Comparison of novel graded refractive index tapered nanowell design against a triangle array commonly used for surface enhanced raman scattering

Zachary A. Sechrist; Lee R. Cambrea; Ronald J. Tonucci

doi:10.1117/12.930211

9 October 2012 Comparison of novel graded refractive index tapered nanowell design against a triangle array commonly used for surface enhanced raman scattering

Zachary A. Sechrist, Lee R. Cambrea, Ronald J. Tonucci

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8457, Plasmonics: Metallic Nanostructures and Their Optical Properties X; 84573E (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.930211
Event: SPIE NanoScience + Engineering, 2012, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

A novel plasmonic surface is evaluated as a potential surface for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) experiments. This paper examines the electromagnetic response of an array of gold triangles commonly used for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with a finite element simulator, and then compares those results with the theoretical performance of a novel surface described herein. The gold triangle array modeled as a standard SERS surface could be fabricated using nanosphere lithography [1]. The new design introduced in this paper utilizes a strongly tapered nanowell shape, which is etched out of a gold/alumina multilayer stack. The nanowell void creates a series of resonators stacked on top of one another, with each metal/insulator/metal combination representing one resonator. Resonators with different void radii, have different refractive indices. Therefore, the taper of the nanowell defines the vertical refractive index gradient, and the taper in this paper was chosen to span both positive and negative refractive indices within the multilayer stack. The tapered nanowell design is shown to have a very strong response, and displays a unique stability with respect to disorder within the array.

Citation Download Citation

Zachary A. Sechrist, Lee R. Cambrea, and Ronald J. Tonucci "Comparison of novel graded refractive index tapered nanowell design against a triangle array commonly used for surface enhanced raman scattering", Proc. SPIE 8457, Plasmonics: Metallic Nanostructures and Their Optical Properties X, 84573E (9 October 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.930211

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