Apparatus and method for driving diffraction gratings

US5767965A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Instruments SA, Inc. · FR

Inventors

• Andy Zhou · Gilroy, US
• Thierry Aubry · Edison, US
• James Belsky · Edison, US
• Jagdish Rebello · Edison, US
• Steven Slutter · Lebanon, US
• Joseph J. Katzenberger · Crawfordsville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 31, 1996
• Grant date: Jun 16, 1998
• Expiry date: May 31, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01J3/06
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A grating drive apparatus for use in a multiple-grating spectrometer is provided. The spectrometer has an entrance slit, an exit port, an optical path between the entrance slit and the exit port, and a plurality of diffraction gratings. Each of the gratings is rotatable about a respective preferred axis for selecting a wavelength during spectrometer operation. The grating drive apparatus includes a turret having a plurality of gratings mounted on it, a mechanical stop assembly, and a drive assembly. The drive assembly causes the turret to engage the stop assembly to rotate the turret and select a grating. The drive assembly also rotates the selected grating to select an operational wavelength.