National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Research resultsPublications > AIST TODAY > 2004-No.13
AIST TODAYNo.13 Summer 2004


Towards Ultimate Vibrational Spectroscopy with Single Molecule Sensitivity and Spatial Resolution

Masayuki FUTAMATA
Nanoarchitectonics Research Center
e-mail address

We have studied to establish an ultimate vibrational spectroscopy relevant for in situ characterization of single molecules at solid/liquid interfaces. The blinking of SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering) arises from thermal diffusion of adsorbed molecule between junction and other ordinary sites as evidenced from correlation between Raman and elastic scattering spectra in addition to temperature dependence and local field evaluation. Exploiting SERS of underlaid silver films, Raman images with ca. 50 nm in spatial resolution were obtained simultaneously with topography using chemically etched optical fibers under an attenuated total reflection configuration.

Figure
Figure electric field distribution (amplitude) for various Ag nanostructures: adjacent circular tubes (r = 40 nm) with the gap size of (a) 0 nm, (b) 5 nm, (c) isolated tube (r = 40 nm), and (d) triangular edge. Excited at the resonance wavelengths of 480 nm (a, b), 380 nm (c) and 430 nm (d). The enhancement > 330 yields single molecule sensitivity in Raman scattering.

Relational Information

AIST Today Vol. 4, No.6 (2004) 13



 back