title: Comparison of Raman spectrograph throughput using two commercial systems: transmissive versus reflective.
abstract: A common goal of most Raman spectroscopists is the acquisition of clear Raman spectra in short integration times. It is paramount, then, that the hardware used in a Raman system be optimized for throughput, signal-to-noise ratio, and resolution. To this end, we performed a systematic comparison of two Raman spectrographs: the widely used Kaiser HoloSpec and a relatively new commercial offering, the Raman Explorer by Headwall Photonics. Both strong and weak Raman scattering samples were measured using various launching conditions. When resolution-matched, the throughputs of both spectrographs were found to be roughly similar over the central range of the fingerprint region (approximately 800 to 1140 cm(-1), using 785 nm illumination), with the Raman Explorer demonstrating a slight throughput advantage outside this range. Other factors are also considered such that end users may better select the optimum spectrograph for their particular application.
authors.affiliation: CHOC Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, California 92868, USA. clieber@choc.org
authors.forename: Chad A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lieber
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kanter
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahadevan-Jansen
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*