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US 8,570,527 B2Granted
Polarization-sensitive spectral interferometry
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsThomas E. Milner, Nathaniel J. Kemp, Eunha Kim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A polarization sensitive spectral interferometer apparatus and method for analyzing a sample by optical energy reflected from the sample. The polarization sensitive spectral interferometer apparatus and method determines polarization properties of the sample by optical energy reflected from the sample.
Claims20
A polarization-sensitive spectral interferometer for analyzing a sample comprising:
- a light source that produces light over a multiplicity of optical frequencies;
- at least one optical fiber through which the light is transmitted to the sample;
- a fiber-optic spectral polarimetry instrument disposed in and optically coupled to a detection path of the spectral interferometer;
- a receiver which receives the light reflected from the sample;
- and
- a computer coupled to the receiver that determines polarization properties of the sample without prior knowledge of the polarization state of light incident on the sample.
3 more elements
A polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography apparatus comprising:
- a broadband frequency-swept light source optically coupled to an interferometer;
- an auxiliary wavemeter optically coupled to the interferometer;
- a detection path optically coupled to a computer to determine the depth-resolved polarization properties of a sample without prior knowledge of the polarization state of light incident on the sample;
- and
- a fiber-optic spectral polarimetry instrument disposed in and optically coupled to the detection path.
2 more elements
A polarization-sensitive spectral interferometer for analyzing a sample comprising:
- a light source that produces light over a multiplicity of optical frequencies;
- at least one optical fiber through which the light is transmitted to the sample;
- an optical spectrum analyzer;
- a fiber-based common-path spectral interferometer;
- a fiber-optic spectral polarimetry instrument disposed in and optically coupled to a detection path of the common-path spectral interferometer;
- a receiver which receives the light reflected from the sample;
- and
- a computer coupled to the receiver that determines polarization properties of the sample without prior knowledge of the polarization state of light incident on the sample.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.