Patents Examined by Kara E. Geisel
  • Patent number: 12744879
    Abstract: Disclosed is a test system which includes a light source device. The light source device includes a first light source configured to radiate a first light, a plurality of neutral-density (ND) filters including a first ND filter attached to the first light source and configured to adjust the first light, an aperture unit including a plurality of apertures configured to adjust the first light received from the first ND filter and a diffuser configured to diffuse the first light received from the aperture unit and to radiate the first light for testing an image sensor, wherein an illuminance of the first light is adjusted based on a transmittance of the first ND filter and an aperture ratio of each of the apertures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2026
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sangwoo Lee, Dongoh Kim, Minhyuk Lee, Sungsu Kim
  • Patent number: 12742678
    Abstract: An optical instrument of very high resolution is provided that can be used for monitoring semiconductor processes. Very high resolution may be considered in this application space to be resolutions sufficient to permit resolving of individual molecular rovibrational emission lines. In one example an optical instrument is provided that includes: (1) an optical interface that receives an optical fiber, (2) a narrow band pass filter that filters out a portion of an optical signal received via the optical fiber, (3) optical components that are selectively combined to process at least a portion of the unfiltered optical signal, wherein the optical components include a sensor that receives the unfiltered optical signal, and (4) one or more processors that process electrical signals from the sensor. The optical instrument can be a spectrometer suitable for a process control instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2026
    Assignee: Verity Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew Weeks Kueny
  • Patent number: 12742676
    Abstract: This calibration system includes: a moving body that moves within a predetermined region and generates a vibration signal; a vibration detection means, being provided within the predetermined region, for detecting a vibration signal generated in the predetermined region; a signal analysis means for analyzing the vibration signal detected by the vibration detection means, and calculating a position on the vibration detection means where the vibration detection means detects the vibration signal; and an association means for calibrating the vibration detection means at a predetermined timing by associating the position on the vibration detection means where the vibration detection means detects the vibration signal with a position in the predetermined region, based on a generation position and a generation time of the vibration signal generated by the moving body and the position on the vibration detection means where the vibration detection means detects the vibration signal and a detection time thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2026
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akira Tsuji
  • Patent number: 12736435
    Abstract: A device for measuring caustic parameters of a laser beam includes a beam splitter for splitting the laser beam into at least three spatially separated partial beams, and a detection unit for detecting images of the partial beams. A beam path from an input of the device to the beam splitter defines a beam axis for the laser beam, along which the laser beam propagates until entering the beam splitter. The beam splitter includes an optical lens, and a partially reflective surface configured to split the laser beam into the at least three partial beams by partial reflection within the optical lens. The optical lens is positioned off-axis such that an optical axis of the optical lens extends off-axis to the beam axis, and/or the optical lens is tilted such that the optical axis of the optical lens forms an angle with the beam axis that deviates from 0°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2024
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2026
    Assignee: TRUMPF LASERSYSTEMS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING SE
    Inventors: Steffen Erhard, Viktor Granson, Clemens Kieninger, Andreas Herdt, Vincent Hahn
  • Patent number: 12736405
    Abstract: A monitoring procedure for monitoring the quality of measurement spectra of a liquid medium continuously determined with a spectrometric sensor, which spectra in each case reproduce spectral values in a specified measurement wavelength range, is described with which: for each measurement spectrum, a quality parameter of the respective measurement spectrum is determined in each case based upon at least one characteristic value calculated in each case based upon the spectral values of the respective measurement spectrum, wherein each characteristic value for each measurement spectrum is determined in each case based upon the spectral values of the respective measurement spectrum in a range, specified for the respective characteristic value, of the measurement wavelength range, and, based upon the quality parameters, those measurement spectra which have spectral values that are impaired by a disturbance are identified as outliers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2026
    Assignee: Endress+Hauser Conducta GmbH+Co. KG
    Inventors: Andreas Bayer, Thilo Krätschmer, Felicia Seichter
