Controlled fiber core mode and surface mode interaction for enhanced SERS performance

Abstract

Three-dimensional surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) platform based on microstructure fibers has many advantages for rapid liquid detection due to its microfluidic channels and light guidance. The fiber mode field distribution determines the light-analyte interaction strength but has rarely been studied in SERS applications. In this paper, we numerically and experimentally investigate the mode field distribution in suspended-core fibers decorated with gold nanoparticles. The interaction between the core mode and surface mode is controlled by changing the density of gold nanoparticles on the inner surface. The avoided crossing wavelength shifts linearly to red with the decrease of the nanoparticle spacing. With an optimized nanoparticle spacing of 20 nm, the avoided crossing occurs near the laser wavelength of 633 nm, which greatly increases the power ratio in the liquid channels and hence improves the SERS performance. The detection limit for crystal violet was 10−9 M, and the enhancement factor was 108. The avoided crossing mechanism can be applied to all fiber SERS probes for sensitivity improvement.