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Optical surface plasmon resonance sensors have been known for a long time. In this paper, we discuss the use of metamaterials to construct a surface plasmon sensor which can be used at microwave frequencies. We review the conditions for the existence of surface plasmon and the use of the forward and backward surface waves. A sharp dip in the reflection coefficient occurs when the propagation constant of the incident wave along the surface is nearly equal to the propagation constant of the plasmon surface wave and may be used to probe bulk material characteristics or to determine metamaterial characteristics. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the basic characteristics.