| US 7,456,965 B2 | ||
| Optical measurements of properties in substances using propagation modes of light | ||
| Feiling Wang, Medford, Mass. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Tomophase Corporation, Burlington, Mass. (US) | ||
| Filed on Aug. 21, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/842,913. | ||
| Application 11/842913 is a continuation of application No. 11/200498, filed on Aug. 08, 2005, granted, now 7,259,851. | ||
| Application 11/200498 is a continuation of application No. 10/860094, filed on Jun. 03, 2004, granted, now 6,943,881. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/561588, filed on Apr. 12, 2004. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/526935, filed on Dec. 04, 2003. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/514768, filed on Oct. 27, 2003. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/475673, filed on Jun. 04, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0030740 A1, Feb. 07, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. G01B 9/02 (2006.01); G01J 4/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 356—369 [356/447; 356/448; 356/460; 356/477] | 8 Claims |
| 1. A device for optically measuring a sample, comprising:
a light source to produce an input beam for optically probing a sample;
a waveguide having a proximal end to receive the input beam from the light source and a distal end towards which the received
input beam is guided by the waveguide;
a probe head coupled to the distal end of the waveguide to receive the input beam and to reflect a first portion of the input
beam back to the waveguide and direct a second portion of the input beam to the sample, the probe head configured to overlap
reflection of the second portion from the sample with the first portion and to export to the waveguide the reflection as a
reflected second portion;
a differential delay modulator in optical communication with the proximal end of the waveguide to receive light in the first
portion and the reflected second portion from the proximal end of the waveguide, the differential delay modulator operable
to split the received light into a first beam and a second beam and to produce variable relative phase delays between the
first beam and the second beam; and
a detection module to detect light that combines the first beam and the second beam and is output by the differential delay
modulator, the detection module operable to extract information of the sample carried by the reflected second portion at different
depths in the sample based on the variable relative phase delays produced by the differential delay modulator.
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