Infrared (IR) Micro-Spectroscopy is a quantitative analytical and non-destructive technique which has undergone a renaissance since Synchrotron Radiation (SR) has been used as a highly brilliant source. In fact, the SR microprobe allows for the highest spatial resolution optically attainable, together with the high molecular sensitivity typical of IR absorption spectroscopy. In addition, SR has a high degree of optical polarization and benefits from an intrinsic pulse structure, useful for specific experimental studies.
The IR radiation from Diamond available at the MIRIAM beamline spans the largest IRspectral range – extending from the near-IR up to the far-IR (or THz) region - and is 100-1000 times brighter in the mid-far-IR than any other conventional broadband IR source. The recent optimization of the Coherent Synchrotron Radiation has expanded the MIRIAM experimental capability for absorption spectroscopy specifically in the “THz gap” domain.
Fourier Transform IR (FTIR) spectromicroscopy is an extremely effective probe for revealing IR-active vibrational modes of molecular components at the microscopic scale. Using the high brightness SR from Diamond, the MIRIAM beamline provides FTIR spectromicroscopy with a signal-to-noise ratio unreachable by other broadband sources at diffraction limited spatial resolution in confocal geometry (as fine as 3x3 to 15x15 µm2 for e.g. scanning IR microscopy) in the IR fingerprint region. The latest upgrade to the MIRIAM beamline is the coupling of the Focal Plane Array (FPA) detector with the SRIR, which is now available for IR imaging in full field mode.