Laser direct infrared imaging explained

Laser direct infrared imaging (LDIR) is an infrared microscopy architecture that utilizes a tunable Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) as the IR source.^[1] This new reflectance-based architecture eliminates coherence artifacts typically associated with QCLs. It also allows the acquisition of large-area, high-definition IR images as well as high signal-to-noise point spectra. Extending this architecture using Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) allows the acquisition of high fidelity spectra from features less than 10 μm in size.^[2]

The application of LDIR to stain-free biochemical imaging has recently been reported,^[3] with the authors citing the speed of LDIR imaging as an advantage over traditional IR imaging architectures.

Notes and References

1. Hoke, C.. Beregovski, Y.. Ghetler, A.. Han, Y.. Moon, C.. Tella, R.. 2015. Laser Direct IR Imaging - A New Paradigm for Mid-IR Spectroscopic Imaging. . Proceedings of SciX 2015 (FACSS XLII), Providence, Rhode Island, 569. PDF.
2. Hoke, C.. Beregovski, Y.. Ghetler, A.. Han, Y.. Moon, C.. Tella, R.. Zhang, Z.. 2016. Advances in Laser Direct IR Imaging . Proceedings of SciX 2016, Minneapolis, Minnseota, 16IR07 .
3. Tiwari, S.. Raman, J.. Reddy, V.. Ghetler, A.. Tella, R.. Han, Y.. Moon, C.. Hoke, C.. Bhargava, R.. 2016. Towards Translation of Discrete Frequency Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging for Digital Histopathology of Clinical Biopsy Samples.. Analytical Chemistry. 88. 20. 10183–10190. 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b02754. 27626947.