Patents Examined by Isiaka O. Akanbi
  • Patent number: 11506479
    Abstract: A method of analyzing layer thickness of a multilayer component is provided. The method includes: creating an opening having a predefined geometry partially into the multilayer component at a selected location on a surface of the multilayer component. The multilayer component includes a plurality of material layers including a substrate and a bond coat. The opening exposes each of the plurality of material layers including the substrate. Contrast of the exposed plurality of material layers can be increased. An image is created of the exposed layers in the opening using a digital microscope, and thickness of a bond coat, thickness of a depletion layer\ and/or thickness of an oxide layer is calculated from the image and based on the predefined geometry of the opening. Repairing the opening, allows the multilayer component to be used for an intended purpose after testing, e.g., re-installed and reused in a gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Johannes Clemens Schab, Sophie Betty Claire Duval, Piero-Daniele Grasso, Julien Rene Andre Zimmermann, Norbert Lucke
  • Patent number: 11506604
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a super resolution imaging method and system for obtaining an image in a crystal material and/or device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: BAR ILAN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Zeev Zalevsky, Moshe Sinvani, Meir Danino, Hadar Pinhas, Omer Wagner, Yossef Danan
  • Patent number: 11493333
    Abstract: Some embodiments of the disclosure provide a flatness detection device. In an embodiment, the flatness detection device includes a back plate, an electromagnet, a cross beam, a probe, and a limiting frame. The limiting frame and the electromagnet are provided side by side on the back plate. The cross beam is located above the limiting frame and the electromagnet. The probe vertically penetrates the cross beam and the limiting frame. A spring is provided between the cross beam and the electromagnet. The spring is movable in a vertical direction by a guide, the movement being at least one of compression and extension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Shanghai Fusion Tech Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xi Cao, Hua Feng, Jianzhe Li, Jinjing Zhang, Wangping Long, Xiaoyu Wu, Zhongwei Yu, Xingpeng Fan, Rui Yuan, Huan Liu
  • Patent number: 11494895
    Abstract: Methods and systems for detecting defects in an array region on a specimen are provided. One method includes determining a center of a page break in output generated by an inspection subsystem for a specimen in an array region. The page break separates cell regions in the array region, and the cell regions include repeating patterned features. The method also includes determining an offset between the center of the page break in the output and a center of the page break in a design for the specimen and identifying portions of the output that correspond to care areas in the array region based on the offset. In addition, the method includes detecting defects in the array region by applying a defect detection method to the portions of the output that correspond to the care areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: KLA Corp.
    Inventors: Siqing Nie, Chunwei Song, Zhuang Liu, Weifeng Zhou
  • Patent number: 11486695
    Abstract: The present invention provides a measurement device for grinding wheel. One or more thickness measurement device is disposed slidably on a platform. A spinning device is disposed on the platform. A grinding wheel is fixed on the spinning device. The spinning shaft spins the grinding wheel. The one or more thickness measurement device measures the flatness condition of the grinding wheel. Furthermore, according to the present invention, a diameter measurement device is disposed inside the platform and measures the roundness of the outer periphery of the grinding wheel. Since the structure can be disassembled easily, the whole measurement device for grinding wheel can be carried conveniently. In addition, measurements can be performed by users on the site where the grinding wheel is located for real-timely understanding the real size and wear condition of grinding wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Metal Industries Research & Development Centre
    Inventors: Chin-Kang Chen, Ching-An Lin, Chia-Ho Cheng, Sung-Liang Hsieh, Chih-Hsin Chang
  • Patent number: 11481888
    Abstract: In an method for inspecting the coating of an electronic component, wherein the electronic component includes at least one electrical resistance element and wherein the layer thickness of at least one coating is determined thermographically, it is provided as essential to the invention that the electrical resistance element is contacted electrically, an electrical voltage is applied to the resistance element, the temperature of the electronic component in the area of the resistance element is captured as a function of time, and a conclusion is drawn about the layer thickness of the coating of the electronic component in the area of the resistance element based on the temperature variation over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: HELLA GMBH & CO. KGAA
    Inventor: Arndt Neumann
  • Patent number: 11481887
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system for measuring surface flatness, deformation and/or coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of a specimen comprising an image capture and analysis processing calibration means for performing image capture and analysis processing calibration of said system, a measuring means for measuring surface flatness of a specimen in a specimen holder, a heating means for heating said sample holder with a predetermined profile, and a control means for providing the predetermined heating profile onto the surface of said specimen and controlling operations of said image capture and analysis processing calibration means, said measuring means, and said heating means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: C&B Tech
