A compact surface plasmon resonance and surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensing device

This paper presents an optical device capable of the simultaneous measurement of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectrum, which provides information regarding the change in the dielectric constant of the binding analytes, and the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrum, which yields analytical data regarding the structural changes of the analytes. SPR sensing is an established technology in the field of direct real-time analysis of biomolecular interactions such as antibodies/antigens, DNA hybridization, receptors/ligands, etc. Meanwhile, SERS sensing techniques represent a powerful means of acquiring and diagnosing structural information relating to analyte binding. This study adopts the attenuated total reflection (ATR) method and an Au nanocluster-embedded dielectric sensing film in developing a biosensor which integrates the SPR and SERS sensing techniques. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed multi-functional device in developing a detailed understanding of the mechanisms of biomolecular recognition.