Performing high-speed Raman imaging with a customized OptiScan motorized stage

10.09.25

Since its founding in 1958, JASCO Corporation has developed and manufactured optical analytical instruments while also providing analytical services to customers worldwide. For many years, JASCO’s Raman microscopes have used motorized stages from Prior Scientific because of the high performance of Prior stages and the outstanding customer support. 

In this article, Takeo Soejima from the Raman Systems Department at JASCO explains how Prior Scientific’s motorized stages enhance JASCO’s Raman spectrophotometers: 

"Raman spectroscopy provides spectra containing molecular and crystal vibration information, making it useful for qualitative analysis and material property evaluation. Raman microscopy enables area analysis with sub-micron spatial resolution by acquiring spectra from different measurement points."

Above: Figure 1 – JASCO’s NRS-4500 Raman spectrometer, equipped with OptiScan 

“Our flagship Raman microscope, the NRS-4500, is a compact, versatile system capable of high-speed imaging (Figure 1). Due to its small size, the OptiScan stage was an ideal fit, but the standard model had limitations for Raman microscopy. After consulting with Prior, they upgraded the stage resolution and added a trigger output function—previously only available in higher-end models—creating a custom OEM specification for us. This reduced the imaging time for tens of thousands of measurement points from 8 hours to 30 times faster, significantly improving efficiency (Figure 2)."

Above: Figure 2 – High-speed Raman imaging of a tablet. Excitation wavelength: 785 nm, Measurement points: 32,000, Measurement time: ~16 minutes. Images show 10 mm commercial tablet (left) and color-coded component map (Red: Acetaminophen, Green: Ethenzamide, Blue: Caffeine) (right).

“Prior offers a diverse lineup of automatic stages, such as large stages for observing and measuring the entire surface of an 8-inch semiconductor wafer. We select the appropriate stage based on the application. Prior does not simply sell off-the-shelf products but provides innovative proposals and new feature development tailored to our customers' circumstances and objectives. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Prior Scientific in the future.”

Talk to us about your application 

We understand that an off-the-shelf product isn’t completely suitable for many OEM projects. That’s why we specialize in working with our clients to develop custom components for their demanding positioning and motion control applications and have the capacity to supply high volumes of components reliably and quickly.  

Contact us to discuss your application today.