The collection of high-dimensional hyperspectral data is often the slowest step in the process of hyperspectral Raman imaging. With the conventional array-based Raman spectroscopy acquiring of chemical images could take hours to even days. To increase the Raman collection speeds, a number of compressive detection (CD) strategies, which simultaneously sense and compress the spectral signal, have recently been demonstrated. As opposed to conventional hyperspectral imaging, where full spectra are measured prior to post-processing and imaging CD increases the speed of data collection by making measurements in a low-dimensional space containing only the information of interest, thus enabling real-time imaging. The use of single channel detectors gives the key advantage to CD strategy using optical filter functions to obtain component intensities. In other words, the filter functions are simply the optimized patterns of wavelength combinations characteristic of component in the sample, and the intensity transmitted through each filter represents a direct measure of the associated score values. Essentially, compressive hyperspectral images consist of 'score' pixels (instead of 'spectral' pixels). This paper presents an overview of recent advances in compressive Raman detection designs and performance validations using a DMD based binary detection strategy.
Keywords: Chemometrics; Raman spectroscopy; chemical imaging; compressive detection; digital light processor (DLP); digital micromirror device (DMD); multivariate data analysis; optimal binary filters; spatial light modulators (SLM).