-instrumentation.
I. I NTRODUCTION
URFACE plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors are well-
S established optical instruments to study real-time molec-
ular interactions in aqueous/gaseous analytes (i.e., the target
solutions). The SPR sensor instrumentation requires optical,
electronic, fluidic, and mechanical components carefully dis-
posed of and adjusted for the correct phenomenon excitation.
Generally, these components are arranged in fixed positions.
Manual adjustments are necessary to maintain the alignment
conditions during the sensor operation. Eventually, these SPR
sensors require massive instrumentation with expensive labor-
procedures, which demand for well-trained operators and
advanced laboratory infrastructure.
Historically, the development of SPR sensors is based on
the attenuated total reflection (ATR) through coupled prisms
[1]. In particular, the prisms-ATR configuration proposed by
Kretschmann became the most used approach in SPR sensors
[2]. The typical Kretschmann’s configuration comprises a thin
metal film placed between two dielectric media, the prism
(optical substrate) supports the SPR interface, and the metal
film is deposited on its top surface; above the metal film is
placed the analyzed substance, typically delivered in a flow or
drop way.
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1
Many scientific and engineering works provide the devel-
opment details of sensors with prisms of triangular [3], trape-
zoidal [4] and semicylindrical [5], [6] shapes, which in general
require rotational components for exciting and detecting the
resonance. Some specific prism designs presented elsewhere
[7] avoid the use of rotational elements however may require
complex instrumentation due to the angular arrangement of
the optical and electronic components. Moreover, complex
optical arrangement-prisms can be found for the SPR sensors
development based on smartphones [8].
The so-called PPBIO trapezoidal prism [9] is a promising
solution for the development of SPR sensors with low in-
strumentation complexity. With a trapezoidal geometry and
small size (22×10×3 mm), this prismatic biochip is covered
with a thin gold layer of 50 nm thickness at the upper
planar face, avoiding the use of gel or oil for coupling [see
Figs. 1a)-b0]. The inclined side faces reflect specularly fan-
in, fan-out, along with two total internal reflections of the
incoming/outgoing light beam at the plane bottom face. As
shown in Fig. 1c, in angular interrogation mode (AIM) - fixed
wavelength (monochromatic) light-source with input angle
variation - lenses and mirror deliver the light source to the
prism sensing spot. A camera is used to capture the angular
spectrum at which resonance occurs. For more details about
the PPBIO, we refer [10], [11].
In the PPBIO-AIM experimental set-up [9] the components
are arranged at fixed positions, as illustrated in Fig. 1d; the
initial positioning of the parts, as well as its repositioning
for maintenance, are performed manually in the sequence
(alphabetical order) indicated in the figure. Only the prism
and the camera require movements on more than one axis. The
vertical adjustment (y-axis) is performed to provide the correct
alignment of the incident light beam. The prism must also
be adjusted horizontally (x-axis) for alignment between the
sensitive region (sensing spot) and the flow cell. The camera
has the depth adjustment (z-axis) to correct the reflected
light, allowing for the proper analysis of the SPR image.
These manual adjustments require a well-trained operator.
First, initial attempts to position the optical elements (laser and
lenses) are performed. A visual inspection is used to verify
the quality of the light beam. The manual repositioning of
the components is repeated several times to get the best light
beam. Then, the prism, flow cell, and camera are aligned in
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Fig. 1. PPBIO photographs with (a) and without (b) thin metal layer. c)
block diagram of the AIM PPBIO SPR sensor: the acquisition-control-process-
display unit (ACPDU) controls the camera as well as performs processing and
displaying the data. d) Experimental assembly of the PPBIO-based SPR sensor
for the angular interrogation mode, with emphasis on the movements needed
to adjust each element.
manual adjustments’ sequential steps to get the best resonance
image. Besides, for each new sensing application, such as
change of environment, type of PPBIO, light source, analyzed
sample, and situations in which components broke or failed,
alignment and positioning become necessary. Also, system
component replacement due to damage or wear always de-
mands alignment and positioning. Those manual adjustments
are subject to failure. If the light hit-region (sensing spot) is
not preserved, the light beam dispersion inside PPBIO will
not be properly obtained when the incidence angle varies.
