Developments in integrated laser technology and improvements in basic optics, shrinking electronics, and the personalization of computing power are converging in the modern spectroscopy workstation. In combination, these factors are broadening accessibility and cross-industry adoption. They enable smart, connected setups — combining hardware, software, and workflows — to deliver precise, application-specific results. Courtesy of Agilent Technologies. As systems have evolved, so has user experience. This transformation has been gradual yet steady. At its core is the spectroscopy workstation, which, in this context, refers to an integrated system comprising three key components: • Hardware: such as light sources, detectors, and optical elements tailored to specific spectroscopic techniques. • Sample handling accessories: including cuvettes, cryostats, and automated stages that ensure consistent and reliable measurements. • Software: which controls the instrumentation, processes data, and increasingly incorporates AI to interpret results and guide workflows. Spectroscopy, as a technology, spans numerous techniques and types of instrumentation. Molecular spectroscopy, for example, envelops a family of methods that are deployed to probe molecular behavior. Today’s users have the power to identify, measure, and analyze molecules across applications in the pharmaceutical, chemical, biomedical, materials science, and environmental sectors. Methods include time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), Raman, UV-VIS absorption, infrared (IR), and circular dichroism — each investigating a different property, such as vibrations, electronic transitions, chirality, or recombination dynamics. A shared foundation unites these methods: Excite the sample and analyze how it interacts with light — whether through emission, scattering, or absorption — using spectral discrimination techniques such as gratings, filters, or interferometers. Combining methods is essential for many applications. For example, users commonly turn to UV-VIS spectroscopy to determine absorption edges, Raman to analyze chemical bonds, and TRPL to probe excited-state dynamics. Each method targets a specific interaction, and each requires its own set of tools. Many spectroscopy setups once required bespoke construction, but turnkey systems are now available from a single supplier. Depending on complexity, these systems may occupy one or multiple optical tables. Courtesy of Light Conversion. Such specificity extends to the workstation. Modern workstations have evolved into specialized platforms optimized for particular methods and applications. What makes them powerful is not that they can accomplish everything, but that they integrate the right hardware, automation, and increasingly intelligent software into a workflow to deliver fast, reliable, and relevant results. “Today’s workstation is increasingly defined by workflow efficiency and user experience,” said David Death, senior optical engineer at Agilent Technologies, a provider of laboratory instrumentation. “The modern spectroscopy workstation is no longer just a collection of instruments — it is a connected, intelligent system designed to deliver faster, more accurate results across a broader range of applications.” Spectroscopy goes mobile UV-VIS, Fourier transform IR (FTIR), fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy share certain similarities that depend largely on their final application. Core differences arise from material properties and how each method handles them in samples. A technique that delivers transmission-type measurements will generally suffice for a liquid. Opaque solids require some kind of reflectance measurement. “The suitability of each method is largely dictated by the optical characteristics and physical nature of the sample,” said Greta Bucyte, product manager for spectroscopy systems at femtosecond laser developer and manufacturer Light Conversion. “Materials that are strongly absorbing in the UV-VIS-NIR range are well suited for transient absorption spectroscopy, whereas samples with distinct vibrational or rotational transitions may be more amenable to IR or Raman techniques.” The way in which measurements are accessed or expressed is another workstation consideration. If the information required is determined by a change in concentration of a known analyte, then a UV-VIS absorption measurement is likely to be the measurement of choice. In this case, concentration is determined by a change in transmitted intensity as a function of time or in response to a physical or chemical condition. Depending on the sensitivity of the measurement to the target molecule and the proximity of other competing absorbance features, the measurement may require a high degree of precision and accuracy. UV-VIS workstations rely on a quiet and stable light source, spectral discrimination to provide adequate selectivity, a simple and repeatable sample preparation and presentation method, and a suitable light detector with sufficient linear dynamic range for the measurement value range. Recent innovations in portable spectroscopic instrumentation are enabling users to move these setups off the laboratory bench and into the field for direct measurements. In a way, the workstation is coming, too, Death said. “We are already seeing a proliferation of smart mobile phone-based spectroscopy add-ons,” he said. “Smartphones are already half of a spectrophotometer in the sense that they provide a light source and an array detector. With the addition of some external spectral discrimination, sample