Abstract: A spot of a sample is illuminated by laser light. Raman scattered light is collimated in a parallel beam by a microscope objective, and analyzed by a dispersive or non-dispersive analyzer (such as a diffraction grating or filter). A lens then focuses the Raman scattered light onto a two-dimensional photodetector array in the form of a charge-coupled device (CCD). A confocal technique is described to eliminate light scattered from outside the focal plane of the objective. This may be done by binning together a few pixels of the CCD at the focal point of the lens, or by image processing techniques in a computer.