DocumentsDate added
The new instrument described here is for chemical characterization of surfaces by combining the analytical power of Raman spectroscopy with the three dimensional topographic information provided by conoscopic holography. A conoscopic holography system employs a laser scanner with holographic detection to construct a three-dimensional relief of surfaces. Using a unique design, the profiling laser will simultaneously be used as a Raman excitation source. The scattered light will be characterized by a Raman spectrometer producing a hyper-spectral image revealing the chemical/biological composition of the scanned sample.
This approach is new and has advantages over competing optical techniques. These advantages include non-contact detection, minimal or no sample preparation, vertical sensitivity, and mechanical simplicity. This work grew from the experience with combining Raman and Infrared spectroscopy with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM, 1-2). Whereas Raman-AFM is suited to imaging from nanometer to micron scales, the Conoscopic-Raman microscope will be a distinct, complementary instrument that readily provides chemical analysis surfaces from the micron to the meter scale.