Low-Resolution Raman Enables a Low-Cost, Fully Automated Raman Microscope for Microspectroscopic Analysis

The high cost of Raman micro-spectroscopy limits its application to laboratory settings, while prior low-cost Raman systems are limited to simple bulk analysis. Using the “Low Resolution Raman” concept, we sacrifice the spectral resolution to increase the SNR while maintaining analytic power. With a low-spectral resolution, we eliminate the need for a high quality laser, camera, and optical filters. Combined with a low-cost, automated sample stage we create a fully automated Raman microscope capable of sampling thousands of microscopic objects without user intervention. We demonstrate the performance on classifications of standard microspheres and identifying the fatty acid ratio of fat globules in goat and cow milk, where thousands of spectra are acquired with a single button press. As the cost of the system is >10-fold less than conventional Raman microscopes, it holds great application prospects for truly pervasive Raman spectroscopy.