Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Background The ability to identify small quantities of adsorbed analyte or structural features down to the few-molecule level is a key challenge in nanotechnology. Optical spectroscopy provides an attractive means to achieve such identification via noninvasive implementations and the potential for chemical sensitivity. Raman scattering has emerged as a particularly powerful technique due to its capability for nondestructive vibrational fingerprinting using only monochromatic visible light sources; unfortunately, this method suffers from weak signal levels, preventing the study of small quantities of molecules or other structures.