US Patent 7321422 - SERS-active structure with nanoscale dimensions

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7321422.html

Raman spectroscopy is a popular technique used to characterize and analyze molecules and nanostructures using laser light. This patent from Hewlett-Packard teaches a structure for surface enhanced raman spectroscopy which includes a voltage application structure to study the effects of voltage on molecules which can be useful analyzing molecular structures used in electronics.

1. A SERS-active structure comprising: a substrate; a plurality of features located at predetermined positions on a surface of the substrate, each feature of the plurality of features including a SERS-active material, each feature of the plurality of features having nanoscale dimensions and being separated from one another by a predetermined distance of between about 1 and about 50 nanometers; and an electric potential between at least two features of the plurality of features.