Patents Examined by Hao Q. Pham
  • Patent number: 10982998
    Abstract: A laser system includes a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory machine-readable memory, a laser head configured to output a laser beam, a work bed positioned opposite the laser head, and a power meter communicatively coupled to the electronic control unit and integrated within the work bed. The laser system further includes a knife edge plate positioned between the power meter and the laser head, and a machine-readable instruction set stored in the non-transitory machine readable memory that causes the laser system to perform at least the following when executed by the processor: position the laser head at a distance from the power meter, cause the laser head to output the laser beam, translate the laser head across the power meter, receive power signals from the power meter as the laser beam is translated across the power meter, and calculate a spot size based on the power signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Thomas Hackert, Tobias Christian Roeder, Uwe Stute
  • Patent number: 7391517
    Abstract: A method and a device, using a system of plural cavity resonators, enabling to measure the light absorption or diffusion of biological samples. A measurement of low absorption or diffusion can be achieved and for example be applied for measuring the hybridization of DNA strands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique
    Inventors: Jean-Baptiste Trebbia, Patrick Chaton, Stephane Getin, Philippe Grosse
  • Patent number: 6924900
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a method and a microscope for detection of a specimen, having a light source that illuminates the specimen and an imaging system that images the specimen onto a detector. For purposes of an increase in the effective resolution capability of the imaging system that goes beyond the limit of the resolution capability defined by the properties of the imaging system, the method and the microscope according to the present invention for detection of a specimen are characterized in that the specimen is detected repeatedly with a different resolution of the imaging system in each case; and that in order to determine an optimized resolution capability, the detected image data are conveyed to a statistical and/or numerical analysis operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: Leica Microsystems Semiconductor GmbH
    Inventor: Klaus Rinn
  • Patent number: 6580501
    Abstract: An apparatus for the visual inspection in particular of concealed soldered joints is provided, in particular between an electric or electronic component disposed on the surface of a printed circuit board and the printed circuit board. The apparatus includes with an ocular unit, a lens head, an image transmission unit for transmitting the image received by the lens head to the ocular unit and an illuminating device for illuminating the soldered joints to be tested. The lens head includes a device for image deviation which extends up to the axially outer end of the lens head, and in which the illuminating device is disposed in the lens head in such a way that the exit angle of the light of the illuminating device out of the lens head is substantially equal to the deviation angle of the image deviation. The exit point of the light is disposed next to the device for image deviation in the area of the axially outer end of the lens head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Ersa GmbH
    Inventor: Mark Cannon
  • Patent number: 6552812
    Abstract: A method and system for measuring threshold length of a planarization process, and for comparing the planarization abilities of such processes. The method and system measure a thickness profile of a film on a blanket wafer, and from the thickness profile, a threshold length is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Cangshan Xu, Yuexing Zhao
  • Patent number: 6542229
    Abstract: Optical sensors and methods are disclosed. The resonance energy transfer between a donor and acceptor pair on a surface is monitored. The change in resonance energy transfer as a function of the change in refractive index of a sensing area disposed between the donor and acceptor pair is utilized to provide various sensing methods and structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Inventors: Peter J. Kalal, Mark A. Quesada
  • Patent number: 6373566
    Abstract: The present invention relates to circuit defect detection, classification, and review in the wafer stage of the integrated circuit semiconductor device manufacturing process. The method of processing integrated circuit semiconductor dice on a wafer in a manufacturing process for dice comprises the steps of visually inspecting the dice on the wafer to determine defects thereon, summarizing the number, types, and ranges of sizes of the defects of the dice on the wafer, and determining if the wafer is acceptable to proceed in the manufacturing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Lisa R. Zeimantz
  • Patent number: 6259523
    Abstract: An optic device for use in viewing the interior of pressurized vessels, especially high pressure fluid pipelines. Embodiments of the optic device allow manual or automatic insertion/retraction of the viewing head allowing variable depth viewing of the interior. The viewing head is capable of various embodiments including the ability to carry various optic devices and is adapted to withstand high pressures. The automatically insertable optic device can be either hydraulically or pneumatically actuated. Both the automatic and manual optic devices may be fixed or variable focus. The fixed focus devices utilize lenses, ultra-miniature color cameras, and fiberscopes either with or without integral light sources as part of the viewing head. The variable focus device utilizes lenses and a reflector. Preferably, the viewing head utilizes sapphire viewing windows which exhibit excellent light transmission and resistance to high pressures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Welker Engineering Company
