Abstract: A liquid lens includes a segmented electrode that allows the simultaneous application of different potentials across the lens's meniscus to obtain a predetermined aberration correction condition and to adjust focal length as necessary to conform to the topography of the object being scanned. The lens also includes a gas plenum interfacing with one of the liquids of the lens to allow for volume changes in the lens cell due to temperature variations. This combination of features produces a liquid-lens cell capable of maintaining substantially constant transverse magnification and diffraction-limited image quality over a useful range of focal length. As such, the lens is particularly suitable for incorporation in an array of micro-objectives used in a scanning microscope.

Abstract: An optical device for characterizing a test surface combines a Fizeau interferometer with a polarization frequency-shifting element. Two substantially collinear, orthogonally polarized beams having respective frequencies differing by a predetermined frequency shift are generated by the polarization frequency-shifting element and projected into the Fizeau optical cavity to produce a pair of test beams and a pair of reference beams, wherein the beams in each pair have orthogonal polarization states and have frequencies differing by the predetermined frequency shift. A second, substantially equal frequency shift is introduced in the Fizeau cavity on either one of the pairs of test and reference beams, thereby generating a four-beam collinear output that produces an interferogram without tilt or short-coherence light. The invention may also be implemented by reversing the order of the Fizeau cavity and the polarization frequency-shifting element in the optical train.

Abstract: An illumination system for an interferometer combines a white-light source and a green source with a reflective green dichroic filter. When the green source alone is energized for PSI measurements, the output of the illumination system is green only. When a white-light output is desired for VSI measurements, both sources are energized and the intensity of the green light is judiciously calibrated to match the spectral band filtered out by the dichroic mirror. Therefore, the system can switch between green and white light simply by changing the selection of energized sources, without any mechanical switching and attendant delays and vibrations. Multiple narrowband sources may be combined with white light in a similar manner.

Abstract: Thin-film thickness and refractive index are measured using the Fourier amplitude of a broadband interferometric spectrum. Due to the smooth nature of the Fourier amplitude as a function of wavelength, as compared to the fast varying Fourier phase conventionally used to measure thickness, increased stability and repeatability of measurement are achieved. As a result, measurements of ultra-thin films with thickness below 100 nm are possible with reliable results.

Abstract: The efficiency of a multi-cylinder engine is optimized by coupling the volume change in each cylinder to a common coordinate under conditions such that, at each point in the engine's cycle, the energy necessary to produce a differential volume change is reduced substantially to zero. Each cylinder is coupled to the common coordinate through a cam or through a variable-length connecting rod. The same efficiency optimization may be achieved with various combinations of cylinders in a two-cycle engine, a four-cycle engine, or a multi-cylinder compressor.

Abstract: A horse boot (10) includes a shell (12) for a hoof and a gaiter (22) for the pastern. The shell has a sole (14), an upper (16), a tongue (18), and an elastic strap (60) for tightening the upper and the tongue around the hoof of a horse. The gaiter (22) is releasably attached to the upper so as to extend around the rear of the shell and can be wrapped around the pastern (P) of the horse immediately above the hoofs hairline (C) and below the fetlock to function as a barrier against the entry of debris into the shell. The gaiter provides an additional anchor to retain the shell in place under extreme conditions of use. The releasable connection to the shell (12) allows replacement of the gaiter (22) when worn out.

Abstract: The focus of the collimating lens in the optical train of a Fizeau interferometer is adjusted to change the power of the test beam illuminating the transmission sphere. As a result, the rays can be made sufficiently perpendicular to the reference surface to eliminate the chromatic focus shift and non-common path errors produced by a light source of wavelength different from the design wavelength of the transmission sphere. By making the position of the collimating lens relative to the beam expander adjustable along the optical axis over some small range, illumination sources of various wavelength can be used in the same interferometer.

Abstract: A plasma is produced in a treatment space (58) by diffusing a plasma gas at atmospheric pressure and subjecting it to an electric field created by two metallic electrodes (54,56) separated by a dielectric material (64), and a precursor material is introduced into the treatment space to coat a substrate film or web (14) by vapor deposition or atomized spraying at atmospheric pressure. The deposited precursor exposed to an electromagnetic field (AC, DC, or plasma) and then it is cured by electron-beam, infrared-light, visible-light, or ultraviolet-light radiation, as most appropriate for the particular material being deposited. Additional plasma post-treatment may be used to enhance the properties of the resulting coated products.

Abstract: The optical transfer function of imaging optics is carried out with a plurality of tilted edges with respect to the edge-response detection line. The effect of the tilt is to stretch out the edge response so that fine details can be detected even operating at a spatial frequency below the Nyquist limit of the detector. The use of multiple targets, each corresponding to a sub-region of the field of view of the optics being tested, enables the simultaneous characterization of the full field of view of the test optics with a single measurement without the use of a magnifying objective. The result is a rapid measurement and a simpler apparatus suitable for high-throughput testing. A pair of tilted edges can be used in a target to also determine the sagittal and tangential OTFs (as well as that of any other arbitrary cross-section). All of these data are acquired with a single measurement.

Abstract: An interferometric intensity equation includes parameters that depend on bandwidth and numerical aperture. An error function based on the difference between actual intensities produced by interferometry and the intensities predicted by the equation is minimized iteratively with respect to the parameters. The scan positions (i.e., the step sizes between frames) that minimized the error function are then used to calculate the phase for each pixel, from which the height can also be calculated in conventional manner. As a result, the phase map generated by the procedure is corrected to a degree of precision significantly better than previously possible.