This type of alignment problem can be solved with automated
instrumentation, to keep the sensing spot’s position unchanged
on the metallic surface for a specific incidence angle [12].
Based on the requirements for automatic positioning and
alignment described above, this work proposes the design of
a PPBIO-based automated platform for SPR sensing, which
allows independent or combined component movements in
a quick, efficient, and accurate way. This instrumentation
provides movement of the elements by the use of specific soft-
ware. With the help of a microcontroller system, this platform
controls the structure’s internal temperature and enables the
remote control of the different sensor components.
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2
II. PPBIO DESIGN
The PPBIO design shown in Fig. 2 illustrates the geometry
and the ideal optical path for the light beams through the
biochip. The figure indicates the height h, the oblique face side
angle α to set the sensing spot at X4 for a given incident angle
θ, and the lengths L and l. The values DX2 min and DX2 max
are the input distances from the first and last light beams at
point X4 (the sensing spot). The total angular aperture ranges
from 62 deg to 73 deg and can be determined by
! !
−1 DX2 min −1 DX2 max
θmin = tan , θmax = tan . (1)
h0max + h h0min + h
Fig. 2. Light beams optical paths. The blue triangle is just for showing that
the distance traveled vertically by the light beams from X6 to X8 indeed
depends on h and h0 and defines the hypotenuse adjacent angle, which is
directly related to the input angular aperture ([θmin ,θmax ]). The actual values
are F = 5.36 mm, DX2 min = 9.66 mm, DX2 max = 12.62 mm, h0 = 0.5-2.5 mm,
h = 3 mm, L = 26.72 mm, l = 17.84 mm, α = 34 deg, and θ = 68 deg.
By using the Fresnel Analysis [12], [13] for the PBBIO,
one may determine the reflectivity plots. Fig. 3 illustrates nine
resonance curves, each for a different analyte refractive index.
For all these nine cases, the PBBIO operates in the angular
interrogation mode (AIM), the chip is made of BK7 glass,
and there is a 50 nm gold layer covering the top layer [see
Fig. 1a)]. The angular range is used in the selection of the
operating point for the substrate/metal pair. It also guides the
geometric alignment of the experimental configuration as well
as the pixel-angle function mapping.
A. Optical effects
Considering the correct alignment of the elements, the
light beam must be focused on the sensing spot (X4) as
illustrated in Fig. 4a. At the correct alignment situation, the
angular range is obtained, and the flow-cell aligns precisely
to the luminous beams’ focus. Positive and negative vertical
(Figs. 4b-c respectively) or horizontal misalignments (Fig. 4d)
of any element degrades SPR image.
B. Thermal effects
The misalignment of optical components may occur due to
environmental conditions, such as the temperature variation
during the experiment execution. The thermal behavior of
the PPBIO trapezoidal prism at room temperatures (25◦ C,
30◦ C, 35◦ C), and at high temperatures (50◦ C, 70◦ C), early
reported in [14], providing guidelines for PPBIO design,
optimization as well as optical alignments mounting accuracy.
The PPBIO prism dilates/compresses from the central point to
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Fig. 3. The theoretical reflectivity (SP-sensing characteristic) of SPR sensor
for nine different analyte refractive indices: i) the PBBIO operates in the
angular interrogation mode (AIM); ii) the biochip is made of BK7 glass; iii)
there is a 50 nm gold layer covering the top layer, and iv) the light wavelength
is 670 nm. The inset shows how the analyte’s refractive index changes
the resonance angle (∆θR /∆n); this is indeed the expected instrumental
sensitivity.
