Does the IR light source come from conventional FTIR ( interferometer)?
No, the IR source is based on a proprietary tunable laser technology. Spatial Resolution Q: Please comment on nanoIR vs FTIR (even ATR) vs Raman spatial resolution. The spatial resolution of nanoIR is sample dependent. The best resolution we have seen is of order 100 nm, and we usually see resolution on the sub-micron scale. FTIR has a fundamental limit of twice the wavelength i.e. 2l, with a practical rule of thumb resolution limit around 3l. For the wavelength range of the nanoIR instrument, 3-10 mm, the FTIR would then have a practical resolution limit around 10-30 mm. For ATR, the fundamental resolution limit is around l/2, with a practical limit ranging from 3-10 mm depending on wavelength. Confocal Raman microscopy can be applied to some samples on the submicron scale, although fluorescence and photon migration can limit some applications and practical spatial resolution. See for example Neil Everall, Pavel Matousek, Neil MacLeod, Kate L. Ronayne, and Ian P. Clark, Applied Spectr
