Rayleigh rejection filters for 193-nm ArF laser Raman spectroscopy

Selected organic absorbers and their solvents are evaluated as spectral filters for the rejection of 193-nm Rayleigh light associated with the use of an ArF excimer laser for Raman spectroscopy. A simply constructed filter cell filled with 0.5% acetone in water and an optical path of 7 mm is shown effectively to eliminate stray Rayleigh light underlying the Raman spectrum from air while transmitting 60% of the Raman light scattered by O(2).