Abstract: A surface examining apparatus irradiates an examinatorial light from a projector on a examined body that runs in a Z-direction. The projector is arranged at a distance from the surface of the examined body in a Y-direction orthogonal to the surface thereof and arranged inwardly of outer ends of the examined body in the width direction thereof in the X-direction orthogonal to the Z-direction and the Y-direction, and which detects the light that has passed through the examined body thereby to examine surface defects of the examined body. A light shielding unit is provided, which includes a light shielding member arranged between the projector and the examined body and shields the examinatorial light that is going to travel outwards from the outer end in the width direction of the examined body, and a moving unit that moves the light shielding member in the X-direction and in the Y-direction.

Abstract: An image sensing pixel cell includes a reset circuit, a capacitance, a photodiode, an amplifier circuit, and a voltage buffer. The reset circuit couples an initial voltage to a first node at an initial time, where the capacitance stores the initial voltage. The amplifier circuit is arranged to bias the photodiode at a relatively constant voltage. The voltage buffer circuit buffers the first node to produce a second voltage that corresponds to the voltage at the first node at a subsequent time. The second voltage is different from the initial voltage when a photocurrent flows in the photodiode. A pixel cell may include a shutter circuit having a closed position and an open position. The shutter circuit provides a conductive path for the photocurrent between the photodiode and a power supply connection when in the closed position. The shutter circuit provides another conductive path for the photocurrent between the photodiode and the first node when in the open position.

Abstract: An encoder including a light source for emitting light, a photodetector for detecting at least part of the light emitted by the light source, and an encoder film including a plurality of alternating bars and windows and being located between the light source and the photodetector. The encoder includes a mask including a plurality of alternating bars and windows, the mask being located between the light source and the photodetector. The encoder further includes a spacer located between the mask and the encoder film, the encoder film contacting the spacer to maintain a predetermined spacing between the mask and the encoder film.

Abstract: An optical code reader for reading optical codes in any orientation with a preferred depth of field (DOF), the optical code reader including imaging sensor arrays arranged at angles to one another and tilted in accordance with the Scheimpflug principle to allow for omni-directional reading and a preferred DOF. In addition, an optical code reader may also include an optical device to rotate an image as it is projected upon a stationary tilted image sensor array. Still further, an optical code reader may include a rotating imaging sensor array tilted in accordance with the Scheimpflug principle to allow for omni-directional reading with a preferred DOF.

Abstract: A method of detecting an edge of an object, including the steps of lighting, in each one of a plurality of different directions, at least a portion of the object, taking an image of the portion of the object and a vicinity of the portion which are lighted in the each one of the different directions, synthesizing the respective images of the portion of the object taken by lighting the portion in the different directions, and detecting, based on the synthesized images, an edge of the portion of the object.

Abstract: A dual beam concentric polar axis scanning machine for allowing flat parts to be easily scanned and measured. Flat shaped parts are placed on a glass datum type part support surface. The dual beam laser type scanners are positioned on a motion stage beneath the part support surface and move in the x and y planes parallel to the part support surface. Detectors above the surface receive the beams and move in unison with the scanners. Initially, the beams trace the external outline of the part and measure all grooves, side indentations and the like. Next, the beams pass over the surface of the part locating and mapping the locations of any openings therethrough. Finally, the beams trace perimeter edges of each of the openings for their measurements.

Abstract: An optical encoder assembly for an optical encoder for determining rotation of a rotatable shaft. An encoder housing is non-engageable with the shaft. A receiver plate is attached to the encoder housing, has a first side and a substantially opposing second side, and has a through hole and a window both extending from the first side to the second side, wherein the through hole is engageable with the shaft. An encoder mask is attached to the first side of the receiver plate, has a shaft hole engageable with the shaft, and has a mask grating positioned over the window. A light emitter is aligned to face the first side of the receiver plate and is positioned over the mask grating. A light detector is attached to the second side of the receiver plate and is positioned over the window.

Abstract: A device for treating a substrate with laser radiation is described. The device has a rotating polygon mirror with N reflecting surfaces which are used to direct a laser beam via a system of converting focusing lenses, whereby the focal planes of the lenses are located on a surface of the substrate. Active reflecting surfaces direct the laser beam onto the converging lens system, and subsequently on the substrate, while inactive reflecting surfaces have a different inclination to the active reflecting surfaces in relation to the converging lens system. The laser beam from the surfaces is directed onto an absorber. The large number of inactive reflecting surface helps to reduce serial hole density. When the laser is switched on and off while the inactive reflecting surfaces are being scanned, further reduction of serial hole density can be achieved.

Abstract: An integrated active pixel photosensor includes a matrix array of pixels. Each pixel includes a photosensitive component, an amplifier component and a reset to initial state component. The matrix array further includes, for controlling the pixels, an addressing device, a power supply device, a reset to initial state device and a device for reading luminance information picked up by the pixels to extract the information from the matrix array. The addressing, power supply, reset and reading devices are implemented by the same plurality of matrix array column and row lines. The photosensor further includes logic control devices external to the matrix array and connected to the column and row lines to enable selective control in each pixel of the power supply, addressing, return to initial state and read functions.

Abstract: A reflected light barrier has a housing with a base element. A semiconductor light emitter and a semiconductor light receiver are arranged on the base element in such a way that there is no free-standing partition between the light emitter and light receiver optically screening the light receiver from the light emitter. The light emitter has such a low beam divergence that the crosstalk from the light emitter to the light receiver is kept within operating tolerances.

