Characterization and Application of Innovative Plasmonic Arrays

In order to increase the inherent weak but molecular specific Raman signature the exceptional optical properties of plasmonic nanostructures are used. This technique is termed as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and combines the fingerprint specificity with potential single molecule sensitivity. However, the non-application of SERS in routine analytics is often linked with the low reproducibility of metallic nanostructures or metallic surfaces. Within this contribution, the fabrication of innovative plasmonic arrays with homogenous signal enhancement is introduced, which is an important contribution towards powerful SERS diagnostics. Here, the application of plasmonic arrays for DNA sensing is demonstrated.