  • Patent number: 12736331
    Abstract: A measurement apparatus (10) for interferometrically measuring a shape of a surface (12) of a test object (14) in relation to a reference shape includes a diffractive optical element (30) generating a test wave (32) from measurement radiation (22), whereas a wavefront of the test wave is adapted to a target shape of the surface of the test object and the target shape is configured as a first non-spherical surface, and a reference element (38) with a reference surface (40) having the reference shape, the reference shape being configured as a further non-spherical surface and the reference element including a low thermal expansion material with a mean coefficient of thermal expansion having an absolute value of no more than 200×10?6 K?1 in the temperature range from 5 °C to 35 °C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2026
    Assignee: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Jochen Hetzler, Stefan Schulte, Matthias Dreher
  • Patent number: 12736456
    Abstract: The present invention includes: a cell holding body that holds a measurement cell housing a measurement sample and a dispersion medium; a cover attached to the cell holding body so as to cover the measurement cell; a rotation section that rotates the cell holding body and applies centrifugal force to the measurement cell; a light source that is provided on one side of a rotation passage region of the measurement cell and irradiates the cell with light; a photodetector that is provided on another side of the rotation passage region of the measurement cell and detects light transmitted through the cell; and a particle diameter distribution arithmetic section that acquires a light intensity signal from the photodetector and calculates a particle diameter distribution. The rotation passage region of the cover is located inside an optical path of light passing between the light source and the photodetector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2026
    Assignees: HORIBA, LTD., EPPENDORF HIMAC TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsuji Yamaguchi, Yuki Shimizu, Ken Asakura
  • Patent number: 12736465
    Abstract: A spectroscopic analysis apparatus comprises a multi-chamber cuvette for fluid or gas analysis, wherein the multi-chamber cuvette comprises at least two measurement chambers into which fluid or gas can be introduced for analysis, wherein the at least two measurement chambers are optically separated from one another, wherein an illumination device is provided to generate light and to couple the light into the at least one first and second measurement chamber, and wherein a detection device is provided to measure an intensity of the light radiated by the fluid or gas in the first measurement chamber for a first wavelength and to generate a first measurement result and to measure an intensity of the light radiated by the fluid or gas in the second measurement chamber for a second wavelength and to generate a second measurement result, wherein the first wavelength and the second wavelength are different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2024
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2026
    Assignee: SICK AG
    Inventors: Benjamin Hagemann, Ralf Warratz
  • Patent number: 12729951
    Abstract: A thickness-distribution measurement device includes a light source; a light detector; and a control device. The light source irradiates a region of an object being conveyed with light, the region extending in a width direction. The light detector detects emitted light that has transmitted through the object. The control device obtains information on a distribution of a relative thickness of the object in the width direction based on a detection result in the light detector. The light detector includes an image sensor and a lens array. The image sensor includes a plurality of pixels arranged in the width direction, and detects an intensity of the emitted light for each pixel. The lens array includes a plurality of lenses having an equal magnification and arranged along the width direction, and collects the emitted light and forms an image of the emitted light on the image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2026
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Kunihiko Tsuchiya, Toru Matsumoto, Tetsuya Taka, Kenichi Ohtsuka
  • Patent number: 12730066
    Abstract: A method for three-dimensional (3D) image calibration for a spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) system, the OCT system including a scanning arrangement for laterally scanning a sample light beam across a surface of a sample, an optical detection system for detecting light reflected back from the sample to obtain an optical image of the sample, and a reference light beam, the OCT system generating axially resolved optical information from the sample as the sample light beam is scanned laterally across the sample using optical path length differences (OPLD) between the reference light beam and the sample light beam, the method including: providing a calibration sample having a substrate having laterally arranged structural elements providing optical contrast, the structural elements having at least one of known dimensions or known position values on the substrate; scanning, using a first set of scanner parameters for the scanning arrangement, the sample light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2024
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2026
    Assignee: LEICA MICROSYSTEMS NC, INC.
