US Patent 7612883 - Dynamic plasmonics platform

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7612883.html

Plasmonics involves the study of electron oscillations and is important to Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) used in molecular analysis. In order to increase the sensitivity of SERS it is desirable to have a mechanism to tune the frequencies produced due to light scattering. This patent from General Electric teaches a MEMS or NEMS mechanism to provide such tuning. Claim 1 reads:

1. A plasmonics platform, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of periodically spaced nanoholes and/or nanoparticles disposed upon the substrate, wherein an average first order of periodicity between the nanoholes and/or the nanoparticles is about 5 to about 1,000 nanometers; and

a microelectromechanical and/or a nanoelectromechanical system in operative communication with the substrate for varying the average first order of periodicity between the nanoholes and/or the nanoparticles.