Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system for characterizing particles using a flow cytometer comprising detecting radiated light from the particles using two or more detectors positioned to allow for the detection in two or more angular directions and generating a waveform, as a digital representation for the detected radiated light for each of said angulation direction. The waveforms are transformed using one or more basis functions to obtain one or more coefficients characterizing the waveform. The one or more coefficients characterizing the waveform preferably correspond to properties of the particle(s), thereby enabling analysis of physical properties of the particles (such as size, shape, refractive index) or biological properties of the particles (such as cell type, cell cycle state or localization or distribution of molecules within the cell and/or on the cell surface). In preferred embodiments the method and system are used for a label-free sorting of particles, in particular biological cells.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a polarizing filter (20), comprising a plurality of areas (25) for passing light, each area (25) being separated from the others, wherein each of the areas (25) is a linear polarizer and at least two of the areas (25) have a different polarization axis. The present invention is further directed to an apparatus (1) for determining an orientation of a lens polarization axis of a polarized lens (31) and using said polarizing filter (20) as well as a method of determining an orientation of a lens polarization axis of a polarized lens (31) using said apparatus (1).

Abstract: An inspection apparatus may include: a structured-light source configured to sequentially radiate a plurality of structured lights having one phase range; a lens configured to adjust, for each of the plurality of structured lights, optical paths of light beams corresponding to phases of the phase range such that a light beam corresponding to one phase of the phase range arrives at each point of a partial region on an object; an image sensor configured to capture a plurality of reflected lights generated by the structured lights being reflected from the partial region; and a processor configured to acquire a light quantity value of the reflected lights; and derive an angle of the surface by deriving phase values of the reflected lights based on the light quantity value for the reflected lights.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus, comprises a projection unit configured to project an image, a measurement unit configured to measure a distance to an object, a projection control unit configured to control, based on the distance to the object measured by the measurement unit, projection of the image by the projection unit so that the image projected onto the object has a preliminarily set actual size length.

Abstract: Disclosed is an integrated biocontainment cell sorter that isolates portions of the cell sorter that can create contamination. Two containment systems are utilized. A main cabinet containment system contains input samples. An aerosol management containment area includes a nozzle chamber with a nozzle and a sort chamber with sort plates and collection media that collect a droplet stream from the nozzle. The main cabinet is maintained at a first low pressure and clean air is recirculated under a positive pressure. The aerosol management containment area is kept at a second low pressure, which is lower than the first pressure, so that contamination does not leak from the aerosol management containment area into the main cabinet containment area. A sliding sash window is located over an access opening in the main cabinet and can be moved to access different portions of the main cabinet without changing the substantially constant first low pressure in the main cabinet.

Abstract: Global and local alignment energies are used in an image contrast metric. The image contrast metric can be used to find optical targets. Some pixels from a gradient magnitude image and a context range image from an optical image can be used to determine the image contrast metric. A heatmap from the image contrast metrics across part of a wafer can then be used to make a list of targets. Upper and lower confidence values can be applied to rank the available targets.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is s computer-based method for obtaining and analyzing multi-die scan data of a patterned wafer. The method includes sequentially implementing an operation of scanning a respective plurality of sets of slices on a wafer, and, per each slice segment in a multiplicity of slice segments in the plurality of sets of slices, an operation of performing die-to-multi-die (D2MD) analysis of scan data of the slice segment in order to detect defects in the slice segment. Each set of slices may constitute a subset of the totality of slices on the respective die-column. Sets scanned in a same implementation are analogous to one another, thereby facilitating—in the die-to-multi-die analysis of scan data of a slice segment—taking into account, as reference, scan data of areas on other die-columns, which were scanned in the same implementation.

Abstract: Contained herein is a system and method for using non-contact diffuse optical skin reflectance method to obtain remote sensing of in-vivo glucose levels in biological tissue or fluids. One embodiment uses an optical, non-contact method capable of measuring glucose levels at a stand-off distance of 0.5 to 2 meters. In this method, the tissue is illuminated with a collimated beam of near-infrared (optical) band of light having a specific band of wavelengths. The diffuse reflectance measured from the tissue/fluid is collected while varying the optical circuit. Using the collected data, an algorithm to unravel the mixed effects of tissue/fluid scattering and absorption is applied to determine the absorption level of the light, which is then associated with a quantitative glucose level.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and systems for ghost cytometry (GC), which may be used to produce an image of an object without using a spatially resolving detector. This may be used to perform image-free ultrafast fluorescence “imaging” cytometry, based on, for example, a single pixel detector. Spatial information obtained from the motion of cells relative to a patterned optical structure may be compressively converted into signals that arrive sequentially at a single pixel detector. Combinatorial use of the temporal waveform with the intensity distribution of the random or pseudo-random pattern may permit computational reconstruction of cell morphology. Machine learning methods may be applied directly to the compressed waveforms without image reconstruction to enable efficient image-free morphology-based cytometry.

Abstract: Provided are systems and methods that allow for brightfield imaging in a flow cytometer, allowing for collection of fluorescence and high-quality image date. The disclosed technology also gives rise to an illumination pattern that allows a user to create different oblique or structured illumination profiles within a static system. With the disclosed approach, a user can illuminate a sample from a first direction (e.g., with laser illumination configured to give rise to one or more of fluorescence information and scattering information), collect scattering information from a second direction, collect fluorescence information from a third direction, and capture an image of the sample from a fourth direction. (Two or more of the foregoing can be accomplished simultaneously.) Also as described elsewhere herein, an illumination used to illuminate the sample for visual image capture can be communicated to the same through a lens that also collects fluorescence from the sample.

