Birefringence measurement of polycrystalline silicon samples or the like

摘要

A birefringence measurement system includes a lens mounted for selective movement into and out of use in the optical setup so that a wide range of sample types can be handled by the system without reconfiguring the primary components of the optical setup of the system (moving the detector, changing the light source power, etc.) in a manner that would sacrifice the cost effectiveness, efficiency, mechanical reliability and repeatability of measurements for such systems.

主权项

1. A method of adapting a birefringence measurement system for measuring beam spreading samples, wherein the system has an optical setup having primary components that include a light source for directing a source beam of light through a sample to propagate from the sample as a sampled beam of light, a detector module that includes an entrance aperture, a photoelastic modulator (PEM), and a detector that has active area for receiving the sampled beam of light for detecting an intensity thereof, the method comprising steps of:
placing a first sample in a path of the source beam of light, the sample being such that it does not spread the sampled beam of light; detecting light passing through the first sample for use in measuring the birefringence of the first sample; replacing the first sample with a second sample that spreads the sampled beam of light; focusing the spread, sampled beam of light to have the focused light impinge upon the active area of the detector; and detecting the light impinging upon the active area for use in measuring the birefringence of the second sample.