A hybrid plasmonic-photonic nanodevice for label-free detection of a few molecules

Noble metal nanowaveguides supporting plasmon polariton modes are able to localize the optical fields at nanometer level for high sensitivity biochemical sensing devices. Here we report on the design and fabrication of a novel photonic-plasmonic device which demonstrates label-free detection capabilities on single inorganic nanoparticles and on monolayers of organic compounds. In any case, we determine the Raman scattering signal enhancement and the device detection limits that reach a number of molecules between 10 and 250. The device can be straightforwardly integrated in a scanning probe apparatus with the possibility to match topographic and label-free spectroscopic information in a wide range of geometries.