STTR Phase II: An Ultra Compact and Low Cost Raman Analyzer Based on Slitless Volume Holographic Spectrometers

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project focuses on the commercialization of a new low-cost and compact low-resolution (~1 nm) Raman spectroscopy (LRRS) technique for medical diagnostics. Current Raman spectroscopy systems are bulky and expensive and have small throughput for diffuse light (e.g., Raman scattering), due to their front narrow slit. Handheld and low-cost LRRS systems are needed for medical diagnostics, specifically at less equipped point of care (POC) facilities. Besides, the small efficiency of the current systems make them use higher pump laser power and focus it onto the examined tissue that adds to the cost and can damage the tissue. The technology adopted in the proposed Raman analyzer is a holographic spectroscopy method that uses spherical and cylindrical beam volume holograms. The technology enables compact, light weight, and low-cost spectrometers with the fewest main elements compared to the conventional LRRS systems. Specifically, the narrow slit as in the conventional spectrometers is eliminated, whereby diffuse light can be more efficiently coupled in the spectrometer. The development of a LRRS system prototype with the mentioned volume holography technology is proposed. The developed LRRS system will be then optimized for medical diagnostics based on surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be over a broad range of applications in the fields of biochemistry, medicine, pharmaceuticals, industrial quality assurance, homeland security, mineralogy, and environmental sensing. The compact and low-cost nature of the proposed instrument makes it the perfect choice for handheld sensing devices that are of high current demand in several fields mentioned above. The entire US market volume that can be covered by this technology has been $2.6B in 2005, with a prospected 7% growth rate through 2010. The potential application of the proposed instrument in the field of medical diagnostics (e.g., in the use of SERS signals for the detection of cardiovascular diseases) will have a major impact on public health by reducing the suffering and death of people due to a variety of medical conditions. The handheld SERS reader can be adapted to other rapid diagnostic tests and many other diseases can be rapidly diagnosed at less equipped POC facilities with this technology.