Abstract: A plurality of the first L1 and second L2 image sensor elements are interleaved with one another. The first image sensor elements L1 has a peak response at the first wavelength &lgr;1 for capturing an illuminated image of the glass and objects on the glass containing a first wavelength &lgr;1 from an infrared illuminator (12). The second image sensor element L2 has a peak response at a second wavelength &lgr;2 for capturing an ambient image of light rays at the second wavelength &lgr;2 passing through the glass (10) from the exterior to the interior surfaces simultaneously with the capture by the first image sensor element L1. Instead of storing two complete sequential images and differentially subtracting them, the present invention creates two simultaneous images from a specially interleaved, single imager (14).

Abstract: A method of determining the correctness of a DRAM redundancy repair. The method is capable of detecting whether a redundancy repair has been properly conducted. The method includes illuminating a die on a wafer with a convergent light beam and observing the physical bit map produced after illumination on a screen. When the convergent light beam aims at a defective array, two semicircular shaped images appear on the screen. When the convergent light beam aims at a redundancy element used in a redundancy repair, a bright line appears on the screen. Through gauging the relative positions between the bright line and the pair of semicircular images, proper replacement by a redundancy element can be ascertained.

Abstract: A storage surface for a semiconductor substrate carrier has substrate carrier sensors that are integrated with locator pins. Each locator pin includes a pin body mounted on, and extending upwardly from, the surface. The pin body has a slot formed at an upper portion of the pin body. A paddle is mounted in the slot of the pin body and is adapted to be actuated in a downward direction when a substrate carrier is seated on the pin body. The pin body has an uppermost point, and when the paddle is unactuated, the paddle does not extend above the uppermost point of the pin body.

Abstract: A system for generating a source of broadband light includes, in one embodiment, a plurality of light sources such as SLEDs or edge-emitting luminescent diodes (ELEDs) whose outputs are combined in at least one combiner unit. The combiner unit combines light from a plurality of light sources into a single mode output beam. In one embodiment, the single mode output beam is the input beam to an interferometer for optical coherence tomography. In another embodiment, a time-gain compensation (TGC) unit is in communication with the plurality of light sources. The TGC unit controls the plurality of light sources independently and simultaneously. In one embodiment, control of the plurality of light sources by the TGC unit is in synchrony with the variation in optical delay in the reference arm of the interferometer. The TGC unit may feature, for example, a modulated current regulator.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for measuring the deformation of a specimen without contact with the specimen. The surface of the measured specimen is partly illuminated by a laser light having uniform intensity. A speckle image is produced due to the local quality of the surface and is reproduced via an optical image sent onto a light-sensitive sensor. At least one reference speckle is selected by an evaluator unit from the totality of the speckles of the speckle image. The displacement of the reference speckle on the sensor is evaluated as the measure of the change that occurred in the specimen. In addition, the invention provides a device for performing this method.

Abstract: A two-dimensional field of regard is scanned with a single plane mirror in the object space of a telescope, maintaining a fixed relationship between the rotational direction of scan and the projection of the telescope's focal plane. The two dimensional field of regard is covered by a series of conical arcs, each arc being scanned by rotation at constant angular velocity about the inner axis of the two-axis system. This scanning system accommodates applications such as TDI that require an opto-mechanical scan with a constant linear velocity (magnitude and direction) in the focal plane. Shading of IR images is mitigated by calibration at the ends of each scan line and by a scan geometry that minimizes changes in reflection angle.

Abstract: A method of inspecting bumps provided on a surface of an object to be inspected includes the steps of: (a) irradiating a first irradiation beam on said object in an oblique direction and (b) imaging a first reflected beam from said object so as to obtain a first reflection image including a first reflection region and a height data of said bump corresponding to said first regular reflection region produced by a part of the first reflected beam reflected near an apex of the bump. The method further includes the steps of (c) shifting a position of said first regular reflection region in said first reflection image in accordance with a value derived from said height data and said predetermined angle, (d) extracting said first regular reflection region within a predetermined region from said first reflection image after said step c), and (e) detecting a height of said bump based on said height data corresponding to the extracted first regular reflection region.

Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a plurality of optical scanning, units each including a light source emitting a light flux, a scanning input optical system directing the light flux emitted from the light source to a deflector. The deflector deflects the light flux so as to cause the light flux to scan a surface to be scanned. A scanning and imaging optical system condenses the light flux deflected by the deflector so as to form a beam spot thereof on the surface to be scanned. The optical scanning device scans the surface to be scanned continuously through coordinated movements of the plurality of optical scanning units, and the respective scanning and imaging optical systems of adjacent at least two of the plurality of optical scanning units have one lens in common.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for aligning a loadport on a process machine are disclosed. The apparatus is constructed by a base plate, an alignment block mounted on the base plate, a light source and an optical detector. The alignment block is provided with an aperture extending longitudinally through the block, or formed in a T-shape extending both longitudinally and transversely through the block. The light source may be suitably a laser emission source, or a laser source that operates in a pulse mode. The diameter of the aperture provided in the alignment block should be sufficiently small, i.e. smaller than 5 mm, and preferably smaller than 3 mm.

Abstract: A contact image sensor includes a light sensitive optical detector and a light source mounted on a mounting surface. A light guide is located under the light source and is oriented to direct a light path from the light source to a scan line region under the light sensitive optical detector.