1. A spectroscopic instrument for conducting multi-wavelength, multi-azimuth, multi-angle-of-incidence readings on a substrate, comprising:
a broadband light source for producing an illumination beam along a composite beam pathway,
an objective for directing the illumination beam onto the substrate at multiple azimuth angles and multiple angels-of-incidence simultaneously, thereby producing a reflection beam along the composite bean pathway,
an aperture plate having an illumination aperture and a plurality of collection apertures formed therein, for selectively passing first portions of the illumination beam and second portions of the reflection beam having desired discreet combinations of azimuth angle and angle-of-incident, wherein the first portions and the second portions are separate portions of the combined beam pathway,
a detector for receiving the discreet combinations of azimuth angle and angle-of-incident and producing readings, and
a processor for interpreting the readings.
2. The spectroscopic instrument of claim 1, wherein the aperture plate comprises a set of aperture plates that can be used either individually or in combination to select different discreet combinations of multiple azimuth angles and multiple angles-of-incident.
3. The spectroscopic instrument of claim 1, wherein the aperture plate is electronically configurable to produce different discreet combinations of multiple azimuth angles and multiple angles-of-incident.
4. The spectroscopic instrument of claim 1, wherein the detector receives the discreet combinations of azimuth angle and angle-of-incident simultaneously.
5. The spectroscopic instrument of claim 1, wherein the detector receives the discreet combinations of azimuth angle and angle-of-incident serially.
6. The spectroscopic instrument of claim 1, wherein the spectroscopic instrument is a reflectometer.
7. The spectroscopic instrument of claim 1, wherein the spectroscopic instrument is an ellipsometer.
8. The spectroscopic instrument of claim 1, wherein the objective is adjustable to direct the illumination beam at all azimuth angles and substantially all angles-of-incidence.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A heating element for a soleplate of an iron, comprising: a substrate constituted by a plate containing aluminum; an insulator covering one surface of said plate; and a heating circuit carried by said insulator, wherein said insulator comprises an anodized oxide layer having a thickness between 10 and 200 microns and resistant to abrupt temperature variations of said plate.
2. The heating element of claim 1 wherein said plate is made of pure aluminum or aluminum alloyed with silicon or magnesium.
3. The heating element of claim I wherein said oxide layer has a composition of a layer obtained by an anodic oxidation conducted in a solution of an acid of low electric conductivity, with a current density between 1 and 5 Adm2 at a stabilized temperature.
4. The heating element of claim 3 wherein said oxide layer has pores, and further comprising a metallic oxide filling said pores.
5. The heating element of claim 4 wherein said metallic oxide is produced by decomposition of a polymerizable organometallic product.
6. The heating element of claim 5 wherein the polymerizable organometallic product is a silane, or an organic derivative of titanium, or of zirconium, or of germanium, or of tin.
7. The heating element of claim 1 further comprising a glass having a low melting point and impregnating the surface of the oxide layer.
8. The heating element of claim 1 wherein said heating circuit is silkscreened onto said oxide layer.
9. The heating element of claim 1 wherein said heating circuit is composed of a metal that is deposited on said oxide layer by a chemical process.
10. The heating element of claim 1 in combination with an iron soleplate, wherein said substrate is brazed onto a face of said soleplate at a temperature which causes firing of said heating circuit.
11. The heating element of claim 1 wherein said substrate is a soleplate of an iron.
12. The heating element of claim 11 wherein said soleplate is enameled, before said insulator is applied to said substrate, on the face intended to contact with fabrics to be ironed, the enameling being performed at a temperature that stress relieves the metal.