Raman Microscopy Laboratory

MATERIALS SCIENCE INSTITUTE OF MADRID
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, SPAIN

Location: Lab S67
Phone (internal): 567
Contact: Fernando Agulló-Rueda
+34-91-334-9015 (internal 036)
e-mail: far [REMOVE] @ icmm.csic.es

Mission

The study and characterization of materials by Raman microspectroscopy and photoluminescence. We are specially interested in microestructured materials, i.e., with inhomogeneities of the order of a few micrometers in composition, orientation, stress, crystallinity, etc.

The Raman effect

A very small portion of the light entering a material suffers slight changes in frequency (color), which are characteristic of the material and independent of the incident light frequency. In a Raman spectrum the amount of light scattered at every frequency shift is analyzed when the sample is illuminated with monochromatic light (typically a laser). Information is obtained on composition, structure, orientation, state (temperature, stress, phase, etc.)...

Research

It centers mainly on the microspectroscopic study of the optical, electronic, and structural properties of the following materials:

Semiconductor nanostructures
Porous silicon
Optical waveguides
Thin films and coatings

Collaboration with industry

We can collaborate with other companies in the analysis and characterization of materiales, corrosion products and coatings, minerals, gemstones, pigments, inks, fibers, microparticles, inclusions, etc.
At present, we have a research contract with Iberdrola Generación S. A. for the analysis of oxide coatings.

Experimental equipment

Renishaw Ramascope 2000 microspectrometer with two configurations:

Point by point spectral mapping (confocal with lateral and depth resolution)
Global imaging of an area for a selected wavelength

Characteristics

Excitation wavelength: 514.5 nm (green) and 633 nm (red)
Spectral resolution: 1 cm^-1 (spectrum), 20 cm^-1 (image)
Spatial resolution: 0.6 μm (in the green)