Thermo Electron Scientific Instruments Corporation

Nicolet Instrument Corporation

John Magie Coffin

Damian W Ashmead

Francis Jerome Deck

Todd C Strother

Nathaniel S Safron

Federico Izzia

Matthew Wayne Meyer

Robert R Badeau

Michael S Bradley

Michael S Georgiadis

John R Iverson

Michael R Daun

Jei Y Chou

David M Drake

Charles D Woodward

A web gauging system and methods of using the web gauging system are described. The web gauging system includes a supercontinuum Laser providing a light beam. A beam expander is configured to expand the light beam and provide an expanded beam to a sample illumination area. A detector unit configured to detect a sample light from the illumination area. A moving web can be placed in the illumination area, where the web gauging system measures parameters of the web.

Supercontinuum laser based web gauging system

A mixing apparatus includes a well plate assembly including a fixed support, and a well movable with respect to the fixed support. A fixed sensor mount has a first portion disposed above the well and a second portion disposed within the well. A plurality of electromagnets are operable to move the well plate assembly vertically with respect to the fixed sensor mount and the fixed support.

Well plate mixing apparatus

A mirror assembly has one or more axes of motion and includes a mirror that is movable and forms an acute angle with a plane orthogonal to its axis of motion. The mirror assembly may include a first reflective mirror surface in the incoming optical path that is movable and forms an acute angle with a plane orthogonal to its axis of motion, and a second reflective mirror surface in the outgoing optical path that is movable and forms an acute angle with a plane orthogonal to its axis of motion and is moveable in a linear translation to scan the mirror in the interferometer in a way to generate a normal interferogram.

Mirror alignment in optical scientific instruments

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a mirror bearing for an interferometer. An example mirror bearing includes a stationary mounting member and a mobile mirror assembly configured for slidable movement relative to the mounting member along its longitudinal axis. The mounting member is configured for rigid attachment to an interferometer body. A bore extends through the mounting member along its longitudinal axis. A drive coil receiving area of the mounting member is configured to hold a drive coil coupled thereto. The mobile mirror assembly includes a tube configured to receive, at one end of the tube, an end of the mounting member. The mobile mirror assembly also includes a mirror coupled to the opposite end of the tube. A drive magnet is disposed within the tube and is configured to be received within the bore of the mounting member when the mirror bearing is in an assembled configuration.

Mirror bearing for an interferometer

An apparatus for providing a variable sized aperture for an imaging device includes a first plate having a first plurality of plate apertures extending therethrough and a second plate having a second plurality of plate apertures extending therethrough. A first motor is operably connected to the first plate and a second motor is operably connected to the second plate. The first and second motors are configured to move the first plate and the second plate with respect to one another so as to align any of the first plurality of plate apertures with any of the second plurality of plate apertures to define a plurality of light beam apertures.

Device for providing variable sized aperture for a sample

An embodiment of a ruggedized interferometer is described that comprises a light source that generates a beam of light; a fixed mirror; a moving mirror that travels along a linear path; a beam splitter that directs a first portion of the beam of light to the fixed mirror and a second portion of the beam of light to the moving mirror, wherein the beam splitter recombines the first portion reflected from the fixed mirror and the second portion reflected from the moving mirror; and a servo control that applies a substantial degree of force to the moving mirror at initiation of a turnaround period, wherein the substantial degree of force is sufficient to redirect the moving mirror traveling at a high velocity to an opposite direction of travel on the linear path.

System and method for an interferometer resistant to externally applied forces

A spectroscopy system and method in which the optical path following the interferometer includes a Jacquinot stop having an aperture disposed substantially at its focal point. The Jacquinot stop includes a reflective surface substantially non-orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the path and facing the source of the IR signal containing an interferogram. The aperture passes an inner portion of the incident IR signal, while the reflective surface reflects an outer portion. The reflected outer portion of the incident IR signal, which contains erroneous spectral information due to inherent flaws in the interferometer optics, is thereby effectively removed from the original incident IR signal ultimately used to irradiate the sample, and yet still be made available for use in monitoring background spectra of the sampling optics.

