Performances

The base spectrometer with the unregulated Thorlabs CPS532 laser has a tested resolution better than 35 cm^-1 on the peak located at 820 cm^-1 in the spectrum of iso-propanol. Typical exposure times required for solvents are 10 seconds although spectra can already be acquired in 100 ms with degraded signal-to-noise ratio.

Figure 1 compares the performances of the base spectrometer vs. upgraded spectrometer for an iso-propanol spectrum. You can see that all the important features are clearly identified although the upgraded spectrometer obviously has better resolution and better SNR.

The base spectrometer is a good place to start when experimenting with Raman spectroscopy due to its lower cost and low-power laser. But if you need smaller integration times, better resolution or operate on dilute samples, then an upgraded spectrometer may be more suited. We propose different types of upgrades, and you are invited to pick-up the one that best fits your needs, technical skills and budget.