Locally enhanced Raman spectroscopy with an atomic force microscope

An atomic force microscope (AFM) tip has been used to selectively produce surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for localized Raman spectroscopy. Spectra of thin films, undetectable with a Raman microprobe spectrometer alone, were readily acquired in contact with a suitably gold-coated AFM tip. Similarly, an AFM tip was used to remove sample layers at the nanometer scale and subsequently served as a SERS substrate for ultratrace analysis. This work demonstrates the interface of an AFM with a Raman spectrometer that provides increased sensitivity, selectivity, and spatial resolution over a conventional Raman microprobe. An AFM guiding the SERS effect has the potential for targeted single molecule spectroscopy.