Methods and apparatus for vacuum ultraviolet (vuv) or shorter wavelength circular dichroism spectroscopy
AssigneeVUV Analytics, Inc.
InventorsPhillip Walsh, Anthony T. Hayes, Dale A. Harrison
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A highly efficient vacuum ultraviolet circular dichroism spectrometer is provided; the spectrometer suitable for laboratory use or for integration into a beam line at a synchrotron radiation facility. In one embodiment, a spectroscopic circular dichroism instrument is provided; the instrument configured so as to enable circular dichroism data to be simultaneously obtained for multiple wavelengths of light. The instrument may be further configured to operate in at least a portion of the vacuum ultraviolet wavelength region.
Claims26
A spectroscopic circular dichroism instrument, comprising:
- a light source which generates a multi-wavelength light beam comprised of light of a plurality of wavelengths;
- a region of the spectroscopic circular dichroism instrument for the placement of a sample from which a circular dichroism measurement is to be obtained by exposure of a sample to the multi-wavelength light beam;
- a compensator optically coupled to the multi-wavelength light beam, the compensator introducing a phase difference between two orthogonal polarization components of the multi-wavelength light beam;
- an optical element coupled to the multi-wavelength light beam, the optical element selecting a linearly polarized component of the multi-wavelength light beam;
- and
- a detector coupled to the multi-wavelength light beam to provide a circular dichroism measurement of the sample, the instrument being capable of providing the circular dichroism measurement simultaneously for multiple wavelengths.
A method for performing a dichroism measurement, the dichroism measurement being a circular dichroism measurement, a linear dichroism measurement or both a circular and linear dichroism measurement, comprising:
- generating a light beam comprised of multiple wavelengths;
- exposing a measurement sample with said light beam and passing the light beam through the sample;
- inducing a phase difference between orthogonal polarization components of an emerging light beam emerging from the sample;
- selecting a polarization component of the emerging light beam;
- detecting an intensity of a polarization component output light beam at multiple wavelengths;
- and
- extracting a dichroism measurement from the intensity of the polarization component output light beam for each of the multiple wavelengths.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.