Abstract
Conventionally, metallic nanostructures are used for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), but recently there has been increasing interest in the enhancement of Raman scattering from dielectric substrates due to their improved stability and biocompatibility compared with metallic substrates. Here, we report the observation of enhanced Raman scattering from rhodamine 6G molecules coated on silica microspheres. We excite the whispering gallery modes (WGMs) supported in the microspheres with a tapered fiber coupler for efficient WGM excitation, and the Raman enhancement can be attributed to the WGM mechanism. Strong resonance enhancement in pump laser intensity and modified Raman emission from the Purcell effect in the microsphere resonator are observed from the experiment and compared with theoretical results. A total Raman enhancement factor of 1.4 × 104 is observed, with contribution mostly from the enhancement in pump laser intensity. Our results show that, with an efficient pumping scheme, dielectric microspheres are a viable alternative to metallic SERS substrates.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 346-356 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Photonics Research |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2018 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics