Patent ID: 11879717
Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 8:
9. A measuring apparatus comprising:
a holding unit for holding a measurand; and
a measuring unit for measuring a height of an upper surface of the measurand held by the holding unit or a thickness of the measurand held by the holding unit, wherein the measuring unit includes:
a light source for emitting light in a predetermined wavelength band,
a first optical fiber for transmitting the light emitted from the light source,
a branching member for branching the light transmitted by the first optical fiber to at least two measuring optical fibers,
a head unit having a plurality of heads including respective beam condensers for converging the light branched by the branching member onto the measurand,
a shutter device for shifting timings of application of the light from the heads to the measurand,
a second optical fiber branched from the branching member, for transmitting returning light reflected from the measurand and transmitted through the measuring optical fibers,
a spectroscopic unit having a light detector for detecting the returning light transmitted through the second optical fiber, and

a controller for controlling operation of the shutter device to control the timings of application of the light from the heads to the measurand and controlling the light detector to detect the returning light from the heads individually,
wherein the measuring apparatus further comprises:
an additional branching member disposed between the first optical fiber and the branching member;
a second branching member for branching light from the additional branching member to at least two different measuring optical fibers;
a second head unit having a plurality of second heads including respective beam condensers for converging the light branched by the second branching member onto the measurand;
a second shutter device controllable in operation by the controller, for shifting timings of application of the light from the second heads to the measurand; and
a fourth optical fiber branched from the second branching member with respect to a third optical fiber that interconnects the additional branching member and the second branching member, for transmitting the returning light reflected by the measurand and transmitted through the measuring optical fibers,
wherein the returning light transmitted through the second optical fiber and the fourth optical fiber is detected by the light detector,
wherein the light detector has a two-dimensional sensor, and
wherein the two-dimensional sensor detects the returning light transmitted through the second optical fiber and the returning light transmitted through the fourth optical fiber at different positions, thereby separating the returning light transmitted through the second optical fiber and the returning light transmitted through the fourth optical fiber from each other.