    Inventors: Robert H. Hart, Hansford Hendargo
  • Patent number: 12730003
    Abstract: A photometric process measurement arrangement and a photometric measurement method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2026
    Assignee: HACH LANGE GMBH
    Inventors: Andre Naggies, Axel Leyer, Robert Dalljo
  • Patent number: 12733434
    Abstract: A measurement jig for measuring the conditions in a device and a processing method are provided. A measurement jig having a substrate, a back-surface camera provided on a back-surface side of the substrate, and a controller configured to control the back-surface camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2026
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masakazu Yamamoto, Tadashi Enomoto
  • Patent number: 12730006
    Abstract: A Raman spectroscopy device includes a first spectrometer, a second spectrometer, and a photodetector. First spectrometer disperses first Raman scattered light. Second spectrometer disperses second Raman scattered light having a shorter wavelength than first Raman scattered light. Photodetector receives first Raman scattered light and second Raman scattered light. Second spectrometer is formed from a greater number of spectral optical elements than first spectrometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2026
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoyo Tao, Tomoki Sasayama, Atsuhiko Otaguro, Ryuta Shibutani
  • Patent number: 12723949
    Abstract: A system for monitoring a health condition of a component is provided. The system includes a sensor network comprising a transmitter and a plurality of receivers. Each receiver is configured to receive an electromagnetic signal from the transmitter. A communications interface module is configured to receive an output signal from the transmitter. A computing system includes one or more memory devices and one or more processors. The one or more memory devices is configured to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to execute operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2026
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sreekanth Kumar Dorbala, Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Karan Oberoi, Debaleena Chakraborty, Wendy Wenling Lin
  • Patent number: 12723953
    Abstract: Proposed is an image calibration slide including: a substrate; and an image calibration pattern formed on a surface of the substrate, in which the image calibration pattern is formed by immobilizing and staining a DNA strand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2024
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2026
    Assignee: Vieworks Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Byeongyeon Kim
  • Patent number: 12723989
    Abstract: An optical scanning system for non-destructively acquiring a three-dimensional structure of an object includes an optical image processing device and an optical scanning device. The optical image processing device is configured to generate an optical beam along a first optical axis direction. The optical scanning device is configured to convert the optical beam along the first optical axis direction into an optical beam along a second optical axis direction, and scan an object to be inspected by using the optical beam along the second optical axis direction. The optical image processing device scans the object to be inspected by the optical scanning device along X-axis and Y-axis directions to acquire YZ and XZ cross section structural images at different consecutive positions, so as to reconstruct a three-dimensional structural image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2024
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2026
    Assignee: OPXION TECHNOLOGY INC.
    Inventors: Feng-Yu Chang, Wen-Ju Chen, Ming-Feng Wu, Po-Hsu Su, Cheng-Yu Lu, Meng-Tsan Tsai
  • Patent number: 12723991
    Abstract: An optical foreign matter inspection device includes a rotation stage; a laser light source; a sensor that is a charge accumulation type sensor; a detecting circuit; a light emission timing signal generating circuit configured to generate a light emission timing synchronizing signal synchronized with laser emission; a trigger signal generating circuit configured to receive a first signal (a stage encoder signal) indicating a rotation state of a sample, and generate a trigger signal synchronized with the light emission timing synchronizing signal; a number-of-emitted-pulse calculating circuit configured to receive the light emission timing synchronizing signal and the first signal, and calculate the number of pulses in each period corresponding to a position in a radial direction of the sample; and a processing system configured to measure a state of each position on a surface of the sample by using a detection signal and the number of pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2026
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hisaaki Kanai, Masami Makuuchi
  • Patent number: 12723986
    Abstract: Herein disclosed is a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chip for generating multiple SERS profiles simultaneously from one or more analytes suspected to be in a sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2026
    Assignee: NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Xing Yi Ling, In Yee Phang, Gia Chuong Phan Quang, Siew Kheng Boong, Howard Yi Fan Sim, Sher Lin Charlynn Koh, Shi Xuan Leong, Yong Xiang Leong
  • Patent number: 12724176
    Abstract: The systems for inspecting an optical wave surface output from an optical device, the optical device comprising an output pupil, the inspection system comprising an optical measurement head and a computer for processing the images obtained from said the optical measurement head. The optical measurement head comprises: a density gradient filter, the density varying periodically in the two directions of the space, a matrix array comprising at least four identical lenses, of square form, of the same focal length and disposed symmetrically, a matrix of photodetectors, each of the four lenses forming, of the pupil, an image in the plane of this matrix. The computer for processing the images comprises computation means that make it possible to calculate the partial derivatives ? ? ? x ? ( x , y ) ? and ? ? ? ? y ? ( x , y ) of the wave surface ?(x, y) in the plane of the output pupil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2026
    Assignees: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE, OBSERVATOIRE DE LA COTE D'AZUR, UNIVERSITÉ CÔTE D'AZUR, UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPES
    Inventors: François Henault, Alain Spang
  • Patent number: 12716756
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for enabling improved sensitivity in low-gain regimes. Embodiments of the present disclosure use polarization pulling to separate a signal of interest (e.g., amplified probe light) from the background probe light. This enables a dramatic increase in probe power and thereby increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurement. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a vector subtraction technique to compensate for undesirable interference effects resulting from the finite extinction of standard polarization components (i.e. polarizing beam splitters) and polarization fluctuations. Embodiments of the present disclosure enable Brillouin sensing with improved accuracy in low-gain regimes and is particularly relevant for high-spatial resolution sensing applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2026
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Joseph B. Murray, Brandon Redding