Contamination detection system

A contamination detection system to test for trace amounts of a contaminating material that absorbs electromagnetic energy at a first wavelength more highly than a second wavelength in a sample at least a portion of which is substantially transparent to electromagnetic radiation at the first and second wavelengths, the detection system comprising:

• laser beam-producing means to direct a laser beam along an optical axis toward the sample, the beam including electromagnetic energy having said first and second wavelengths, said beam-producing means including
• a first laser producing a first beam having the first wavelength,
• a second laser producing a second beam having the second wavelength, and
• an optical combining means to combine the first and second beams to travel along a first path;
• an optical chopping means including
• a first optical chopper between the first laser and the optical combining means to intercept the first beam according to a first timing pattern, and
• a second optical chopper between the second laser and the optical combining means to intercept the second beam according to a second timing pattern;
• means beyond the sample to reflect at least a part of the beam back through the sample and back along the optical axis;
• beam-splitting means on the optical axis between the beam-producing means and the sample, the part of the optical axis between the beam-producing means and the beam-splitting means comprising the first path;
• lens means on the optical axis between the beam-splitting means and the sample for focus the beam at an aiming point on the sample and to direct reflections of the beam back along the optical axis through the beam-splitting means, the beam-splitting means splitting at least a portion of the reflected beam to follow a different path than the first path;
• and
• detection means on the different path to measure the intensity of the reflected beam to determine any reduction in the intensity of the radiation at the first wavelength in comparison to any reduction in the intensity of the radiation at the second wavelength.

A contamination detection system to test for trace amounts of a contaminating material that absorbs electromagnetic energy at a first wavelength more highly than a second wavelength in a sample at least a portion of which is substantially transparent to electromagnetic radiation at the first and second wavelengths, the detection system comprising:

• laser beam-producing means to direct a laser beam along an optical axis toward the sample, the beam including electromagnetic energy having said first and second wavelengths, said beam-producing means including
• a first laser producing a first beam having the first wavelength,
• a second laser producing a second beam having the second wavelength, and
• an optical combining means to combine the first and second beams to travel along a first path;
• a reference radiation detector means located in a position relative to the optical combining means to receive radiant energy that is not directed along the first path by the optical combining means;
• means beyond the sample to reflect at least a part of the beam bach through the sample and back along the optical axis;
• beam-splitting means on the optical axis between the beam-producing means and the sample, the part of the optical axis between the beam-producing means and the beam-splitting means comprising the first path;
• lens means on the optical axis between the beam-splitting means and the sample for focus the beam at an aiming point on the sample and to direct reflections of the beam back along the optical axis through the beam-splitting means, the beam-splitting means splitting at least a portion of the reflected beam to follow a different path than the first path;
• and
• detection means on the different path to measure the intensity of the reflected beam to determine any reduction in the intensity of the radiation at the first wavelength in comparison to any reduction in the intensity of the radiation at the second wavelength.

A contamination detection system to test for trace amounts of a contaminating material that absorbs electromagnetic energy at a first wavelength more highly than a second wavelength in a sample at least a portion of which is substantially transparent to electromagnetic radiation at the first and second wavelengths, the detection system comprising:

• radiation beam-producing means to direct a radiation beam along an optical axis toward the sample, the beam-producing means being tunable between the first and second wavelengths;
• means beyond the sample to reflect at least a part of the beam back through the sample and back along the optical axis;
• beam-splitting means on the optical axis between the beam-producing means and the sample, the part of the optical axis between the beam-producing means and the beam-splitting means comprising the first path;
• lens means on the optical axis between the beam-splitting means and the sample for focus the beam at an aiming point on the sample and to direct reflections of the beam back along the optical axis through the beam-splitting means, the beam-splitting means splitting at least a portion of the reflected beam to follow a different path than the first path;
• detection means on the different path to measure the intensity of the reflected beam to determine any reduction in the intensity of the radiation at the first wavelength in comparison to any reduction in the intensity of the radiation at the second wavelength;
• first scanning means to cause relative translation between the sample and the beam in a first direction transverse to the optical axis;
• second scanning means to cause relative translation between the sample and the beam in a second direction transverse to both the second direction and the optical axis;
• means connected to said second scanning means to limit its scanning movement in the second direction to a predetermined distance defining a scanned region while the laser is tuned to the first wavelength;
• and
• means connected to said second scanning means to cause said second scanning means to repeat its scanning movement over the scanned region while the laser is tuned to the second wavelength.

A contamination detection system to test for trace amounts of a contaminating material that absorbs electromagnetic energy at a first wavelength more highly than a second wavelength in a sample at least a portion of which is substantially transparent to electromagnetic radiation at the first and second wavelengths, the detection system comprising:

• radiation beam-producing means to direct a radiation beam along an optical axis toward the sample, the beam-producing means being tunable between the first and second wavelengths;
• means beyond the sample to reflect at least a part of the beam bach through the sample and back along the optical axis;
• beam-splitting means on the optical axis between the beam-producing means and the sample, the part of the optical axis between the beam-producing means and the beam-splitting means comprising the first path;
• lens means on the optical axis between the beam-splitting means and the sample for focus the beam at an aiming point on the sample and to direct reflections of the beam back along the optical axis through the beam-splitting means, the beam-splitting means splitting at least a portion of the reflected beam to follow a different path than the first path, said lens means having an f-number not substantially less than 1 and not substantially greater than 11;
• and
• detection means on the different path to measure the intensity of the reflected beam to determine any reduction in the intensity of the radiation at the first wavelength in comparison to any reduction in the intensity of the radiation at the second wavelength.

The method of detecting contaminating material in a sample, the contaminating material having a higher coefficient of absorption of electromagnetic energy at a first wavelength than electromagnetic energy at a second wavelength, the method comprising the steps of:

• directing a first radiation beam having the first wavelength along an optical axis toward the sample;
• focussing the first radiation beam on a minute area of the sample to pass through that area and through any of the contaminating material located there;
• reflecting at least a part of the first radiation beam back through the same area of the sample and through any contaminating material located there;
• splitting the reflected first radiation beam to separate a first part of the first radiation beam reflected back through the sample from any part of the first radiation beam that did not pass through the sample;
• detecting the intensity at the first wavelength of the reflected first part of the first radiation beam to form a first signal;
• directing a second radiation beam having the second wavelength along an optical axis toward the sample;
• focussing the second radiation beam on a minute area of the sample to pass through that area and through any of the contaminating material located there;
• reflecting at least a part of the second radiation beam back through the same area of the sample and through any contaminating material located there;
• splitting the reflected second radiation beam to separate a first part of the second radiation beam reflected back through the sample from any part of the second radiation beam that did not pass through the sample;
• detecting the intensity at the second wavelength of the reflected first part of the second radiation beam to form a second signal;
• and
• comparing the intensity of the first signal with the intensity of the second signal.