Spectroscopy Equipment

A spectrometer is a device that measures a continuous, non-discrete physical characteristic by first separating it into a spectrum of its constituent components.

Like any analytical technique, spectrometers are subject to error, including dark noise, stray light, and spectral bandwidth.

Optical spectroscopy data can be processed faster and more consistently using programming tools such as Python. This is a step-by-step guide of how researchers process multiple spectra that were taken using the Ossila Optical Spectrometer. The code in this guide is designed for the Ossila Optical Spectrometer.

This article contains some advice from our researchers that should help you get started taking optical spectroscopy measurements of thin films.

To measure the fluorescence of a thin film, you will need an optical spectrometer, a fixed sample holder and a high energy light source (such as a UV laser or the Ossila UV light source). We also recommend using optical fiber cables between modular elements to reduce the attenuation of your signal.

The different types of spectroscopy can be categorized by either the application it is used for or by type of radiative energy employed. The application of spectroscopic methods in organic (carbon-based) chemistry and organic electronics is known as organic spectroscopy.

Photoluminescence occurs when electrons relax from photoexcited states radiatively. Emissions resulting from singlet-singlet transitions are known as fluorescence. However, there are a number of ways in which electrons in these excited states can relax non-radiatively.

Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence (TADF) is a mechanism by which triplet state electrons can be harvested to generate fluorescence.

Both fluorescence and phosphorescence are types of photoluminescence. The main empirical difference between fluorescence and phosphorescence is the time in between absorbance and the emission of photons.

Electroluminescence (EL) is the generation of light through the radiative recombination of holes and electrons which have been injected into the material from cathode and anode contacts. The charge carriers are injected into the material due to an applied bias over the cathode and anode. These cathode and anodes are orientated opposite each other.

An exciplex (or excited complex) is a complex formed between two different conjugated molecules (monomers), one of which is in an excited state.

Spectroelectrochemistry (SEC) is an experimental technique that combines electrochemistry and spectroscopy. While electrochemical experiments provide information on macroscopic properties like reaction rates, spectroscopic techniques give information on a molecular level, such as the structure of molecules and their electronic configuration.

Jablonski diagrams are the simplest way to the transitions between electronic and vibrational states. The representative energy levels are arranged with energy on the vertical axis and vary horizontally according to energy state multiplicity.

Optical spectrometers take light and separate it by wavelength to create a spectra which shows the relative intensity of each. This basic principle has a wide range of applications and uses.

Spectroscopy refers to a range of techniques which are used to study the interaction between a radiative energy and matter.