Abstract: A spectroscopic polarimetric system of broad spectral range, includes a light source suitable for emitting an incident light beam over a wavelength range, a polarization state generator (PSG), a polarization state analyzer (PSA), and a detector. The PSG and the PSA have respective elements for modulating the polarization of the light beam. The elements of the PSG for modulating polarization are suitable for generating a sequence of m polarization states with m>4 at each measurement wavelength, the elements of the PSA for modulating polarization are suitable for determining a sequence of n polarization states with n>4 for each measurement wavelength, and the detector elements are suitable for acquiring a sequence of N measurements with 16<N?n×m at each wavelength to extract therefrom a polarimetric spectroscopic measurement of the Mueller matrix of the sample. An extended spectroscopic polarimetric measurement method is also described.

Abstract: A broadband ellipsometer/polarimeter system for analyzing a sample includes an illumination source emitting a polychromatic light beam, a polarization state generator (PSG) including a fixed linear polarizer and a substantially achromatic retarder mounted on a rotating holder, a sample holder, a polarization state analyser (PSA) including a fixed linear polarizer and a substantially achromatic retarder mounted on a rotating holder, a primary detection system measuring the intensities at each wavelength of the light beam transmitted through the PSA, optics to collimate the beam into the PSG and into the PSA and to focus the beam into the sample surface and the detector. The linear polarizer and achromatic retarder in the PSA are identical to those of the PSG but mounted in a reverse order.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a broadband ellipsometer/polarimeter system for analysing a sample (8) comprising an illumination source (5) emitting a polychromatic light beam (12), a polarisation state generator (PSG) (6) including a fixed linear polarizer (13) and a substantially achromatic retarder (21) mounted on a rotating holder (14), a sample holder (3), a polarisation state analyser (PSA) (10) including a fixed linear polarizer (20) and a substantially achromatic retarder (22) mounted on a rotating holder (19), a primary detection system (11) measuring the intensities at each wavelength of the light beam transmitted through said PSA (10), optics to collimate the beam into the PSG (6) and into the PSA (10) and to focus the beam into the sample surface (8) and the detector (11).

Abstract: The invention is about an FTIR ellipsometry device and process for characterization of samples of complex biological materials, notably micro-organisms. According to the device part of the invention, the sample is a preparation by a deposition of the biological material on a substrate, the FTIR ellipsometry device has means to illuminate the sample on the substrate with variable wavelength infrared light and to produce at each predetermined value of the variable wavelength a measurement, the measurements defining a characterization spectrum, each measurement being one of the following values: ?, one of ellipsometric parameters in relation to a complex reflectivity ratio; ?, one of ellipsometric parameters in relation to a complex reflectivity ratio; a trigonometric function of ? and ?; or a derivative at any order of one of the previous values.