Grant: Engage Grants for universities

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful optical technique for measuring the composition of chemical mixtures. Each_x000D_ type of molecule has a unique colour "fingerprint" which appears when the chemical sample is illuminated by_x000D_ low-power laser light. Although highly precise, Raman analysis is often limited by the inherent faintness of the_x000D_ Raman signal._x000D_ Tornado Spectral Systems (Toronto, ON) has invented a new type of spectrometer (colour measurement_x000D_ device) which overcomes the faintness problem in many cases, but which is still unable to make quality_x000D_ measurements of various types of chemical mixtures. These limitations can be overcome by using specialized_x000D_ nanophotonic/nanoplasmonic optical amplification devices discovered at the University of Toronto. These_x000D_ optical amplifiers can concentrate and intensify light within the nanoscale domains of its surface and hence_x000D_ enhance the light-matter interaction in close proximity of these domains. Such optical amplifier devices can_x000D_ significantly boost the strength of the Raman fingerprint signal and hence enable accurate measurements of_x000D_ chemical concentrations even under the most difficult conditions._x000D_ The objective of this project is to experimentally demonstrate the viability of these novel nanoplasmonic_x000D_ devices for enhanced detection sensitivity and hence its integration in Tornado's Raman Spectrometer.