Thermo Electron Scientific Instruments Corporation

John R Iverson

John Magie Coffin

Matthew Daniel Ebersole

Matthew D Ebersole

An all-graphite interferometer bearing assembly is introduced that allows the movement of a movable mirror in a Michelson interferometer without degradation during use. The assembly includes a stationary hollow graphite tube and a movable assembly which includes a mirror and a monolithic graphite member slidably disposed within the bore of the graphite tube that is composed of the same grade of graphite material as the monolithic graphite member. The result is a robust novel moving mirror arrangement in a Michelson interferometer that enables precise mirror alignment control, a long stroke length, excellent vibration damping and reduced sensitivity to external vibrations.

All graphite interferometer bearing assembly

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 spectrometer () includes a light source () providing output light () to the bundled input ends () of multiple light pipes (). The light pipes () branch into sets () between their input ends () and output ends (), with each set () illuminating a sample detector () (via a sample chamber ()) for measuring light scattered or emitted by a sample, or a reference detector () for obtaining a reference/datum measurement of the supplied light, so that comparison of measurements from the sample detector () and the reference detector () allows compensation of the sample detector measurements for drift. Efficient and accurate measurement is further assured by arraying the multiple light pipes () in each set () about the input bundle () so that each set receives at least substantially the same amount of light from the light source ().

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Stoughton, WI, United States of America

John R Iverson