Person:

Zhu, Wenqi

The ability to detect molecules at low concentrations is highly desired for applications that range from basic science to healthcare. Considerable interest also exists for ultrathin materials with high optical absorption, e.g. for microbolometers and thermal emitters. Metal nanostructures present opportunities to achieve both purposes. Metal nanoparticles can generate gigantic field enhancements, sufficient for the Raman spectroscopy of single molecules. Thin layers containing metal nanostructures (“metasurfaces”) can achieve near-total power absorption at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Thus far, however, both aims (i.e. single molecule Raman and total power absorption) have only been achieved using metal nanostructures produced by techniques (high resolution lithography or colloidal synthesis) that are complex and/or difficult to implement over large areas. Here, we demonstrate a metasurface that achieves the near-perfect absorption of visible-wavelength light and enables the Raman spectroscopy of single molecules. Our metasurface is fabricated using thin film depositions, and is of unprecedented (wafer-scale) extent.

Metallic nanostructures that employ localized surface plasmon resonances to capture or radiate electromagnetic waves at optical frequencies are termed "plasmonic optical antennas". These structures enhance light-matter interactions in an efficient manner, enabling unique linear and nonlinear optical applications. One such application is surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which employs plasmonic antennas to enhance Raman cross-section of molecules by orders of magnitude. SERS has attracted a significant amount of research attention since it enables molecules to be identified through their characteristic vibrational spectra, even at the single molecule level.