Raman Spectroscopy Instruments Australia — HORIBA Systems Supplied by Quark Photonics
Quark Photonics is the authorised Australian and New Zealand distributor for HORIBA Scientific Raman spectroscopy systems — the world’s leading range of confocal Raman microscopes, benchtop Raman spectrometers, AFM-Raman systems, and process Raman instruments. If you are looking for Raman spectroscopy instruments in Australia, our PhD-qualified team can help you select, configure and support the right system for your application.
What Is Raman Spectroscopy?
Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive chemical analysis technique that provides detailed information about molecular structure, chemical identity, crystallinity, phase and polymorphism, and intrinsic stress or strain within a material. It works by illuminating a sample with a focused laser beam and analysing the small fraction of light that scatters at shifted wavelengths — the Raman scatter — which acts as a unique molecular fingerprint for the material under investigation.
Because Raman is non-destructive and requires no sample preparation in most cases, it is used across an exceptionally wide range of fields: from fundamental research in chemistry and materials science, through to quality control in pharmaceutical manufacturing, semiconductor process monitoring, and field geology. Samples can be solids, powders, liquids, gels, slurries or gases, and the technique works equally well on inorganic, organic and biological materials.
What Information Does Raman Spectroscopy Provide?
Each Raman spectrum contains a set of peaks corresponding to specific molecular bond vibrations — individual bonds such as C–C, C=C and C–H, as well as collective vibrations such as benzene ring modes and polymer chain modes. From a Raman spectrum you can determine:
- Chemical identity — match the spectrum against extensive Raman spectral libraries for rapid material identification
- Phase and polymorphism — distinguish between crystalline forms of the same compound, critical in pharmaceutical development
- Crystallinity and disorder — assess the degree of order in carbon materials, polymers and semiconductors
- Intrinsic stress and strain — measure residual stress in semiconductor wafers, thin films and coatings through peak shift analysis
- Quantitative composition — peak intensity is directly proportional to concentration, enabling quantitative analysis of mixtures
When a Raman spectrometer is coupled to a microscope with a motorised mapping stage, it becomes possible to generate spatially resolved chemical images showing the distribution of individual components, phases and crystallinity across a sample surface — or even through the depth of a transparent sample using confocal optics.
The HORIBA Raman Product Range
HORIBA Scientific has more than 50 years of innovation in Raman spectroscopy, incorporating the pioneering work of Jobin Yvon, Spex Industries and Dilor — the companies that developed the first commercial Raman microscopes in the 1970s. Quark Photonics supplies the full HORIBA Raman line-up for Australian and New Zealand customers.
LabRAM Soleil — Automated Raman Imaging Microscope The LabRAM Soleil is HORIBA’s flagship confocal Raman microscope, combining automated sample mapping, multiple laser lines, and ultrafast Raman imaging in a single, integrated platform. It is designed for researchers who need to acquire large-area chemical images quickly and reproducibly, with the flexibility to adapt to changing application requirements.
LabRAM Odyssey — Confocal Raman and High-Resolution Spectrometer The LabRAM Odyssey is HORIBA’s premium research-grade system, offering the highest spectral resolution in the range and the ability to combine Raman with photoluminescence (PL) measurements on a single bench. It is widely used in semiconductor research, advanced materials characterisation, and any application requiring the resolution of closely spaced spectral features.
XploRA PLUS — Confocal Raman Microscope The XploRA PLUS is a compact, fully integrated confocal Raman microscope that offers research-grade performance in a smaller footprint. It is well suited to university teaching laboratories, routine materials identification, and pharmaceutical quality control, while remaining configurable for more demanding research applications.
MacroRAM — Benchtop Raman Spectrometer The MacroRAM is an affordable, easy-to-use benchtop Raman system for bulk sample analysis without a microscope. It is particularly well suited to incoming material QC, library-based identification of raw materials, and any application where fast, non-destructive screening of powders or solids is required.
LabRAM Soleil Nano / XploRA Nano / LabRAM Odyssey Nano — AFM-Raman Systems HORIBA’s AFM-Raman systems combine a Raman microscope with an atomic force microscope (AFM) on the same platform, enabling simultaneous chemical and topographical analysis at the nanoscale. Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) can further extend spatial resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit to nanometre-scale analysis — essential for characterising 2D materials, nanoparticles and nanoscale devices.
Modular and Process Raman Systems For integration into custom optical setups or industrial process environments, HORIBA offers fibre-coupled modular Raman systems and dedicated process Raman spectrometers designed for in-line or at-line monitoring in demanding environments.
Raman Spectroscopy Applications
Raman spectroscopy is used across a broad range of disciplines in Australia and New Zealand. Key application areas include:
Minerals and Geology Raman is a primary technique for mineral identification and phase mapping, characterisation of fluid inclusions in minerals, and analysis of gemstones and archaeological materials. The non-destructive nature of the technique is particularly valued for rare or irreplaceable samples.
