The invention relates to a surface plasmon resonance system method. The system has at least one light source operable to generate a source beam, a prism having a rear surface at least partially coated with a metallic coating and optionally a dielectric layer. At least one layer under test is positioned on the rear surface of the prism. The source beam is directed at the layer under test thereby defining an angle between the source beam and the rear surface of the prism. A detector is operable to detect light that is reflected or scattered by the layer under test. The source beam is directed towards the layer under test at a selected angle. The source beam is also shifted in at least one plane to illuminate a specific portion of the layer under test based on the selected relative angle and the position of the layer under test on the rear surface of the prism. The rear surface of the prism can be illuminated in one-dimensional or two-dimensional array like fashion.