Abstract: In a shadow mask-substrate alignment method, a substrate and a shadow mask each include a grate having a plurality of bars in spaced relation, wherein for each grate, each pair of spaced bars of each grate is separated by a gap. The spacing between at least three adjacent gaps is different or not of constant pitch, and at least one grate includes a gap that extends therethrough. The grate of the substrate and the grate of the shadow mask are positioned in a light path. Thereafter, the orientation of the substrate, the shadow mask, or both are caused to be adjusted to position the grate of the substrate, the grate of the shadow mask, or both until a predetermined amount of light or range of an amount of light on the light path passing through one or both of the grates is received by a light receiver.

Abstract: Improvement of pupil luminance distribution includes: a fifth process in which an index value obtained from the illumination pupil, using evaluation method of a first process to fourth process; a sixth process wherein a unit change amount of the index value in the discrete data acquired in the previous process is acquired for each unit pupil area; a seventh process wherein discrete data modulated by an improving technique using the unit change amount so that the index value nears a target index value is acquired; and an eighth process wherein an index value obtained corresponding to the modulated discrete data in the seventh process is acquired, using the evaluation method of the first process to the fourth process, and by repeatedly performing the sixth process to eighth process so an error of the index value obtained corresponding to the modulated discrete data falls within permissible range.

Abstract: A spectrometer equipped with an integrating sphere is used to measure a reflection spectrum from a suspension in a container when the suspension is irradiated with measurement light, of which wavelengths are selected from a wavelength range including near infrared. Reflection spectra of a number of types of standard samples, of which concentrations in the suspension are already known, are used to prepare a measurement model in accordance with an assay technique on the basis of a recursion. A concentration of the material in the suspension is found using the measurement model.

Abstract: A line segment detection apparatus includes a head that supports a sensor configured to detect light reflected by a surface of a cutting target medium, a driving unit configured to move the head in two-dimensional directions relatively to the medium, and a processing unit configured to drive the driving unit and perform arithmetic processing on an output of the sensor. The processing unit includes a region detection unit configured to detect a region different in reflectance from surroundings based on a change of a signal output from the sensor when the sensor was moved in a first direction, and a determination unit configured to determine whether the region is a line segment, based on the change of the signal output from the sensor when the sensor passed a point in the region and was moved in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

Abstract: An optical field enhancement device that generates an enhanced optical field on a surface of a metal film by an optical field enhancement effect of localized plasmon induced on the surface of the metal film by light projected onto a nanostructure on which the metal film is formed, the device including a transparent substrate having a transparent nanostructure on a surface, a metal film formed on a surface of the nanostructure, and a support member for supporting a subject at a position spaced apart from the surface of the metal film.

Abstract: A particle beam forming device for forming either a linear or conical particle beam from a particle source in which particles are dispersed in a gas, includes: a reduced-pressure vessel in which pressure is reduced; a particle beam generating unit, which has one end arranged outside of the reduced-pressure vessel and an other end arranged inside the reduced-pressure vessel, and which captures the particle source from outside the reduced-pressure vessel and introduces the particle beam into the reduced-pressure vessel; and a particle beam evaluating unit for evaluating a spatial distribution of the particle beam inside the reduced-pressure vessel.

Abstract: There is provided a system for inspecting an edge area of a transparent media, the transparent media having a decoration on a surface, the system includes: an illuminator to direct light to the transparent media for inspection, wherein the illuminator directs light to the transparent media at an oblique angle relative to a surface of the transparent media which is opposite the surface with the decoration; an optical element to capture light transmitted through the transparent media; and a sensor to obtain an image from the light captured by the optical element. There is also provided a method for inspecting an edge area of a transparent media, where the transparent media has a decoration on a surface.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an overlay metrology method, an overlay control method and an overlay control system. The overlay metrology method includes capturing a current layer image of a current overlay mark on a current layer with a current focal length and capturing a previous layer image of a previous overlay mark on a previous layer with a previous focal length. Then, the overlay metrology method further includes combining the current layer image with the previous layer image to form an overlay mark image and determining an overlay error between the current overlay mark and the previous overlay mark based on the overlay mark image.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus comprising, a focal position detector that detects a reference focal position of an image plane of a sample from a variation of an output value in optical image data of the sample, the output value being acquired by changing a distance between a first lens and the sample, and detects an optimum focal position of an inspection from the reference focal position, an image processor that obtains at least one of either an average gradation value in each predetermined unit region or a variation of a gradation value in the unit region with respect to the optical image data obtained at the optimum focal position, and a defect detector that detects a defect of the sample based on at least one of either the average gradation value or the variation of the gradation value.

Abstract: A method for inspecting a light source module for defects includes preparing a board on which a light emitting device and a lens covering the light emitting device are installed. A current is applied to the light emitting device to turn on the light emitting device. The lens is imaged with the light emitting device turned on. A central symmetry denoting a symmetry of light emission distribution from the center of the lens is calculated based on the obtained image, and the calculated central symmetry is compared with a reference value to determine whether unsymmetrical light emission distribution has occurred. Various other methods and apparatuses for inspecting light source modules are additionally provided.

