# US 2019/0170580 A1 · Optical emission spectrometer with cascaded charge storage devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0170580 A1 - Document ID: US20190170580A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/204,541 - Filed: 2018-11-29 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2017-12-01 - Applicants: Bruker AXS GmbH - Inventors: Alexej WITZIG; Martin VAN STUIJVENBERG; Rainer SIMONS - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190170580A1 ## CPC - G01J 3/2803: {using photoelectric array detector} - G01J 1/46: using a capacitor - G01J 3/04: Slit arrangements {slit adjustment} - G01J 3/18: using diffraction elements, e.g. grating (gratings per se G02B) - G01J 3/20: Rowland circle spectrometers - G01J 3/443: Emission spectrometry - G01J 3/4406: {Fluorescence spectrometry} - G01J 2001/4406: {Plural ranges in circuit, e.g. switchable ranges; Adjusting sensitivity selecting gain values} - G01J 2001/446: {Photodiode} - G01J 2003/1842: {Types of grating} - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) ## Abstract An optical emission spectrometer has an excitation device for a sample to be examined, a dispersive element for spectrally decomposing light emitted by an excited sample, a multiplicity of photodiodes, which are arranged such that different spectral components of the emitted, decomposed light are detectable with different photodiodes, and a multiplicity of electronic readout systems for the photodiodes. A respective electronic readout system has a charge storage assembly comprising a plurality of individual charge storage devices, wherein the charge storage devices are interconnectable in cascading fashion, with the result that charges flowing in from an associated photodiode successively fill the charge storage devices. The respective electronic readout system can be used to read the charges of the individual charge storage devices of the charge storage assembly and/or the charges of subsets of the charge storage devices of the charge storage assembly. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical emission spectrometer comprising: an excitation device for a sample to be examined; a dispersive element for spectrally decomposing light emitted by an excited sample; a multiplicity of photodiodes (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni), which are arranged such that different spectral components (S1-Sn) of the emitted, decomposed light are detectable with different photodiodes (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni); and a multiplicity of electronic readout systems for the photodiodes (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni), wherein a respective electronic readout system has a charge storage assembly comprising a plurality of individual charge storage devices that are interconnectable in cascading fashion, with the result that charges flowing in from an associated photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) successively fill the charge storage devices, and wherein the respective electronic readout system can be used to read the charges of the individual charge storage devices of the charge storage assembly and/or charges of subsets of the charge storage devices of the charge storage assembly. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein charge storage devices that are situated towards the rear in a respective charge storage assembly in the cascade have a greater storage capacity than charge storage devices that are situated towards the front in the cascade. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein the respective electronic readout system can be used to read the charges of subsets of the charge storage devices of the charge storage assembly, a first one of the subsets comprising only the frontmost charge storage device in the cascade, and a next one of the subsets comprising the charge storage device or devices of the preceding subset and additionally the next charge storage device towards the rear in the cascade, and so forth, and wherein the respective electronic readout system can furthermore be used to read the charge of all the charge storage devices of the charge storage assembly. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein the excitation device is a spark source. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein the photodiodes (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) are each connected to a measurement transfer gate and a drain transfer gate, wherein said transfer gates can be used in each case to establish and interrupt an electrical connection to the photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni), a said electronic readout system is connected downstream of the measurement transfer gate, and the drain transfer gate is configured to drain charges from an associated photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni). ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A spectrometer according to claim 5, wherein an electronic control system is provided with which the transfer gates can be switched over, such that at a respective time only one of the transfer gates of a respective associated photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) establishes an electrical connection to the associated photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni). ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) A spectrometer according to claim 5, wherein the photodiodes (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) are in each case also connected to one or more further measurement transfer gates, and wherein a said electronic readout system is connected downstream of a respective further measurement transfer gate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein the photodiodes (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) are arranged in such a way that an identical spectral component (S1-Sn) of the emitted, decomposed light is detectable in each case with a group (G1-Gn) of photodiodes (P1i-Pni). ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A spectrometer according to claim 8, wherein the photodiodes (P1i-Pni) of a group (G1-Gn) overall have in each case a detection region having an extent LG in a longitudinal direction and QG in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, with LG≥12*QG, wherein the photodiodes (P1i-Pni) of the group (G1-Gn) divide the detection region in the longitudinal direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A spectrometer according to claim 1, further comprising an aperture device with which it is possible to shade some of the detection region of one or more photodiodes (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni), in particular wherein the detection region has an extent LP in a longitudinal direction and QP in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, with LP≥12*QP. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) A method for operating an optical emission spectrometer according to claim 5, comprising: effecting a pulsed excitation of the sample to be examined using the excitation device such that a plurality of light emission phases (LI) and dark phases (DU) follow one another in alternation; establishing in each case with the measurement transfer gate an electrical connection to the associated photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) at least during part (T1, T2) of a respective light emission phase (LI); and establishing in each case with the drain transfer gate an electrical connection to the associated photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) in dark phases (DU). ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A method according to claim 11, wherein in each case the measurement transfer gate establishes an electrical connection to the associated photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) only during a part (T2) of a respective light emission phase (LI), said part (T2) excluding an earliest time interval of the light emission phase (LI), in particular wherein an excitation of the sample is effected by way of spark discharge. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) A method according to claim 11, wherein the photodiodes (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) are in each case also connected to one or more further measurement transfer gates, and a said electronic readout system is connected downstream of a respective further measurement transfer gate, and wherein the method further comprises: establishing in each case with the measurement transfer gate an electrical connection to the associated photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) only during part (T2) of a respective light emission phase; establishing in each case with one or more further measurement transfer gates an electrical connection to the associated photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) during one or more further parts (T1) of a respective light emission phase (LI); and establishing in each case with the drain transfer gate an electrical connection to the associated photodiode (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) in dark phases (DU). ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) A method according to claim 11, wherein the transfer gates of all photodiodes (P1-Pn, P1i-Pni) are synchronously switched over during the measurement of the sample. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A method of operating an optical emission spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein a sample is measured with the spectrometer, said sample having spectral lines in the detected light which differ in terms of their integrated intensity by at least a factor of 105.