Microspectrophotometer using mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator

Microspectrophotometry is a very useful tool in the forensic analysis of many kinds of trace evidence. It combines a microscope with a spectrophotometer so that the light absorption properties of a very small sample can be recorded. We propose replacing the traditional broadband lamp and optical grating with a tunable optical parametric oscillator (OPO). M Squared Lasers’s tuneable OPO, Firefly, and its associated scanner are designed to produce hyperspectral images at a distance. The aim of the project is to reconfigure the OPO and scanner to produce microscope type images with sub millimeter resolution in the mid-infrared. The resultant system can then image small samples whilst changing wavelength from 1.5um to 3.8um, thus exploring the composition of the subject material.