Measurement of the absolute Raman scattering cross section of the 1584-cm−1 band of benzenethiol and the surface-enhanced Raman scattering cross section enhancement factor for femtosecond laser-nanostructured substrates

The absolute Raman scattering cross section (σRS) for the 1584‐cm−1 band of benzenethiol at 897 nm (1.383 eV) has been measured to be 8.9 ± 1.8 × 10−30 cm2 using a 785‐nm pump laser. A temperature‐controlled, small‐cavity blackbody source was used to calibrate the signal output of the Raman spectrometer. We also measured the absolute surface‐enhanced Raman scattering cross section (σSERS) of benzenethiol adsorbed onto a silver‐coated, femtosecond laser‐nanostructured substrate. Using the measured values of 8.9 ± 1.8 × 10−30 and 6.6 ± 1.3 × 10−24 cm2 for σRS and σSERS respectively, we calculate an average cross‐section enhancement factor (EF) of 0.8 ± 0.3 × 106. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The absolute Raman scattering cross section of the 1584‐cm− 1 band of benzenethiol has been measured to be 8.9 ± 1.8 × 10−30 cm2 using a 785‐nm pump laser and a 675 C blackbody for the spectrometer signal calibration. We also measured the surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement factor (EF) of 0.8 ± 0.3 × 106 for a silver‐coated, femtosecond laser‐nanostructured substrate.