Fabrication of silver probes for localized plasmon excitation in near-field Raman spectroscopy

We present a new method for preparing a silver probe for tip-enhanced near-field Raman spectroscopy. In this method, the probe is coated with silver colloids by a simple chemical reaction known as a mirror reaction. Silver particles; approximate to 40nm in diameter, which is ideal for localized surface plasmon excitation in the visible wavelength range, are formed at the tip apex with high reproducibility. Futhermore, tip-enhanced Raman spectra of single-walled carbon nanotubes were measured by using the probe.