Polarization dependence of tip-enhanced Raman and plasmon-resonance Rayleigh scattering spectra

Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) spectroscopy has high sensitivity and high spatial resolution, although it shows low reproducibility due to the variable optical properties of the tips. In the present study, polarized scattering spectra of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) at the apex of the tip induced by conventional dark field illumination were compared with the corresponding TERS spectra, generated by excitation using polarization not only parallel and perpendicular to the tip, but also vertical to the sample plane (z-polarization). The polarization-dependence of LSPR was consistent with that of the TERS. Thus, the optical properties of the tip can be easily optimized before TERS measurement by excitation polarization that induces the largest LSPR signal. Published by AIP Publishing.