Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatically inspecting and repairing printed circuit boards includes an inspection functionality automatically inspecting printed circuit boards and providing a machine readable indication of regions thereon requiring repair. An automatic repair functionality employs the machine readable indication to repair the printed circuit boards at some of the regions thereon requiring repair. An automatic repair reformulation functionality automatically reinspects the printed circuit boards following an initial automatic repair operation, and provides to the automatic repair functionality a reformulated machine readable indication of regions thereon requiring repair.

Abstract: An inspection system includes a CMOS integrated circuit having integrally formed thereon an at least two dimensional array of photosensors and providing an inspection output representing an object to be inspected. A defect analyzer is operative to receive the inspection output and to provide a defect report.

Abstract: Methods for optimizing the cost of executing a set of tests including finding the optimal ordering of the tests for some important cases such as set of tests having series-parallel structure with no statistical dependencies, and near-optimal orderings for the rest of the cases, such that the resources required for executing the tests are minimized.

Abstract: A method for scanning a surface with a number of different illumination configurations, the method comprises capturing a plurality of images in a sequential manner during a single sweep, each image including one or more lines of pixels, sequentially altering an illumination configuration used to capture the plurality of images according to a predefined sequence of illumination configurations and shifts of the relative position of the imaging unit for capturing each of the plurality of images, and repeating the sequence of illumination configurations settings and associated image capture positions until a desired area of the surface is scanned, wherein said predefined shift is between 10 pixels and less then one pixel.

Abstract: An inspection system includes a CMOS integrated circuit having integrally formed thereon an at least two dimensional array of photosensors and providing an inspection output representing an object to be inspected. A defect analyzer is operative to receive the inspection output and to provide a defect report.

Abstract: A method of scanning a pattern on a surface, the method comprises forming a first spatially modulated light beam including a pattern for writing on a surface; splitting the first spatially modulated light beam into a plurality of sub-beams; altering a spatial relationship between the plurality of sub-beams, thereby forming a second spatially modulated light beam; and canning the surface with the second spatially modulated light beam.

Abstract: A method of exposing a pattern on a light sensitive surface comprises forming a spatially modulated light beam including a rectangular matrix pattern of rows and columns of image data over a surface, wherein the spatially modulated light beam is operable to expose contiguous sub-exposure areas of the surface, each sub-exposure area associated with a datum of the image data, aligning one of the rows or columns of the spatially modulated light beam with a scan direction and the other one of the rows and columns of the spatially modulated light beam with a cross-scan direction for exposing the surface, shearing at least one portion of the modulated light beam with respect to a second portion of the modulated light beam in a cross scan direction by an amount less than a center to center distance between two sub-exposure areas in a cross scan direction, exposing the surface in the scan direction with the sheared spatially modulated light beam, and overlapping exposed sub-areas in the cross scan direction as a resu

Abstract: Apparatus for optical inspection includes an illumination assembly, including multiple parallel rows of light sources for emitting light and illumination optics associated with each row for directing the light onto an object under inspection. The multiple parallel rows include at least a first row with first illumination optics including a first array of prisms that are configured to reflect the light emitted by the light sources in the first row, and at least a second row with second illumination optics including a second array of prisms that are configured to refract the light emitted by the light sources in the second row. An imaging assembly is configured to capture an image of the object under illumination by the multiple parallel rows of the light sources.

Abstract: A system and method of repairing electrical circuits including employing a laser and at least one laser beam delivery pathway for laser pre-treatment of at least one conductor repair area of a conductor formed on a circuit substrate and employing the laser and at least part of the at least one laser beam delivery pathway for application of at least one laser beam to a donor substrate in a manner which causes at least one portion of the donor substrate to be detached therefrom and to be transferred to at least one predetermined conductor location.

Abstract: A method of controlling the illumination angle onto a target, including, illuminating onto the target with light from at least two light sources of pre-selected wavelengths; wherein each point on the target is illuminated by light from the light sources with a respective maximal illumination angle relative to a main illumination axis extending from substantially the center of the at least two light sources to the target, selecting a dichroic filter that transmits light from the at least two light sources as a function of the angle of incidence upon the filter, positioning the dichroic filter between the at least two light sources and the target to limit the transfer of light to light of the pre-selected wavelengths; and wherein the dichroic filter is selected to limit the maximal illumination angle illuminating each point on the target.

