title: A nanoporous gold membrane for sensing applications.
abstract: Design and fabrication of three-dimensionally structured, gold membranes containing hexagonally close-packed microcavities with nanopores in the base, are described. Our aim is to create a nanoporous structure with localized enhancement of the fluorescence or Raman scattering at, and in the nanopore when excited with light of approximately 600 nm, with a view to provide sensitive detection of biomolecules. A range of geometries of the nanopore integrated into hexagonally close-packed assemblies of gold micro-cavities was first evaluated theoretically. The optimal size and shape of the nanopore in a single microcavity were then considered to provide the highest localized plasmon enhancement (of fluorescence or Raman scattering) at the very center of the nanopore for a bioanalyte traversing through. The optimized design was established to be a 1200 nm diameter cavity of 600 nm depth with a 50 nm square nanopore with rounded corners in the base. A gold 3D-structured membrane containing these sized microcavities with the integrated nanopore was successfully fabricated and 'proof of concept' Raman scattering experiments are described.
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Swe Zin
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Oo
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e dell'Informazione, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e dell'Informazione, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carpignano
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Adnane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Noual
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pechstedt
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mateos
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Grant-Jacob
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Bill
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brocklesby
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Horak
authors.affiliation: School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Charlton
authors.affiliation: School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Stuart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Boden
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Melvin
keywords: Gold membrane; Nanopore; Plasmons; Polymer sphere; SERS; Sensing