• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.275-279
• /
• 2018

In this study, we introduce a sensing platform based on a plasmonic metasurface absorber (MA) with a vertical nanogap for the ultrasensitive detection of monolayer molecules. The vertical nanogap of the MA, where the extremely high near-field is uniformly distributed and exposed to the external environment, is formed by an under-cut structure between a metallic cross nanoantenna and the mirror layer. The accessible sensing area and the enhanced near-field of the MA further enhance the sensitivity of surface-enhanced infrared absorption for the target molecule of 1-octadecanethiol. To provide strong coupling between the molecular vibrations and plasmonic resonance, the design parameters of the MA with a vertical nanogap are numerically designed.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.399-406
• /
• 2020

Pd nanogap hydrogen sensors were developed using an elastomeric substrate and operated through an on-off mechanism. A 10 nm thick Pd thin film was formed on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate, and 50% of the physical strain was applied in the longitudinal direction to fabricated uniform nanogaps. The initial concentration of the hydrogen gas for the PDMS/Pd films was controlled, and subsequently, the on-off switching response was measured. We found that the average nanogap was less than 50 nm, and the Pd nanogap hydrogen sensors operated over a wide range of temperatures. In particular, the sensors work properly even at a very low temperature of -40℃ with a fast response time of 2 s. In addition, we have investigated the relative humidity and annealing effects.

• ETRI Journal
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.351-356
• /
• 2009

We present a simple semiconductor process to fabricate nanogap arrays for application in molecular electronics and nano-bio electronics using a combination of freestanding silicon nanowires and angle evaporation. The gap distance is modulated using the height of the silicon dioxide, the width of the Si nanowires, and the evaporation angle. In addition, we fabricate and apply the nanogap arrays in single-electron transistors using DNA-linked Au nanoparticles for the detection of DNA hybridization.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.32 no.spc8
• /
• pp.2941-2948
• /
• 2011

A nanogap formed by a metal nanoparticle and a flat metal substrate is one kind of "hot site" for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The characteristics of a typical nanogap formed by a planar Au and either an Au and Ag nanoparticle have been well studied using 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) as a probe. 4-ABT is, however, an unusual molecule in the sense that its SERS spectral feature is dependent not only on the kinds of SERS substrates but also on the measurement conditions; thus further characterization is required using other adsorbate molecules such as 1,4-phenylenediisocyanide (1,4-PDI). In fact, no Raman signal was observable when 1,4-PDI was selfassembled on a flat Au substrate, but a distinct spectrum was obtained when 60 nm-sized Au or Ag nanoparticles were adsorbed on the pendent -NC groups of 1,4-PDI. This is definitely due to the electromagnetic coupling between the localized surface plasmon of Au or Ag nanoparticle with the surface plasmon polariton of the planar Au substrate, allowing an intense electric field to be induced in the gap between them. A higher Raman signal was observed when Ag nanoparticles were attached to 1,4-PDI, irrespective of the excitation wavelength, and especially the highest Raman signal was measured at the 632.8 nm excitation (with the enhancement factor on the order of ${\sim}10^3$), followed by the excitation at 568 and 514.5 nm, in agreement with the finite-difference timedomain calculation. From a separate potential-dependent SERS study, the voltage applied to the planar Au appeared to be transmitted without loss to the Au or Ag nanoparticles, and from the study of the effect of volatile organics, the voltage transmission from Au or Ag nanoparticles to the planar Au also appeared as equally probable to that from the planar Au to the Au or Ag nanoparticles in a nanogap electrode. The response of the Au-Ag nanogap to the external stimuli was, however, not the same as that of the Au-Au nanogap.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2012.02a
• /
• pp.540-540
• /
• 2012

Selective detection of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of Cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) was carried out by the PNA chips which were electrically-interfaced with interdigitated nanogap electrodes (INEs). The INEs whose average gap distance and effective gap length were about ~70 nm and ${\sim}140{\mu}m$, respectively, were prepared by the combination of the photo lithography and the surface-catalyzed chemical deposition, without using the e-beam lithography which is almost inevitable in the conventional lab-scale fabrication of the INEs. Four different types of target DNAs were successfully detected and discriminated by the INE-based PNA chips.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.08a
• /
• pp.269-269
• /
• 2013

