Numerical investigation of the enhancement factor of Raman scattering using plasmonic properties of gold nanorhomb arrays

Abstract

Plasmonic nanostructures with sharp tips like nanorhomb array provide strong electric field enhancement and consequently meaningful Raman signal enhancement. In this study, the near-field electromagnetic enhancement of the gold nanorhomb array formed by a new proposed approach has been investigated using the finite element method (FEM). Feasibility and ease of fabrication, which are very important in practical applications, are intended in this approach. This nanorhomb array is achieved by arranging holes tangentially together in a square lattice. In other words, nanorhombs are formed by transition from nanohole to nanoparticle array. Optimization of this structure for a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate is performed by sweeping through the geometric parameters. The most privileged nanorhomb array substrate with highest hot spot density and EM field enhancement is obtained by calculating the enhancement factor (EF) and normalized EF (EFN) for Raman lines of pyridine. Our simulations indicate that the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) mode of such nanorhomb array leads to high electromagnetic enhancement factor (EMEF) and average surface integral of field enhancement factor ( $\overline{\rm EF}$ ), which are hundreds of times greater than the nanohole arrays. It is found that this LSPR mode is thickness-dependent besides being periodicity-dependent. Finally, accurate EF is calculated by considering local incident field enhancement in terms of the excitation process and local density of states (LDOS) enhancements on emission process and then the best structure with highest EF is obtained.