Raman scattered photon transmission through a single nanoslit

Abstract

We demonstrate excitation and detection of Raman scattering of a silicon substrate through a 15 nm gold nanoslit. Along with the nanoslit, a plasmonic cavity is fabricated to optimize optical transmission through the slit. Using a polarization analysis we prove that the plasmons enhanced transmission is responsible for the detection of the Raman scattered photons of the silicon substrate through the nanoslit. The optical cavity between the nanoslit and the Si substrate further enhances this backward photon transmission. This opens up prospects for new tools for near-field Raman spectroscopy and sub-wavelength measurements.