Fig. 4. Light beams dispersion within the PPBIO for a) correct alignment
of all experimental set-up elements. b) Positive and c) negative vertical
misalignment of the elements. d) Horizontal misalignment.
the edges. Changing the X4 position will produce a blurred
focus, contributing to misalignment between the sensing spot,
flow cell, and camera, as shown in Fig. 5.
Fig. 5. Effect of temperature increase over the focus blur at the sensing
spot. Light beam input from X2 position. Detail for focus blur from the light
source.
The temperature changes also affect the exit position of the
beams that are reflected on the inclined face of the trapezoidal
prism (X6). The exit position is directly related to where the
beams hit the image sensor (X8) and influences the location of
the resonance pixel on the image sensor, as shown in Fig. 6.
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3
Fig. 6. Resonance angle variation as a function of the input position for
different temperatures.
C. Geometrical alignment
Fig. 7 shows the diagram of optical geometry, indicating dis-
tances, positions, and the system’s engineering characteristics.
From this figure, one may determine the alignment parameters
for SPR excitation with PPBIO. The elements employed in
this geometrical analysis are the same used in the fixed set-up
[9]: cylindrical LJ1960L1 lens and spherical lens LA1951 (for
light beam collimation), both commercialized by Thorlabs.
The geometric analysis provides the trapezoidal prism
”Field of View” (FoV) at X8, which represents the angular
aperture of the light beam that reaches the SPR image sensor
(camera). Misalignment changes the location of the resonance
pixel on the image sensor. The trapezoidal prism FoV is given
by !
−1 IC
FoV = 2 tan , (2)
FD
and is fundamental for the alignment of all parts as well as the
choice of image sensor quality [15]. Fig. 7 show the values
for IC [see the inclined path value in Fig. 7] and FD, the focal
distance of the cylindrical lens [see the f value in Fig. 7].
Fig. 7. Schematic indicating distances and elements of the AIM set-up: left
hand side show the alignment parameters for SPR excitation using PPBIO,
and right hand side shows the Field of View (FoV) of the PPBIO.
III. D ESIGN OF THE AUTOMATED PLATFORM
Fig. 8 presents a schematic view of the proposed platform.
The structure is based on a rectangular chassis in which
the upper fixed support and motor shafts (upper region) and
the lower fixed support (lower region) are connected. The
chassis also holds and guides the individual supports of each
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part, which can be moved individually or collectively. Thus,
each element is attached to the L-shaped support that fits the
chassis’s vertical axis and is controlled by stepper motors. The
structure is almost completely enclosed, except for the fan
cooler and shutter [see Fig. 10a)], to allow the control of the
internal temperature.
Fig. 8. Schematic view of the proposed platform. Optical, mechanical and
electronic elements are indicated. Details for the chassis and L-shape supports
are shown. Two micro-controllers are used to measure, control the motors and
display information.
A structural build with aluminum V-slot 20x20 mm profile
was used to ensure mechanical precision, robustness and
stability. The L-shape supports were designed and manufac-
tured with a Storm600 G-Weike laser cutting machine. To
accommodate the motors, 3 mm acrylic supports were used
to ensure low weight. Trapezoidal thread spindles and nuts
guide the displacement of the components.
The automation system includes a micro-controller Atmega
2560 Arduino, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module (ESP 8266)
allowing wireless communication with the ACPDU (PC). The
28BYJ-48 stepper motors were used, with 34.3 mN torque,
unipolar, 5 V power output, ULN2003 control-driver, and 1/64
reduction, capable to complete a full turn in 4096 steps,
equivalent to 0.08 deg step-angle resolution. The VL53L0X
laser distance sensor has been placed on each L-shape frame to
guarantee precise positioning. For internal temperature control,
the DHT 22/cooler pair has been installed, and a specific
algorithm was embedded to adjust the parts according to the
operating temperature. Fig. 9 presents a state machine describ-
ing the self-calibrating algorithm. At a given temperature, the
SPR curve depth (δ) is used as the movement tasks’ decision
value. The control of each piece can also be done using the
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buttons present in the platform itself.
