Toward microfluidic SERS and EC-SERS applications via tunable gold films over nanospheres.

Many promising applications of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), such as microfluidic SERS and electrochemical (EC)-SERS, require immersion of plasmonic nanostructured films in aqueous media. Correlational investigations of the optical response and SERS efficiency of solid SERS substrates immersed in water are absent in the literature. This work presents an approach for tuning the efficiency of gold films over nanospheres (AuFoN) as SERS substrates for applications in aqueous environment.

UV-Nanoimprint Lithography for Predefined SERS Nanopatterns Which Are Reproducible at Low Cost and High Throughput.

A controlled and reliable nanostructured metallic substrate is a prerequisite for developing effective surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy techniques. In this study, we present a novel SERS platform fabricated using ultra-violet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) to produce large-area, ordered nanostructured arrays. By using UV-NIL imprinted patterns in resist, we were able to overcome the main limitations present in most common SERS platforms, such as nonuniformity, nonreproducibility, low throughput, and high cost.

UV-Nanoimprint and Deep Reactive Ion Etching of High Efficiency Silicon Metalenses: High Throughput at Low Cost with Excellent Resolution and Repeatability.

As metasurfaces begin to find industrial applications there is a need to develop scalable and cost-effective fabrication techniques which offer sub-100 nm resolution while providing high throughput and large area patterning. Here we demonstrate the use of UV-Nanoimprint Lithography and Deep Reactive Ion Etching (Bosch and Cryogenic) towards this goal. Robust processes are described for the fabrication of silicon rectangular pillars of high pattern fidelity.

EC-SERS detection of thiabendazole in apple juice using activated screen-printed electrodes.

Thiabendazole (TBZ), a benzimidazole fungicide used for post-harvest treatment, may be a trace contaminant of food matrices. In this work, we report the first EC-SERS (electrochemical-surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy) detection of TBZ in spiked apple juice using electrochemically (EC) roughened, gold-based screen-printed electrodes (AuSPEs) and portable instrumentation. Polarizing the substrate (-0.

Review on combining surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and electrochemistry for analytical applications.

The discovery of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) from an electrochemical (EC)-SERS experiment is known as a historic breakthrough. Five decades have passed and Raman spectroelectrochemistry (SEC) has developed into a common characterization tool that provides information about the electrode-electrolyte interface. Recently, this technique has been successfully explored for analytical purposes.

Micro-Lensed Negative-Curvature Fibre Probe for Raman Spectroscopy.

We developed a novel miniature micro-lensed fibre probe for Raman spectroscopy. The fibre probe consists of a single negative-curvature fibre (NCF) and a spliced, cleaved, micro-lensed fibre cap. Using a single NCF, we minimized the Raman background generated from the silica and maintained the diameter of the probe at less than 0.

All-fiber online Raman sensor with enhancement via a Fabry-Perot cavity.

In this Letter, a novel all-fiber online Raman sensor with significant signal enhancement via a Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity is proposed and demonstrated. The FP cavity structure is formed by inserting a long-pass coated fiber and a gold-plated capillary into a silver-lined capillary with a gap. A corroded single-mode fiber is inserted into the gold-plated capillary to guide the excitation light into the FP cavity.

Surface-Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy for Optical Fiber Sensing.

Visible and near-infrared spectroscopy are widely used for sensing applications but suffer from poor signal-to-noise ratios for the detection of compounds with low concentrations. Enhancement by surface plasmon resonance is a popular technique that can be utilized to increase the signal of absorption spectroscopy due to the increased near-field created close to the plasmons. Despite interest in surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS), the method is usually applied in lab setups rather than real-life sensing situations.

Glucose sensing by absorption spectroscopy using lensed optical fibers.

The bulkiness of common transmission spectroscopy probes prevents applicability at remote locations such as within the body. We present the fabrication and characterization of lensed fibers for transmission spectroscopy in the near-infrared. Eigenmode simulations and measurements of the coupling efficiency are presented and applied to design the setup corresponding to the sample absorption.

Multiple Light Coupling and Routing via a Microspherical Resonator Integrated in a T-Shaped Optical Fiber Configuration System.

We demonstrate a three-port, light guiding and routing T-shaped configuration based on the combination of whispering gallery modes (WGMs) and micro-structured optical fibers (MOFs). This system includes a single mode optical fiber taper (SOFT), a slightly tapered MOF and a BaTiO₃ microsphere for efficient light coupling and routing between these two optical fibers. The BaTiO₃ glass microsphere is semi-immersed into one of the hollow capillaries of the MOF taper, while the single mode optical fiber taper is placed perpendicularly to the latter and in contact with the equatorial region of the microsphere.

Probing Stress-Induced Optical Birefringence of Glassy Polymers by Whispering Gallery Modes Light Localization.

An optical resonance method for the determination of the strain- and stress-optical coefficients of optically transparent polymers is presented and exemplified for monodisperse and bidisperse molecular weight polystyrene (PS). This method employs whispering gallery modes (WGMs) resonation inside a spheroid polymeric cavity, suspended on an optical fiber taper waist, which, in turn, is used for subjecting the polymeric resonator to controlled strain conditions. The wavelength shifts of equal order transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarization WGMs are measured, as well as their relative birefringence versus applied strain.

Silver iodide phosphate glass microsphere resonator integrated on an optical fiber taper.

In this Letter, we demonstrate the fabrication and characterization of a robust and functional whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonating system based on a silver iodide phosphate glass microsphere melted on an optical fiber taper. The fabrication process is presented, together with spectral characterization of the device. The effect of the thermal annealing of the soft glass resonator on the whispering gallery modes' excitation and Q-factor is shown and discussed.

Photonic crystal fiber tip interferometer for refractive index sensing.

In this paper we present an interferometer based on photonic crystal fiber (PCF) tip ended with a solid silica-sphere for refractive index sensing. The sensor is fabricated by splicing one end of the holey PCF to a single mode fiber (SMF) and applying arc at the other end to form a solid sphere. The sensor has been experimentally tested for refractive index and temperature sensing by monitoring its wavelength shift.