EXTERNAL/INTERNAL OPTICAL ADAPTER FOR FTIR SPECTROPHOTOMETER
First Claim
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1. An adapter for use with an FTIR spectrophotometry system having a light source generating a source light beam of coherent light, said adapter comprisinga sealed housing for receiving the source light beam;
- an optical system within the housing including a moveable beamsplitter for splitting the source light beam into a reference beam directed in a first path and a sample beam directed in a second path different from the first path wherein the beamsplitter is moveable between the first and second paths;
a reference cell within the housing, said reference cell including a reference for interacting with the reference beam wherein said interacting yields an output reference beam having a direction;
a reference light detector for detecting at least a portion of the output reference beam based on the direction of the output reference beam and generating a reference signal representative of the detected light;
a sample cell within the housing, said sample cell including a sample for interacting with the sample beam wherein said interacting yields an output sample beam having a direction;
a sample light detector for detecting at least a portion of the output sample beam based on the direction of the output sample beam and generating a sample signal representative of the detected light;
a detector circuit for producing a difference signal proportional to the difference between the reference signal and the sample signal; and
a processor configured to determine a spectrum of the sample based on the difference signal.
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Abstract
A Fourier Transfer Infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer having reduced baseline noise. The system and method include internal or external optical adapters having a moveable beamsplitter for splitting the source light beam into a reference beam and a sample beam, and may include a variable bandpass filter, variable preamplifier and reversed biased photodiodes.
30 Citations
25 Claims
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1. An adapter for use with an FTIR spectrophotometry system having a light source generating a source light beam of coherent light, said adapter comprising
a sealed housing for receiving the source light beam; -
an optical system within the housing including a moveable beamsplitter for splitting the source light beam into a reference beam directed in a first path and a sample beam directed in a second path different from the first path wherein the beamsplitter is moveable between the first and second paths; a reference cell within the housing, said reference cell including a reference for interacting with the reference beam wherein said interacting yields an output reference beam having a direction; a reference light detector for detecting at least a portion of the output reference beam based on the direction of the output reference beam and generating a reference signal representative of the detected light; a sample cell within the housing, said sample cell including a sample for interacting with the sample beam wherein said interacting yields an output sample beam having a direction; a sample light detector for detecting at least a portion of the output sample beam based on the direction of the output sample beam and generating a sample signal representative of the detected light; a detector circuit for producing a difference signal proportional to the difference between the reference signal and the sample signal; and a processor configured to determine a spectrum of the sample based on the difference signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of determining an optical spectrum for a sample substance relative to a reference substance, said method for use with a spectrophotometry system having a light source generating a source light beam of coherent light, said method comprising:
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1) splitting by using a beamsplitter the source beam into a reference beam and a sample beam; 2) directing the reference beam into a reference cell having a substance therein, said substance in the reference cell interacting with the reference beam, said interacting yielding an output reference beam having a direction; 3) directing the sample beam into a sample cell having a substance therein, said substance in the sample cell interacting with the sample beam, said interacting yielding an output sample beam having a direction; 4) detecting at least a portion of the output reference beam and at least a portion of the output sample beam; 5) generating a reference signal representative of the detected portion of the output reference beam and a sample signal representative of the detected portion of the output sample beam; 6) generating a difference signal proportional to the difference between the reference signal and the sample signal; 7) placing the reference substance in the reference cell and in the sample cell; 8) determining a reference spectrum of the reference substance based on the difference signal; 9) moving the beamsplitter in a direction perpendicular to the propagation of the source beam to determine a minimized noise location of the beamsplitter at which a center burst of an interferogram is minimized; 10) determining a baseline difference spectrum; 11) placing the beamsplitter at the determined minimized noise location; 12) thereafter placing the reference substance in the reference cell and placing the sample substance in the sample cell; 13) determining a sample difference spectrum; and 14) determining the absorption spectrum of the sample based on the reference spectrum, the baseline difference spectrum and the sample difference spectrum. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A spectrophotometry system comprising:
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a light source generating a light beam; a lens in a path of the light beam and transmitting the light beam as a coherent source light beam; an optical system including a moveable beamsplitter for splitting the source light beam into a reference beam directed in a first path and a sample beam directed in a second path different from the first path wherein the beamsplitter is moveable between the first and second paths; a reference cell including a reference for interacting with the reference beam wherein said interacting yields an output reference beam having a direction; a reference light detector for detecting at least a portion of the output reference beam based on the direction of the output reference beam and generating a reference signal representative of the detected light; a sample cell including a sample for interacting with the sample beam wherein said interacting yields an output sample beam having a direction; a sample light detector for detecting at least a portion of the output sample beam based on the direction of the output sample beam and generating a sample signal representative of the detected light; a detector circuit for producing a difference signal proportional to the difference between the reference signal and the sample signal; a sealed housing for enclosing the above; and a processor configured to determine a spectrum of the sample based on the difference signal. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification