Periodically nanostructured substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

•A brief introduction to surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy is given.•Localized and propagating surface plasmons in SERS electromagnetic mechanism.•Several types of periodically nanostructured surfaces are described.

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a technique capable of specifically detecting trace amounts of a given substance, based on the vibrational molecular signature. Developing cutting-edge applications and furthering a detailed understanding of SERS relies strongly on controling the nano- and micro-scale morphology of metal nanostructured SERS substrates. In this review, we present the most widespread classes of SERS substrates comprising periodic surface features, and the corresponding nanofabrication methods. A brief discussion on surface plasmon polaritons, in the context of the electromagnetic enhancement mechanism, explains the need for SERS substrates of controlled morphology.

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