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Tau Optics engineers SpectraMini — the world's most compact high-resolution Raman spectrometer. Ten times smaller. Sixty times more light throughput. A fraction of the cost of existing solutions.
Broadband Raman signal enters directly through the r-CBG facet. No input slit, no lens — all available light is collected from the sample.
The Bragg grating inscribed at 45° reflects each wavelength at a different position along the element, spatially encoding the full spectrum inside the glass with no free-space propagation.
Dispersed wavelengths exit orthogonally onto an abutted CCD array. No mirrors, no lenses — the complete Raman spectrum is captured in a single simultaneous snapshot.
The reconstructed spectrum streams live to any smartphone via Bluetooth. No dedicated hardware, no cabling — lab-grade Raman data anywhere in the field.
Conventional Raman spectrometers require a lens, a narrow input slit, a diffraction grating, and a detector — all precisely aligned across a large free-space optical path. Any displacement detuned the instrument; any miniaturization sacrifices resolution.
Tau Optics replaces this architecture entirely with a rotated chirped Bragg grating (r-CBG) — a photosensitive glass element in which the Bragg structure is inscribed at 45° to its facets. Light enters one face; each wavelength is reflected at a different position along the grating and exits orthogonally, directly onto a CCD array. No free space. No lens. No moving parts. All components are abutted and fixed — making the device shock-resistant and self-calibrating.
Because performance is governed by the r-CBG's internal parameters — refractive-index contrast and chirp rate — rather than physical dimensions, resolution does not degrade with miniaturization. The grating element itself measures just 3 × 6 × 25 mm — the entire spectrometer module fits within ~5 cm².
The grating element is fabricated in photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass — a silicate substrate doped with silver and cerium — via holographic recording with UV beams and a single thermal bake. The resulting element is stable to temperatures approaching 400 °C and immune to IR, visible, and UV radiation, making it suitable for harsh industrial and field environments. Diffraction efficiency reaches up to 95%.
The r-CBG platform supports wavelengths from 400 nm to 2.5 μm in a single compact form factor. An advanced dual-band variant, the X-CBG, multiplexes two independent spectral channels into one element — enabling simultaneous coverage of, for example, visible and near-infrared bands without increasing device footprint. Cascaded r-CBG configurations further enable compact ultrafast laser pulse shaping — demonstrated with 100 fs input pulses — and space-time wave packet synthesis in a total volume under 25 × 25 × 8 mm³, pointing to a broader precision photonics platform beyond Raman spectroscopy.
■ PatentedEach Raman wavelength exits the r-CBG at a different spatial position, directly onto the CCD — no lenses, no slits, no moving parts.
Every molecule has a unique Raman fingerprint — a pattern of peaks at specific wavenumbers determined by its bond vibrations. Select a target material to see its characteristic spectrum as SpectraMini resolves it.
Simulated Raman fingerprint spectra — representative peak positions for illustrative purposes. Actual spectra depend on sample and acquisition parameters.
Representative comparison vs. portable instruments (Ocean Insight, B&WTek) and benchtop systems (Renishaw, Horiba). SpectraMini target cost reflects projected volume-production pricing.
Filter by industry or click any card to preview its Raman spectral fingerprint.
A self-service, connected Raman station for non-destructive fentanyl screening — no consumables, no sample preparation. Detects a lethal dose through a whole tablet, deployable at schools, venues, and harm reduction programs.
Raman spectroscopy at smartwatch scale enables non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring — a long-term platform opportunity where no FDA-approved needle-less solution currently exists.
Inline Raman verification of active ingredient concentrations across the pharmaceutical supply chain — confirming composition and detecting counterfeits at point of production.
Rapid, in-situ spectral analysis of nutritional content, adulteration, and ripeness markers — without sample preparation or laboratory infrastructure.
Handheld and embedded sensors for field quantification of atmospheric pollutants and contaminants in air and water — where lab-grade Raman precision was previously inaccessible.
Compact spectroscopic modules for real-time production quality control — from color consistency in textiles and paints to material identification in manufacturing environments.
SpectraMini captures the unique Raman spectrum of any substance — a molecular fingerprint that identifies composition, detects adulterants, and quantifies concentration. Select a material below.
Simulated spectra for illustration. Peak positions are representative of published 785 nm Raman literature. SpectraMini achieves ~0.1 nm spectral resolution — approximately 2 cm⁻¹ in the NIR.
