Scanning system and method for scanning an object
A scanning system that includes an illumination module that is configured to scan, at a first direction, an elongated radiation spot over an object; and a collection module that is configured to (a) collect a collected radiation beam from the object, and (b) optically manipulate the collected radiation beam to provide a counter-scan beam is directed towards a set of detection units and has a focal point that is positioned at a same location regardless of the propagation of the elongated radiation spot along the first direction.
1. A scanning system, comprising:
an illumination module that is configured to scan, at a first direction, an elongated radiation spot over an object; and
a collection module that is configured to (a) collect a collected radiation beam from the object, and (b) optically manipulate the collected radiation beam to provide a counter-scan beam that is directed towards a set of detection units and has a focal point that is positioned at a same location regardless of a propagation of the elongated radiation spot along the first direction.
2. The scanning system according to claim 1 , further comprising the set of detection units, wherein at a given point in time, different detections units of the set of detection units collect different portions of the counter-scan beam.
3. The scanning system according to claim 1 , wherein a length of a field of view of each detection unit of the set of detection units, as imaged on the object, equals a maximal width of the elongated radiation spot.
4. The scanning system according to claim 1 , wherein the elongated radiation spot has an elliptical shape.
5. The scanning system according to claim 1 , wherein front ends of the set of the detection units are arranged in a column.
6. The scanning system according to claim 5 , wherein the front ends of the set of the detection units are positioned in a front end plane; wherein a length of the column equals a length of a spot of the counter-scan beam at the front end plane.
7. The scanning system according to claim 1 , wherein the first direction is oriented by ninety degrees to a longitudinal axis of the elongated radiation spot.
8. The scanning system according to claim 1 wherein the illumination module is configured to scan, along the first direction, multiple elongated radiation spots over the object; and wherein the collection module is configured to (a) collect multiple collected radiation beams from the object; and (b) optically manipulate the multiple collected radiation beams to provide multiple counter-scan beams that are directed towards multiple sets of detection units and have a focal point that is positioned at a same location regardless of a propagation of the multiple elongated radiation spots along the first direction.
9. The scanning system according to claim 8 wherein each set of the detection units is configured to receive a single counter-scan beam.
10. The scanning system according to claim 8 wherein the multiple elongated radiation spots are parallel to each other and are spaced apart from each other only along a direction that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of each one of the elongated radiation spots.
11. The scanning system according to claim 8 wherein the multiple elongated radiation spots are parallel to each other and are spaced apart from each other along a direction that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of each one of the elongated radiation spots and along the first direction.
12. The scanning system according to claim 8 , wherein front ends of each set of the detection units are arranged in a column.
13. The scanning system according to claim 8 , wherein front ends of each set of the detection units are positioned in a column and a front end plane; wherein a length of the column equals a length of a spot of the counter-scan beam at the front end plane.
14. The scanning system according to claim 1 wherein the first direction is oriented to a longitudinal axis of the elongated radiation spot.
15. A method for scanning an object, the method comprising:
scanning, by an illumination module and at a first direction, an elongated radiation spot over an object;
collecting, by a collection module, a collected radiation beam from the object; and
optically manipulating the collected radiation beam to provide a counter-scan beam that is directed towards a set of detection units and has a focal point that is positioned at a same location regardless of a propagation of the elongated radiation spot along the first direction.