Surface-enhanced Raman scattering intensity versus the separation of 100 nm diameter Au nanopost array on Si substrate was investigated. The relative Raman peak intensity per nanopost at different Raman modes rapidly decreases in a similar manner with the increase in the separation. This experimental result agrees well with the localized electric field enhancement calculation by three dimensional finite-difference time-domain method. The Raman peak intensity is mainly due to the edge enhancement of the nanopost through the coupling effect, and the nonenhancement contribution from the top of the nanopost also plays an important role.

We have investigated the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) from Au nanocombs and nanorods under different excitation conditions. The SERS intensity from nanocombs is always larger than that from nanorods, but the polarized SERS dependence is similar for the two nanostructures. These results agree quantitatively well with the local E-field calculations, and the nanospine in the nanocomb increases the local E-field over all surfaces of the nanocomb structure. The combination of experimental and numerical results predicts that the Raman enhancement at 633 nm excitation is estimated to be from seven to eight times that at 785 nm excitation.