Fig. 9. State machine representing the platform self-calibrating algorithm.
Determining the actual SPR curve depth δ starts the execution of the algorithm
that ends when δ ≤ δmax . The one-step-move at states ML1, ML2, MP, and
MC, can be either forward or backward along the respective movement axis.
The SPR image quality accessed by the SPR curve depth (δ) is used as a
decision value for the calibration [see Fig. 8 for finding the lens, the PPBIO,
and the camera].
IV. P LATFORM PROTOTYPE AND EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
Fig. 10 exhibits two photographs of the proposed platform.
The first photograph [see a), b) and c)] show the main case, the
control box and the external buttons. The second photograph
[see d)] show what was inside the main case where all the
parts are labelled. The main case’s dimensions are 23×24×17
cm. Note that there is a cooler positioned on the top of the
main case. There is also a special shutter mounting to block
external light (not visible). The control unit accommodates
the micro-controllers, relay module, voltage regulator and
power supply. A touch-screen user interface allows one to
position the parts. The interface informs the distances in
mm of each L-shape frame and the temperature inside the
platform. Fig. 11 shows the boot screen and the menus of
options and information. Alternatively, one may use external
buttons [see Fig. 10] for controlling the stepper motors and
switching on/off the cooler. To test the platform, experiments
with ultrapure (type1) water (Milipore Direct Q3 System)
at electrical resistance of 18.7MΩ/cm were performed for
different alignments. The temperature inside the platform was
set to 25.40◦ C and maintained by the platform.
Three preliminary measurements are performed for extract-
ing the SP-resonance, employing a p-polarized beam (the
electric field direction is parallel to the plane of incidence): the
dark image Rdark , in the absence of radiation, is taken; a dry
cell recording RAir , to serve as a reference; finally the wet cell
measurement RH2 O [see the red image in Fig. 11], comprising
the metal-plain water solution interface is accomplished. The
dark image is subtracted from both wet and dry cell recordings.
This three step procedure almost eliminates all system-specific
inhomogeneities and nonlinearities related to the light source’s
spectral features and optical sensor.
For AIM operation, a LED with emission at 670±10 nm,
adjusted for output power of 25µW, measured with a Thor-
labs PW100USB power meter, was utilized as light source.
The 2D CMOS camera (DCC1645C Thorlabs) served as the
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Fig. 10. Automated platform photography: a) the external case for compo-
nents assembly. Details of the b) control unit and panel with touch display; c)
buttons for stepper motors controlling and on/off the cooler. d) Detail of the
components assembly for automated SPR excitation; components indications
in the figure.
Fig. 11. Touch-screen user nterface: a) boot screen; b) menus: distance,
temperature/humidity sensors, and cooler control; c) distance in mm of the
L-shape support in relation to the platform base; and d) indication of the
internal temperature and humidity.
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5
image sensor. Their output signals are fed into a PC for data
processing and display.
Fig. 12 shows the experimental SPR curves obtained after
the solution dropped on the PPBIO sensing spot. Initially, the
light source position are fixed. Sub-sequently the elements are
displaced to obtain the maximum coupling, i.e., the higher
depth/contrast of the SPR curve, follows the sequence: ’col-
limating lens → cylindrical lens → PPBIO → camera’ as
indicated by the algorithm described in Fig. 9. The platform
performs the positional adjustment by moving the pieces with
1 mm accuracy.
With the correct alignment, the SPR curve approaches the
theoretical curve. It is important to mention that the distortions
(in terms of depth, width and position) between the experimen-
tal curve with the correct alignment, and the theoretical curve,
are due to inherent characteristics of the PPBIO manufacturing
process, as roughness and birefringence [12]. The captured
SPR image indicates the position of resonance, determined by
the dark line in the center of the image [see Fig. 12].
