Abstract
An atomic force microscope (AFM) tip has been used to selectively produce surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for localized Raman spectroscopy. Spectra of thin films, undetectable with a Raman microprobe spectrometer alone, were readily acquired in contact with a suitably gold-coated AFM tip. Similarly, an AFM tip was used to remove sample layers at the nanometer scale and subsequently served as a SERS substrate for ultratrace analysis. This work demonstrates the interface of an AFM with a Raman spectrometer that provides increased sensitivity, selectivity, and spatial resolution over a conventional Raman microprobe. An AFM guiding the SERS effect has the potential for targeted single molecule spectroscopy.