Tunable surface plasmon resonance silver films

Precise control of thermal evaporation deposition parameters allows the pro duction of silver island films on glass substrates with tunable surface pla smon resonance wavelengths. Specific combinations of substrate temperature, deposition rate, and film thickness produce films exhibiting surface plasm on resonance wavelengths that can be adjusted throughout the visible and in to the near-IR regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. These films are sho wn to be useful as substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.