Enhanced Photoluminescence of R6G Dyes from Metal Decorated Silicon Nanowires Fabricated through Metal Assisted Chemical Etching

In this study, we developed active substrates consisting of Ag-decorated silicon nanowires on a Si substrate using a single-step Metal Assisted Chemical Etching (MACE) process, and evaluated their performance in the identification of low concentrations of Rhodamine 6G using surface-enhanced photoluminescence spectroscopy. Different structures with Ag-aggregates as well as Ag-dendrites were fabricated and studied depending on the etching parameters. Moreover, the addition of Au nanoparticles by simple drop-casting on the MACE-treated surfaces can enhance the photoluminescence significantly, and the structures have shown a Limit of Detection of Rhodamine 6G down to 10(-12) M for the case of the Ag-dendrites enriched with Au nanoparticles.

Automated summary

In this study, active substrates consisting of Ag-decorated silicon nanowires on a Si substrate were developed using a single-step Metal Assisted Chemical Etching (MACE) process. Their performance in identifying low concentrations of Rhodamine 6G was evaluated using surface-enhanced photoluminescence spectroscopy. Different structures with Ag-aggregates and Ag-dendrites were fabricated and studied based on the etching parameters. Additionally, the addition of Au nanoparticles on the MACE-treated surfaces significantly enhanced the photoluminescence, with the Ag-dendrites enriched with Au nanoparticles showing a Limit of Detection of Rhodamine 6G down to 10(-12) M.