Empowering Universities By Retaining Raman Knowledge

A big chunk of precious research funds spent on an expensive piece of equipment, for example a Raman microscope. Now, such a magnificent piece of hardware can seem quite intimidating. After all, it could be capable of building a spaceship!

Now a poor graduate student must face copious amounts of training, becoming a real expert over the span of 3 to 4 years. Mostly because the professor is usually reluctant to let undergraduate students near the expensive device.

So, because everyone fears these “clumsy hands,” the PhD student ends up conducting all sorts of experiments, including maintenance of the device. (Although we have heard that this maintenance includes fixing the mistakes of the non-clumsy hands of certain professors.)

What happens when the doctoral student completes their Ph.D.?

Well, then it’s time to train someone new.

The problem is, due to tight budgets, finding someone to take care of the equipment can be a real challenge. In the worst-case scenario, the $500,000 device may end up unused. It is not unheard of that entire rooms in university basements are filled with functional equipment that nobody can operate.

A spooky sight: Decommissioned, fully functional devices without an operator.

We know this issue well. Actually, Bruker gets dozens of requests every year from fresh PhD students that require manuals, trainings, and advice to reinstate devices that were decommissioned because the Raman expertise simply left. So, if you are currently looking for a Raman microscope, don’t make the same mistake!

A SENTERRA II won’t end up in the “room of doomed devices.”

It will remain a reliable, easy to use workhorse throughout the years because it sets the entry barrier as low as possible.

Straightforward Raman microscopy

SENTERRA II’s key feature is automation. You can change a laser by a simple mouse-click without having to deal with filter and grating adjustments after the change. The same applies for calibration. Our patented SureCal technology continuously recalibrates the device and allows permanent sub-wavenumber precision.

But this is not where it stops.

The SENTERRA II is also about user safety – especially when beginners or students are involved. A class 1 laser housing and interlock always protects the user from any harmful laser radiation. Apart from this, the SENTERRA also allows you to automate your own workflows in minutes. This is especially handy when you have to analyze a large number of samples. Additionally, the SENTERRA II offers:

• Powerful analysis and identification tools
• Self-diagnosis and automated OQ/PQ
• Virtually maintenance-free operation
• Superb wavenumber precision
• Research-grade performance

The SENTERRA II Raman microscope.

The SENTERRA II provides powerful confocal Raman imaging and mapping functionality. Just like with the other features, imaging works without time-consuming selection of parameters. The combination of efficient data acquisition and a high-precision mapping stage result in submicron spatial resolution and fast generation of Raman images. Even high-resolution Raman images can be collected in seconds.

Imaging of a banded iron formation.

The SENTERRA II has a wide range of applications in pharmaceuticals research, material, environmental and geoscience, just to name a few.

Conclusion

The SENTERRA II provides spectroscopic performance and user friendliness in the class of compact Raman microscopes. It is designed to deliver excellent sensitivity combined with high resolution and state-of-the-art imaging performance. Permanent stability of the wavenumber axis guarantees precise and accurate results every time. Due to its high degree of automation, compact size and efficient workflow, the SENTERRA II is the ideal tool for a university setting in which multiple users with varying technical abilities want to receive fast, tangible data.