Pulsed Green Laser for Time Resolved Raman Spectroscopy

This SBIR Phase I effort will demonstrate the feasibility of developing a fully packaged, efficient, short pulse, high repetition rate frequency doubled micro-chip laser for use in NASA-JPL's Time Resolved Raman Spectrometer (TRRS) to analyze elemental and mineral compositions in remote planetary environments. Time Resolved Raman Spectroscopy can identify mineral content in natural geological context with enhanced discrimination from impurity-based interfering fluorescence making it a leading candidate for in situ exploration of planetary bodies. The combination of a high repetition rate, short pulse width laser with commercially available single photon avalanche detector (SPAD) arrays will enable the development of a robust, compact, electrically efficient TRRS instrument that is well suited for space-based use.