Long-Range Surface Plasmon Resonance Configuration for Enhancing SERS with an Adjustable Refractive Index Sample Buffer to Maintain the Symmetry Condition

[Image: see text] We propose a method to maintain the symmetry condition of the refractive index with respect to a dielectric buffer layer for a long-range surface plasmon resonance (LRSPR) configuration. The symmetry condition was maintained by changing the concentration of the ethylene glycol aqueous solution (sample buffer layer) to match the refractive index of the MgF(2) film. Maintenance of the symmetry condition is necessary for exciting the LRSPR mode and increasing the electric field intensity near the film. We used a four-phase Kretschmann resonance setup composed of a K9 prism, MgF(2) film, Ag film, and sample buffer layer. The incident angle-dependent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra were measured in the evanescent field. At the SPR angle, the SERS signal of the symmetric configuration was 60 times higher than that of the conventional SPR configuration. Moreover, the electric field penetration depth of the symmetric long-range surface plasmon configuration (>1000 nm) was longer than that of their asymmetric counterparts. The enhancement factor of the symmetric configuration was 8.6 × 10(7), which corresponded to the lowest detectable concentration for 4-mercaptopyridine, reaching 1.0 × 10(–10) M at the resonance angle. Thus, the symmetric LRSPR configuration has great potential for label-free sensing and detection of macromolecules and biomolecules.