Selectively Deposited Silver Coatings on Gold-Capped Silicon Nanowires for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Gold caps on silicon nanowires are hemispherical and only a few tens of nanometers in diameter when grown from metal catalysts by the vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism using chemical vapor deposition. These gold caps are capable of enhancing Raman signals based on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect. The Raman signal can be enhanced even further (by at least one order of magnitude) when silver is selectively deposited onto these gold caps by autometallography (electroless deposition). By changing the silver deposition conditions, different coating morphologies can be realized on the gold caps that range from very thin, smooth layers to uneven and extremely rough coatings. The SERS signal enhancement and the spatial homogeneity of the achievable enhancement are compared for the different silver coatings using a model dye molecule.