Based on diffusion-limited aggregation process, a convenient nanotechnique is demonstrated to obtain large silver fractal networks for a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active substrate. The silver fractal networks are of high SERS enhancement factor, large dynamical range. The observed SERS efficiency can be explained in terms of strongly localized plasmon modes relative to the single particle plasmon resonance. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.