Patents Examined by Sang Nguyen
  • Patent number: 10545087
    Abstract: Embodiments as disclosed herein may provide a sensor system including a container, such as a bag, having a port assembly integrated therewith. The port assembly includes an optically transparent window and be configured such that a sensor may be mechanically attached to the port assembly to interface with the optical window. The sensor may include an index of refraction (IoR) sensor that measures the chemical concentration of a liquid inside the container based on a refractive index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: ENTEGRIS, INC.
    Inventors: Francisco Machuca, Ronald P. Chiarello, Stuart A. Tison
  • Patent number: 10180393
    Abstract: An optical cell comprises first and second opposed reflecting elements, an entrance aperture in the first reflecting element and an exit aperture in the second reflecting element, wherein the entrance and exit apertures are configured such that, in operation, light introduced into the cell via the entrance aperture is reflected at least once by the second reflecting element and at least once by the first reflecting element before leaving the cell via the exit aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: CASCADE TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS LIMITED
    Inventors: Paul Black, Colin Lumsden
  • Patent number: 10175163
    Abstract: An embodiment provides a method for determining a concentration of an analyte in a fluid sample, including: introducing a fluid sample into a measurement chamber; operating a measurement device to introduce light of a first wavelength to the fluid sample; measuring, with a detector, absorbance of the light of the first wavelength with respect to the fluid sample; operating the measurement device to introduce light of a second wavelength to the fluid sample; measuring, with the detector, absorbance of the light of the second wavelength with respect to the fluid sample; determining, using a processor of the measurement device, an absorbance ratio of the fluid sample using both the measured absorbance of the light of the first wavelength and the measured absorbance of the light of the second wavelength; and providing, via an output device, a determined concentration value for the fluid sample that correlates to the absorbance ratio. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: HACH COMPANY
    Inventors: Zhao Lu, Brian Harmon
  • Patent number: 10168539
    Abstract: An illumination optical unit serves for illuminating objects to be examined by a metrology system. The illumination optical unit has an optical pupil shaping assembly for generating a defined distribution of illumination angles of illumination light over an object field in which an object to be examined can be arranged. An optical field shaping assembly for generating a defined intensity distribution of the illumination light over the object field is disposed downstream of the pupil shaping assembly in the beam path of the illumination light. The field shaping assembly has at least one optical field shaping element arranged in the region of a pupil plane of the illumination optical unit. This results in an illumination optical unit which ensures an illumination which can be set in a defined manner with regard to an intensity distribution and an illumination angle distribution over the entire object field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignees: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, Carl Zeiss AG
    Inventors: Thomas Frank, Dirk Doering, Holger Seitz, Mario Laengle, Ulrich Matejka
  • Patent number: 10161851
    Abstract: An off-gas analyzer for analyzing H2O vapor, CO, O2, CO2 and/or H2 in a furnace gas stream is fluidically coupled to a gas extraction probe. The analyzer includes an optical measurement cell having multiple sampling chambers, optically coupled to a laser. The analyzer measuring cell is housed within a heated cabinet having a heater operable to heat the interior thereof so as to maintain the extracted gas sample therein at a temperature about the condensation point of water. The analyzer allows for the analysis of the gas water vapour of wet off-gas samples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Inventors: Vittorio Scipolo, Douglas J Zuliani, Avishekh Pal, Ovidiu Negru
  • Patent number: 10161865
    Abstract: An illumination system for recognizing material includes a measurement stage, a light-providing part, a light-receiving part, and a processing part. The measurement stage is upwardly open and the measurement target is located on the measurement stage. The light-providing part includes a plurality of illumination sections providing incident lights to the measurement target, and provides multi-directional incident lights to the measurement target from multiple upper directions at which the measurement stage is open. The light-receiving part receives single-directional reflection lights reflected by the measurement target according to the multi-directional incident lights provided by the light-providing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: DEEDIIM SENSORS INC.
    Inventor: Jang-Il Ser
  • Patent number: 10151640
    Abstract: A light beam measurement device includes: a polarization measurement unit including a first measurement beam splitter provided on an optical path of a laser beam and configured to measure a polarization state of the laser beam having been partially reflected by the first measurement beam splitter; a beam profile measurement unit including a second measurement beam splitter provided on the optical path of the laser beam and configured to measure a beam profile of the laser beam having been partially reflected by the second measurement beam splitter; and a laser beam-directional stability measurement unit configured to measure a stability in a traveling direction of the laser beam, while the first measurement beam splitter and the second measurement beam splitter are made of a material containing CaF2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Masato Moriya, Osamu Wakabayashi, Yoshinobu Watabe
  • Patent number: 10151706
    Abstract: Methods and systems for detecting defects on a specimen are provided. One method includes identifying first and second portions of dies on a specimen as edge dies and center dies, respectively. The method also includes determining first and second inspection methods for the first and second portions, respectively. Parameter(s) of comparisons performed in the first and second inspection methods are different. The method further includes detecting defects in at least one of the edge dies using the first inspection method and detecting defects in at least one of the center dies using the second inspection method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corp.
