One of the subsegments driving growth in the Raman spectroscopy market is Raman imaging. The speed and chemical information that imaging provides is helping the technique steadily replace conventional Raman microscopy. Scientists are finding Raman imaging an advantageous technique for a wide variety of industries and applications and are still exploring the technique’s potential. There is healthy vendor competition, and demand for Raman imaging will help maintain the overall Raman market’s strong single-digit growth.

Raman imaging is a subset of Raman microscopy. In a conventional Raman microscopy system, a confocal or other type of microscope is used to view a sample, and an integrated Raman analyzer performs an analysis of a selected spot. With more advanced Raman microscopes, the system may be able to move the sample stage and perform a mapping analysis of the sample, but it can take a long time to produce a Raman map of significant size. True Raman imaging systems utilize advanced software and other technology to provide a high-resolution map of the sample, including a full Raman spectrum of each pixel in as quickly as a few seconds.

One of the most common applications in the pharmaceutical industry for Raman imaging is tablet profiling. Being able to rapidly collect chemical information over the entire area of a pill, rather than analyzing individual points, provides more complete analysis for QC and product development.

Raman imaging is becoming more popular in the semiconductor and electronics industry. In many cases, it is combined with surface analysis and other microscopy to provide complementary information for the evaluation of ever-smaller features of etched semiconductors, electronic coatings and nanotechnology products.

Demand for Raman imaging from the biotechnology industry is growing the most rapidly. Collecting a complete spectral map of various types of biological samples can provide a much clearer picture to researchers working on a variety of applications.

HORIBA is a leader in the Raman microscopy market, holding more than 30% vendor share in Raman imaging. JASCO and Renishaw are also major competitors in Raman imaging, with more than 12% vendor share each. ChemImage is a smaller but fast growing vendor that is specifically focused on Raman imaging. WITec is another small, fast growing supplier that is focused on incorporating Raman imaging with advanced spectroscopy techniques.

Most of the major Raman microscope vendors now offer imaging capabilities, which are usually features of higher-end models or can be added as upgrades. The global market for Raman imaging was close to $60 million in 2011, which accounted for about one-third of the Raman microscope market. Demand should continue to grow at a double-digit annual pace over the next several years to account for an increasing percentage of the total Raman microscope market.

Raman Imaging

Spectroscopy at a Glance:

Leading Suppliers

• HORIBA

• JASCO

• Renishaw

Largest Markets

• Pharmaceuticals

• Semiconductor/Electronics

• Academia

Instrument Cost

• $130,000–$250,000