Patent ID: 8164755

Claim:
A non-transitory computer readable medium with instructions encoded thereon, the instructions configured to cause one or more processors to perform a method for designing a system for determining a concentration of an analyte within a sample, the method comprising: creating a mathematical model of a system comprising a substrate; a conductive region, said conductive region comprising at least one metal particle or structure; a semiconductor region disposed in the near-field of the at least one metal particle or structure, the semiconductor region being part of a photodetector; a recognition layer operatively coupled with a first surface of said conductive region; and the analyte in contact with said recognition layer, wherein the combination of the at least one metal particle or structure, the semiconductor and the analyte exhibits plasmon effects upon direction of radiation at the conductive region and the recognition layer; inputting material characteristics of the at least one metal particle and the semiconductor; inputting characteristics of the analyte; inputting radiation characteristics; the model, exploiting the material, analyte and radiation characteristics, the model describing plasmon effects exhibited by the at least one particle and the analyte when the radiation is directed through the conductive region and the recognition layer, the model further describing enhancement of light absorption by the semiconductor due to the presence of the at least one particle; and determining design parameters for the system by performing simulation experiments with the model.