Although Raman spectroscopy is an excellent analytical tool, the Raman signal is often weak and traditional slit spectrometers typically have poor optical throughput. The Apex spectrometer -- the first in the Ocean Optics Elite series of high-performance products – overcomes the trade-off between optical throughput and spectral resolution.
In conventional spectrometers, the slit can reject as much 75%-95% of the light entering the optical bench. With a high-throughput virtual slit (HTVS) licensed from Tornado Spectral Systems, Apex spectrometers overcome the compromise between throughput and spectral resolution.
Apex spectrometers use a large input aperture and specially configured mirrors, lenses and other elements. These components compress, reformat and then expand the light beam, which narrows the input aperture along the dispersion axis while preserving total flux. When combined with precision coatings, volume phase holographic (VPH) gratings and solid state detector technology, spectrometer throughput as high as 95% is achievable.
The Apex 785 is optimized for 785 nm Raman spectroscopy. To maintain peak optical throughput, a 1200 line/mm VPH grating blazed at 830 nm is used with an uncooled, NIR enhanced back-thinned CCD array detector. The Apex spectrometer provides wavelength coverage to 3800 cm-1 with resolution of less than 10 cm-1 at 800 nm.
The Apex 785 is available for purchase as a standalone Raman spectrometer or as part of a complete system. The Apex 785 Raman Kit includes the spectrometer, a 785 nm Raman laser and safety goggles, a Raman probe and sample holder, and operating software. Optional chemometrics software packages are also available as add-ons.