Integrated confocal Raman probe combined with a free-form reflector based lab-on-chip

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for analytical measurements in many applications. Traditional Raman spectroscopic analyses require bulky equipment, considerable time of signal acquisition and manual sampling of substances under test. In this paper, we take a step from bulky and manual consuming laboratory testing towards lab-on-chip (LOC) analyses. We miniaturize the Raman spectroscopic system by combining a free-form reflector based polymer LOC with a customized Raman probe. By using the confocal detection principle, we aim to enhance the detection of the Raman signals from the substance of interest due to the suppression of the background Raman signal from the polymer of the chip. Next to the LOC we miniaturize the external optical components, surrounding the reflector embedding optofluidic chip, and assemble these in a Raman probe. We evaluate the misalignment tolerance of internal optics (LOC) and external optics (Raman probe) by non-sequential ray tracing which shows that off-axis misalignment is around +/- 400 mu m and the maximum working distance of our Raman probe is 71mm. Using this probe, the system could be implemented as a portable reader unit containing the external optics, in which a low-cost, robust and mass manufacturable microfluidic LOC containing a freeform reflector is inserted, to enable confocal Raman spectroscopy measurements.