For testing purposes, positive (+6 mm) and negative (-6 mm)
vertical misalignment was intentionally created between the
cylindrical lens and the PPBIO. The temperature controller
was switched on and off sequentially. A lower depth value
of the SPR curve is observed for both misalignments, charac-
terizing poor optical coupling and insufficient excitation [see
Fig. 12].
Fig. 12. SPR curves obtained with the automated platform, indicates the
Influence of mechanical misalignment on the curve response. The width
parameter taken at FWHM is calculated as CR + CL , where CR as CL
are the distances in degrees between resonance minimum and right and left
edges of the curve, respectively. SPR captured image (in red) illustrating the
correct excitation phenomenon.
The SPR curve morphology comparison is summarized
in Table I. The Width=CR + CL and Asymmetry=CR /CL
features are obtained by the distance between the left edge
(CL ) and the right edge (CR ), respectively [see Fig. 12].
The reflectivity curve provides a way to determine optical
coupling effectiveness for the surface plasmon resonance. A
sharp resonance depth/contrast indicates high photon energy
absorption by the surface plasmons. The SPR curve’s energy
(E), computed as indicated in [16], shows how good the
optical-coupling is.
This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI 10.1109/TIM.2021.3084315, IEEE
IEEE TIM JOURNAL, VOL., NO., MAY 2021
Even the negative misaligned curve presents a low width
compare to correct alignment, this last one has a more pro-
nounced minimum with a better curve shape asymmetry.
TABLE I
SPR CURVE FEATURES . N OTE THAT ’θR ’ AND ’W IDTH ’ ARE GIVEN IN
DEGREES , AND ’E’ IS GIVEN IN PIXEL INTENSITY.
Curve θR Width Depth
Theoretical 67.96 1.39 0.10
Correct alignment 68.06 3.30 0.28
Neg. misalignment 67.84 1.85 0.6
Pos. misalignment 67.90 4.23 0.76
Furthermore, the comparison of automated and manual
PPBIO SPR platforms is presented in Fig. 13. The admission
of a NaClO aqueous solution (i.e., a specific analyte) was
used, causing an increase of the refractive index of ∆n =
6.047 × 10−3 RIU. This corresponds to an angular variation
and curve morphology equivalent for both system, attesting
the feasibility of the proposed automated platform.
Fig. 13. Experimental SPR curves obtained with the manual and automated
platforms for a) H2 O and b) NaClO solutions.
It is important to mention that the proposed automated SPR
system operates at an aqueous interface with a refractive index
range of 1.33-1.39, set by the PPBIO trapezoidal prism. Within
this range, it supports immunoassay applications like antigen-
antibody molecular interactions. It extends PPBIO standard
sensing outputs once delivering the SPR curve morphology
parameters, such as the resonance position, the resonance an-
gle, the full width at half maximum (FWHM), the asymmetry,
and the energy. The proposed SPR system design provides the
exact figures of merit as the PPBIO specification [12], namely:
limit-of-detection (LOD): 10−5 RIU (refractive index unit),
Sensitivity: 120 deg/RIU, linear dynamic range: 2.5×10−2
RIU, and angular resolution: 10−4 deg. Among other benefits,
as indicated in the introductory section, a quick, easy and
accurate manner to adjust and calibrate the SPR system
improves response quality and prevents manual adjustments.
V. C ONCLUSIONS
A platform to automate the movement and positioning of
the optic-electronic elements of the PPBIO-based SPR sensor
has been conceived, designed, developed, and manufactured.
Arduino micro-controllers, stepper motors, distance sensors,
temperature sensors and touch-screen composes the main
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6
instrumentation elements for the automation. The special L-
shape frames were designed to ensure correct displacement
without phenomenon disturbance. The thermal control was
also embedded as another platform feature, leading to the
obtainment of SPR curve with a better angular distribution
when the elements are correctly aligned/positioned.
