Spectrometer for identifying analyte materials

• Main Authors: DEWITT MERRICK JOSEPH, DEWITT KRISTIN MARIE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 22.01.2013
• Subjects: COLORIMETRY; MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT,POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRA-RED,VISIBLE OR ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT; MEASURING; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS; MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS; PHYSICS; RADIATION PYROMETRY; TESTING

A spectrometer for identifying an analyte material. One embodiment of the spectrometer includes a single ultrashort pulsed laser (USPL) source, a fiber interferometer, a frequency converter and a transceiver. The USPL source is configured to generate a laser beam. The interferometer is operatively coupled to the USPL source, and is configured to split the laser beam into a first laser beam and a second laser beam, providing a variable difference in lengths between the paths of the first laser beam and the second laser beam. The spectrometer then electronically scans the variable-path second laser beam over the first laser beam to generate interferogram patterns. The frequency converter is configured to receive the interferogram patterns from the interferometer, and perform a frequency conversion of the interferogram patterns to form an output beam. The transceiver is configured to transmit the output beam and to receive radiation from the analyte material. The radiation is thereafter used to identify the analyte material.