Versatile Confocal Raman Imaging Microscope Built from Off-the-Shelf Opto-Mechanical Components

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Confocal Raman microscopy (CRM) is vital for μm-scale spatially resolved compositional analysis.
• Commercial CRM instruments may be unsuitable for toxic, radioactive, or contamination-sensitive samples.
• Custom CRM instrumentation offers adaptability for hazardous environments and operational flexibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the construction and alignment of a custom-built CRM system.
• To evaluate the performance of the custom CRM, including spatial resolution.
• To demonstrate the system's capability for analyzing hazardous samples, such as tritium-exposed materials.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a CRM system using primarily off-the-shelf optomechanical and optical components.
• Integration of optical fiber coupling for the Raman excitation laser and spectrometer for enhanced flexibility.
• Utilization of a motorized xyz-translation assembly for lateral raster scans and axial profiling.

Main Results:

• Successful construction and alignment of a versatile custom CRM system.
• Experimental evaluation demonstrating the system's performance, including spatial resolution.
• Acquisition of Raman raster maps and axial profiles of thin-film samples, such as graphene sheets.

Conclusions:

• A custom CRM system can be effectively built from readily available components.
• The developed CRM is suitable for analyzing samples in hazardous environments, like those involving tritium.
• The system provides operational flexibility and valuable data for compositional analysis and imaging.