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Beyond SERS Hotspot Localization: Metal-Dielectric Hybrid Metasurfaces with Coupled LSPR Enable Highly Reproducible,
Minjae Ku1, Jisung Hwang1, Su-Ho Cho2
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon34141, Republic of Korea.
Nano Letters
|August 12, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed new metal-dielectric hybrid metasurfaces using nanotransfer printing lithography. This innovation significantly improves the reproducibility and sensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for advanced molecular detection.
Area of Science:
- Plasmonics
- Nanotechnology
- Spectroscopy
Background:
- Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers high sensitivity but suffers from signal variability due to localized hotspots.
- Current SERS techniques struggle with reproducibility and detecting large molecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To overcome SERS limitations by fabricating large-area, highly reliable metal-dielectric hybrid metasurfaces.
- To enhance the spatial uniformity and sensitivity of SERS measurements.
- To enable reliable detection of macromolecules and low-concentration analytes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized nanotransfer printing lithography to create 76 nm periodic metal-dielectric hybrid metasurfaces.
- Incorporated air-filled trenches to create a spatially extended electric field via near-field coupling.
- Integrated gold (Au) nanowire arrays and silver-gold (Ag-Au) alloy nanoparticle arrays.
Main Results:
- Achieved highly reproducible SERS signals with a 3.16% relative standard deviation over a 100 × 100 μm2 area.
- Demonstrated attomolar-level detection of R6G (down to 10^-18 M) due to enhanced sensitivity.
- Enabled label-free detection of prostate-specific antigen down to 10 ng/mL.
Conclusions:
- The developed metasurfaces provide a robust platform for overcoming SERS spot-to-spot variations.
- The hybrid nanostructure design enables enhanced electric field distribution, improving SERS performance.
- This advancement facilitates sensitive and reproducible SERS applications in various fields, including diagnostics.
