Patent ID: 8456641
Filing Date: 2013-06-04
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. An optical system for imaging a sample, the optical system comprising: a light source for providing illumination, illumination optics for directing the illumination onto the sample, thereby producing reflected light, receiving optics for receiving the reflected light and directing the reflected light toward a pupil plane, wherein the illumination optics have a numerical aperture that is smaller than a numeral aperture of the receiving optics, thereby producing at the pupil plane reflected light having first orders of diffraction and a zero order reflection, where all of the first orders of diffraction and a zero order reflection of the reflected light are spatially separated one from another, an optical splitter disposed at the pupil plane, for receiving the reflected light at the pupil plane and splitting the reflected light into at least a first light portion and a second light portion, first imaging optics for receiving the first light portion and directing the first light portion to a first image sensor to produce a first image portion, the first image sensor further for delivering the first image portion to a processor, second imaging optics for receiving the second light portion and directing the second light portion to a second image sensor to produce a second image portion, the second image sensor further for delivering the second image portion to the processor, and the processor for receiving the first image portion and the second image portion and combining the first image portion and the second image portion into a single image of the sample.