Fabrication of gold nanostructures for strong plasmonic excitation of fluorescent dyes

Abstract

Various fabrication techniques are being used nowadays to manufacture biosensing chips. However, not much is being researched on the technique that gives the best results. The main objective of this project is to find out which of the attempted fabrication techniques are suitable for creating gold nanostructures that provide optimal performance for biosensing purposes. Fabrication techniques such as thermoplastic nanoimprint lithography and electron-beam lithography were conducted and the results were analysed using a scanning electron microscope. From the project, it was concluded that electron-beam lithography was a suitable technique for producing gold nanostructures of good quality. However, the results of using thermoplastic nanoimprint lithography were inconclusive due to the failure of producing the desired nanostructures. The project was able to provide insight on the effectiveness of commonly used fabrication techniques for nanofabrication and the potential benefits of researching in the area.