Raman has come into its own over the last decade, making the leap from lab to industry and the field with handheld and field-portable analysis systems. As with many technologies, however, the reduction in size has often meant a compromise in performance as compared to traditional benchtop Raman systems. This has limited the applications in which portable Raman spectroscopy can be applied, and/or the detection limit that can be achieved. It is, however, possible to extend the reach of portable Raman to close this gap and enable new applications through careful product design that optimises sensitivity, size and wavelength. This tech note looks at design options to optimise each, and how they can stretch the limits of applied Raman spectroscopy by providing a step change in the performance traditionally available through compact spectrometers.
