The disclosure relates to a method for making a carrier for single molecule detection. The method includes: providing a substrate; providing a carbon nanotube composite structure having a number of micropores, wherein a number of carbon nanotubes are successively aligned and intersected to form the number of micropores; setting the carbon nanotube composite structure on a surface of the substrate; dry etching the substrate by using the carbon nanotube composite structure as a mask to form a patterned surface, wherein the patterned surface comprises a number of strip-shaped bulges intersected with each other; and applying a metal layer on the patterned surface. The method is simple and has high efficiency.