Tau Optics is a spinout from the University of Central Florida's College of Optics & Photonics (CREOL) — one of the world's foremost institutions for photonics research. Founded in 2024, the company commercializes the rotated chirped Bragg grating (r-CBG), co-invented at UCF and exclusively licensed to Tau Optics.
Tau Optics completed the NSF I-Corps program, conducting over 100 customer discovery interviews across multiple market segments to validate the commercial potential of the SpectraMini platform.
Tau Optics is backed by NSF STTR Phase I and is an active member of the UCF Business Incubation Program. Core R&D is conducted in partnership with Prof. Ivan Divliansky's holographic optics laboratory at UCF — a world-leading center for volume Bragg grating fabrication — and in collaboration with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Utah.
Fentanyl contamination in street drugs drives urgent demand for low-cost, non-destructive handheld screening — a self-service Raman station deployable at schools, venues, and harm reduction programs with no existing FDA-approved needle-free solution.
Continuous glucose monitoring is the fastest-growing diabetes care segment. SpectraMini's miniaturization path to smartwatch scale opens the door to the first wearable, needle-free Raman glucose monitor — a category with no current approved product.
Regulatory pressure under FDA PAT guidance drives inline spectroscopic verification across API manufacturing and drug supply chains. SpectraMini's cost and size advantage makes real-time Raman QA economically viable at every point of production.
Industrial process control, field material ID, food authentication — all underserved by instruments that cost $10–50k and weigh several kilograms. SpectraMini's 10× size reduction and order-of-magnitude cost advantage unlocks entirely new deployment categories.
Conventional Raman spectrometers require a narrow input slit to spatially define the entrance aperture — this slit rejects the vast majority of collected light before it reaches the grating. The r-CBG eliminates the slit entirely. Its 45° grating inscription angle means each wavelength diffracts to a uniquely different spatial position along the element's length, mapping directly onto a CCD array with no intermediate optics. Every photon counts. This slitless architecture is the primary reason SpectraMini achieves 60× the light throughput of slit-based portable instruments at equivalent spectral resolution.
The r-CBG platform supports wavelengths from 400 nm to 2.5 μm in a single compact element. The first SpectraMini product targets 785 nm excitation Raman — the most widely used wavelength for biological, pharmaceutical, and narcotics identification — with a spectral resolution of approximately 0.1 nm in the NIR. A dual-band variant called the X-CBG multiplexes two independent spectral channels into one element, enabling simultaneous visible and near-infrared coverage without increasing device footprint.
SpectraMini includes integrated Bluetooth connectivity, streaming processed Raman spectra directly to a companion smartphone application in real-time. No dedicated laptop, docking station, or proprietary interface hardware is required for data acquisition or visualization. This wireless architecture is a key enabler for field deployment scenarios — including handheld fentanyl screening, point-of-care diagnostics, and wearable continuous glucose monitoring.
The r-CBG grating is fabricated in photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass — a silver- and cerium-doped silicate substrate. The grating structure is holographically inscribed with UV laser beams and thermally fixed in a single bake, producing an element stable to approximately 400 °C and immune to UV, visible, and IR radiation damage. The monolithic design — all components abutted and fixed, with no free-space optical path — makes the assembly inherently shock-resistant and self-calibrating. This robustness is what enables SpectraMini's deployment in industrial process control and outdoor field environments.
Tau Optics is currently in the prototype development phase, funded by NSF STTR Phase I. We are actively engaging potential customers and pilot program partners — particularly in harm reduction and public health for fentanyl detection. If you represent an organization interested in early access, a pilot deployment, or technology evaluation, please reach out via the contact form below. We aim to respond within two business days.
The r-CBG concept was invented and first experimentally demonstrated at the University of Central Florida's CREOL — the College of Optics & Photonics — and peer-reviewed in Optics Letters (2023). Tau Optics holds an exclusive license to the r-CBG patents from UCF, and was founded in 2024 as a UCF spinout. Active fabrication and R&D continues in Prof. Ivan Divliansky's holographic optics laboratory at UCF, with characterization work conducted in collaboration with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Utah and at MIT.
We welcome inquiries from potential partners, customers, investors, and pilot program participants. Whether you are exploring a specific application, seeking to deploy SpectraMini, or interested in technology licensing — reach out.