    Inventors: Santosh Bhattacharyya, Hucheng Lee, Bjorn Brauer
  • Patent number: 10145805
    Abstract: An inspection apparatus and method to automatically inspect ceramic honeycomb bodies during the manufacturing thereof. The apparatus includes a light source to shine light through channels of the ceramic honeycomb body, a lens to receive at least a portion of the light transmitted through channels of the ceramic honeycomb body, a camera to capture images of the transmitted light, a support chuck to support the honeycomb body, and a controller to receive the captured images, to analyze each captured image, to adjust the support chuck and/or the lens based on the analysis, and to align the ceramic honeycomb body channels and the lens optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Alan Russell Stanford, Eric Daniel Treacy, Lei Wang
  • Patent number: 10139220
    Abstract: A three-dimensional measurement device includes: a first irradiator that radiates a first light pattern from a first position toward an object; a first grid controller that controls a first grid to change phases of the first light pattern; a second irradiator that radiates a second light pattern from a second position toward the object; a second grid controller that controls the second grid to change phases of the second light pattern; a camera that takes an image of reflected light from the object; and a processor that: performs one of a first imaging process of imaging processes performed by radiation of the first light pattern and a second imaging process of imaging processes performed by radiation of the second light pattern; and subsequently performs the other imaging process without waiting for completion of the transfer or changeover of the first or the second grid involved in the one imaging process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: CKD Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Ohyama, Norihiko Sakaida, Takahiro Mamiya, Hiroyuki Ishigaki
  • Patent number: 10132749
    Abstract: A method for measuring turbidity and chlorine content of a liquid. The method includes shaking the liquid in a sample holder, using a shaker assembly, and removing bubbles including micro bubbles from the liquid using the micro-bubble removing shaker, retaining a sample volume of the liquid, and at least nearly simultaneously executing at least two of detecting illumination from the sample volume by a first detector operable for detecting illumination from the sample volume at a 90-degree angle with respect to an illumination beam generated by an illuminator and impinging on the sample volume, thereby measuring a turbidity of the sample volume, detecting illumination from the sample volume of liquid by a second detector operable for detecting illumination from the sample volume of liquid at a 180-degree angle with respect to the illumination beam, thereby measuring chlorine content of the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: BLUE-I WATER TECHNOLOGIES LTD
    Inventor: Nelson Zakinov
  • Patent number: 10132678
    Abstract: A filter mask for use in a flow cytometer includes light blocking features and light passing apertures. The flow cytometer operates to evaluate one or more characteristics of a sample by illuminating the sample and a carrier fluid and collecting light rays that are radiated from the sample and the carrier fluid. The light rays are passed through the filter mask. The light blocking features of the filter mask are arranged to selectively block radiated light at certain radiation angles, while permit light rays having other radiation angles to pass therethrough. A sensor analyzer receives the light rays that pass through to evaluate at least one characteristic of the sample. The light rays can also be separated into two beams, which can be independently filtered using different filter masks. The results can then be compared to provide even more information regarding characteristics of the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Beckman Coulter, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Morrell, Timothy Reed
  • Patent number: 10126237
    Abstract: An inspection apparatus comprises an illumination system (12) for illuminating a target structure with illuminating radiation and a collection system for collecting the illuminating radiation after it has been scattered by the target structure. A programmable spatial light modulator (713) comprises an array of movable mirror elements (742) in a conjugate pupil plane (P?) of the illumination system. Between the array of mirror elements and the target a common optical path is defined forming part of the illumination system and the collection system. Each mirror element is movable between a first position where it reflects illuminating radiation into the common optical path and a second position where it reflects radiation from the common optical path toward a detector (19, 23). Various combinations of illumination aperture and collection aperture can be defined without the light losses associated with beam splitters and transmissive spatial light modulators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventor: Gerbrand Van Der Zouw
  • Patent number: 10126261
