A Fiber optics based surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy sensor for chemical and biological sensing

Abstract

This paper investigates an innovative surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor developed on a side-polished multimode optical fiber core. The optical fiber was integrated into specifically designed 3-dimensional printed mold, where manual polishing of the fiber took place. Microsphere Photolithography (MPL) techniques was employed to pattern periodic nanoantenna arrays on the polished surface, incorporating multiple disk diameters at a fixed periodicity. Subsequent gold deposition/lift-off were carried out to transfer the pattern from the photoresist to the fiber core, resulting in highly periodic hexagonal closed pack (HCP) arrays of nanodisks. These arrays can significantly enhance the SERS signal intensity compared to that of the fiber tip. The sensor's performance was demonstrated using various concentrations of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) dye ranging from 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻⁹ M as a function of disk diameter and sensing surface area. The resulting spectra revealed characteristic peak positions that aligned well with the fingerprint Raman spectra of R6G. The results demonstrates that the sensitivity is 10⁻⁹ M for the sensor with an 800 nm disk diameter.