The Role of GaN in the Heterostructure WS₂/GaN for SERS Applications

In the application of WS₂ as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate, enhancing the charge transfer (CT) opportunity between WS₂ and analyte is an important issue for SERS efficiency. In this study, we deposited few-layer WS₂ (2-3 layers) on GaN and sapphire substrates with different bandgap characteristics to form heterojunctions using a chemical vapor deposition. Compared with sapphire, we found that using GaN as a substrate for WS₂ can effectively enhance the SERS signal, with an enhancement factor of 6.45 × 10⁴ and a limit of detection of 5 × 10^-6 M for probe molecule Rhodamine 6G according to SERS measurement. Analysis of Raman, Raman mapping, atomic force microscopy, and SERS mechanism revealed that The SERS efficiency increased despite the lower quality of the WS₂ films on GaN compared to those on sapphire, as a result of the increased number of transition pathways present in the interface between WS₂ and GaN. These carrier transition pathways could increase the opportunity for CT, thus enhancing the SERS signal. The WS₂/GaN heterostructure proposed in this study can serve as a reference for enhancing SERS efficiency.