Comparison of Raman Spectrograph Throughput Using Two Commercial Systems: Transmissive versus Reflective

Abstract

A common goal of most Raman spectroscopists is the acquisition of clear Raman spectra in short integration times. It is paramount, then, that the hardware used in a Raman system be optimized for throughput, signal-to-noise ratio, and resolution. To this end, we performed a systematic comparison of two Raman spectrographs: the widely used Kaiser HoloSpec™ and a relatively new commercial offering, the Raman Explorer™ by Headwall Photonics. Both strong and weak Raman scattering samples were measured using various launching conditions. When resolution-matched, the throughputs of both spectrographs were found to be roughly similar over the central range of the fingerprint region (approximately 800 to 1140 cm⁻¹, using 785 nm illumination), with the Raman Explorer™ demonstrating a slight throughput advantage outside this range. Other factors are also considered such that end users may better select the optimum spectrograph for their particular application.