Evaluation of a dispersive Raman spectrometer with a Ge array detector and a 1064Â nm laser for the study of explosives

We report on the coupling of an NIR laser operating at 1064 nm with a dispersive Raman spectrometer using a germanium array detector to measure the Stokes-shifted Raman spectra of explosives. By using a Ge array detector, spectral features from 250 to 1800 cm−1 could clearly be observed for the majority of compounds studied. Spectra were routinely obtained with 1-2 min of data collection. The utility of this instrument is compared to other previous identified instrumental approaches, with particular regard to fieldability of a Raman-based explosive analyzer.