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US 4,544,272 AGranted
Alignment apparatus and method for interferometer spectrometers
AssigneeLaser Precision Corporation
InventorWalter M. Doyle
Life of this patent
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AssigneeLaser Precision Corporation
InventorWalter M. Doyle
Estimating the term…
An interferometer spectrometer aligning apparatus and method are disclosed, in which the laser beam generator, which is in the instrument to provide data controlling clock signals, is also used to accomplish initial (and as needed) alignment of the instrument. The laser beam is directed through a target both on its way from the laser generator to the interferometer, and as it is reflected back from the interferometer, thereby validating the perpendicularity of the reflector to the axis of the interferometer. A semi-transparent mirror, i.e., a small beamsplitter, is used in the path of the laser beam ahead of the interferometer beamsplitter, thereby enabling portions of the laser beam to go into both the interferometer and the sample chamber. A second semi-transparent small mirror (beamsplitter) is also used in the path of the laser beam, for the purpose of providing two parallel laser beams both in the interferometer and in the sample chamber, the parallel beams being used for a plurality of optical checking and adjusting tasks.
For use in an interferometer spectrometer having an analytical beam which is divided by a beamsplitter into a variable-length scanning arm and a fixed-length arm, each arm being defined by a reflector, and a laser beam which traverses the interferometer arms to provide clock signals to the spectrometer during scanning, that method of aligning the spectrometer optical elements, in order to provide optimal interferometric accuracy, which comprises:
For use in an interferometer spectrometer having an analytical beam which is divided by a beamsplitter into a variable-length scanning arm and a fixed-length arm, each arm being defined by a reflector, and a laser beam which traverses the interferometer arms to provide clock signals to the spectrometer during scanning, that method of using the laser beam to align the spectrometer optical elements, in order to provide optimal interferometric accuracy, which comprises:
In an interferometer spectrometer having an analytical beam, a fixed-length arm defined by a first reflector, a variable-length scanning arm defined by a second reflector, and a beamsplitter which divides the analytical beam into reflected and transmitted portions in the respective interferometer arms:
In an interferometer spectrometer having an analytical beam, a fixed-length arm defined by a first reflector, a variable-length scanning arm defined by a second reflector, a beamsplitter which divides the analytical beam into reflected and transmitted portions in the respective interferometer arms, and a sample chamber having a focal point aperture at which the sample is illuminated:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.