Raman Spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy measures inelastically scattered light from a sample. Laser light onto the sample interacts with molecular vibrations or phonons within a crystal lattice, and is scattered with a lower energy (Stokes) or higher energy (anti-Stokes) than the incident light. The Raman spectrum gives insight into the structural properties of a material and provides a unique fingerprint. Combination of Raman spectroscopy with a microscope allows a precise point on a surface to be analysed and maps of samples to be collected.

Instruments

We have four Raman Spectrometers available with excitation from UV to NIR. All our instruments are capable of spatial mapping, variable temperature and polarisation studies. Further information can be found on our Raman spectrometers page.

Case Study

The bulk material properties of semiconductors such as silicon or diamond can be affected by residual strain fields in the lattice. This strain can also adversely affect the properties of technologically import defect centres in the lattice. Therefore, characterising these fields on macro and micro scales is important for technological and fundamental applications of these materials.

Results

By looking at shifts in the Raman line position, high-resolution confocal Raman microscopy allows us to create 3D strain maps either over the bulk of the sample or in specific regions at a spatial resolution of up to 1 um. To enable maximum sensitivity to the residual strain the high spectral resolution of the spectrometer allowed accurate measurement shifts of < 0.1cm¹.

Case Study

Atomically thin nanowires can be synthesized inside single walled carbon nanotubes. The inclusion of nanowires can alter the optical and electronic properties of the nanotubes and increases their functionality. It is important to characterise the structure and composition of both the tubes and their contents.

Results

Raman Spectroscopy with a series of excitation wavelengths enabled the investigation of the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes. It also revealed resonance frequencies which helped determine the chirality assignments of the filled nanotubes and was able to confirm a link between this and the increased optical properties of the material. You can find more information in this work in Ziyi Hu's paper http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.2c01647.

Internal Enquiries

If you wish to be trained on the systems, please submit an online training request and we will get back to you. Alternatively, if you wish to have a sample run for you or want further information contact us on .

Approved Users

To make a booking use our booking pages. You may also want to check for any known spectrometer issues on the Instrument status pages.

Please remember to submit a sample submission form before bringing samples into the lab.

External Enquiries

For information about using the RTPs as an external customer, please contact Warwick Scientific Services scientific.services@warwick.ac.uk or visit the WSS website.