Plasmonic Nanoantennas for Single-Molecule, Surface-Enhanced-Raman-Scattering Based Sensing

This proposed project is concerned with the design, fabrication, and demonstration of a new class of plasmonic nanostructures for single molecule surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for biological and chemical sensing applications. A complete design of the plasmonic nanostructures with large local field enhancements (E/E0>100) will be formulated, and the fabrication procedures will be developed for at least one device implementation. The plasmon resonance frequencies and local field enhancements will be predicted as a function of the geometric and material parameters of the plasmonic nanostructures. We will execute fabrication experiments and benchmarking that demonstrate an adequate capability for the meeting the expected challenges. Specifically, feasibility of repeatable fabrication of less than 5nm gaps, precise placement of SERS molecules at the"hot-spots,"will be demonstrated.