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Method and apparatus for an optical illuminator assembly and its alignment

  • US 5,973,842 A
  • Filed: 02/23/1998
  • Issued: 10/26/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An illuminator optical assembly for providing a shaped, filtered beam in an analytical instrument, comprising:

  • a first housing having an internal cavity and a longitudinal axis;

    a second housing containing a laser source having a laser beam output and a collimating lens disposed in the laser beam output, the collimating lens being mounted a fixed distance from the laser beam source to produce a collimated laser beam output, wherein the second housing is adjustably coupled to the first housing so that the laser beam output passes through the housing cavity and is adjustable within a solid cylinder area to define a beam axis through said first housing cavity;

    a spatial filter comprising an objective lens having a focal point, a first aperture, and a collector lens, the collector lens being mounted in a fixed location in the first housing cavity to intersect the beam axis, the first aperture being mounted in the first housing cavity a fixed distance from said collector lens in the beam axis, wherein the objective lens is secured within the first housing and movable along the beam axis to shift the focal point to a preselected location relative to the first aperture, the spatial filter producing a spatially filtered collimated laser beam output;

    a beam shaping aperture adjustably mounted in the first housing cavity and positionable to intersect the spatially filtered collimated laser beam output and shape said beam; and

    a focussing lens assembly containing a focussing lens, the focussing lens assembly being adjustably coupled to the first housing so that the focussing lens is positionable in the laser beam path to focus said shaped beam.

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