Redox cycling in between the two working electrodes in an electrochemical cell can lead a great signal enhancement. In this work, we report on a systematic examination of current amplification along with the decrease in the gap distance of a nanogap device which was fabricated by the combination of photo and chemical lithography [1]. The gap distance was controlled by the chemical lithographic process of surfacecatalyzed growth of metallic layer on pre-defined electrodes with wider initial gap. Enhancement of the redox current of ferri/ferrocyanide was observed upon gap distance reduction and the current is amplified about a thousand times in this redox system when the gap distance was decreased from 200 nm to 30 nm. The experimental results were discussed on the basis of the cyclic voltammetry (CV), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.08a
• /
• pp.268.1-268.1
• /
• 2013

Immobilization of conducting nanoparticles on a nanogap comprising two electrodes spaced at a distance comparable to the particle size can be used as a simple and sensitive method of detecting the particles. In this work, we have examined the performance of the nanogap devices in the measurement of metallic nanoparticles, particularly gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). Detection of pM-level Au NPs in an aqueous suspension was quite straightforward irrespective of the existence of non-conducting materials. Speed of detection or the time necessary for the completion of the measurement, however, was strongly dependent upon the immobilization process. Active trapping process was found to be much more efficient and also effective in the detection of nanoparticles than its passive counterpart.

• Current Optics and Photonics
• /
• v.2 no.6
• /
• pp.508-513
• /
• 2018

We report the development of a theoretical model describing the strong field tunneling of electrons in an extremely small nanogap (having a width of a few nanometers) that is driven by terahertz-pulse irradiation, by modifying a conventional semiclassical model that is widely applied for near-infrared wavelengths. We demonstrate the effects of carrier-envelope phase difference and strength of the incident THz field on the tunneling current across the nanogap. Additionally, we show that the dc bias also contributes to the generation of tunneling current, but the nature of the contribution is completely different for different carrier-envelope phases.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.793-800
• /
• 2013

A few years ago, the plasmon-induced electronic coupling (PIEC) model was proposed in the literature to explain small changes in the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in nanogap systems. If this model is correct, it will be very helpful in both basic and application fields. In light of this, we carefully reexamined its appropriateness. Poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) used in the earlier work was, however, never a proper layer, since most adsorbates not only adsorbed onto Ag nanoparticles sitting on P4VP but also penetrated into the P4VP layer deposited initially onto a flat Ag substrate, ultimately ending up in the SERS hot sites. Using 1,4-phenylenediisocyanide and 4-nitrophenol as the affixing layer and the foreign adsorbate, respectively, we could clearly reveal that the PIEC model is not suited for explaining the Raman signal in a nanogap system. Most of the Raman signal must have arisen from molecules situated at the gap center.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2014.02a
• /
• pp.419-419
• /
• 2014

Interdigitated nanogap device (IND) is an attractive tool for biomolecular detection due to its huge on-off signal ratio, great tolerance to the variation in biochemical environment, and relatively simple implementation processes. Here, we report on the IND-based detection of Influneza A virus by sandwich immunoassay. The INEs were fabricated by photo lithography followed by the in-house chemical lithographic technique for the narrowing the initial gap distance. The surface of the silicon oxide between the two gold electrodes was chemically modified to immobilize primary antibodies for the immuno-specific interaction with the influenza A virus antigen. After immersing the functionalized-IND into the sample solution containing the influenza A virus, the device was exposed to the secondary antibody conjugated Au nanoparticles (Au NPs). The INDs showed a huge jump in the electric conductance when the sample solution contained the influenza A virus of the concentration as low as 10 ng/mL. We hope that this IND-based sensing can be applied to the development of simple and reliable diagnostic means of influenza viruses.