Spectroscopy in the Field: Miniature Spectrometers at Work
 Wednesday, March 5, 2008
8:30 a.m., Room 261 

Organizer:

Richard A Crocombe and Mark A Druy, Physical Sciences, Inc.

Speakers:

8:30     Identification of Anthrax Spores and Hoax Materials in Mail and on Sorting Equipment  STUART FARQUHARSON, Real-Time Analyzers, Inc.

8:50     On-line Grading of Beef Carcass Tenderness Using VIS-NIR Spectroscopy  BRIAN CURTISS, ASD, Inc., Dan Shiley

9:10     Applications of Portable Infrared and Raman Spectrometers for Homeland Defense  JOHN SEELENBINDER, Smiths Detection

9:30     Handheld Spectral Analyzers for Field and Consumer-Based Applications  JOHN PETER COATES, Coates Consulting

9:50     Recess

10:05   Applications of Next-Generation Miniaturized Near-IR and Mid-IR TDLAS Gas Analyzers  MICKEY FRISH, Physical Sciences Inc.

10:25   Handheld Raman as a Field Tool in the Fight against Illegitimately Possessed Controlled Substances  CHRISTOPHER D BROWN, Ahura Scientific, Inc.

10:45    NIR Spectrometers in the Field:  Design Considerations for Practical Applications  MARK GUNNING, Specac ltd, Graham Poulter

11:05    Incoming Raw Material Authentication with Handheld Raman: An Expanded Selectivity Study   ROBERT L GREEN, Ahura Scientific, Robert C Brush, Wayne Jalenak, Christopher D Brown

Overview:

The 1990s saw a massive investment aimed at developing new optical
telecommunications capabilities. This lead to advances in miniature
optics, light sources, tunable filters, array detectors, fiber optic
sensors and a range of other photonic devices, along with technologies
for their mass production. These and related advances are increasingly
being exploited in new infrared and Raman spectrometers that are often
more sensitive and selective, smaller, cheaper, and more robust than
their laboratory predecessors. The computational power available today
in portable devices enable the deployment of dedicated-function
spectrometers – instruments that give results (qualitative or
quantitative), rather than just spectra.

This session focuses on the field applications enabled by this new breed
of analytical instrumentation. These applications span a very wide
range, and include detection of anthrax in mail sorting equipment,
in-the-field use of MEMS-based NIR spectrometers, classification of
recycled materials, homeland security applications, identification of
controlled substances, and prediction of meat tenderness in the
processing plant.

These miniature spectrometers can be regarded as a ‘disruptive
technology’. The performance of mature (i.e., laboratory) products
can overshoot the market, and give customers more performance than they
really require, but innovative products can find niches at the low-price
end of the market, in new applications. Because the performance of
newer products progresses faster than their mature counterparts, they
can become competitive with these mature products, and eventually met
the performance requirements of the majority of the market. This
scenario can lead to the demise of the previously dominant products and
technologies.