Patent ID: 8836925

Claim:
An apparatus for measuring second harmonic generated (SHG) signals, the apparatus comprising: a coherent optical source producing a light beam having a first wavelength; a device configured to scan the light beam in a raster pattern having a field-of-view; a sample holder; a sample having a thickness of approximately 150 microns comprising a solid dispersion having a crystalline component dispersed therein and disposed in the sample holder; an objective lens disposed in an optical path such that the light beam is focused at a focal point within the sample; at least one optical filter disposed in the optical path to selectively transmit light having a wavelength that is one half the wavelength of the light beam of the pulsed coherent optical source; and at least one opto-electronic detector disposed to detect the filtered light, wherein the sample holder and the objective lens are configurable with respect to each other such that the field-of-view of the raster pattern is stepped to a plurality of selectable locations for repeatedly imaging the sample and the depth of focus of the light beam is less than one fifth of the thickness of the sample.