Bombarding the surface of a material with some particle or radiation may produce the emission of electromagnetic radiation. This emission can be in the wide spectral range from ultraviolet up to infrared. This general phenomenon is known as luminescence.

Raman Spectroscopy is a non-destructive chemical analysis technique which provides detailed information about chemical structure, phase and polymorphy, crystallinity and molecular interactions. It is based upon the interaction of light with the chemical bonds within a material.

Raman and AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) analysis can be combined on a single microscope system, opening interesting new capabilities and providing enhanced information on sample composition and structure by collecting physical and chemical information on the same sample area. Co-localized AFM/Raman measurement is the sequential or simultaneous acquisition of overlapped SPM (Scanning Probe Microscope) and Raman maps with pixel-to-pixel correspondence in the images.

The term fluorescence refers to one type of luminescence. Luminescence, broadly defined, is light emission from a molecule. There are several types of luminescence.

There are several names given to wavelengths below the Ultra Violet. However, because of the absorption of the air down to few nanometers, and the need to evacuate any part of the environmental experiment, this spectral range is called Vacuum Ultra Violet (VUV).