    Inventors: Tong Cui, Brandon Wallace
  • Patent number: 11473903
    Abstract: Surface sensing methods for imaging a scanned surface of a sample via sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy are disclosed herein. The methods include exposing a sampled location of the scanned surface to a visible light beam and exposing the sampled location to a tunable infrared beam such that the tunable infrared beam is at least partially coincident with the visible light beam. The methods also include varying a frequency of the tunable infrared beam an inducing optical resonance within an imaged structure that extends at least partially within the sampled location. The methods further include receiving at least a portion of an emitted light beam from the sampled location and scanning the visible light beam and the runnable infrared beam across the scanned portion of the scanned surface. The methods also include generating an image of the scanned portion of the scanned surface based upon the receiving and the scanning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignees: The Boeing Company, FemtoMetrix, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey H. Hunt, Jianing Shi, John Paul Changala
  • Patent number: 11473900
    Abstract: The invention relates to a measurement method enabling on-line thickness measurement of the oxide layer formed on aluminum foil by FTIR spectrometer at low cost and precise manner, during aluminum-containing material production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Inventors: Özlem Uçar, Durmus Özdemir, Mustafa Murat Dündar
  • Patent number: 11467419
    Abstract: Disclosed are a projection module, a structured light three-dimensional imaging device, and an electronic apparatus. The projection module includes a laser emitter and a reflective grating. The laser emitter includes a light emitting surface from which laser light is emitted. The reflective grating includes a reflecting surface arranged obliquely relative to the light emitting surface and opposite to the light emitting surface. The reflective face is provided with a grating microstructure thereon. The projection module can adjust a reflection angle of the laser light when expanding beams to generate a laser pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: NANCHANG O-FILM BIO-IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joseph Lin, Horatio Lee, Martin Chen, George Chou
  • Patent number: 11467499
    Abstract: Apparatus, methods and are disclosed for measuring refractive index of an absorber material used in EUV phase shift masks. The method and apparatus utilize a reference measurement and as series of reflectance measurements at a range of EUV wavelengths and thickness values for the absorber material to determine the refractive index of the absorber material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Wen Xiao, Vibhu Jindal, Huajun Liu, Herng Yau Yoong
  • Patent number: 11466975
    Abstract: A three-dimensional measuring device, comprising an arm having a free end provided with an interface body carrying a measuring member and a grip member enabling an operator to point the measuring member at a zone of the object that is to be measured. The measuring member includes a connector to be electrically connected to a corresponding connector of the interface body by a fastener mechanism that is controllable by a lever and that is arranged in such a manner that the lever controls the fastener mechanism to occupy selectively a snap-fastening state in which the measuring member is held on the interface body while the connectors are disengaged from each other, a locking state in which the measuring member is fastened to the interface body and the connectors are engaged with each other, or a release state in which the measuring member can be separated from the interface body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: HEXAGON METROLOGY SAS
    Inventors: Laurent Desforges, Thibault Duportal, Denis Roux, Jean-Luc Famechon, Wes Inglis
  • Patent number: 11467484
    Abstract: A method for inspecting a reticle including a reflective layer on a reticle substrate is provided. The method may include loading the reticle on a stage, cooling the reticle substrate to a temperature lower than a room temperature, irradiating a laser beam to the reflective layer on the reticle substrate, receiving the laser beam using a photodetector to obtain an image of the reflective layer, and detect a particle defect on the reflective layer or a void defect in the reflective layer based on the image of the reflective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seulgi Kim, Hyonseok Song, Inyong Kang, Kangwon Lee, JuHyoung Lee, Eunsik Jang
  • Patent number: 11460411
    Abstract: A process of making a microneedle array comprising providing a microneedle array having a plurality of microneedles of a desired shape, illuminating at least a portion of said microneedle array that comprises at least one microneedle, capturing an observed image of said at least one microneedle using an optical device, electronically processing said observed image and determining at least one shape parameter for said at least one microneedle, accepting said microneedle array if said at least one shape parameter is within an acceptable range, thereby providing a microneedle array that comprises a known shape of the plurality of microneedles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Kindeva Drug Delivery L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey P. Adolf, Steven P. Floeder, Jason P. Smith, Steven R. Dreger
