# US 2022/0276153 A1 · Broadband pulsed light source apparatus and spectroscopic measurement method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0276153 A1 - Document ID: US20220276153A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/632,427 - Filed: 2020-07-29 - Published: 2022-09-01 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-02 - Assignees: Ushio Denki Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Ushio Denki Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Junki SAHARA; Aya OTA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220276153A1 ## CPC - G01N 21/31: Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry {(G01N21/72 takes precedence)} - G02F 1/365: in an optical waveguide structure (G02F1/377, {G02F1/395} take precedence) - G01J 3/0218: {using optical fibers} - G01J 3/10: Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry - G02F 1/3528: {for producing a supercontinuum} - G01N 2201/06113: Coherent sources; lasers - G01N 2201/0635: Structured illumination, e.g. with grating - G01N 2201/0636: Reflectors - G01N 2201/08: Optical fibres; light guides - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS - 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 A nonlinear element provides a nonlinear effect to light output from a pulsed laser source. Remaining light component having the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is attenuated when the light is split by a dichroic mirror. The divided light is subjected to pulse stretching by a fiber, and is combined by a multiplexing element. The light thus combined is irradiated to a target object S. The light transmitted through the target object S is received by a photoreceiver. The output signal of the photoreceiver is converted by a calculation unit into a spectrum. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A broadband pulsed light source apparatus comprising: a pulsed laser source; a nonlinear element structured to provide a nonlinear effect to light output from the pulsed laser source, so as to output supercontinuum light; and an attenuation unit structured to attenuate light component having an oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source contained in the supercontinuum light output from the nonlinear element. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a stretching element structured to extend a pulse width of the supercontinuum light output from the nonlinear element, wherein an output light of the stretching element has a one-to-one correspondence between an instantaneous wavelength and time. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attenuation unit includes a notch filter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attenuation unit includes a volume Bragg grating filter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attenuation unit includes a dichroic mirror, and wherein the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is within a division wavelength region of the dichroic mirror. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attenuation unit includes a first dichroic mirror and a second dichroic mirror, wherein the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is within a division wavelength region of the first dichroic mirror and the second dichroic mirror, and wherein the second dichroic mirror is structured as a multiplexing element structured to combine light divided by the first dichroic mirror. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a divider structured to spatially divide the supercontinuum light output from the nonlinear element into multiple light components by wavelength, wherein the attenuation unit includes a filter structured to attenuate one of the multiple light components having the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the divider includes an arrayed waveguide grating. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attenuation unit includes an arrayed waveguide grating structured to spatially divide the supercontinuum light into multiple light components by wavelength, wherein one of the multiple light components having the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is attenuated. ### Claim 10 The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to 9, wherein the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is within a boundary wavelength region of output-side waveguides of the arrayed waveguide grating. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attenuation unit includes a dichroic mirror, wherein the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is within a division wavelength region of the dichroic mirror, and wherein the stretching element includes a first stretching element structured to extend a pulse width of light reflected by the dichroic mirror, and a second stretching element structured to extend a pulse width of light transmitted through the dichroic mirror. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first stretching element and the second stretching element are structured as fibers having different lengths or different dispersion characteristics. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attenuation unit includes a dichroic mirror, wherein the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is within a division wavelength region of the dichroic mirror, and wherein the dichroic mirror is arranged on an output side of the stretching element. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attenuation unit includes a first dichroic mirror and a second dichroic mirror, wherein the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is within a division wavelength region of the first dichroic mirror and the second dichroic mirror, wherein the stretching element includes a first stretching element structured to extend a pulse width of light reflected by the first dichroic mirror, and a second stretching element structured to extend a pulse width of light transmitted through the first dichroic mirror, and wherein the second dichroic mirror is structured as a multiplexing element structured to combine light output from the first stretching element and the second stretching element. ### Claim 15 (depends on 2) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a divider structured to spatially divide the supercontinuum light output from the nonlinear element into multiple light components by wavelength, wherein the attenuation unit includes a filter structured to attenuate one of the multiple light components having the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser, wherein the stretching element includes a plurality of fibers arranged in parallel on an output side of the divider, wherein each fiber receives corresponding one of the multiple light components as an incident light, and wherein the respective fibers are structured to have different lengths or different dispersion characteristics according to the wavelengths of the incident light. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the divider includes an arrayed waveguide grating. ### Claim 17 (depends on 2) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attenuation unit includes an arrayed waveguide grating structured to spatially divide the supercontinuum light into multiple light components by wavelength, wherein one of the multiple light components having the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is attenuated, wherein the stretching element includes fibers each coupled to a corresponding output-side waveguide of the arrayed waveguide grating, and wherein each fiber is structured to have a different length or different dispersion characteristics according to a wavelength of the incident light. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is within a boundary wavelength region provided by the output-side waveguides of the arrayed waveguide grating. ### Claim 19 (depends on 2, 11) A spectroscopic measurement apparatus comprising: the broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 2, 11, or 18; a photoreceiver structured to receive light from a target object to which broadband pulsed light is irradiated from the broadband pulsed light source apparatus; and a calculation unit structured to convert an output signal from the photoreceiver into a spectrum. ### Claim 20 (depends on 2) A spectroscopic measurement apparatus comprising: the broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 2; a photoreceiver structured to receive light from a target object to which broadband pulsed light is irradiated from the broadband pulsed light source apparatus; and a calculation unit structured to convert an output signal from the photoreceiver into a spectrum, wherein the attenuation unit includes a dichroic mirror, wherein the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is within a division wavelength region of the dichroic mirror, and wherein the photoreceiver includes a first photoreceiver structured to receive incident light reflected by the dichroic mirror, and a second photoreceiver structured to receive incident light transmitted through the dichroic mirror. ### Claim 21 (depends on 2) A spectroscopic measurement method comprising: receiving, by means of a photoreceiver, light from a target object to which broadband pulsed light is irradiated from the broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 2; and converting an output signal from the photoreceiver into a spectrum by means of a calculation unit. ### Claim 22 (depends on 2) A spectroscopic measurement method comprising: receiving, by means of a photoreceiver, light from a target object to which broadband pulsed light is irradiated from the broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 2; and converting an output signal from the photoreceiver into a spectrum by means of a calculation unit, wherein the attenuation unit is structured as a dichroic mirror, wherein the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser source is within a division wavelength region of the dichroic mirror, wherein, the photoreceiver includes a first photoreceiver structured to receive incident light reflected by the dichroic mirror, and a second photoreceiver structured to receive incident light transmitted through the dichroic mirror, wherein, in the receiving, light is received by the first photoreceiver and the second photoreceiver, and wherein, in the converting, output signals from the first photoreceiver and the second photoreceiver are converted into a spectrum by means of the calculation unit. ### Claim 23 (depends on 2) A spectroscopic analysis method comprising: receiving, by means of a photoreceiver, light from a target object to which broadband pulsed light is irradiated from the broadband pulsed light source apparatus according to claim 2; and analyzing the target object by processing an output signal from the photoreceiver by means of a calculation unit so as to compare the output signal with a reference value, thereby analyzing the target object, wherein the supercontinuum light output from the broadband pulsed light source apparatus has an intensity width that is equal to or smaller than 3 dB.