Abstract

We report a simple and repeatable method for fabricating a large-area substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering. The substrate was processed by three steps: (i) femtosecond (fs) laser micromachining and roughening, (ii) thin-film coating, and (iii) nanosecond laser heating and melting. Numerous gold nanoparticles of various sizes were created on the surface of the silicon substrate. The 3D micro-/nanostructures generated by the fs laser provide greater surface areas with more nanoparticles leading to 2 orders of magnitude higher of the enhancement factor than in the case of a flat substrate. Using an He–Ne laser with a $632.8\mathrm{nm}$ excitation wavelength, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering enhancement factor for Rhodamine 6G was measured up to $2\times {10}^7$.

© 2011 Optical Society of America

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