Apparatus, a handheld electronic device, and a method for carrying out Raman spectroscopy
In an embodiment an apparatus includes at least one optoelectronic laser configured to provide excitation radiation to a sample, the excitation radiation being generated by an electric current flowing through the at least one optoelectronic laser, a transistor configured to modulate the electric current flowing through the at least one optoelectronic laser in order to switch on and off generation of the excitation radiation and a spectrometer configured to analyze Raman light scattered from the sample in response to exposing the sample to the excitation radiation, wherein the Raman light includes one or more spectral components, wherein the spectrometer includes a diffraction element configured to split the Raman light into the spectral components, and wherein the diffraction element includes at least a photonic crystal or a plasmonic Fabry Perot filter.
1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one optoelectronic laser configured to provide excitation radiation to a sample, the excitation radiation being generated by an electric current flowing through the at least one optoelectronic laser;
a transistor configured to modulate the electric current flowing through the at least one optoelectronic laser in order to switch on and off generation of the excitation radiation so that pulsed excitation radiation is provided; and
a spectrometer configured to analyze Raman light scattered from the sample in response to exposing the sample to the pulsed excitation radiation,
wherein a duration of the pulsed excitation radiation is fast enough to capture the Raman light prior to fluorescence,
wherein the Raman light comprises one or more spectral components,
wherein the spectrometer comprises a diffraction element configured to split the Raman light into the spectral components, and
wherein the diffraction element comprises at least a photonic crystal or a plasmonic Fabry Perot filter.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one optoelectronic laser is a DFB laser diode or DBR laser diode.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transistor comprises an electric contact and the at least one optoelectronic laser comprises an electric contact, and wherein the electric contact of the transistor is directly electrically coupled to the electric contact of the at least one optoelectronic laser.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transistor is a GaN FET configured to operate the at least one optoelectronic laser such as to generate the pulsed excitation radiation.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each pulse has a time duration of less than 200 ps.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor configured to monitor a temperature of the at least one optoelectronic laser.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a Bragg grating.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a driver for the transistor, wherein the driver is configured to provide a control signal for controlling operation of the transistor.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a shutter between the spectrometer and a detector configured to detect spectral lines in a Raman signal, wherein the spectrometer is configured to spatially split the spectral lines from the Raman signal, and wherein the shutter is operated based on the control signal.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a scanning mirror between the spectrometer and a detector configured to detect spectral lines in a Raman signal, wherein the spectrometer is configured to spatially split the spectral lines from the Raman signal, and wherein the scanning mirror is operated based on the control signal.
11. A handheld electronic device comprising:
a housing; and
the apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the apparatus is arranged in the housing of the handheld electronic device.
12. The handheld electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the handheld electronic device is a smartphone or a tablet.
13. A method for performing Raman spectroscopy on a sample, the method comprising:
providing, by at least one optoelectronic laser of an apparatus, excitation radiation to the sample, the excitation radiation being generated by an electric current flowing through the at least one optoelectronic laser;
modulating, by a transistor of the apparatus, the electric current flowing through the at least one optoelectronic laser in order to switch on and off generation of the excitation radiation so that pulsed excitation radiation is provided; and
analyzing, by a spectrometer, Raman light scattered from the sample in response to exposing the sample to the pulsed excitation radiation,
wherein a duration of the pulsed excitation radiation is fast enough to capture the Raman light prior to fluorescence,
wherein the Raman light comprises one or more spectral components,
wherein the spectrometer comprises a diffraction element for splitting the Raman light into the spectral components, and
wherein the diffraction element comprises at least a photonic crystal or a plasmonic Fabry Perot filter.
14. An apparatus comprising:
at least one DFB or DBR laser,
a GaN FET configured to directly modulate the DFB or DBR laser for generating at least one laser pulse which is fast enough to capture Raman scatter prior to fluorescence; and
a spectrometer configured to analyze the Raman scatter from a sample in response to exposing the sample to excitation radiation from the DFB or DBR laser,
wherein the Raman scatter comprises one or more spectral components,
wherein the spectrometer comprises a diffraction element configured to split Raman light into the spectral components, and
wherein the diffraction element comprises at least a photonic crystal or a plasmonic Fabry Perot filter.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising tandem slits and/or MEMS mirrors configured to image while using a laser modulation signal as a frame sync.
16. An apparatus comprising:
at least one optoelectronic laser configured to provide excitation radiation to a sample, the excitation radiation being generated by an electric current flowing through the at least one optoelectronic laser;
a transistor configured to modulate the electric current flowing through the at least one optoelectronic laser in order to switch on and off the excitation radiation so that pulsed excitation radiation is provided;
a driver for the transistor, wherein the driver is configured to provide a control signal for controlling operation of the transistor; and
a spectrometer and a detector configured to analyze Raman light scattered from the sample in response to exposing the sample to the pulsed excitation radiation,
wherein a duration of the pulsed excitation radiation is fast enough to capture the Raman light prior to fluorescence, and
wherein the detector is configured to be triggered to flush the detector from existing charges by the control signal.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the at least one optoelectronic laser is a DFB laser diode or DBR laser diode.
18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the transistor comprises an electric contact and the at least one optoelectronic laser comprises an electric contact, and wherein the electric contact of the transistor is directly coupled electrically to the electric contact of the at least one optoelectronic laser.
19. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the transistor is a GaN FET.
20. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the at least one optoelectronic laser is configured to generate pulses of excitation light, and wherein each pulse has a time duration of less than 200 ps.
21. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a temperature sensor configured to monitor a temperature of the at least one optoelectronic laser.