    Inventor: Brian H. Welker
  • Patent number: 6246474
    Abstract: A very sensitive particle distribution probe uses special processing including a modified Twomey/Chahine iterative convergence technique and a specially constructed sample cell to obtain particle size distribution measurements from optically dense slurries, such as the slurries used in the semiconductor industry for chemical mechanical planarization. Spectral transmission data is taken over the spectral range of 0.20-2.5 microns, utilizing specially constructed, chemically resistant sample cells of 50-250 microns thickness, and miniature, fixed grating, linear detector array spectrometers. At wavelengths greater than 1 micron, the preferred design utilizes InGaAs linear detector arrays. An ultrasonic disrupter can be employed to breakup harmless soft agglomerates. In addition to direct particle size distribution measurement, the invention described here could be used to detect other fundamental causes of slurry degradation, such as foaming and jelling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Particle Measuring Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd A. Cerni, Scott Waisanen
  • Patent number: 6204922
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for measuring the thickness of at least one individual film added to, removed from, or within a sample, characterized by the use of a shift in a selected peak of thickness spectral data to estimate the thickness of the individual film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Filmetrics, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott A. Chalmers
  • Patent number: 6195163
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process for analyzing the surface characteristics of opaque materials. The method comprises in one embodiment the use of a UV reflectometer to build a calibration matrix of data from a set of control samples and correlating a desired surface characteristic such as roughness or surface area to the set of reflectances of the control samples. The UV reflectometer is then used to measure the reflectances of a test sample of unknown surface characteristics. Reflectances are taken at a variety of angles of reflection for a variety of wavelengths, preferably between about 250 nanometers to about 400 nanometers. These reflectances are then compared against the reflectances of the calibration matrix in order to correlate the closest data in the calibration matrix. By so doing, a variety of information is thereby concluded, due to the broad spectrum of wavelengths and angles of reflection used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Randhir P. S. Thakur, Michael Nuttall, J. Brett Rolfson, Robert James Burke
  • Patent number: 5745233
    Abstract: A voltage detecting circuit is capable of detecting the voltage to be detected at high precision, is small in size, and is low in manufacturing cost. A first photo coupler and a second photo coupler are interposed between voltage input terminals to which the voltage to be detected is applied. The photo coupler has light emitting elements connected parallel reversely, first voltage generator for generating a voltage depending on the photo detector side currents of the first photo coupler and second photo coupler, a differential amplifier whose one input terminal receives the voltage generated by the first voltage generator. A third photo coupler and a fourth photo coupler having light emitting elements are connected parallel reversely for receiving the output current of the differential amplifier, and a second voltage generator for generating a voltage corresponding to the photo detector side currents of the third photo coupler and fourth photo coupler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1998
    Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Co.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Asada, Atsuhiko Tamaki, Tadashi Morita
  • Patent number: 5742382
    Abstract: A refractometer, comprising a frame structure, in which are arranged a light source, an optical window and a light sensitive detector, whereby the optical window is arranged to be positioned into contact with a solution to be measured and a beam of rays from the light source is arranged to be directed to an interface between the optical window and the solution, whereby part of the ray beam reflects back from the solution and part of it is absorbed partially into the solution and an image is created, in which the location of a borderline between a light and a dark area depends on the critical angle of total reflection, this angle being a function of the concentration of the solution, and whereby an information of the location of the borderline is arranged to be transformed into an electrical form by the light sensitive detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: Janeksko Oy
    Inventor: Jan K.ang.hre
  • Patent number: 5661556
    Abstract: A system and method for characterizing a surface are disclosed. The system includes a light source and source optics which direct a beam of light toward the surface. A first optical integrating device is positioned and configured to receive a first portion of the scattered light which corresponds to a first range of spatial frequencies. A second optical integrating device is positioned and configured to receive a second portion of the scattered light corresponding to a second range of spatial frequencies. In one embodiment, an integrating sphere is employed as the first optical integrating device. The sphere includes a sampling aperture which is surrounded by a light absorption region on the interior of the sphere. Total integrated scatter data is generated for each range of spatial frequencies and is used to approximate the spectral scatter function of the surface. RMS roughness is then approximated for any range of spatial frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1997
    Assignee: Schmitt Measurement Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Tod F. Schiff, Marvin L. Bernt