Shifted excitation resonance Raman difference spectroscopy using a microsystem light source at 488 nm

Abstract

Experimental results in shifted excitation resonance Raman difference spectroscopy (SERRDS) at 488 nm will be presented. A novel compact diode laser system was used as excitation light source. The device is based on a distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser as a pump light source and a nonlinear frequency doubling using a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide crystal. All elements including micro-optics are fixed on a micro-optical bench with a footprint of 25 mm × 5 mm. An easy temperature management of the DFB laser and the crystal was used for wavelength tuning. The second harmonic generation (SHG) provides an additional suppression of the spontaneous emission. Raman spectra of polystyrene demonstrate that no laser bandpass filter is needed for the Raman experiments. Resonance-Raman spectra of the restricted food colorant Tartrazine (FD&C Yellow 5, E 102) in distilled water excited at 488 nm demonstrate the suitability of this light source for SERRDS. A limit of detection (LOD) of 0.4 μmol·l^-1 of E102 enables SERRDS at 488 nm for trace detection in e.g. food safety control as an appropriate contactless spectroscopic technique.