Swept-source raman spectroscopy systems and methods

Abstract

In swept source Raman (SSR) spectroscopy, a swept laser beam illuminates a sample, which inelastically scatters some of the incident light. This inelastically scattered light is shifted in wavelength by an amount called the Raman shift. The Raman-shifted light can be measured with a fixed spectrally selective filter and a detector. The Raman spectrum can be obtained by sweeping the wavelength of the excitation source and, therefore, the Raman shift. The resolution of the Raman spectrum is determined by the filter bandwidth and the frequency resolution of the swept source. An SSR spectrometer can be smaller, more sensitive, and less expensive than a conventional Raman spectrometer because it uses a tunable laser and a fixed filter instead of free-space propagation for spectral separation. Its sensitivity depends on the size of the collection optics. And it can use a nonlinearly swept laser beam thanks to a wavemeter that measures the beam's absolute wavelength during Raman spectrum acquisition.