Question

(15 pts.) Infrared microscopy is valuable technique for characterizing materials. A. Explain the spatial resolution of infrared microscopy is significantly worse than the spatial resolution of Raman microscopy although they both are vibrational spectroscopy techniques. B. Why is a CCD not an appropriate detector for infrared imaging, but it is a useful detector for Raman imaging? 3.

Answer 1

Raman microscopy intrinsically offers sub micrometer spatial resolution in air, whereas the diffraction limit for infrared microscopy is wavelength limited to 5-10 micromolar. Raman microscopy is therefore the technique of preference for subcellular profiling. CCD are very light sensitive and therefore are used as detector for Raman imaging only.