Raman spectroscopy is a young analytical technique, but has rapidly become a standardized analytical tool in both lab and industrial applications. More recently, demand for portable Raman spectroscopy has exploded due to technological improvements. While security applications remain the central area of demand, portable Raman spectroscopy is expanding into other areas.

Raman is useful for identifying many chemical compounds, but has long been hampered by the limited sensitivity of optical technologies. Improvements in fiber optics, optical filters, diode lasers and detectors over the past two decades have made Raman reliable and fairly commonplace in lab and field settings. More recent improvements, such as longer battery life and miniaturization, have also led to the development of new handheld and portable Raman systems. In fact, in a little more than two years time, at least eight companies have introduced 10 portable Raman instruments.

Raman is a nondestructive spectroscopic technique, requires no sample preparation and can identify compounds in solid, liquid, slurry and gaseous forms. Water has a weak signal in the Raman spectrum, unlike infrared, thus reducing interference from moisture in samples. Raman can also investigate samples in transparent and semi-transparent containers, an advantage in the field when investigating potentially hazardous materials. When coupled with fiber optic probes and a spectral library of thousands of compounds of interest, as well as an analysis time on the order of seconds, Raman is a very useful in-the-field identification technique.

Government constitutes the majority of demand for portable Raman spectroscopy. The largest sub-segment of government demand comes from security, such as airport security. Raman is currently being deployed to airports worldwide, and has benefited from government stimulus programs. Law enforcement and other first responders are investing in portable Raman instruments to identify a wide range of potential threats, such as chemical and biological weapons and explosives. Law enforcement is also using the technology to identify narcotics on scene, while HazMat teams need to be able to rapidly identify a broad range of toxic and hazardous materials. Raman is used by the military, although other, more expensive analytical techniques better suited to ambient air analysis are used more often. Raman is now becoming popular in a variety of industries, from food to pharmaceuticals to chemicals for quality control, as well as for inspecting incoming materials.

Of the dozen competitors in the portable Raman market, most have entered in the past three to four years. The largest competitor is currently Thermo Fisher Scientific, which recently acquired Ahura Scientific (see IBO 1/31/10). The market for portable and handheld Raman in 2009 was less than $75 million, and is expected to grow by about 15% in 2010, more than doubling its size in three years.

Portable Raman Spectroscopy at a Glance:

Leading Suppliers

• Thermo Fisher Scientific

• Smiths Detection

• Intevac (DeltaNu)

Largest Markets

• First Responders

• Forensics

• Security

Instrument Cost

• $10,000–$65,000