Fast scanning microspectroscopy: an electrodynamic moving-condenser method.

The poor speed performance or the limited optical accuracy of the scanning devices currently employed in microspectroscopy can be substantially improved, for high resolution work, using a method based on the displacement of the condenser by means of an electrodynamic technique. The unit described, for work in the visible range, features random addressing capability for both X and Y scanning axes and focusing by means of arbitrary driving signals. An area up to 500 x 500 microm(2) can be explored with an accuracy of 0.15 microm approximately, while the position settling-time is less than 6 msec. The fast and precise operation is particularly valuable in dual-beam measurements on photosensitive and living samples as well as in more complicated computer assisted experiments.