Inverse TERS effect in methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose layers

Abstract

The Raman scattering signal at the second harmonic (532 nm) of cw Nd:YAG laser in a 0.5-μm-thick methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose film on a gold substrate is found to be attenuated when a platinum-iridium probe (with a tip radius of about 10 nm) of a scanning tunnel microscope is brought close (at a distance of 6 to 8 nm) to the surface. The fluorescence signal barely changes under these conditions.