Abstract

In the past few decades, Raman scattering has gained attention as a spectroscopic technique for the study of chemical and biological sensing, as it is a label-free non-invasive method.[1] However, the main drawback of Raman spectroscopy is the intrinsically low signal intensity, which leads to unsuitably high detection limits. Hence, the exploitation of plasmonics for enhancing Raman signal has become an important factor for the routine application of this technique. Silicon wafers and glass slides are two of the most common substrates used for the growth of SERS active layers.[2] However, these substrates are rigid and brittle, and hence, these static substrates severely limit the application of plasmonic nanostructures. Flexible substrates have an advantage over the conventional rigid substrates because of their ability to conform to the underlying object.[3] They can be wrapped onto curved surfaces and can be easily cut into different shapes and sizes for applications which demand non-planar, flexible or conformal surfaces.[4]

© 2019 Japan Society of Applied Physics, The Optical Society (OSA)