Patent ID: 8310669
Filing Date: 2012-11-13
Classification: G01J,G01N

Abstract:
1. Spectroscopic imaging method for exploring the surface of a sample comprising a first step a) wherein: the sample surface is illuminated with an excitation beam, in order to produce an emitted light, the emitted light is collected to form an emitted light beam having an energy, the energy of the emitted light beam is measured in order to obtain a spectroscopic image of the sample surface, wherein: in the first step a), the excitation beam is scanned on the sample surface in two directions X and Y in order to illuminate a scanned area on the sample surface using scanning means disposed in the optical path of said excitation beam and to measure the energy of the emitted light beam on the scanned area, the energy of the emitted light beam being integrated during the scanning of the excitation beam on the scanned area and a time t, in order to obtain an average spectroscopic image of the scanned area, the spectroscopic imaging method further comprises: a second step b) wherein the preceding first step a) is repeated for one or several other scanned areas of the sample surface, each scanned area being contiguous to at least one other scanned area, a third step c) wherein one or several information are selected in the measured energy, a fourth step d) wherein one or more scanned areas are divided in several smaller scanned areas, if at least a selected information is detected in said scanned areas, and the preceding steps a) to d) are applied to at least a smaller divided scanned area.