Raman spectroscopy is a technology using the laser light to identify the material components. It is based on the phenomenon ‘Raman effect’.
When the incident light hits the sample, most of light is scattered back as it is without the change of wavelengths, but there exists the change of wavelengths with very little portion of this scattered light. This wavelength shift is a unique property of the material depends on its molecular status. It is called as Raman effect or Raman shift after the name Sir C. V. Raman, an Indian Novel prize physicist who first found this phenomenon.
Raman spectrum is analyzed as a kind of fingerprint of materials, and it becomes one of most reliable identification technique. A lot of researches in many fields are still in progress. Especially, Raman spectroscopy becomes a promising solution for the detection of very low concentration targets with the help of signal amplification technique such as SERS(surface enhanced Raman scattering).
