Abstract:
A spectrophotometer including: a) a light source switching mechanism for switching a plurality of light sources by swinging a light source mirror; b) a filter selecting mechanism; c) a diffraction grating rotating mechanism; and d) a controller for determining the operation origins of the three driving mechanisms using a rough origin sensor provided for the diffraction grating rotating mechanism and a photometer. The operation of the controller is to: i) determine an origin of the movement of the filter by making an end of the filter frame to touch a stopper; ii) determine a rough origin of the diffraction grating using the rough origin sensor; and iii) determine an origin of the movement of the light source mirror and a precise origin of the movement of the diffraction grating by detecting the position at which the photometer detects the maximum intensity of light.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a measurement system of real-time spatially-resolved spectrum and time-resolved spectrum and a measurement module thereof. The measurement system includes an excitation light and a measurement module. The excitation light excites a fluorescent sample and the measurement module receives and analyzes fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent sample. The measurement module includes a single-photon linear scanner and a linear CCD spectrometer. The single-photon linear scanner selectively intercepts a light beam component of a multi-wavelength light beam that has a predetermined wavelength to generate a single-wavelength time-resolved signal, wherein the multi-wavelength light beam is generated by splitting the fluorescence. The linear CCD spectrometer receives the multi-wavelength light beam and generates a spatially-resolved full-spectrum fluorescence signal. With the implementation of the present invention, the spatially-resolved full-spectrum fluorescence signal and the single-wavelength time-resolved signal can be observed at the same time. Thus, the facility of a fluorescence spectrometer is improved.
Abstract:
Iterative compensation of drift of peak positions of spectral lines is effected in a spectral monochromator including a grating, a detector of spectral fractions of a spectral band, a stepper motor for varying relative orientation of the grating and the detector, and a computer. Computer-defined spectral windows each encopasses a spectral band and has an initial spectral center. Each window is scanned to determine a peak spectral position. Calculation is made for determining a spectral position error of the peak position from the initial center for each corresponding window. A functional average of the offsets for the peaks is calculated as a linear function of window position, and a revised spectral center for each window is calculated as being equal to the initial center plus the functional average for the window position determined from the linear function. Each window is shifted correspondingly. The step of successively scanning through each window is repeated to determine a new peak position for each corresponding band, whereby each new peak position is maintained near the spectral center of each corresponding window.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for determining the characteristics of materials, particularly of semi-conductors, semi-conductor heterostructures and semi-conductor interfaces by the use of photoreflectance, in which monochromatic light and an acousto-optically modulated light beam reflected from the sample is detected to produce a d.c. signal and an a.c. signal, whereby the d.c. signal is applied to one input of a computer and the a.c. signal is used with another input of the computer which controls the light intensity of the monochromatic light impinging on the sample to maintain the d.c. signal substantially constant. The modulation frequency of the modulated pump beam and/or the wavelength of the monochromatic light can also be varied by the computer. Information about trap times can be obtained by determining the dependence of the in-phase signal on the pump modulating frequency, respectively.
Abstract:
In its preferred embodiment, a scanning monochromator uses a pulse-driven micro-stepping motor to drive a spectral-dispersion element via a reduction-gear harmonic drive. The motor is directly coupled to the input hub of the reduction-gear drive, and the output hub of the reduction-gear drive directly supports the spectral-dispersion element. By selecting a motor with a great number of steps per revolution, and a harmonic drive with a great reduction ratio, a resolution of 5 million pulsed steps is available, per single rotation of the output hub of the reduction-gear drive. This translates into more than 600,000 incremental angular-displacement steps over a usable 45.degree. range of dispersion-element rotation.
Abstract:
A holographic grating spectrophotometer for detecting ozone and sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere is described which provides automatic calibration and which provides automatic linearity correction for the photomultiplier tube. Automatic calibration is provided by using a computer to control a stepper motor to move the grating so that the photomultiplier tube receives maximum intensity at the calibration wavelength of 302.1 nm from a mercury source. Automatic linearity correction is obtained by cycling a wavelength selection mask across exit slits located in the focal plane of the device and firstly combines separately taken counts of two different wavelengths and comparing this sum with the sum of counts of these wavelengths taken simultaneously. The difference is used to calculate photomultiplier tube deadtime and improve accuracy of the results. In a preferred embodiment five wavelengths are used to calculate ozone and sulphur dioxide levels, and a stepper motor driving a cylindrical wavelength selection mask permits exit slits to be exposed to predetermined wavelengths one at a time.
Abstract:
A spectral feature selection apparatus includes a dispersive optical element arranged to interact with a pulsed light beam; three or more refractive optical elements arranged in a path of the pulsed light beam between the dispersive optical element and a pulsed optical source; and one or more actuation systems, each actuation system associated with a refractive optical element and configured to rotate the associated refractive optical element to thereby adjust a spectral feature of the pulsed light beam. At least one of the actuation systems is a rapid actuation system that includes a rapid actuator configured to rotate its associated refractive optical element about a rotation axis. The rapid actuator includes a rotary stepper motor having a rotation shaft that rotates about a shaft axis that is parallel with the rotation axis of the associated refractive optical element.
Abstract:
A spectral feature selection apparatus includes a dispersive optical element arranged to interact with a pulsed light beam; three or more refractive optical elements arranged in a path of the pulsed light beam between the dispersive optical element and a pulsed optical source; and one or more actuation systems, each actuation system associated with a refractive optical element and configured to rotate the associated refractive optical element to thereby adjust a spectral feature of the pulsed light beam. At least one of the actuation systems is a rapid actuation system that includes a rapid actuator configured to rotate its associated refractive optical element about a rotation axis. The rapid actuator includes a rotary stepper motor having a rotation shaft that rotates about a shaft axis that is parallel with the rotation axis of the associated refractive optical element.
Abstract:
A spectrophotometer useful for measuring absorption or emission bands of a substance irradiated with optical radiation, comprises a light source for producing the optical radiation, a monochromator for isolating light of wavelength (W) from the optical radiation and which modulates the wavelength (W) by a predetermined wavelength amplitude (.delta.W), and a photodetector for detecting the intensity of light passing through the monochromator and for producing a measuring signal in response thereto. The monochromator operates under the control of an electronic control unit which produces a control signal that causes the monochromator to scan across a portion of the spectrum of the optical radiation at a frequency (f.sub.2) to transmit a narrow band of radiation at the wavelength (W). The control unit includes a modulation generator which produces a signal that causes the monochromator to modulate the wavelength (W) by the predetermined wavelength amplitude (.delta.W) at a frequency (f.sub.1). The spectrophotometer also includes an electronic evaluation unit which amplifies an a.c. component of the measuring signal that is attributable to the wavelength modulation in synchronization with the signal produced by the modulation generator. In one preferred embodiment, the monochromator comprises a diffraction grating and a drive unit which causes the diffraction to rotate about a pivot axis and which superimposes an oscillatory motion on the rotational movement. In another preferred embodiment, the monochromator comprises a Fabry-Perot resonator and a drive unit which adjusts the optical length of the Fabry-Perot resonator under the control of the control unit.
Abstract:
A calibration method and apparatus for economical and rapid calibration of a scientific instrument utilizing a monochromator to generate monochromatic light utilizing controllable means for determining the angular position of a light dispersing element in the monochromator and a filter having a narrow absorption band(s) to determine a relationship between the wavelength of the monochromatic light generated by the monochromator and an angular position of the dispersing element so that the dispersing element can be rotated to an exact position for the monochromator to generate a selected wavelength of monochromatic light.