Abstract: Increasing the precision of process monitoring may be improved if the sensors take the form of travelling probes riding along with the flowing materials in the manufacturing process rather than sample only when the process moves passed the sensors fixed location. The probe includes an outer housing hermetically sealed from the flowing materials, and a light source for transmitting light through a window in the housing onto the flowing materials. A spatially variable optical filter (SVF) captures light returning from the flowing materials, and separates the captured light into a spectrum of constituent wavelength signals for transmission to a detector array, which provides a power reading for each constituent wavelength signal.

Abstract: An ellipsometer system with polarization state generator and polarization state analyzer components inside at least one internal environment supporting encasement, said at least one encasement being present inside said environmental chamber.

Abstract: An X-Y table with a position-measuring device includes a table which is disposed on a support and is movable on the support so that altogether the table is positionable in a plane parallel to an underlying stationary base. Two groups of scanning heads are disposed on the support. For position measurement in two directions, a respective one of the scanning heads directs light through a respective transmissive scale attached along an edge of the table such that a respective reflective scale, which is stationary relative to a processing tool disposed above the table, reflects the light through the respective transmissive scale back to the respective scanning head. In a central position of the table, the two groups are in positional correspondence with the transmissive scales, and, in either of two edge positions of the table, only one of the two groups is in positional correspondence with the transmissive scales.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention, an apparatus to detect fluorescence from a sample is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a sample plane onto which the sample is arranged, an excitation light unit including at least a light source to illuminate the sample, and a detection unit comprising at least a detector having at least 100,000 active detection elements to detect a fluorescence signal from the sample.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for improving throughput in spectrometry, the method comprising the steps of loading sample-containing liquid into a liquid injection device through a first outlet in the injection device, and ejecting at least some of the sample-containing liquid from the liquid injection device either in the form of droplets or in the form of a jet which subsequently breaks up into droplets due to instability; characterized by the sample ejection being through the first outlet of the liquid injection device in a direction such that the sample-containing fluid enters an inlet of a torch.

Abstract: A probe including reflector is disclosed to measure the velocity distribution of a moving surface along many lines of sight. Laser light, directed to the surface by the probe and then reflected back from the surface, is Doppler shifted by the moving surface, collected into probe, and then directed to detection equipment through optic fibers. The received light is mixed with reference laser light and using photonic Doppler velocimetry, a continuous time record of the surface movement is obtained. An array of single-mode optical fibers provides an optic signal to one or more lens groups and a reflector, such as a parabolic reflector having a mirrored interior surface.

Abstract: A technique facilitates formation evaluation with downhole devices which may include fluid analyzers having atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) systems. According to an embodiment, a fluid analyzer of a downhole tool may be positioned in a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation. The downhole tool comprises a downhole flowline for receiving a sample fluid. Additionally, the fluid analyzer comprises a flowline positioned to receive the sample fluid for analysis by the atomic absorption spectroscopy system. The atomic absorption spectroscopy system has a light source to generate light and to excite atoms of a substance in the sample fluid. The atomic absorption spectroscopy system also comprises a detector to measure how much light has been absorbed by the substance, thus enabling the atomic absorption spectroscopy analysis.

Abstract: Various embodiments include apparatus and methods of measuring pressure within pipes implemented in a well drilling operation. Methods and apparatus may include a single path optical interferometer having a sensing portion attachable to a location on a conduit and a dual path optical interferometer having a sensing portion attachable to the conduit, where the sensing portions are effectively collocated. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for automated determination of a reference point of an alignment mark on a substrate of a photolithographic mask, which method comprises the following steps: (a) performing a first line scan within a start region of the substrate in a first direction on a surface of the substrate, the alignment mark being arranged within the start region, for locating a first element of the alignment mark; (b) performing a second line scan within the start region in at least a second direction, which intersects the first direction, on the surface of the substrate for locating a second element of the alignment mark; (c) estimating the reference point of the alignment mark from the located first element and the located second element of the alignment mark; and (d) imaging a target region around the estimated reference point of the alignment mark in order to determine the reference point of the alignment mark, with the imaging being carried out at a higher resolution than the performance of the

Abstract: In some implementations, optical analysis systems use an integrated computational element (ICE) that includes a planar waveguide configured as an ICE core. In other implementations, the ICE used by the disclosed optical analysis systems includes a planar waveguide configured as a spectrograph, the spectrograph to be integrated with a conventional ICE.

Abstract: A particle detection device includes a scattered light detector detecting an intensity of light scattered by a particle irradiated with a laser, an incandescent light detector detecting an intensity of incandescent light from the particle being irradiated with the laser, and a signal processor including: a first peak hold circuit holding a peak in the intensity of the light scattered by the particle; a second peak hold circuit holding a peak in the intensity of the incandescent light from the particle; and a threshold value comparison circuit comparing the peak in the first peak hold circuit to a threshold and, when the peak in the first peak hold circuit exceeds the threshold, outputs a reset signal to the second peak hold circuit immediately thereafter so the peak previously in the second peak hold circuit is reset immediately after the peak in the first peak hold circuit exceeds the threshold.

