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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Writing and Low-Temperature Characterization of Oxide Nanostructures
Published on: July 18, 2014
XPM Ultrafast Nanoindentation for Direct-Writing Lithography of SERS-Active Nanostructured Metallic Photonic
Simón Roa1, María José Cortés-Burgos2, David Rojas1
1Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile.
Abstract:
In modern nanotechnology, laser interference, electrons, and ion beams are commonly used to fabricate advanced nanostructured systems for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) sensing applications. In recent years, Depth-Sensing Nano Indentation (DSNI), a cost-effective nanolithography technique, has been explored as an attractive "clean" methodology for direct-writing and chemical-free fabrication of SERS-active nanostructured surfaces. In this work, we report, for the first time, an exhaustive research that validates the use of an Express Property Mapping (XPM) ultrafast DSNI module for fabricating functional SERS-active surfaces based on nanopatterned Ag photonic crystals, providing valuable insights into the impact of fabrication parameters on SERS performance and large-scale manufacturing projections. A Berkovich diamond nanoindenter was used to fabricate DSNI-nanopatterned surfaces on 100 nm-thick Ag thin films, which consisted of 25 × 25 nanoindentation arrays with submicron periods and plastic strain depths fabricated in a few minutes. Periods varying from 0.4 to 1 μm, comparable to the Raman excitation wavelength, were considered. The SERS performance was assessed by Confocal Raman Spectroscopy using Methylene Blue (MB) as Raman tracer. Nanopatterned Ag photonic crystals presented considerably higher SERS enhancement than simple Ag thin film surfaces, revealing a critical impact of periodicity and indentation depth on the SERS performance. A maximum SERS enhancement factor of ∼105 for a MB surface mass density of 3.6 ng/cm2 was achieved for the most efficient photonic crystal. Our results provide a novel and interesting paradigm for the application of ultrafast nanoindentation modules for cost-effective SERS-active systems, as well as meaningful physical insights into instrumental and fabrication issues, representing a substantial advance toward the implementation of clean nanolithography approaches for SERS applications.
