Near-field enhanced Raman spectroscopy using side illumination optics

We demonstrate near-field enhanced Raman spectroscopy with the use of a metallized cantilever tip and highly p-polarized light directed onto the tip with side illumination optics using a long working distance objective lens. The highly p-polarized light field excites surface plasmon polaritons localized at the tip apex, which results in the enhanced near-field Raman scattering. In this article, we achieved an enhancement factor of 4000 for Rhodamine 6G molecules adsorbed on a silver island film. The side illumination is also applicable to an opaque sample and to near-field photolithography. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.