Patent ID: 6798502
Filing Date: 2004-09-28
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A nonlinear optical system for performing surface-sensitive microwave spectroscopic characterizations on a surface to be interrogated, comprising:a) a first optical source for providing a fixed visible input directable to a location on a surface to be interrogated; b) a second optical source for providing a tunable visible input being directable to said surface to be interrogated, said fixed visible input and said tunable visible input being alienable so that their surface locations of optical illumination overlap on said interrogated location; c) an output wavelength discriminator for receiving the reflected difference-frequency generated on said interrogated location, said output wavelength discriminator being substantially non-transmissive at frequencies higher than the difference-frequency, but being substantially transmissive at the difference-frequency of said fixed visible input and said tunable visible input, the output of said output wavelength discriminator being a microwave output; d) signal collection optics for receiving an output of said output wavelength discriminator and directing the propagation of said output of the output wavelength discriminator so that a collected microwave light signal is formed after propagation through said signal collection optics; and, e) a microwave detector system for converting said collected microwave light signal to an electronic signal, thus monitoring the intensity of said difference-frequency wavelength for providing surface-sensitive spectroscopic characterizations on the surface to be interrogated, wherein said microwave detector system comprises a microwave upconverter detector.