High-throughput nanostructured SERS substrates by self-assembly

Abstract

The fabrication of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates that are optimized for use with specific laser wavelength - analyte combinations is addressed. In order to achieve large signal enhancement, temporal stability, and reproducibility over large substrate areas at low cost, only self-assembly and templating processes are employed. The resulting substrates consist of arrays of gold nanospheres with controlled diameter and spacing, properties that dictate the optical response of the structure. We demonstrate the tunability of the extended surface plasmon resonance in the range of 520-1000 nm, helping to match the enhancement profile to the laser line of the Raman instrument. Despite relying on self-organization, we obtain site-to-site SERS enhancement factor variations smaller than 10%. ？ 2012 Copyright Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).