Patent ID: 7245376

Claim:
A spectroscopic rotating compensator material system investigation system comprising a source of a polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation, a polarizer, a stage for supporting a material system, an analyzer, a dispersive optics and at least one detector system which contains a multiplicity of detector elements, said spectroscopic rotating compensator material system investigation system further comprising at least one compensator(s) positioned at a location selected from the group consisting of: before said stage for supporting a material system; after said stage for supporting a material system; and both before and after said stage for supporting a material system; such that when said spectroscopic rotating compensator material system investigation system is used to investigate a material system present on said stage for supporting a material system, said analyzer and polarizer are maintained essentially fixed in position and at least one of said at least one compensator(s) is caused to continuously rotate while a polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation produced by said source of a polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation is caused to pass through said polarizer and said compensator(s), said polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation being also caused to interact with said material system, pass through said analyzer and interact with said dispersive optics such that a multiplicity of essentially single wavelengths are caused to simultaneously enter a corresponding multiplicity of detector elements in said at least one detector system; said spectroscopic rotating compensator material system investigation system being further characterized by the presence of at least one combined spatial filter and relay system positioned before and/or after said stage for supporting a material system, wherein said spatial filter causes a polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation directed thereat to pass therethrough and exit therefrom as an effective point source, and wherein said relay system comprises at least one reflective concave surface and at least one reflective convex surface.