Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
Jie Goodrich, Daniel Alejandro Castro
Department of Physics & Astronomy
Faculty Supervisor: Huizhong Xu
This project focuses on Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (TERS), an advanced technique that integrates atomic force microscopy (AFM) with Raman spectroscopy to overcome the limitations of conventional Raman methods, such as weak signals and diffraction limits.
TERS resolves these issues by using a metallic AFM tip to create a localized plasmonic hotspot, significantly enhancing the Raman signal and enabling nanoscale resolution.
The project explores the theoretical basis of TERS, including plasmonic enhancement and electric field modeling around the tip. In practical aspects, such as tip-sample and laser-tip alignment, are also addressed to optimize signal detection.
Our goal is to obtain TERS signals from gold molecules, leveraging their strong plasmonic properties to boost Raman signals.