Photoacoustic microcantilevers
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for point spectroscopy comprising:
- a light source;
an optical beam emitted from the light source that is chopped or pulsed at an optical frequency;
a substrate that receives the optical beam from the light source on a surface of the substrate;
a cantilever that is part of the substrate; and
a target material that is disposed on the surface of the substrate, where the target material is subject to the optical beam and results in a photoacoustic induced vibration that is measured by the cantilever as the optical frequency is changed.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system generates a photoacoustic spectrum in an open or closed environment with reduced noise. A source focuses a beam on a target substance disposed on a base. The base supports a cantilever that measures acoustic waves generated as light is absorbed by the target substance. By focusing a chopped/pulsed light beam on the target substance, a range of optical absorbance may be measured as the wavelength of light changes. An identifying spectrum of the target may detected by monitoring the vibration intensity variation of the cantilever as a function of illuminating wavelength or color.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for point spectroscopy comprising:
-
a light source; an optical beam emitted from the light source that is chopped or pulsed at an optical frequency; a substrate that receives the optical beam from the light source on a surface of the substrate; a cantilever that is part of the substrate; and a target material that is disposed on the surface of the substrate, where the target material is subject to the optical beam and results in a photoacoustic induced vibration that is measured by the cantilever as the optical frequency is changed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A system for array spectroscopy comprising:
-
at least one source that emits at least one pulsed light beam at a programmed frequency; an array of base substrates that each comprise an incident surface; an array of cantilevers that correspond with the array of base substrates, where each base substrate is coupled to one of the cantilevers, further where each of the cantilevers includes a predetermined resonant frequency that corresponds with the predetermined chop frequency from at least one of the sources; and a target material that is disposed on one or more of the base substrates such that the incident surface of the one or more base substrates includes the target material and the pulsed light beams are directed at the target material; where the target material reacts with the pulsed light beam to generate a photoacoustic wave that produces a vibration of the corresponding cantilever that is measured as the optical color is varied, further where one of the base substrates does not include the target material on its incident surface and that base substrate is used as a reference. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A method for photoacoustic spectroscopy comprising:
-
chopping light emitted from a light source at a programmed frequency; focusing the emitted light towards an incident surface of a base substrate, where the base substrate includes a cantilever for monitoring a vibration from a target material that is disposed on the incident surface and that reacts to the emitted light; measuring the vibration of the cantilever by monitoring photoacoustic waves that are generated by the target material reacting to the emitted light; and measuring the vibration of the cantilever from photoacoustic waves that are generated from the reaction of the target material as the color of the emitted light is adjusted. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
-
Specification