    Abstract: A method to determine an electronic signature characteristic of a fluid medium comprises making a reception surface for receiving the fluid medium on at least one face of the substrate, putting the fluid medium into contact with the reception surface in order to make an interface between the substrate and the fluid medium, lighting at least one zone of the interface through the fluid medium with a pulsed light beam in order to create photogenerated electric charges, using a microwave reflectometer to measure the lifetime durations of the photogenerated electric charges, which durations have respective values that depend on the recombination rate at the interface between the substrate and the fluid medium, creating a matrix of measured lifetime duration values for the photogenerated electric charges, and using the matrix to determine the electronic signature characteristic of the fluid medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignees: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE, ECOLE CENTRALE DE LYON, INSTITUT NATIONAL DES SCIENCES APPLIQUEES DE LYON, UNIVERSITE CLAUDE BERNARD LYON I, UNIVERSITE T. CHEVTCHENKO DE KIEV
    Inventors: Sergeii Lytvynenko, Sergei Alexandrovich Alekseyev, Volodymyr Lysenko, Valeriy Skryshevskyy
  • Patent number: 10126238
    Abstract: Angle-resolved reflectometers and reflectometry methods are provided, which comprise a coherent light source, an optical system arranged to scan a test pattern using a spot of coherent light from the light source to yield realizations of the light distribution in the collected pupil, wherein the spot covers a part of the test pattern and the scanning is carried out optically or mechanically according to a scanning pattern, and a processing unit arranged to generate a composite image of the collected pupil distribution by combining the pupil images. Metrology systems and methods are provided, which reduce diffraction errors by estimating, quantitatively, a functional dependency of measurement parameters on aperture sizes and deriving, from identified diffraction components of the functional dependency which relate to the aperture sizes, correction terms for the measurement parameters with respect to the measurement conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Amnon Manassen, Andrew Hill, Daniel Kandel, Ilan Sela, Ohad Bachar, Barak Bringoltz
  • Patent number: 10107762
    Abstract: The present invention provides an inspection device that is capable of detecting foreign matter with high accuracy, the inspection device including: a light source; an electro-optic element on which light from the light source is incident and which changes a phase of the light into at least two states; and a controller. The controller corrects a phase fluctuation of the electro-optic element itself, using intensity modulation characteristics of the eletro-optic element which are obtained by changing an applied voltage that is input to the electro-optic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masami Makuuchi, Kazuma Ogawa, Akira Hamamatsu
  • Patent number: 10101266
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a method and system for gas concentration measurement of gas or gas mixtures dissolved in liquids. A gas or gas mixture dissolved in a liquid sample is extracted from the liquid sample using an extraction system and conducted into a measurement chamber. Then a measurement signal is generated by means of a radiant source and the measurement signal is directed to a measurement object in a measurement chamber containing the gas or gas mixture to be measured. The measurement signal is filtered using at least two wavelengths, whereupon the filtering is preferably implemented by means of an electrically tunable, short-resonator Fabry-Perot interferometer. Then the filtered measurement signals are detected my means of a detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Vaisala Oyj
    Inventor: Veli-Pekka Viitanen
  • Patent number: 10101592
    Abstract: Metrology targets and methods are provided, which provide self-Moiré measurements of unresolved target features, i.e., interaction of electromagnetic fields re-scattered off elements within a single target layer provides signals with Moiré pitches that are measurable, although the actual target pitches are unresolved and possibly device-like. Targets comprise cell(s) with interlaced lines of elements having different device-like pitches which are selected to yield resolved Moiré pitch(es). Different target designs are presented for scatterometry and imaging metrology measurements, as well as for critical dimension, dose and focus, and pitch walk measurements—of device-like targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Vladimir Levinski, Yuri Paskover, Daniel Kandel
  • Patent number: 10101256
    Abstract: An ultrasonic particle size measurement device includes: a transducer for (i) receiving an ultrasonic pulse scattered after being emitted to a fine particle and (ii) generating a first scattering amplitude ?; and a particle size calculating section for calculating a particle size of the fine particle by calculating an amplitude r and a phase ? in accordance with a real part and an imaginary part, respectively, of a second scattering amplitude ? obtained by subjecting the first scattering amplitude ? to a Fourier transform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION KYOTO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventor: Tomohisa Norisuye
  • Patent number: 10098996
    Abstract: A medical treatment system, such as peritoneal dialysis system, may include control and other features to enhance patient comfort and ease of use. For example, a peritoneal dialysis system may include patient line state detector for detecting whether a patient line is primed before it is to be connected to the patient. The patient line state detector can also the ability to detect whether a patient line has been properly mounted for priming. Both patient line presence/absence and fill state can be determined using an optical system, e.g., one that employs a single optical sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: DEKA Products Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Jacob W. Scarpaci, Simon C. Helmore, David W. McGill