Plasmonics is a fast developing research area with a great potential for practical applications. However, the implementation of plasmonic devices requires low cost methodologies for the fabrication of organized metallic nanostructures that covers a relative large area (∼1 cm2). Here the patterning of periodic arrays of nanoholes (PANHs) in gold films by using a combination of interference lithography, metal deposition, and lift off is reported. The setup allows the fabrication of periodic nanostructures with hole diameters ranging from 110 to 1000 nm, for 450 and 1800 nm of periodicity, respectively. The large areas plasmonic substrates consist of 2 cm × 2 cm gold films homogeneously covered by nanoholes and gold films patterned with a regular microarray of 200 μm diameter circular patches of PANHs. The microarray format is used for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging and its potential for applications in multiplex biosensing is demonstrated. The gold films homogeneously covered by nanoholes are useful as electrodes in a thin layer organic photovoltaic. This is first example of a large area plasmonic solar cell with organized nanostructures. The fabrication approach reported here is a good candidate for the industrial‐scale production of metallic substrates for plasmonic applications in photovoltaics and biosensing.

An in-hole nanohole surface plasmon resonance sensing scheme is demonstrated. Arrays of periodic nanoholes milled through thin layers of SiO(x) and gold were used to detect the binding of organic and biological molecules inside the nanoholes, while blocking the gold surfaces outside the holes. This new approach is more efficient than the previous nanohole array method, where the response was related to binding events taking place inside of the holes and on the top gold surface. The improved sensitivity to binding events and lower detection limit are related to resonant surface plasmon enhanced transmission through the arrays of nanoholes. The sensitivity was found to be 650 nm/RIU and the detection of three attomoles of proteins was estimated from this scheme.

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