Work

The research is devoted to the development of the technique of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, namely the aspect of its application for amplification of the Raman signal from ultrathin chalcogenide films. The possibility of effective Raman signal gain from semiconductor materials depends on the parameters of the developed SERS-substrates. One of the key ideas of R&D proposal is the possibility of amplification Raman signal from chalcogenide films by realization of direct contact between the studied chalcogenide material and plasmon nanostructures. This is planned to be achieved by direct thermal deposition of the chalcogenide material on a plasmon substrate of nanostructured gold by vacuum thermal deposition. The resulting SERS substrates with chalcogenide films, if necessary, wiil be further annealed to ensure better contact between the gold and the chalcogenide and to transform the latter from an amorphous to a crystalline state. Another important point of this R&D proposal is that at a low Raman signal from the film under study, even using a SERS substrate, additional layer of gold nanoparticles from a colloidal solution will be deposited on the chalcogenide film. The authors of this project have experience in their synthesis and use to amplify weak Raman signals.