Abstract: Attributes of vegetables or biologics are derived by use of color imaging sensors and relative spectral band analysis. Enabled smart phones or dedicated single pixel or focal plane instruments for crop applications to quickly report the biological condition of vegetables or other organics by providing an augmented view or relative quantification of RGB of the inspected items. Disclosed embodiments are well suited for analyzing the health and needs of living plants or crops. Ratios of observed wide band red, green and blue are compared on a relative basis. While food shopping, an enabled smart phone may view a collection of produce and display each piece of produce in a manner disclosing a quality ranking. Thus, a consumer may view produce through a smartphone camera and quickly evaluate its relative quality. Novel approaches are used to associate the calculated data with the original source imagery.

Abstract: System and methods for farming of crops on a plant-by-plant basis are disclosed. Plants are imaged and data is acquired on a plant-by-plant basis, which enables the visual micro management of a crop field on a plant-by-plant basis. Past and current images of a plant may be displayed in a manner that allows plants to be diagnosed and maintained. In some embodiments, images of an individual plant and instructions for maintenance are automatically displayed to a field work in real-time as the worker is in the proximity of the plant. Techniques described herein can be used in the field or during the harvest process including sorting tables or sorting conveyor belts. This can be done via signage, bar codes or RFID tags or other unique plant identifier technique. This approach compresses the acquired data and automatically selects and displays relevant information to a specific fruit or plant.

Abstract: A photolithographic process includes providing a layer of photoresistive material on a target substrate. Radiation is transmitted to the photoresistive material through a layer of absorbing material that absorbs the radiation with a transmittance proportional to the thickness of the absorbing material. A surface relief structure is formed in the absorbing material, so that the photoresistive material is only partially exposed in a pattern corresponding to the surface relief structure. Thus, when the photoresistive material is developed, it has a surface relief structure corresponding to the surface relief structure in the absorbing material. Etching the developed photoresistive material and target substrate then forms a surface relief structure in the target substrate that corresponds to the surface relief structure in the developed photoresistive material.

Abstract: Chromatic dispersion between first and second wavelengths of light is corrected by a lens/zone plate combination. The zone plate is adapted both to send most of the first wavelength light into its zeroth order and to send most of the second wavelength light into its first order and to change the focal length of the second wavelength light to coincide with the focal length of the first wavelength light. A preferred embodiment includes a zinc/selinide sulfide lens having a zone plate etched onto one of its surfaces. The zone plate has a multi-step phase profile including four phase levels. The lens/zone plate combination is particularly adapted for use with CO.sub.2 and HeNe lasers to bring their focal lengths into coincidence.