Submicron simultaneous IR+Raman microscope combines Optical Photothermal Infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy with Raman.

FTIR and Raman spectroscopy for material and life science analysis are well established technologies, but have practical and theoretical limitations. Now, with PSC’s new breakthrough technique using O-PTIR and Raman on the mIRage photothermal spectroscopy infrared microscope, those limitations have been shattered.

A new patented technique, photothermal spectroscopy based O-PTIR overcomes the poor resolution of traditional FTIR microscopy with the novel use of a dual purpose visible light probe which is not only capable of enabling submicron IR spatial resolution, but also doubles as a Raman excitation laser providing submicron simultaneous IR+Raman spectroscopy on the mIRage-R microscope.

This combination generates complementary and confirmatory analysis through IR and Raman spectroscopy for a more detailed and thorough characterization and the ultimate in vibrational spectroscopic synergy.

By working in reflection mode this technique eliminates complex sample preparation and generates high quality spectra without any dispersive scatter artifacts comparable to FTIR transmission/ATR spectra. Additionally, O-PTIR is not affected at all by fluorescence interference, a key limitation of Raman spectroscopy, thus allowing for sub-micron molecular characterization that is completely fluorescence free.

Now with the mIRage-LS microscope, the addition of co-located Fluorescence microscopy provides a new, innovative platform for advanced life science characterization with a chemical spatial resolution of <500nm. The mIRage-LS provides fluorescence guided IR spectroscopy to easily target bio-molecular structures of interest and resolve their chemical molecular structure.