1. A spectrophotometric scanner for producing spectral reflectance images of the surface of a sample, the spectrophotometric scanner comprising:
(a) a scanner for scanning the surface of a sample, the scanner comprising:
(i) a spectral energy source for producing spectral energy in different wavelength bands;
(ii) an imaging device including a row of sensors for detecting spectral energy;
(iii) a first spectral energy director for directing the spectral energy produced by said spectral energy source onto the surface of the sample;
(iv) a second spectral energy director for directing spectral energy reflected from the target surface to the row of sensors;
(v) a reference detector for detecting changes in the spectral energy of each wavelength band produced by the spectral energy source; and
(vi) a U-shaped substrate having a first leg, a second leg, and a cross leg that joins the first and second legs, wherein:
(1) the row of sensors is located on the cross leg of the U-shaped substrate;
(2) the spectral energy source is located on the first leg of the U-shaped substrate; and
(3) the reference detector is located on the second leg of the U-shaped substrate; and
(b) a controller coupled to said scanner for:
(i) causing the spectral energy source to sequentially produce spectral energy in different wavelength bands;
(ii) causing the spectral energy source to make at least one scan of the sample by moving the spectral energy source relative to the sample for each different wavelength band; and
(iii) adjusting the spectral energy detected by the row of sensors resulting from the scanning of the sample based on changes detected by the reference detector.
2. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the different wavelength bands are selected from the visible band of the electromagnetic spectrum.
3. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the different wavelength bands are selected from the ultraviolet band of the electromagnetic spectrum.
4. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the different wavelength bands are selected from the infrared band of the electromagnetic spectrum.
5. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the first spectral energy director directs is for directing spectral energy produced by the spectral energy source to the reference detector as well as onto the surface of the sample.
6. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 5, wherein the first spectral energy director is a light pipe.
7. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the first spectral energy director spans the legs of the U-shaped substrate.
8. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 7, wherein the first spectral energy director is for directing spectral energy produced by the spectral energy source to the reference detector as well as onto the surface of the sample.
9. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 8, wherein the first spectral energy director is a light pipe.
10. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 9, wherein the light pipe is configured to direct spectral energy onto the target surface in a scan line.
11. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 10, wherein the light pipe is configured to direct the spectral energy onto the target surface at a 45 degree angle to the plane of the target surface.
12. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the first spectral energy director is configured to direct light onto the target surface at a 45 degree angle to the plane of the target surface.
13. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the second spectral energy director is a row of apertures.
14. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 13, wherein the row of apertures is configured to receive spectral energy reflected from the target surface at an angle of 90 degrees to the plane of the target surface.
15. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the spectral energy source is an array of light emitting diodes (\u201cLEDs\u201d).
16. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 15, wherein the LEDs are suitable for producing spectral energy in different wavelength bands.
17. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 16, wherein the controller is furthermore coupled to the array of LEDs for selectively turning on and off the LEDs.
18. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 17, wherein the LEDs are configured to be selectively turned on and off such that only one LED is turned on at a time and all other LEDs are turned off.
19. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the row of sensors is formed by charge coupled devices (\u201cCCDs\u201d).
20. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the reference detector is a photodetector.
21. The spectrophotometric scanner of claim 1, wherein the reference detector is a spectroradiometer.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for obtaining a plurality of laminas made of a material having monocrystalline structure, by detachment from an ingot made of the material having monocrystalline structure, the ingot having an axis of symmetry (X), the method comprising:
creating, in the ingot by use of a pulsed laser beam, a plurality of sacrificial layers with modified crystalline structure, the plurality of sacrificial layers being distributed along the axis of symmetry (X), the plurality of sacrificial layers dividing the ingot in a plurality of residual layers;
subjecting the plurality of sacrificial layers to chemical etching, thereby causing a separation of the residual layers; and
detaching the residual layers to produce the plurality of laminas made of a material having monocrystalline structure.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the material having monocrystalline structure includes a material from the group consisting of: corundum, sapphire, diamond, ruby, quartz, silicon, silicon carbide, carborundum, fluorite, copper, germanium, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, padparadscha, tungsten, molybdenum oxide, and yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG).
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of laminas each include at least two large generally parallel flat surfaces having a generally constant thickness and the same crystallographic orientation.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of laminas each include at least two large curved surfaces having a generally constant thickness and the same crystallographic orientation.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of laminas each include at least two large curved surfaces having a generally constant thickness and the same crystallographic orientation, the at least two large curved surfaces being curved in at least two dimensions.
6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of laminas each include at least two non-parallel surfaces.
7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of laminas each have a thickness of at least 10 \u03bcm.
8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of laminas each have a roughness less than 2 pm.
9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sacrificial layers are substantially parallel to each other.
10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sacrificial layers have a modified crystalline structure with a reduced chemical inertia.
11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sacrificial layers each have a thickness no greater than 10 \u03bcm.
12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the pulsed laser is a femtosecond laser producing the pulsed laser beam with a femtosecond pulse duration.
13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the pulsed laser beam has a wavelength (\u03bb) less than 1,100 nm, a repetition frequency (f) of at least 10 KHz, a pulse duration (\u03c4) less than 1\xd710\u221210 seconds, and a peak energy density of at least 0.5 \u03bcJoules\u03bcm2.
14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the wavelength (2) corresponds to one of the following values: 258, 343, 515, 780, 800, 1030 nm, and wherein the repetition frequency (f) is higher than 1 MHz, and wherein the duration (\u03c4) of the pulses is in the range between 1\xd710\u221212 seconds and 1\xd710\u221210 seconds.
15. The method according to claim 1 including using a variable-focus lens to alter the depth of the focal point of the pulsed laser beam in the ingot.
16. The method according to claim 1 including using a variable-focus lens to alter the focal point of the pulsed laser beam to produce a beam with an elliptical section having a large axis orthogonal to the axis of symmetry (X) of the ingot.
17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the chemical etching is performed using hydrofluoric acid (HF), at boiling temperature, or a mixture of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and phosphoric acid (H3PO4), at boiling temperature.
18. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of laminas have a flat or curved geometry in a three dimensional shape.
19. The method according to claim 1 including using the plurality of laminas as transparent protective screens for the monitors of electronic devices with a flat or curved geometry.