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. We simulated and fabricated C-shaped plasmonic nanostructures that exhibit high signal enhancement at an excitation wavelength of 785 nm. The substrates were fabricated by directly coating the imprinted resist with a thin gold layer. Avoiding the need to etch patterns in silicon significantly reduces the time and cost of fabrication and facilitates reproducibility. The functionality of the substrates for SERS detection was validated by measuring the SERS spectra of Rhodamine 6G.

Automated summary

A novel SERS platform was developed using UV-NIL to produce large-area, ordered nanostructured arrays. The use of imprinted resist patterns allowed for overcoming the limitations of common SERS platforms, resulting in improved uniformity, reproducibility, throughput, and cost-effectiveness. C-shaped plasmonic nanostructures were simulated and fabricated, exhibiting high signal enhancement at an excitation wavelength of 785 nm. The functionality of the SERS substrates was validated through the measurement of Rhodamine 6G SERS spectra.