  • Patent number: 11460285
    Abstract: A workpiece holder, measuring device, and a method for executing a measurement by using the workpiece holder. The workpiece holder is configured to hold a workpiece with two opposite arranged workpiece surfaces to be measured in a way that both are accessible by a moveable probe unit and can thus be measured in one setting of the workpiece. For this the workpiece holder comprises a support and a holding body. The holding body has a holding end away from the support with at least one holding surface at which the workpiece is held. In the holding body a free space is formed that adjoins the workpiece surface facing the support when a workpiece is held and makes the workpiece surface accessible for measuring or probing. The accessibility for the probe unit is provided by a transverse channel extending obliquely or orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: CARL MAHR HOLDING GMBH
    Inventor: Martin Beinemann
  • Patent number: 11460713
    Abstract: A lens assembly is separated into a first lens module including at least one lens element and a second lens module including at least one other lens element during alignment of its lens elements. Coarse alignment is conducted by aligning an optical axis of at least one lens element within the first lens module with an optical axis of at least one lens element within the second lens module. For conducting fine alignment, an image sensor views a test chart while the first and second lens modules are positioned between the test chart and the image sensor. Image quality indices are obtained from the image sensor of the test chart at different relative alignments between the first and second lens modules, before the first lens module is fixed to the second lens module at a relative alignment therebetween where the image quality indices are optimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: ASM TECHNOLOGY SINGAPORE PTE LTD
    Inventors: Po Lam Au, Liancheng Yang, Chun Ting Tang, Fan Leuk Lai, Chi Piu Wong
  • Patent number: 11448595
    Abstract: The prism-coupling systems and methods include using a prism-coupling system to collect a 2D digital mode spectrum of an IOX article. The mode line and critical angle positions and orientations are found by performing a weighted fit to mode line and critical angle images and are used to define a compensated mode spectrum. If mode line tilt is found, it is removed from the 2D digital mode spectrum to define the compensated mode spectrum. The compensated mode spectrum is then processed using techniques known in the art to provide a more accurate estimate of stress-related characteristics of the IOX sample versus using the uncompensated mode spectrum. Derivative-based methods of accurately establishing positions of intensity transitions in a mode spectrum of an IOX sample using a derivative spectrum and curve fitting are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: CORNING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Ryan Claude Andrews, Rostislav Vatchev Roussev, Antons Treikalis, Ming Yang
  • Patent number: 11422059
    Abstract: An optical inspection device includes: a wafer support unit configured to support a wafer in which a plurality of Fabry-Perot interference filter portions are formed, each of the plurality of filter portions in which a distance between the first mirror portion and the second mirror portion facing each other varies by an electrostatic force, the wafer support unit configured to support the wafer such that a direction in which the first mirror portion and the second mirror portion face each other follows along a reference line; a light emission unit configured to emit light to be incident on each of the plurality of filter portions along the reference line; and a light detection unit configured to detect light transmitted through each of the plurality of filter portions along the reference line. The wafer support unit has a light passage region that allows light to pass along the reference line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Takashi Kasahara, Katsumi Shibayama, Masaki Hirose, Toshimitsu Kawai, Hiroki Oyama, Yumi Kuramoto
  • Patent number: 11415510
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an optical inspection apparatus includes a first illuminator, an image-forming optical system, a scattering light selector, and an imaging element. The first illuminator is configured to emit a first light beam. The first light beam reflected by an object is incident on the image-forming optical system. The scattering light selector is configured to emit passing light beams of at least two mutually different wavelength regions, at the same time as the first light beam passes, a wavelength spectrum of at least one of the passing light beams being different from a wavelength spectrum of the reflected first light beam. The passing light beams simultaneously form an image on the imaging element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ohno, Hiroya Kano, Hideaki Okano, Takahiro Kamikawa
  • Patent number: 11413720
    Abstract: There is disclosed a polishing apparatus which allows for easy replacement of a light source with another type of light source. The light-source assembly includes: a base fixed to a polishing table and coupled to a light-emitting transmission line; and a light-source module having a lamp for emitting light. The light-source module is removably attached to the base. The base is a common base which is adapted to any of a plurality of light-source modules of different types including the light-source module. The base includes a positioning structure which achieves positioning of the light-source module relative to the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Takahashi, Toshifumi Kimba, Masaki Kinoshita