Patent attributes
A confocal spectrometer provides astigmatic optics which supply a monochromator or spectrograph with the image of a sample, with the astigmatic optics thereby providing separate first and second (tangential and sagittal) focal planes for the image. The monochromator/spectrograph has an entrance slit oriented along one of the focal planes, and this slit defines the spectral resolution of the monochromator/spectrograph and the field of view of the sample in one direction (in one focal plane). A supplemental slit is situated outside the monochromator/spectrograph adjacent the entrance slit, with the supplemental slit being oriented along the other focal plane. The supplemental slit therefore defines the field of view of the sample in a perpendicular direction (in the other focal plane). By varying the width of the supplemental and/or entrance slits, one may easily achieve the desired field of view.
