| Surface enhanced Raman scattering is a technique that augments Raman spectroscopy by decreasing its detection limit to sub-monolayer coverage of molecules on a surface or even a single molecule. The ability to attain the unique molecular bonding information provided by Raman spectroscopy at trace detection levels makes SERS an attractive tool for applications such as explosives, chemical, and bioweapons detection, study of surface catalyzed reactions, biomolecule and cell characterization, and measurement of impurities in groundwater.;SERS requires substrates with plasmonic activity, such as nanostructured metal films or metallic nanoparticles. The increase in Raman signal which allows trace detection is characterized by a signal enhancement factor, which is the fourth power of the magnitude of the localized electric fields generated by surface plasmon resonance in these substrates.;Broad use of SERS is limited by the difficulties of fabricating plasmonic materials at large scale which show both a high enhancement factor and good reproducibility of signal. The use of spin-coating based nanofabrication techniques to generate more effective SERS substrates will be discussed. Spin-coating is an advantageous method because it can generate arrays of nanostructures which are unique, can combine a range of material systems, are highly uniform, and can be generated at wafer scale (∼12.6 in2). The plasmon resonance, SERS enhancement, and uniformity of a range of spin-coated substrates will be analyzed. |