Battery and Energy Materials Raman microscopy is extensively used to characterise electrode materials in lithium-ion and next-generation batteries — assessing carbon structure (the D and G bands), identifying SEI layer chemistry, and monitoring structural changes during charge-discharge cycling. HORIBA offers dedicated battery research workflows on the LabRAM platform.
Pharmaceuticals Raman spectroscopy provides non-destructive characterisation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), polymorphic forms, coating uniformity, and content distribution within tablet dosage forms. It is increasingly used in process analytical technology (PAT) frameworks for real-time manufacturing monitoring.
Semiconductors and Advanced Materials Raman is a standard characterisation tool in semiconductor research and manufacturing for strain analysis in silicon and SiC, alloy composition in III-V materials, characterisation of 2D materials including graphene and MoS₂, and detection of defects and contamination. HORIBA’s LabRAM Odyssey Semiconductor is specifically configured for large wafer handling and automated mapping.
Carbon Materials The D and G bands in the Raman spectrum of carbon materials are sensitive indicators of structural order, defect density and sp²/sp³ ratio, making Raman indispensable for quality control of graphene, carbon nanotubes, diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings and battery electrode carbons.
Polymers and Plastics Raman spectroscopy identifies polymer type and grade, monitors polymerisation reactions, assesses crystallinity, and is the reference technique for microplastics identification and quantification in food, water and environmental samples.
Life Sciences and Biomedical Raman microscopy can analyse single cells and tissue sections, map drug distribution in biological matrices, and detect disease-related chemical changes — all without staining or fixation.
Confocal Raman Microscopy: Spatial and Depth Resolution
A key advantage of confocal Raman microscopy is its ability to restrict the analysis volume to a defined, micron-scale region of the sample — both laterally and in depth. Lateral spatial resolution is typically in the order of 0.5–1 µm, while depth resolution allows non-destructive depth profiling through transparent materials such as polymer coatings, glass, and minerals without physical sectioning.
Motorised mapping stages combined with automated data acquisition allow thousands of Raman spectra to be collected from different positions on a sample, generating false-colour chemical images that reveal the spatial distribution of chemical species, phases and crystallinity. These Raman maps are analysed using HORIBA’s LabSpec 6 software, which includes full multivariate analysis (MVA) and chemometrics capability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Raman spectrometer and a Raman microscope? A Raman spectrometer is the core measurement instrument — it disperses the Raman-scattered light onto a detector to produce a spectrum. A Raman microscope integrates the spectrometer with an optical microscope, enabling the laser to be focused to a micron-scale spot on a sample and providing spatial resolution for imaging applications. Most modern laboratory Raman instruments are Raman microscopes; standalone spectrometers (without a microscope) are more commonly used for bulk analysis or process applications.
What laser wavelengths are used in Raman spectroscopy? Common excitation wavelengths are 532 nm (green), 633 nm (red), 785 nm (near-infrared) and 1064 nm (near-infrared). The choice of laser wavelength depends on the sample: shorter wavelengths give stronger Raman signal but may cause fluorescence in organic samples; longer wavelengths reduce fluorescence but result in weaker scattering. HORIBA Raman systems support multiple laser lines on a single instrument, allowing the user to switch wavelengths to optimise for their sample.
What is TERS (Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering)? TERS is a technique that combines a Raman microscope with an atomic force microscope tip positioned in the laser focus. The metallic tip acts as a nano-antenna, dramatically enhancing the Raman signal from the nanometre-scale volume immediately beneath it. This allows chemical analysis with spatial resolution far beyond the optical diffraction limit — down to a few nanometres — enabling characterisation of individual nanostructures, 2D material edges and molecular-scale features.
Can Raman spectroscopy be used for quantitative analysis? Yes. The intensity of a Raman peak is directly proportional to the concentration of the corresponding species. With appropriate calibration, Raman can be used for quantitative determination of component concentrations in mixtures. Chemometric methods such as partial least squares (PLS) regression are often used to build robust quantitative models for complex matrices.
How does Raman compare to FTIR spectroscopy? Both techniques probe molecular vibrations and are complementary. Raman is particularly well suited to inorganic materials, aqueous solutions, and samples that cannot be easily prepared as thin films or pellets; it also provides much better spatial resolution via microscopy. FTIR is often preferred for functional group identification in organic compounds and for certain low-frequency vibrations. Many laboratories use both techniques together. Quark Photonics can advise on which technique — or combination — is most appropriate for your specific application.
Do you provide local installation and support in Australia and New Zealand? Yes. Quark Photonics provides full installation, commissioning, application training and ongoing technical support from our Australian team. We work directly with HORIBA Scientific to ensure that our customers have access to the full depth of HORIBA’s application expertise combined with the responsiveness of a local team.
Talk to Our Raman Spectroscopy Team
Our team has extensive hands-on experience with Raman spectroscopy across materials science, geology, pharmaceuticals, battery research and semiconductor applications. We can advise on the right HORIBA system for your research or industrial needs, arrange demonstrations, and provide application-specific guidance on measurement approaches and data analysis.
Phone: 0419 240 146 Email: anthony@quarkphotonics.com.au Enquiry form: Contact us
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