Abstract: A horse boot buckle includes a plate with cable eyelets and six cable guides that provide multiple tension adjustments. In addition, the buckle lever includes three alternative grooves for engaging the tensioning cable, thereby providing additional tensioning adjustment. The tensioning cable is hooked to the upper on both sides of its front rim. The buckle lever is pointing up in its closed position, thereby preventing accidental release of the tension on the cable.

Abstract: A horse boot (10) includes a shell (12) for a hoof and a gaiter (22) for the pastern. The shell has a sole (14), an upper (16), a tongue (18), and an elastic strap (60) for tightening the upper and the tongue around the hoof of a horse. The gaiter (22) is releasably attached to the upper so as to extend around the rear of the shell and can be wrapped around the pastern (P) of the horse immediately above the hoof's hairline (C) and below the fetlock to function as a barrier against the entry of debris into the shell. The gaiter provides an additional anchor to retain the shell in place under extreme conditions of use. The releasable connection to the shell (12) allows replacement of the gaiter (22) when worn out.

Abstract: A device for removing a closure from a container includes a hollow needle, a piston for driving the needle into the closure and a compressed gas cartridge for driving the piston. Once the needle has been driven into the closure so that an end of the needle is inside the container, the piston can reciprocate to force air through the needle and pressurize the container in order to eject the closure. The piston can also reciprocate to evacuate air from the container through a stopper with a check valve when leftover contents of the container are to be preserved.

Abstract: A planar patch-clamp cartridge includes a common ground electrode through a conductive medium reaching into each extracellular chamber. The cartridge is first primed with intracellular solution injected from dispensing tips inserted from above into the intracellular chambers. Then the cartridge is rotated 180 degrees, whereby the intracellular and extracellular chambers assume face-down and face-up positions, respectively. Extracellular solution is then delivered using the same dispensing unit. A plurality of silver tubes engages the intracellular chambers at the end of the rotation to provide electrical conductivity and suction to the intracellular chambers.

Abstract: A substantially neutral filter across the white-light spectrum is obtained by minimizing the wavelength-dependent effects of filtering components and of reflective coatings on surfaces. The incoming light is captured by a first prism and directed toward the interface formed by the optical contact of a second prism with a face of the first prism, where the light is partially reflected internally and partially transmitted into the second prism. The reflected light is further reflected internally and directed toward the image surface out of the first prism. The fraction of light transmitted into the second prism is reflected back and redirected out of the system toward the incoming beam. The amount of energy directed toward the image plane is controlled by the judicious selection of the refractive indices in the two materials at the contacting interface of the first and second prisms.

Abstract: The cavity in the mirror arm of a conventional interleaver is replaced by a wedge integral with the beamsplitter structure of the interleaver. Thus, the light reflected from the AR-coated surface of the wedge is dispersed away from the optics of the device. The beam emerging from the wedge surface is directed toward a tilted mirror that reflects it totally on-axis. As a result of the diversion of the light reflected from the wedge surface and the non-parallel disposition of the wedge surface with respect to the mirror, phase errors are virtually eliminated. In another embodiment, a second wedge is used with a second antireflective surface disposed in parallel to the first wedge's antireflective surface, and with a mirror normal to the optical axis of the device.

Abstract: A collimated light is used in combination with a compensation element and an aberration-corrected objective with a long working distance to produce a greatly improved fringe contrast in the measurement of a sample surface through a dispersive element. When the dispersive element consists of a fixed cover with substantially consistent characteristics from sample to sample, the compensation element is a plate that matches the optical characteristics of the dispersive element. When the dispersive element varies, the compensation element consists of a variable-thickness transmissive element embodied in a pair of half-cube prisms is adapted to slide along the beam-splitting plane, thereby permitting the adjustment of the optical path-length through the splitter in the reference-beam direction while retaining unchanged the optical path-length in the test-beam direction.

Abstract: Two integrating light pipes are optically coupled to a focusing element to produce light with uniform irradiance and intensity profiles. The first ILP stage is used to receive spatially non-uniform light from a single or multi-color source and produce a uniform irradiance distribution while leaving the intensity distribution substantially unaltered. The focusing optical element swaps the irradiance and intensity distributions received from the output of the first ILP and feeds it to a second ILP stage which, in turn, completes the spatial homogenization of the light by transforming the non-uniform irradiance received from the focusing element into an output of uniform irradiance. As a result of this sequence of transformations, a homogeneous multi-color light output, both in intensity and irradiance, is produced.

Abstract: A biological tissue sample is scanned in a single pass to produce an image and corresponding optical-density data. A conventional computerized algorithm is used to identify, isolate and produce segmented images of nuclei contained in the image. The OD values corresponding to nuclear chromatin are used to identify numerical patterns known to have statistical significance in relation to the health condition of the biological tissue. These patterns are analyzed to detect pre-neoplastic changes in histologically normal-appearing tissue that suggest a risk for the development of a pre-malignant and a potentially malignant lesion. This information is then converted to a visually perceptible form incorporated into the image of the tissue sample and is displayed for qualitative analysis by a pathologist.

Abstract: A multi-layer thin-film narrow-band filter is fabricated by a process wherein each half of a symmetric stack is deposited under exact conditions, either successively or contemporaneously. The two halves of the filter structure are then combined and bonded together using a wet bonding process that remains reversible for a period of time sufficient for testing the filter and, if necessary, for separating the two halves to regain access to the spacer layer. Accordingly, the spacer layer may be adjusted to shift the peak wavelength, if necessary, to the precise design specifications for a particular application. After correction, the components of the symmetric filter are bonded again using the same wet process.