Patent ID: 6917039

Claim:
An apparatus for evaluating characteristics of a sample comprising: a probe source which emits a probe beam of radiation which is incident upon the sample, and reflected off the sample; an intensity modulated energy source which supplies intensity modulated energy to the sample, wherein in response to the intensity modulated energy a reflectivity of the sample changes, and wherein in response to the intensity modulated energy infrared radiation emitted by the sample changes; a photodetector which detects changes in said reflected probe beam, where changes in the reflected probe beam result from the variations in the reflectivity of the sample; an infrared detector which detects the changes in the infrared radiation emitted from the sample; and a processor system coupled to the photodetector for analyzing changes in the reflected probe beam to evaluate characteristics of the sample, and the processor system coupled to the infrared detector, wherein the processor system analyzes the changes in the infrared radiation to evaluate characteristics of the sample.