Spectroscopic apparatus and methods
AssigneeRenishaw PLC
InventorsDavid N. Batchelder, G. David Pitt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spot of a sample is illuminated by laser light. Raman scattered light is collimated in a parallel beam by a microscope objective, and analyzed by a dispersive or non-dispersive analyzer (such as a diffraction grating or filter). A lens then focuses the Raman scattered light onto a two-dimensional photodetector array in the form of a charge-coupled device (CCD). A confocal technique is described to eliminate light scattered from outside the focal plane of the objective. This may be done by binning together a few pixels of the CCD at the focal point of the lens, or by image processing techniques in a computer.
Claims21
A spectroscopy method, comprising:
- illuminating a sample to obtain therefrom a spectrum of scattered light;
- analysing said spectrum;
- passing at least one component of the analysed spectrum to a photodetector, light scattered from a given plane in the sample being brought to a tight focus in a given area on the photodetector while light scattered from other planes in the sample is brought to a more diffuse focus on the photodetector;
- and
- detecting light which is received in said given area on the photodetector,
- wherein the light received in said given area is detected without or separately from diffusely focused light outside said given area, thereby reducing the effect of light scattered from said other planes in the sample.
Spectroscopy apparatus, comprising:
- means for illuminating a sample to obtain therefrom a spectrum of scattered light;
- means for analyzing said spectrum;
- a photodetector;
- means for passing at least one component of the analyzed spectrum to the photodetector, light scattered from a given plane in the sample being thereby brought to a tight focus in a given area on the photodetector while light scattered from other planes in the sample is brought to a more diffuse focus on the photodetector;
- and
- means for detecting light which is received in said given area on the photodetector,
- wherein said detecting means detects the light received in said given area without or separately from diffusely focused light outside said given area, thereby reducing the effect of light scattered from said other planes in the sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.