Advanced reference detector for infrared spectroscopy

The present invention is thus directed to an automated system and method of varying the optical path length in a sample that a light from a spectrophotometer must travel through. Such arrangements allow a user to easily vary the optical path length while also providing the user with an easy way to clean and prepare a transmission cell for optical interrogation. Such path length control can be automatically controlled by a programmable control system to quickly collect and stores data from different path lengths as needed for different spectrographic analysis. Such a methodology and system, as presented herein, is able to return best-match spectra with far fewer computational steps and greater speed than if all possible combinations of reference spectra are considered.

Motorized variable path length cell for spectroscopy

The present invention is thus directed to an automated system of varying the optical path length in a sample that a light from a spectrophotometer must travel through. Such arrangements allow a user to easily vary the optical path length while also providing the user with an easy way to clean and prepare a transmission cell for optical interrogation. Such path length control can be automatically controlled by a programmable control system to quickly collect and stores data from different path lengths as needed for different spectrographic analysis. Moreover, the system utilizes configured wedge shaped windows to best minimize the reflections of light which cause periodic variation in transmission at different wave lengths (commonly described as 'channel spectra'). Such a system, as presented herein, is able to return best-match spectra with far fewer computational steps and greater speed than if all possible combinations of reference spectra are considered.

A novel means of provided velocity control of an interferometer wherein one of the moving components includes the beamsplitter element is introduced herein. Using a moving beamsplitter and coupled flexure mounting allows improved velocity control because the low mass of the beamsplitter enables the systems disclosed herein to respond faster than conventional mirror velocity controlled interferometer instruments with a resultant lower velocity error so as to provide a more stable and lower noise spectra from the analytical instrument. The control of the velocity of the beamsplitter and if desired, one or both of the configured mirrors, reduces the time wasted changing velocity at the ends of each scan. The result is an increase in data collection available in any given experiment time frame. Such desirable arrangements of the present invention thus allow scans to be collected at higher rates, which beneficially increase the ability to monitor rapidly changing systems.

Interferometer velocity control of beamsplitter and moving mirrors

An infrared (IR) source apparatus that includes a desired infrared source element coupled to an insulating housing so to minimize overall source inefficiency at desired optical bandwidths is introduced. The insulation itself is machined or configured in a way so that the infrared source element is in contact with a designed cavity in the insulation so that the IR source image becomes the average of the insulation material and the infrared element. Such an arrangement of the present invention increases the emissivity of the IR source below about 1500 wave numbers, more often, below about 1100 wave numbers, and even more particularly, at about 1079 wave numbers. Accordingly, the combined emissivity of the infrared source and the insulation substantially enhances spectral emission and eliminates or reduces spectral artifacts from the formation of oxides on the infrared source surfaces.

Emissivity enhanced mid IR source

A novel means of provided a hybrid flexure mounted moving mirror component in an interferometer is introduced herein. In particular, a linear bearing in combination with a novel flexure mounting having novel tilt and velocity control of the moving optical component is provided. Such an arrangement enables correction of the errors at the mirror itself while also solving the problem of isolating vibration and noise caused by the imperfections in the bearing surfaces used in many conventional interferometers. Using such a coupled flexure mounting of the present invention, in addition to the above benefits, also enhances velocity control because the resultant low mass of the moving mirror assembly enables the systems disclosed herein to respond faster than conventional mirror velocity controlled interferometer instruments and with a lower velocity error so as to provide a more stable and lower noise spectra from the analytical instrument.

Flexure mounted moving mirror to reduce vibration noise

A novel soft beamsplitter mounting system as part of an interferometer to protect the beamsplitter substrate from external stresses and thus preserve optical flatness is introduced. The soft mounting system enables such protection by being more flexible that the beamsplitter substrate so external forces deforms the mount rather than the beamsplitter. Although the soft beamsplitter mounting configurations disclosed herein protects the beamsplitter, the interferometer itself is less stable because the mounts of the present invention allows the beamsplitter to tilt more easily than other components held in the interferometer. The improved tilt control embodiments of the present invention turns this seemingly deleterious effect into a cost saving benefit by using the inexpensive soft mounting system as a flexure to allow an improved active control system to maintain tilt alignment in a system that is more rugged than conventional interferometers.

Growing community of inventors

Blue Mounds, WI, United States of America

John Magie Coffin