Additionally, the platform also provides remote access for
Asymmetry E elements positional control. The absence of rotational parts,
0.80 913 their reduced dimension, the individual or collective movement
1.02 926
1.14 1055
of the elements, and the thermal control of the platform allows
0.40 1140 the implementation of intelligent algorithms for mechanical
self-calibration, from operating conditions and possible needs
for thermal effects compensation. Such algorithms adjust the
positioning of the equipment parts by obtaining a greater
SPR curve depth/contrast, and consequently, the quality of the
optical coupling.
Such advantages are not easily found in low-cost com-
mercial equipment [17]. Alignment automation is present
generally, in the auto-sampler feature integrated with some
SPR platforms systems. The optical-electronic adjustments for
SPR excitation are still traditionally performed manually.
Opportunities for sophisticated self-calibration routines
combining mechanical alignments, electrical adjustments (cur-
rent and voltage), and driver set-points for the image sensor
(like integration time and pixel clock values) will be explored
in the future.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors thank CAPES, UFERSA and UFCG for the
financial support and research grants.
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Antonio M. N. Lima (Senior Member, IEEE) was
born in Recife, PE, Brazil, in 1958. He received the
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engi-
neering from the Universidade Federal da Paraıba
(UFPB) in 1982 and 1985, respectively, and the
Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the In-
stitut National Polytechnique de Toulouse in 1989.
He worked at the Escola Técnica Redentorista from
1977 to 1982 and was a Project Engineer at Sul-
América Philips from 1982 to 1983. From March
1983 to March 2002, he worked at the Electrical
Engineering Department of UFPB, where he became a Full Professor in 1996.
At UFPB, he was a Coordinator of Graduate Studies from 1991 to 1993 and
from 1997 to 2002. Since April 2002, he has been with the Department of
Electrical Engineering, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG),
where he is a Full Professor. He was the Head of the Department of Electrical
Engineering, UFCG, from 2002 to 2010. In 2010, he was admitted to the
National Order of Scientific Merit in the category of Commander. His current
research interests are in the fields of power electronics, automatic control,
embedded systems, electronic instrumentation, biosensors, and biomedical
engineering. In 2014, he was elected as a Full Member of the Brazilian
Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.

Francisco J. da Silva was born in Mossoró, RN,

Brazil, in 1982. He received his degree in Con-
trol and Automation Engineer from Universidade
de Fortaleza (UNIFOR), Ceará, Brazil, in 2018,
and a master’s degree in electrical engineering in
2021 form Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-
Árido (UFERSA), Mossoró, RN, Brazil. He is cur-
rently an automation and instrumentation engineer
at UORNCE/PROJ/CM-ARGRN Petrobrás, Brazil.

Leiva C. Oliveira was born in Crato, CE, Brazil,

in 1987. He received his degree in computation
from Universidade Estadual da Paraı́ba (UEPB),
Campina Grande, Brazil, in 2009, and a master’s
degree in computer science in 2011, and a Ph.D.
degree in electrical engineering in 2016 both from
Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG),
Brazil. From 2009 to 2010, he had a scholarship as
a senior developer at Fundação Parque Tecnológico
da Paraı́ba, Campina Grande, Brazil. From 2016 to
2018, he had a scholarship as a postdoctoral position
in biosensor area, UFCG. From July 2010 to Nov. 2013, he was a professor
at the Computer Dept. of UEPB. Since Dec. 2013, he has been with the
Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA), Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
From May 2016 to June 2017, he has been Coordinator of Research and
Graduate Studies at UFERSA-Angicos. He was the Head of the Department
of Computer, UFERSA, from 2017 to 2019. Since 2020 he was a Coordinator
of Graduate Studies in the Computer Science program, UFERSA. His current
research interests areas are in the fields of surface plasmon resonance sensors,
embedded systems for biosensor and bioelectronics, digital image processing
for surface plasmon resonance, and machine learning applied to biosensors.

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