Hi,
I don't know how this is meant to work.
Just from my little knowledge about optics:
When you place the lens in 8mm distance to the sample..
* you get a very narrow point of light at the sample (is this what you want)
(A narrow spot may increase error caused by unequal absorbance)
* the glass with it's thickness will diffract non centererd beams
* the sensor area is rather small, just 400x370um... maybe it just gets a very small signal so that you get a bad signal to noise ratio. Maybe a secind lens could improve on this ... or less distance, or increased LED brightness.
I recommend to find out the real reason for the problem. Do some tests:
* do a couple of tests without moving anything. This tells you the precision of the sysrem at all (repeatability). If there is a big difference in the results, then it's likely a "signal to noise" problem.
* If the results are rather stable, then do a coupke of tests but move the probe a little each time. This tells wheter the probe is equal over the area.
If the results are unstable, then you need to get a bigger area of light in the probe or a lens between probe and sensor.
Klaus