Improving the frame rates of Raman image sequences recorded with integral field spectroscopy using windowing and binning methods

Astrophysicists use Integral Field Spectroscopy to record spectrally resolved images of faint galaxies. Transferred to imaging Raman spectroscopy, this technique significantly accelerates the capture of Raman images as the simultaneous acquisition of multiple spectra makes scanning procedures obsolete. Furthermore, sequentially collected Raman images result in image sequences thus allowing to monitor Raman features in the spatial dimension over time. However, long readout times of the required large‐area charge coupled device detectors slow down the acquisition rate. Here we report how the acquisition frequency of Raman images can be enhanced with on‐chip windowing and binning readout. The potential of this approach is demonstrated with Raman image sequences of polystyrene beads in motion in a micro‐fluid environment. By using Integral Field Raman Spectrosocopy, a Raman image can be rapidly captured in only one exposure leading to a powerful technique for generating time‐lapse Raman images. However, long readout times required for large area charge coupled device detectors heavily limit the cadence of acquisition. We report how the acquisition frequency of Raman images is improved with on‐chip windowing and binning readout. The potential of this approach is demonstrated with Raman image sequences of polystyrene beads in motion in a micro‐fluid environment.