Abstract: An apparatus with an electromagnetic radiation source generates an incident-beam. A sample container accommodates a sample, receives the incident beam for interaction with the sample, and enables a scattered beam, which is to be detected, to propagate out of the sample container. An electromagnetic radiation detector detects the scattered beam which is received from the sample container. The sample container is oriented with regard to a direction of the incident beam so that an incident trajectory of the incident beam directly before propagating into the sample container up to a symmetry axis of the sample container is symmetric with a scattered trajectory of the scattered beam from the symmetry axis up to a position of the scattered beam directly after having left the sample container, such that the scattered trajectory outside of the sample container is independent of a refraction index of the sample container and of the sample.

Abstract: An inner diameter measuring device comprises an object to be measured supporting carriage, being arranged movably along a rail installed on an upper surface of a bed and used for holding a hollow pipe to be measured, a supporting shaft extended from a base end to a forward end of the bed, being insertable into the pipe to be measured and being cantilever-supported, and an inner diameter measuring unit installed on a forward end of the supporting shaft, being insertable into the pipe to be measured and for measuring the inner surface of the pipe to be measured. The inner diameter measuring unit is adapted to be inserted into the pipe to be measured, and is adapted to measure an inner diameter of the pipe to be measured in a process where the object to be measured supporting carriage is moved toward the base end of the supporting shaft.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention, a load estimation apparatus which estimates a load added to a laser light irradiation apparatus is provided. In the load estimation apparatus, a focal length adjustment unit adjusts the focal length in accordance with a distance from a light source to a light irradiation position in a recording medium, the apparatus comprising: an obtaining unit which obtains control data in which the light irradiation position is instructed with a coordinate; an operation amount detection unit which analyzes the coordinate of the control data to detect an operation amount of the focal distance adjustment unit; a load value calculation unit which accumulates load value information of the focal length adjustment unit in response to results of comparing the threshold and the operation amount when the operation amount is detected.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described herein for producing high radiance illumination light suitable for semiconductor metrology. A cold gas is repeatedly ignited by a pulsed laser to periodically generate accessible, high brightness illumination light generated during each break-down event. The pulse duration and repetition period are set to ignite, but not sustain fully formed plasma. The central plasma core emits high color temperature light before a cooler plasma region forms around the central core. Thus, after ignition, the plasma is extinguished before the arrival of the next laser pulse. The repeated plasma ignition/extinction cycle generates illumination light at high color temperature that is accessible for illumination purposes in a metrology application. In one embodiment, a bulb filled with Xenon gas at 10 atmospheres is repeatedly ignited with a pulsed laser having pulse duration of 10 nanoseconds to generate illumination light with a color temperature of approximately 60,000 Kelvin.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to not only decrease the time required to detect an optical section line in an optical sectioning method but to improve precision in shape measurement of an object to be measured. In this shape measuring method, after an area dividing line is drawn in a region that includes an extracted optical section line and the region is divided into small areas, a longitudinal region is established that spreads in the up and down direction by a plurality of pixels centered around the location of the optical section line in each small area. The next image processing occurs in the whole region of the longitudinal regions.

Abstract: A direction sensor (200) includes sensor cells (215) that respectively correspond to different directions. Each of the sensor cells (215) includes a light sensor (130, 140) and a grating (120) that couples incident light into the light sensor (130, 140) when the incident light has a specific wavelength and is incident on the grating (120) along the direction corresponding to the sensor cell (215).

Abstract: Within area where of four heads installed on a wafer stage, heads included in the first head group and the second head group to which three heads each belong that include one head different from each other face the corresponding areas on a scale plate, the wafer stage is driven based on positional information which is obtained using the first head group, as well as obtain the displacement (displacement of position, rotation, and scaling) between the first and second reference coordinate systems corresponding to the first and second head groups using the positional information obtained using the first and second head groups. By using the results and correcting measurement results obtained using the second head group, the displacement between the first and second reference coordinate systems is calibrated, which allows the measurement errors that come with the displacement between areas on scale plates where each of the four heads face.

Abstract: A system for locating a work vehicle at a job site, locating a topographic feature with respect to the work vehicle, and further characterizing the topographic feature from the work vehicle.

Abstract: Various implementations of optical computing devices are described herein which include a “tuning fork” probe, “spark plug” probe, “grooved tubular” and “modular” type implementation.

Abstract: A method is for testing a photonic integrated circuit (IC) that includes a test structure having a test optical splitter, a test optical input, and first and second test optical outputs. A device under test (DUT) is coupled between the first test optical output and the first output of the test optical splitter. The deembedding structure includes a deembedding optical splitter, a deembedding optical input and first and second deembedding optical outputs. The method includes coupling a test probe device to the test optical inputs and outputs and the deembedding optical inputs and outputs and operating the test probe device to make at least one test measurement related to the DUT and at least one deembedding measurement. The at least one test measurement is processed with the at least one deembedding measurement to determine whether the DUT is acceptable and independent of alignment error.