Fabrication of a nanowire array surrounded by hexagonally ordered cylindrical walls and structure-enhanced SERS performance

Conventional reactive ion etching (RIE) treats byproducts as waste contaminants. This study proposes a novel approach to actively utilize zinc-introduced byproducts (ZnF₂) for fabricating a nanowire array surrounded by hexagonally ordered cylindrical walls (HOCW-NWA). By harnessing synergistic Au/ZnF₂ interactions, this method enables precise nanoarchitecture control. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) tests show that the structure achieves a remarkable structural enhancement in the detection performance. This work not only provides a high-performance SERS substrate but also opens a new avenue for turning etching byproducts into functional micro/nanostructures.