Appeal 2007-1843
Application 10/174,640
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Appellant has invented a nonlinear system and method for performing
surface-sensitive infrared spectroscopic characterizations on a surface to be
interrogated. The system and method include at least a first optical source
for providing a fixed visible input directed to a location on a surface to be
interrogated, and a second optical source for providing a tunable visible
input directed to the same location on the surface. The surface locations of
optical illumination of the two visible optical inputs overlap on the
interrogation location to produce an infrared difference-frequency. This
difference-frequency traverses an output wavelength discriminator, signal
collection optics prior to conversion to an electrical signal by an optical
detector. The output of the optical detector is provided to an electronic
signal analyzer that analyzes the electronic signal to thereby provide surface-
sensitive infrared spectroscopic characteristics (Figure 1; Specification 3 to
6).
Claim 1 is representative of the claims on appeal, and it reads as
follows:
1. A nonlinear optical system for performing surface-sensitive
infrared spectroscopic characterizations on a surface to be interrogated,
comprising:
a) a first optical source for providing a fixed visible input directable
to a location on a surface to be interrogated, wherein said fixed visible input
is provided at a first visible frequency;
b) a second optical source for providing a tunable visible input being
directable to said surface to be interrogated, wherein:
2
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Last modified: September 9, 2013