US 7,522,287 B2
Photothermal conversion measurement apparatus, photothermal conversion measurement method, and sample cell
Eiji Takahashi, Kobe (Japan); Hiroyuki Takamatsu, Kobe (Japan); Masato Kannaka, Kobe (Japan); Naokazu Sakoda, Kobe (Japan); and Tsutomu Morimoto, Kobe (Japan)
Assigned to Kobe Steel, Ltd., Hyogo (Japan)
Filed on Feb. 10, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/350,954.
Claims priority of application No. 2005-035964 (JP), filed on Feb. 14, 2005; application No. 2005-056621 (JP), filed on Mar. 01, 2005; application No. 2005-056249 (JP), filed on Mar. 20, 2005; and application No. 2005-094322 (JP), filed on Mar. 29, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2006/0181708 A1, Aug. 17, 2006
Int. Cl. G01B 11/02 (2006.01); G01N 21/00 (2006.01); G01N 1/10 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 356—503 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A photothermal conversion measurement apparatus for measuring a property change of a sample caused by a photothermal effect of the sample when the sample is irradiated with excitation light, the photothermal conversion measurement apparatus comprising:
measurement-light-emitting means for irradiating the sample with predetermined measurement light;
measurement-position-changing means for changing a measurement position at which a traveling path of the measurement light passes through an excitation section in the sample, the excitation section being excited by the excitation light; and
light-measuring means for measuring the property change of the sample at each measurement position set by the measurement-position-changing means on a basis of the measurement light after the measurement light passes through the sample,
wherein a phase change of the measurement light that passes through the sample is measured as the property change of the sample,wherein the measurement-position-changing means includes optical-path-changing means that changes the measurement position by changing an optical path of the excitation light, andwherein the optical-path-changing means includes first optical-path-changing means that changes an incident position and/or an incident direction of the excitation light that is incident on the sample in a direction that intersects an incident direction of the measurement light on the sample.