Abstract:
We demonstrate a surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate by integrating plasmonic-active SiO₂ nanotubes into Si₃N₄ gratings. First, the dielectric grating that is working under guided mode resonance (GMR) provides enhanced electric field for localized surface plasmon polaritons on the surface of metallic nanoparticles. Second, we use SiO₂ nanotubes with densely assembled silver nanoparticles to provide a large amount of "hot spots" without significantly damping the GMR mode of the grating. Experimental measurement on Rhodamine-6G shows a constant enhancement factor of 8 ~ 10 in addition to the existing SERS effect across the entire surface of the SiO₂ nanotubes. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4714710]