Multi-Channel Raman Discovery Enables Spectral Imaging for Portable Raman Applications

Headwall Photonics, the world’s leading supplier of high performance integrated spectrometer systems for spectral imaging and chemical sensing solutions, announced for general availability the Raman Discovery™, a new family of high performance, portable Raman spectrometers.

Based on Headwall’s patent‐pending design, the Raman Discovery™ is designed for OEMs and system integrators with critical performance requirements serving the pharmaceutical, medical, and forensic markets.

The Raman Discovery™ family of compact, lightweight Raman spectrometers offers a flexible spectral imaging platform that features exceptional signal throughput, optical efficiency, and spectral/spatial resolution. The product is available for use with a 532nm or 785nm excitation laser with other laser options available. Utilizing Headwall’s proprietary design, the Raman Discovery™ products are designed for demanding applications in harsh imaging environments. A key attribute of the Raman Discovery™ products is extremely low image distortion over the full CCD array which yields exceptionally high signal to noise efficiency and high signal throughput.

Headwall’s David Bannon, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, believes that the introduction of the Raman Discovery™ will enable a completely new set of imaging capabilities for Raman-based applications. “We have designed this product for demanding, multi-channel spectral imaging applications in order to make full use of the CCD focal plane array. Our customer and application data indicates that there is virtually no image distortion across this array”.

At the heart of every Raman Discovery™ imaging spectrometer is one of Headwall’s proprietary resonance domain, aberration‐corrected diffraction gratings. Unlike typical diffraction gratings, Headwall’s application‐specific gratings produce only one diffracted order which propagates the wavelength region of interest. As a result, one hundred percent of the diffracted light energy within this single dispersed order is captured yielding industry‐leading optical efficiency and performance.

This is particularly important in applications such as Raman spectroscopy that are characterized by low signal strength. Headwall is working closely with several OEM manufacturers to provide customized performance capabilities in several key application areas. With the ability to design and manufacture high performance optics for a particular spectral region of interest, Headwall is providing its customers with sustainable performance advantage and long term market differentiation.