A high-sensitivity rapid acquisition spectrometer for lanthanide(III) luminescence

Area of Science:

• Spectroscopy
• Materials Science
• Photonics

Background:

• Conventional detectors exhibit reduced sensitivity and accuracy for luminescence detection above 750-800 nm.
• Lanthanide(III) ions exhibit luminescence across 350-2000 nm, with key emissive bands between 450-850 nm, including challenging near-infrared (NIR) regions.
• Weak photon flux and low band intensity beyond 700 nm hinder the investigation of lanthanide luminescence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel spectrometer capable of overcoming limitations in detecting weak luminescence signals, particularly in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum.
• To enable fast and efficient recording of luminescence spectra for lanthanide emitters and other materials emitting between 450-950 nm.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a spectrometer utilizing microscopy cameras with single-photon detection capabilities.
• Characterization of the developed spectrometer's performance.
• Benchmarking the new spectrometer against two commercially available spectrometers.

Main Results:

• The developed spectrometer effectively alleviates limitations associated with conventional detectors in the 450-950 nm range.
• The system enables rapid and efficient recording of luminescence spectra, including weak NIR bands.
• Performance benchmarks confirm the spectrometer's viability and effectiveness compared to commercial alternatives.

Conclusions:

• The novel single-photon detection spectrometer is ideally suited for investigating lanthanide luminescence.
• The instrument is also applicable to a broader range of emitters with luminescence in the 450-950 nm spectrum.
• This technology advances the study of materials with challenging luminescence properties.