Abstract: The present invention relate to an apparatus for processing of foodstuff. The apparatus comprises an element for processing of the foodstuff. The apparatus further comprises a light source that is arranged to emit light having at least two wavelengths or wavelength ranges, the light source further being arranged to direct the light to a surface of at least the foodstuff, and a detector positioned to detect at least a portion of light reflected from the surface of the foodstuff, and arranged to generate an output indicative of the detected intensity.

Abstract: An optoelectronic sensor (10) for detecting objects in a monitored zone (20) is provided which has the following: a front screen (38); a light transmitter (12) for transmitting a light beam (16); a movable deflection unit (18) for the periodic sampling of the monitored zone (20) by the light beam (16); a light receiver (26) for generating a received signal from the light beam (22) remitted by the objects; at least one test light transmitter (42); at least one test light transmitter (42), at least one test light receiver (44) and at least one test light reflector (48) which span a test light path (46a-b) through the front screen (38); and an evaluation unit (32) which is configured to acquire pieces of information on the objects in the monitored zone (20) from the received signal and to recognize an impaired light permeability of the front screen (38) from a test light signal which the test light receiver (44) generates from test light which is transmitted from the test light transmitter (42) and which is refl

Abstract: A displacement detection apparatus capable of stably and accurately detecting the amount of displacement. The length of a polarization maintaining fiber for transmitting the light from a light source to a displacement detector is set not to be equal to a length obtained by dividing, by the wavelength of the light source, a product of an even integral multiple of a length, which is obtained by multiplying twice the length of a resonator by the refractive index of the resonator, and a beat length obtained by a difference between the propagation constants of two polarization modes. Alternatively, the length of the polarization maintaining fiber is set to be larger than a length, which is obtained by dividing, by the wavelength of the light source, a product of a coherence length and a beat length obtained from a difference between the propagation constants of two polarization modes.

Abstract: A turbidity sensor or an arrangement for optically measuring one or more physical, chemical and/or biological, process variables of a medium. The medium is located in a pipe. The arrangement includes a housing and the housing is embodied for securement in the pipe. The housing is embodied for accommodating at least one light source for sending light through a window region into the medium and at least one light receiver for receiving light through the window region from the medium. The light is scattered by the medium and the light intensity received by the light receiver is a measure for the physical, chemical and/or biological, process variable, characterized in that the light source is so arranged that the light propagates in the medium in the longitudinal direction of the pipe.

Abstract: A spectrometer is provided. In one implementation, for example, a spectrometer comprises an excitation source, a focusing lens, a movable mirror, and an actuator assembly. The focusing lens is adapted to focus an incident beam from the excitation source. The actuator assembly is adapted to control the movable mirror to move a focused incident beam across a surface of the sample.

Abstract: In some examples, an image sensor system comprises a source module including a source housing having a source window and a source shielding member, the source module to emit a detection signal through the source window. the source shielding member surrounding the source window and extending in an outward direction from the source window. The image sensor system further comprises a detection module including a detection housing having a detection window and a detection shielding member, the detection module spaced apart from the source module and to detect the detection signal emitted from the source module and passed through the detection window, the detection shielding member surrounding the detection window and extending in an outward direction from the detection window.

Abstract: A hand-held measurement device for appearance analyses includes a measurement array which comprises a number of illumination means for applying illumination light to a measurement field in at least three illumination directions and a number of pick-up means for capturing the measurement light in at least one observation direction. The illumination directions and the observation directions lie in a common system plane. At least one pick-up means is embodied to spectrally gauge the measurement light in a locally integral way, and at least one imaging pick-up means is embodied to gauge the measurement light in terms of color in a locally resolved way. The spectral pick-up means and the locally resolving pick-up means are arranged such that they receive the measurement light reflected by the measurement field under the same observation conditions and in particular from the same observation direction.

Abstract: A method and an arrangement are disclosed in connection with a measurement arrangement of optical parameters of a separate sample taken from a process liquid, in which method a sample is taken from the process liquid. The sample can be arranged into a sample vessel provided with at least one measurement window, and optical parameters of the sample in the sample vessel are measured through the measurement window. In the sample in the sample vessel, a flow is produced which can be used to mitigate (e.g., prevent) the measurement window surface in contact with the sample from getting dirty. A back-and-forth flow can be produced in the sample residing in the sample vessel by means of pressure variation focused on the sample, and the back-and-forth flow can be focused on the surface of the optical measurement window.

Abstract: A method of determining the relative concentrations of enantiomeric forms of a compound in an enantiomeric mixture includes combining the enantiomeric mixture with carbon nanotubes or graphene to form a carbon-enantiomer mixture, exposing the mixture to a monochromatic polarized light, and analyzing reflected polarized light from the mixture using a differential analyzer.