Method and apparatus for improved signal to noise ratio in Raman signal detection for MEMS based spectrometers

US7586603B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• General Electric Company · US

Inventors

• Sandip Maity · Kistapur, IN
• Ayan Banerjee · Fremont, US
• Anis Zribi · Colorado Springs, US
• Stacey Joy Kennerly · Niskayuna, US
• Long Que · Rexford, US
• Glenn Scott Claydon · Wynantskill, US
• Shankar Chandrasekaran · Viralimalai, IN
• Shivappa Goravar · Bengaluru, IN

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 17, 2008
• Grant date: Sep 8, 2009
• Expiry date: Apr 17, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10F30/225
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method of Raman detection for a portable, integrated spectrometer instrument includes directing Raman scattered photons by a sample to an avalanche photodiode (APD), the APD configured to generate an output signal responsive to the intensity of the Raman scattered photons incident thereon. The output signal of the APD is amplified and passed through a discriminator so as to reject at least one or more of amplifier noise and dark noise. A number of discrete output pulses within a set operational range of the discriminator is counted so as to determine a number of photons detected by the APD.