# US 9,752,933 B2 · Optical emission system including dichroic beam combiner > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,752,933 B2 - Document ID: US9752933B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/614,381 - Filed: 2015-02-04 - Published: 2015-05-21 - Granted: 2017-09-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-04-30 - Assignees: Agilent Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Agilent Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Michael Bolles; Yin Sheng Sun; Lindsay Buck; Glyn Russell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9752933B2 ## CPC - G01J 3/10: Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry - G01J 3/0205: {Optical elements not provided otherwise, e.g. optical manifolds, diffusers, windows} - G01J 3/0208: {using focussing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or mirrors; performing aberration correction} - G01J 3/12: Generating the spectrum; Monochromators - G01J 3/443: Emission spectrometry - G01J 2003/1217: {Indexed discrete filters or choppers} - 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 An optical emission spectrometer system includes a light source and a dichroic beam combiner. The light source emits first light in a first direction and second light in a second direction different from the first direction. The dichroic beam combiner receives the first light via a first light path and the second light via a second light path, reflects a portion the first light into an entrance aperture of a light detection and measurement apparatus, and transmits a portion of the second light into the entrance aperture, enabling analysis and measurement of both first and second light characteristics simultaneously. The portion of the first light reflected into the entrance aperture predominately has wavelengths in a first range of wavelengths and the portion of the second light transmitted into the entrance aperture predominately has wavelengths in a second range of wavelengths, different from the first range of wavelengths. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical emission spectrometer system, comprising: a light source configured to emit first light in a first direction and second light in a second direction different from the first direction; a dichroic beam combiner configured to receive the first light via a first light path and the second light via a second light path, to reflect a portion of the first light into an entrance aperture of a light detection and measurement apparatus, and to transmit a portion of the second light into the entrance aperture, wherein the portion of the first light reflected into the entrance aperture predominately has wavelengths in a first range of wavelengths and the portion of the second light transmitted into the entrance aperture predominately has wavelengths in a second range of wavelengths different from the first range of wavelengths; and a movable member including the dichroic beam combiner, a mirrored section and a transparent section, the movable member being operable to place one of the dichroic beam combiner, the mirrored section and the transparent section into the first and second light paths for receiving the first and second light. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the mirrored section of the movable member is configured to reflect substantially all wavelengths of the first light into the entrance aperture of the detector, and to reflect substantially all wavelengths of the second light away from the entrance aperture of the detector. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the transparent section of the movable member is configured to transmit substantially all wavelengths of the first light away from the entrance aperture of the detector, and to transmit substantially all wavelengths of the second light into the entrance aperture of the detector. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first direction is along art axis of the light source and the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the light source. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first range of wavelengths is below a predetermined wavelength value, and the second range of wavelengths is above the predetermined wavelength value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the predetermined wavelength value is about 500 nm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first range of wavelengths is above a predetermined wavelength value, and the second range of wavelengths is below the predetermined wavelength value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the predetermined wavelength value is about 500 nm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first light path comprises a first set of mirrors configured to direct the first light to the dichroic beam combiner; and wherein the second light path comprises a second set of mirrors configured to direct the second light to the dichroic beam combiner. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the light detection and measurement apparatus comprises one of a monochromator or a polychromator, and at least one associated light detector. ### Claim 11 An optical emission spectrometer system, comprising: a light source configured to emit first light in a first direction and second light in a second direction different from the first direction; and a dichroic beam combiner configured to receive the first light via a first light path and the second light via a second light path, to reflect a portion of the first light into an entrance aperture of a light detection and measurement apparatus, and to transmit a portion of the second light into the entrance aperture, wherein the portion of the first light reflected into the entrance aperture predominately has wavelengths in a first range of wavelengths and the portion of the second light transmitted into the entrance aperture predominately has wavelengths in a second range of wavelengths different from the first range of wavelengths, and wherein the light source comprises an inductively coupled plasma light source. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the first direction is along an axis of the light source and the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the light source. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the first light path comprises a first set of mirrors configured to direct the first light to the dichroic beam combiner; and wherein the second light path comprises a second set of mirrors configured to direct the second light to the dichroic beam combiner. ### Claim 14 An optical emission spectrometer apparatus, comprising: optical directing means configured to direct first light emitted from a light source in a first direction along a first light path to a single light detection and measurement apparatus, and to direct second light emitted from the light source in a second direction, different from the first direction, along a second light path to the same light detection and measurement apparatus; optical filtering means configured to simultaneously filter the first and second light into predominantly different wavelength ranges; optical combining means to combine the filtered first and second light prior to the single lioht detection and measuremc apparatus; and a movable member selectively movable among first, second and third positions corresponding to the optical filtering means, a mirrored section and a transparent section, respectively, wherein operation of the movable member places one of the optical filtering means, the mirror section and the transparent section into the first and second light paths for receiving the first and second light. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the mirror section is configured to reflect substantially all wavelengths of only one of the first and second light into the entrance aperture when the movable member is in the second position, and wherein the transparent section is configured to transmit substantially all wavelengths of only one of the first and second light into the entrance aperture when the movable member is in the third position. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the light detection and measurement apparatus comprises one of a monochromator or a polychromator, and at least one associated light detector. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the optical filtering means and the optical combining means comprises a dichroic beam combiner configured to reflect a portion of the first light having wavelengths below a predetermined value and to transmit a portion of the second light having wavelengths above the nominal value into the entrance aperture. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the optical filtering means and the optical combining means comprises a dichroic beam combiner configured to transmit a portion of the first light having wavelengths below a nominal value and to reflect a portion of the second light having wavelengths above the nominal value into the entrance aperture. ### Claim 19 An optical emission spectrometer system, comprising: a plasma light source configured to emit first light in a first direction and second light in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction; a first plurality of mirrors for directing the first light along a first light path; a second plurality of mirrors for directing the second light along a second light path; and a mode selector comprising a plurality of mode sections corresponding to a plurality of positions of the mode selector, the mode selector being selectively movable such that the first and second light paths intersect one of the plurality of mode sections, the plurality of mode sections comprising: a dichroic beam combiner configured to reflect wavelengths of the first light predominantly in a predetermined first wavelength range into an entrance aperture of a detector, and to transmit wavelengths of the second light predominantly in a predetermined second wavelength range into the entrance aperture, enabling analysis of both the first light and the second light, the second wavelength range being different from the first wavelength range; a mirrored section configured to reflect all wavelengths of the first light into the entrance aperture of the detector, and to reflect all wavelengths of the second light away from the entrance aperture of the detector, enabling analysis of the first light; and a transparent section configured to transmit all wavelengths of the second light into the entrance aperture of the detector, and to transmit all wavelengths of the first light away from the entrance aperture of the detector, enabling analysis of the second light. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the first wavelength range comprises wavelengths below a predetermined, wavelength value and the second wavelength range comprises wavelengths above the predetermined wavelength value.