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| Laser Spectroscopy |
| The manner in which a particular material
interacts with light can contain much detailed information regarding the chemical
composition and structure of that material. The NCLA is equipped with an impressive array
of scientific light sources and state of the art light detection instrumentation for
performing the follwoing techniques: |
- Raman spectroscopy/microscopy
- Fluorescence spectroscopy
- Fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy
- Reflectance spectroscopy
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Each of these techniques probes substances at a
molecular level and can provide immediate and useful information on the structure and
identity of substances in solid, liquid and gaseous phases. The techniques have the
following advantages:
- non-contact, non-destructive
- little/no sample preparation
- aqueous solutions/moist materials do not present any problems
Areas of application include
- Analysis of thin films e.g. DLC, SiN bioactive films.
- Analysis of the bulk and surface properties of polymers
- Quantitative analysis of the composition of chemical/pharmaceutical products
- Characterisation of semiconductor materials and devices
- Probing of microscopic inclusions/defect sites in materials
- Forensics
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| Process Monitoring/Control |
| As well as becoming more popular in the laboratory
the techniques outlined in the preceding paragraphs are increasingly being applied on-line
for process monitoring/control. This has been made possible by the recent development of
robust miniature spectrometers, compact diode laser sources and quantitative analysis
software operating on today's high-speed computers. Fibre optic technology is also
employed to facilitate sensing at a remote location where sensitive equipment is well
removed from the harsh environment of the production line or reaction chamber. |
| Currently, it is generally the case that any company seeking
to integrate or update a process monitoring/control system will need to source a custom
solution that meets the requirements of their unique problem. Where spectroscopic
techniques are relevant, the NCLA offers such a service to industry, covering all the
stages of development from the identification of significant signals through to the
specification and integration of system components. |
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