Nanopillar array on a fiber facet for highly sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering


Yang X., İLERİ ERCAN N., Larson C. C., Carlson T. C., Britten J. A., Chang A. S. P., ...More

Optics Express, vol.20, no.22, pp.24819-24826, 2012 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 20 Issue: 22
  • Publication Date: 2012
  • Doi Number: 10.1364/oe.20.024819
  • Journal Name: Optics Express
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.24819-24826
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: No

Abstract

A highly-sensitive optical fiber surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor has been developed by interference lithography. While one facet of the optical fiber is patterned with silver-coated nanopillar array as a SERS platform, the other end of the probe is used, in a remote end detection, to couple the excitation laser into the fiber and send the SERS signal to the spectrometer. SERS performance of the probe is characterized using trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)-ethylene (BPE) monolayer and an enhancement factor of 1.2 × 107 can be achieved by focusing the laser directly onto the nanopillar array (front end detection). We also demonstrate that this probe can be used for in situ remote sensing of toluene vapor by the remote end detection. Such a fiber SERS probe shows great potential for molecular detection in various sensing applications. © 2012 Optical Society of America.