Abstract: A method of automatically setting optical parameters, using Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) System, the method includes the following steps. Firstly, a recommended object image is obtained when the AOI system is set under a first recommended optical parameter set. Then, a computation is performed on an object standard picture and a recommended object image to obtain a recommended error value between the object standard picture and the recommended object image according to an optimized error function. Then, whether the recommended error value converges is determined. Then, when the recommended error value does not converge, a computation is performed to obtain a second recommended optical parameter set according to the recommended error value and the first recommended optical parameter set. Then when the recommended error value converges, the first recommended optical parameter set is decided as an optimal optical parameter set of the AOI system.

Abstract: There are provided an overlay measuring device and a method for controlling a focus and a program therefor. An overlay measuring device controlling a focus in one embodiment includes an objective lens; a memory; a lens focus actuator operating the objective lens to adjust a distance between the objective lens and a wafer; and a processor controlling operations of the memory and the lens focus actuator, wherein the processor is configured to obtain a first height value in relation to each site of the wafer, match the obtained first height value and a corresponding site and store the same, and as initial measurement in relation to each site of the wafer starts, control the lens focus actuator, based on the stored first height value of the site, to control a Z-axis movement of the objective lens.

Abstract: A glucose sensor comprising an optical energy source having an emitter with an emission pattern; a first polarizer intersecting the emission pattern; a second polarizer spaced a distance from the first polarizer and intersecting the emission pattern, the second polarizer rotated relative to the first polarizer by a first rotational amount ?; a first optical detector intersecting the emission pattern; a second optical detector positioned proximal to the second polarizer, the first polarizer and the second polarizer being positioned between the optical energy source and the second optical detector, the second optical detector intersecting the emission pattern; a compensating circuit coupled to the second optical detector; and a subtractor circuit coupled to the compensating circuit and the first optical detector.

Abstract: A fluid processing device includes a detection assembly having a source and a detector. The source emits a signal to fluid or a fluid component in the fluid processing device, with at least a portion of the signal reaching the detector. The detection assembly further includes one or more adjustment systems configured to adjust the position and/or orientation of one or more components of the detection assembly. The position and/or orientation of the entire source and/or the entire detector, the position and/or orientation of a component of the source with respect to another component of the source, and/or the position and/or orientation of a component of the detector with respect to another component of the detector may be adjusted to increase the signal received by the detector.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method of sorting cells in a flow cytometry system is disclosed, which includes illuminating a cell with radiation having at least two optical frequencies shifted from one another by a radiofrequency to elicit fluorescent radiation from the cell, detecting the fluorescent radiation to generate temporal fluorescence data, and processing the temporal fluorescence data to arrive at a sorting decision regarding the cell without generating an image (i.e., a pixel-by-pixel image) of the cell based on the fluorescence data. In some cases, the sorting decision can be made with a latency less than about 100 microseconds. In some embodiments, the above method of sorting cells can have a sub-cellular resolution. In some embodiments, a single radiofrequency shift is employed to separate the optical frequencies while in other such embodiments a plurality of different radiofrequency shifts are employed.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure include methods for processing and displaying multi-channel spectral histograms. Methods according to certain embodiments include obtaining a histogram of cytometric data for a sample, wherein the cytometric data comprises measurements from particles irradiated in the sample flowing in a flow stream, generating the representation of the histogram by encoding the histogram, the encoding comprising: assigning a color to each histogram value in the representation of the histogram, and duplicating each color corresponding to each histogram value in the representation of the histogram a predetermined number of times, and using the representation of the histogram for displaying the histogram. Systems for practicing the subject methods are also provided. Non-transitory computer readable storage mediums are also described.

Abstract: A semiconductor device inspection method including: depositing a dielectric material over a substrate to form an interconnect-level dielectric (ILD) layer; patterning the ILD layer to form via structures in the ILD layer; depositing an electrically conductive material to form an inspection layer on the ILD layer and in the via structures; imaging the inspection layer to generate image data; and detecting any defects in the via structures by analyzing the image data.

Abstract: A system for droplet measurement includes an inkjet head including a nozzle which discharges droplets, a substrate on which droplets discharged from the nozzle of the inkjet head are dripped, a first detector disposed below the substrate and including a first camera and a first focusing structure, and a second detector disposed below the substrate and including a second camera and a second focusing structure.

Abstract: Images of semiconductor wafers can be hashed to determine a fixed length hash string for each of the images. Pattern synonyms can be determined from the hash strings. The pattern synonyms can be grouped. A degree of similarity between images in the groups is adjustable via a hamming distance. This can be used for various applications, including determination of latent defects.

Abstract: Methods and systems for setting up inspection of a specimen are provided. One system includes one or more computer subsystems configured for acquiring a reference image for a specimen and modifying the reference image to fit the reference image to a design grid thereby generating a golden grid image. The one or more computer subsystems are also configured for storing the golden grid image for use in inspection of the specimen. The inspection includes aligning a test image of the specimen generated from output of an inspection subsystem to the golden grid image.