Gold on WSe2 Single Crystal Film as a Substrate for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Sensing

Synthesis and characterization of high-quality single-crystal WSe2 films on highly-insulating substrate is presented. We demonstrate for the first time that the presence of gold nanoparticles in the basal plane of a WSe2 film can enhance its Raman scattering intensity. The experimentally observed enhancement ratio in the Raman signal correlates well with the simulated electric field intensity using a three-dimensional electromagnetic software and theoretical calculation. This work provides guidelines for the use of two-dimensional WSe2 films as a SERS substrate.