presentation, and an app to perform the capture and data processing, you have the basis of a spectroscopy workstation.” Though such a system may not be a high-performance solution, Death said, it will still suffice to provide useful data where the requirements are not overly stringent or complex. Shimadzu Scientific Instruments’ IR/Raman microscopy system, AIRsight, demonstrates how the two optical systems for IR and Raman interact without interfering with each other. Courtesy of Shimadzu Scientific Instruments. Direct spectroscopic techniques also benefit from being self-contained. In most circumstances, external inputs such as gases or heavy electrical equipment are not needed to enable functionality. This quality makes these techniques suitable for field-based work in portable system form factors. “Depending on the type of measurement needed, the user may not need anything additional for the UV-VIS other than a cuvette, or FTIR with an [attenuated total reflectance] attachment,” said Gilbert Vial, molecular spectroscopy product manager at Shimadzu Scientific Instruments. “This differs from some other techniques that may need a constant gas flow through them, making it almost impossible to take them into the field.” Advancements in software and connectivity are also critical to portability. Connectivity that does not require physical connection means users can operate instruments remotely. The software is embedded in the instrumentation itself. “Software has kept pace with hardware by integrating automation, real-time feedback, and remote control,” Bucyte said. “Networked systems now allow off-site operation and monitoring. [Graphical user interface]-based platforms make complex measurements more accessible.” PicoQuant’s FluoTime 300 spectrometer, coupled with the FluoMic microscope, spotlights a modern system of connected, specialized tooling with smart software and optimized workflows, as opposed to universal machinery. Courtesy of PicoQuant. Connectivity enables integration into manufacturing lines for specialty chemicals, optical materials, and pharmaceuticals. This in turn enables instant data access to support timely process adjustments. It also reduces waste, and, ultimately, user effort. AI tackles FTIR data FTIR spectroscopy has long been at the forefront of molecular spectroscopy, particularly for analytical organic chemistry. Through the use of detailed libraries of molecular spectra, FTIR spectroscopy provides chemical identification and, with careful calibration, quantification of chemical makeup. The FTIR spectrometer differs considerably from the classical UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer. Notably, spectral discrimination is obtained via an interferometer rather than a classical spectrometer. Challenges to FTIR spectroscopic analysis include resolution and field of view. Since each pixel in the image serves as a channel for spectral data acquisition, large volumes of data must be sequentially processed, presented, analyzed, and visualized. Increasingly powerful AI is a boon here, supporting pattern recognition and library matching. Although AI does not “create” spectra from scratch, it can be deployed to help recognize sample or application issues. It can also help to provide information on how best to handle or circumvent those issues. “With FTIR, each molecule would have its own unique spectrum associated with it, so AI is being used to speed up the development of reference spectra for different molecules,” Vial said. “The ability to identify more molecules through these generated libraries can assist researchers and other industries to get the results they need, where before it may have taken a long time to eventually establish a reference spectrum for their compound(s) of interest.” Although AI does not change the general structure of the workstation, it is changing the outcome of the applications, according to Beniamino Barbieri, president of ISS Inc., a designer and developer of scientific instrumentation for research, clinical, and industrial applications. “For instance, AI is replacing the analysis of images of breast cancer biopsies — from a ‘human intervention’ we are moving to a ‘machine intervention,’” Barbieri said. Compact techniques The Raman spectrometer also accesses the IR region, but via a scattering approach. Photons of incident light interact at the molecular level, scattered with a characteristic change of energy. This is usually achieved using a monochromatic laser source and a compact spectrometer in combination with high-performance optical filters to separate the scattered spectrum from the intense laser source light. Similarly to Fourier transform, libraries of IR and Raman spectra are then used for chemical identification and quantification. Raman and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy are particularly well suited for a wide range of applications, including point-of-care diagnostics, mining, and environmental monitoring. The techniques are beneficial for their compactness and minimal sample preparation requirements. Now, ultrafast spectroscopy is bridging the gap in biomedical fields through techniques such as 2D-IR spectroscopy. This approach delivers measurements of large, information-rich data sets from a given molecular sample. 