Fiber-laser-based stimulated Raman scattering microscope in fingerprint region with a Neodymium doped fiber laser at 920 nm

Abstract

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscope is a powerful tool for label-free rapid imaging [1-3]. As a fiber-laser-based SRS (FL-SRS) microscope is promising in terms of compactness, robustness and cost efficiency, several types of FL-SRS microscopes have been studied. For the measurements in the CH stretching region (2800–3100 cm-1), FL-SRS microscopes containing an Er doped fiber laser and an Yb doped fiber laser (YbFL) or Yb doped fiber amplifiers were reported [4-6]. For the measurements in the fingerprint region (500–1800 cm-1) that is a spectral region of great interest due to its excellence in material identification, FL-SRS microscopes using wavelength conversion or supercontinuum generation were reported [7, 8]. However, these approaches may sacrifice compactness and efficiency.