Pulsed laser deposition was used together with a glancing angle deposition technique in order to produce suitable metal substrates for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications. The surface morphology, crystallinity, optical properties, and enhancement factor of these substrates were investigated. Rodamine-6G was used as a SERS active molecule pumped at 785 nm. The Au nanorods with average lengths of 50 – 70 nm having diameter in the range of 10 – 20 nm exhibited a SERS enhancement factor of 105. The as-prepared metal substrates were found to meet the criteria of a sensitive, uniform, and easily produced SERS substrate.
|