Abstract
Surface plasmon resonance sensors (SPR) using copper for sensitive parts are a competitivealternative to gold and silver. Copper oxide is a semiconductor and has a non-toxic nature. Theunavoidable presence of copper oxide may be of interest as it is non-toxic, but it modifies thecondition of resonance and the performance of the sensor. Therefore, the characterization of theoptical properties of copper and copper oxide thin films is of interest. We propose a method torecover both the thicknesses and optical properties of copper and copper oxide from absorbancecurves over the(0.9; 3.5)eV range, and we use these results to numerically investigate the surfaceplasmon resonance of copper/copper oxide thin films. Samples of initial copper thicknesses 10, 30and 50 nm, after nine successive oxidations, are systematically studied to simulate the signal of aSurface Plasmon Resonance setup. The results obtained from the resolution of the inverse problem ofabsorbance are used to discuss the performance of a copper-oxide sensor and, therefore, to evaluatethe optimal thicknesses.