Miniaturized eight-channel Raman probe array

The Raman probe array comprises a probe array holder and eight fiber-optic probes. The array holder, constructed from an aluminum plate (36 mm × 80 mm), contains eight precisely machined holes to accommodate individual probes. Each hole has a diameter of 8 mm, with a 9-mm gap between holes, matching the pitch of standard multiwell plates. The probe assembly consists of an aspheric miniature lens (6.37 mm in diameter, N.A. 0.3, Edmund Optics) affixed to a metal-housed fiber-optic collimator (6.35 mm in diameter, #88–172, 4 mm aperture, N.A. 0.22, SMA type, Edmund Optics), encapsulated in a custom-designed metal tube with an outer diameter of 8 mm. The eight assembled fiber-optic probes are inserted into the array holder and precisely aligned to ensure optimal performance. The probes focus the collimated laser beam onto the sample at a focal length of 8.3 mm.

OSRS system (Optical-switch Raman spectroscopy system)

A compact Raman reader developed for use with standard 96-well plates, fully automated with a streamlined Raman data acquisition procedure. The system includes a fiber-pigtailed 785-nm Raman laser diode (FC-D-785-450 mW, CNI Inc.), a large beam collimator (TC25 FC-780, Thorlabs Inc.), a neutral-density filter (NDC-100 C-2-B, Thorlabs Inc.), a dichroic mirror (LPD02-785RU-25, Semrock Inc.), a 1 × 8 broadband optical switch (FFMU-088S1H229, Agiltron Inc.), long-pass filters (LP02-785RE-25, Semrock Inc.), and a portable spectrometer (MNL-1009 QE Pro, Ocean Insight Inc.). The system is controlled by LabVIEW-based software and incorporates a motorized sample stage (X-LSM100 A-E03, Zaber Inc.).