Eversince Raman spectroscopy was first observed in 1928, the technique underwent significant improvements, it yet remains less commonly used than infrared absorption for detecting molecular vibrations. This is mainly due to limitations that result from fluorescence and degrading samples. Sensitivity may significantly be increased by using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), in which localized surface plasmon resonances are excited, and as a result, light is amplified on the roughened surface of plasmonic metal nanoparticles. Gold and silver are most commonly used for SERS due to their chemical stability. In this work we demonstrate the use of structures made in photodefinable glass with electrodeposited gold for surface enhanced raman spectroscopy. The gold grain size is controlled by adjusting the frequency at which the electroplated gold layers are deposited on the structure. The glass microstructures were fabricated using a four-step procedure. After the gold layer is deposited using the techniques mentioned, optical microscope imags were taken of the structures as demonstrated in figure 1. The substrate surface of the microstructure with a gold layer electroplated at 15 Hz is shown in the scanning electron microscope image in figure 2. The gold-coated glass microstructures are then used as substrates to detect the Raman spectra of Dimethyl Sulfuoxide (DMSO) samples. Initial results show an improved detection of the sample liquid on the coated substrate when compared to that on an uncoated substrate. More experiments are undergoing to determine the impact of the gold grain size coated on the photodefinable glass substrate on the detection sensitivity.

Using microstructures of gold-coated photodefinable glass as substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

255th National Meeting (2018)

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