Abstract: A method for imaging a body, including scanning the body so as to generate a tomographic image thereof, and analyzing the tomographic image to determine a location of a region of interest (ROI) (38) within the body. The method includes providing single photon counting detector modules (40), each of the modules being configured to receive photons from a respective direction and to generate a signal in response thereto. The method further includes coupling each of the modules to a respective adjustable mount (54), adjusting each of the adjustable mounts so that the direction of the module coupled thereto is aligned with respect to the location so as to receive radiation from the ROI, operating each of the modules to receive the photons from the ROI, and, in response to the signal generated by each of the modules, generating a single photon counting image of the ROI.

Abstract: Methods for optimizing the cost of executing a set of tests including finding the optimal ordering of the tests for some important cases such as set of tests having series-parallel structure with no statistical dependencies, and near-optimal orderings for the rest of the cases, such that the resources required for executing the tests are minimized.

Abstract: An illumination device and method for inspecting objects having microscopic features is provided. The device includes an illuminator which provides a solid angle of angularly specific illumination defining an illumination angle, selected by a user from among a continuous range of possible illumination angles. The device further includes an object inspector which inspects the object illuminated by the illuminator. The illuminator may include an illumination source, a light concentrator, an illumination angle selector, disposed along a light path between the illumination source and the object inspector. The illumination angle selector may have a first position in which directly-reflected light propagates toward the object plane and a second position in which no light both selected by the illumination angle selector and directly reflected from the object plane enters the collecting lens. Rather, in the second position, only scattered light from the object plane enters the collecting lens.

Abstract: A vacuum hold-down system for use with workpieces of various shapes and/or sizes is disclosed. The system comprising a vacuum hold-down table defining a mask support plane and an apertured vacuum table mask which is selectably positionable on said mask support plane, wherein said vacuum hold-down table and said vacuum table mask is configured to define a plurality of selectable different contiguous arrays of vacuum apertures, by suitable relative positioning of said vacuum table mask and said vacuum hold-down table in said mask support plane.

Abstract: A method for producing an electrical circuit includes providing a substrate having a first pattern of features and defining a second pattern comprising a net of interconnected circuit elements. Different respective transformation rules are specified for different ones of the circuit elements. The second pattern is modified by applying the respective transformation rules to the circuit elements so as to align the circuit elements with the features in the first pattern, and the modified second pattern is applied to the substrate.

Abstract: A new architecture for machine vision system that uses area sensor (or line sensor), with telecentric imaging optics compound with telecentric illumination module is described. The illumination module may include a bright field illumination source and/or a dark field illumination source. The telecentric imaging optics includes an upper imaging module having an aperture stop and a lower imaging module positioned between the upper imaging module and object, such that the light source and the aperture stop are located in the back focal plane of the lower imaging module. The lower imaging module images the illumination source into a plane of an aperture stop of the upper imaging module. The optical axis of the upper imaging module is offset with respect to the lower imaging module. The optical axis of the telecentric illumination module is offset with respect to the axis of the lower imaging module in the opposite direction.

Abstract: A system for delivering energy to a substrate includes a laser energy source providing a plurality of laser beams, wherein each of the beams is steered to an independently selectable location on a target, and is independently focused onto the target.

Abstract: An inspection system includes a CMOS integrated circuit having integrally formed thereon an at least two dimensional array of photosensors and providing an inspection output representing an object to be inspected. A defect analyzer is operative to receive the inspection output and to provide a defect report.

Abstract: A method for micromachining a material, including configuring an optical system to provide illumination of an illumination wavelength to a site via a given element of the optical system, the illumination generating returning radiation from the site. The method further includes configuring the optical system to receive the returning radiation via the given element, and to form an image of the site therefrom, calculating an actual position of a location at the site from the image and outputting a signal indicative of the actual position of the location, generating a beam of micromachining radiation having a micromachining wavelength different from the illumination wavelength, positioning the beam to form an aligned beam with respect to the location in response to the signal, and conveying the aligned beam to the location via at least the given element of the optical system so as to perform a micromachining operation at the location.

Abstract: A semiconductor detector array including a substrate formed of a semiconductor material and defining a detector array surface including first and second opposite facing surfaces and at least one side wall, electrodes operative as anodes and cathodes of the detector array, formed on the respective first and second opposite facing surfaces, electrical insulation formed along at least part of the at least one side wall and at least one segmented electrical conductor formed over at least part of the electrical insulation along the at least part of the at least one side wall.