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Odin is a brand-new Deep UV Raman spectrometer, much more compact, reliable and affordable than existing laboratory solutions. Initially developed for applications in bio-pharma (proteins, cancer treatment; immunoglobin...) and the nuclear industry (remote measurement of contaminants), the combination of the spectrometer's very high efficiency and very low wavelength excitation (228.5 nm, generating a very high Raman signal without disturbance by fluorescence) opens up unprecedented prospects for molecular analysis in many fields.
The Odin Deep UV Raman spectrometer combines 2 major technological advances:
- A spectrometer, developed by IS-Instruments, based on the concept of spatial heterodyne interferometry, enabling, by Fourier processing of the interference pattern of a "Michelson-type" interferometer where the mirrors are replaced by diffraction gratings, very high spectral resolution to be achieved without the need for an entrance slit on the spectrometer, thus enabling the collection of ~ 100-500 times more signal than on a conventional Czerny-Turner spectrometer. And all in a very compact system with no moving parts! Stability and signal-to-noise ratio are outstanding, and the use of a high-end matrix detector delivers exceptional performance, especially for all low-light applications.
- Excitation by an ultra-low wavelength laser (228.5 nm). This continuous laser uses a laser diode instead of the old high-power gas laser technology or tapped or quasi-continuous lasers. This is the TopWave 229 industrial laser model developed by Toptica, whose reliability, stability and performance are unique to date. Maintenance and operating costs are reduced to a minimum, and there is no need for water cooling or purging systems.
- Raman signal intensity is proportional to (1/I4), where I is the excitation wavelength. Using a wavelength of 228.5 nm therefore generates a signal ~ x 140 times higher than excitation at 785 nm and ~ 30 times higher than excitation at 532 nm.
- The fluorescence of the sample no longer has any impact on the measurement. For conventional wavelengths, fluorescence increases as the wavelength decreases, leading to compromises between Raman signal intensity and fluorescence intensity, which can "drown out" the Raman signal. However, this fluorescence "starts" at ~ 270-280 nm, which means that with excitation as low as 228.5 nm, the Raman signal can be completely separated from the fluorescence, thus eliminating this difficulty.
- This is particularly efficient for biological samples, where the "Raman efficiency/fluorescence" trade-off can be a real difficulty, if not an impossibility, in making usable measurements.
The Odin system from IS-Instruments / Opton Laser :
The combination of these 2 technologies and an appropriate Raman probe ("all-reflective" probe) opens up a whole new field of applications. For fragile samples, such as immunoglobin measurements, a dynamic sample displacement system is also proposed to avoid sample damage. This particular application is described in an article co-authored by Michael Foster, William Brooks (IS-Instruments) and Philipp Jahn (Toptica).
