Raman Spectroscopy of Novel Materials

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for understanding the structure of materials. In brief, the technique examines the changes in frequency that occur as a beam of light scatters off of a sample. By examining these changes in detail, one can determine properties like vibrational mode structure and symmetry classification. In this talk, we will summarize the construction and characterization of a high-sensitivity Raman spectrometer featuring an Andor Shamrock 303i spectrograph outfitted with a Zyla 4.2 sCMOS imaging array and a custom-build optical collection scheme. These developed capabilities are aimed at facilitating measurements of the quantum mechanical properties of novel materials like transition metal dichalcogenides and color centers in diamond.