2D-IR spectroscopy has proved to be particularly effective for studying proteins. For example, researchers from the University of York, the University of Lancashire, and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust used 2D-IR spectroscopy to analyze blood serum samples from melanoma patients. Using samples sized at just 20 μL, the team classified samples according to diagnostically relevant categories to identify patients who were radiologically cancer-free at the point of testing, but who would eventually develop a metastatic disease within five years. According to Bucyte, such a result is promising for label-free diagnostics and biofluid fingerprinting. The 2D-IR-enabled result is especially encouraging when paired with data analytics, she said. Spectroscopy and microscopy Incorporating a microscope or other imaging system into a spectroscopy measurement opens two avenues to the user. There is the possibility to acquire image-based array data streams. Second, it becomes possible to collect data with extremely high spatial resolution. The challenge lies in balancing spatial and temporal resolution with spectral range and acquisition speed. There is a trade-off between high-resolution imaging and wide spectral scanning. “The design of the instrument needs to be set up so that neither of the two optical systems interfere with each other, and it is important to ensure that the different systems are correlated in a way that is easy for the user to understand,” Vial said. Different measurement techniques will usually have differing requirements when it comes to imaging. For example, photon correlation spectroscopies, including fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering require high spatial resolution. With fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, a confocal microscope provides this as a tight focus within a sample. Ensuring that the target sample coincides with the point in space is often the issue, particularly when the sample concentration is low. In TRPL spectroscopy, the spectroscopy element is typically incorporated into a microscope. This introduces a different range of technical challenges. The microscope acts as a spatially precise platform to deliver excitation light, collect emission, and scan the sample. Yet the heart of the system remains the time-resolved detection of fluorescence events. “The microscope’s optical path, designed for image clarity and mechanical stability, must also preserve the ultrafast timing precision required for TRPL, meaning every lens, mirror, fiber, and filter must be carefully selected to minimize dispersion and temporal distortion,” said Emilio Gutierrez-Partida, product manager of materials science, i.A., at PicoQuant GmbH. The company develops a range of photonic instruments and components, including systems for multiple types of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. “At the same time, all components involved, including pulsed lasers, detectors, scanner hardware, and acquisition electronics must be synchronized to a degree that supports picosecond-resolved measurements,” Gutierrez-Partida said. At the sample level, TRPL spectroscopy is both highly adaptable and mechanically demanding. In principle, TRPL can be performed on any photoluminescent material, from single fluorophores in solution to thin films, crystals, and biological tissues. This makes it far more flexible compared with Raman, which is sensitive to fluorescence background, or IR, which requires specific bonding vibrations and, in some cases, special substrates. However, this flexibility puts more pressure on the sample mounting system. In microscope-based configurations, stable positioning, mechanical isolation, and precise optical alignment are all especially critical. Evolution continues The extension of the wavelength range into the mid-IR and beyond — for example, into the terahertz range (30 μm to 3 mm) — has proved to be a critical driver in spectroscopy. The trend is expected to continue. In particular, quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are finding sustained application in identifying environmental microplastics via transreflection spectroscopy. For now, since terahertz spectroscopy demands highly specialized generation and detection components, it is less commonly used. “There is a whole other world of nonlinear analytical laser spectroscopy that will probably never see real-world application but can answer very specific questions in very specific areas of interest,” Death said. “And they are a lot of fun to set up and do.” Alongside progression in laser technology are advancements in optics that are increasingly available in high volumes and smaller form factors. Developments in microlens design, aspheric and freeform surfaces, plastic materials, and moldings are among the aspects where future spectroscopy workstations can contribute. Meanwhile, developments in image acquisition and the growing power of mobile computing abound. Automation, which helps to improve reproducibility and reduce human error in long-term and high-throughput experiments, is also surging. Plus, multisample automation is becoming a feature in many workstations, allowing users to load samples and run analyses in batches. This approach provides additional opportunities to include a standard or witness sample to maintain traceability of workstation performance and maintenance requirements. These measures boost productivity and can also free up skilled staff for higher-value tasks. “Importantly, the shrinking size and simplified operation of these systems have not come at the expense of measurement performance,” Bucyte said. “Many of the compact systems available today retain a high degree of sophistication, offering precise control over experimental parameters, excellent signal-to-noise ratios, and compatibility with advanced analysis tools.”