Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for probing a sample comprising a light source for emitting an illuminating light beam, a birefringent element for splitting the illuminating light beam into two sheared beams, a reflective element for reflecting the two sheared beams, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the reflected beams propagate through the birefringent element for recombining the reflected beams, and a detector for detecting the recombined beam, wherein the sample is arrangeable in the optical path of the sheared beams or at the backside of a reflective surface in the optical path of the sheared beams, the reflective surface exhibiting a surface plasmon resonance or a localized surface plasmon resonance.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a tracking system for tracking the position and orientation of an object in an environment, the tracking system including: (a) a tracking base positioned in the environment; (b) a tracking target mountable to the object, wherein in use the tracking base is linked to the tracking target by: (i) a bidirectional light beam transmitted therebetween; and, (ii) a unidirectional light beam transmitted therebetween, said unidirectional light beam parallel to the bidirectional light beam; and, (c) at least one controller configured to determine a roll angle of the tracking target relative to the tracking base, the roll angle determined at least in part by signals received from a sensor housed in at least one of the tracking base and the tracking target that detects the unidirectional light beam.

Abstract: An aspect of the invention provides a method for determining at least one internal quality attribute of an article (102) of agricultural produce.

Abstract: Provided is a vehicle measurement system for an automatic conveyor. The measurement system includes: an information measurement unit, disposed at a position higher than the ready-for-loading vehicle and including two laser radars: a rear radar and a side radar; a voice prompt unit, configured to send a voice prompt; and a control unit; where when the ready-for-loading vehicle is approaching, the rear radar measures a distance between it and the ready-for-loading vehicle in real time as a predetermined parking distance; when a value of the predetermined parking distance is within a predetermined range, the control unit controls the voice prompt unit to send a voice prompt for parking; and after the ready-for-loading vehicle stops, the information measurement unit measures the distance between the ready-for-loading vehicle and the rear radar, carriage size information, and a deviation angle of a parking position of the ready-for-loading vehicle from the predetermined parking area.

Abstract: Provided is an optical probe, and a Raman spectroscopy system using such, including excitation and detection optics coupled to a sampling optics via a beam splitter, in confocal arrangement with a sample focal plane of the sampling optics. The detection optics is arranged to receive Raman signal from the sample focal plane and direct it onto a tip of a detection optical fiber. The optical probe may further include a positioning device mechanically coupled to the sampling optics and configured to control a position of the sample focal plane. In the Raman spectroscopy system a light source is coupled to the excitation optics via an excitation optical fiber, and a spectrometer is coupled to a detection optics via a detection optical fiber. Provided is further a method for measuring Raman signal depth profile in a sample, wherein sample's Raman spectra is measured and stored at different focal plane positions.

Abstract: Illustrative embodiments of determining characteristics of reflective surfaces and transparent materials are disclosed. In at least one illustrative embodiment, a method of determining characteristics of transparent materials includes using a camera to capture light from a target structure with light regions and dark regions. Before the light is captured by the camera, it passes through a transparent specimen, reflects off of a reflective surface, and passes through the transparent specimen a second time. Deformations in the transparent specimen caused by, e.g., static or dynamic stresses deflect the light passing through it. The amount of the deflection can be used to determine the stresses in the specimen.

Abstract: An analysis method for detecting an amount of a substance by irradiating an analysis chip containing the substance and detecting a quantity of light output from the analysis chip. The analysis method including irradiating an incident surface of the analysis chip and another surface adjacent to the incident surface with detection light while changing a relative position of the detection light with respect to the analysis chip, detecting reflected light from the incident surface of the analysis chip, and acquiring information on a position of the analysis chip from a relationship between a quantity of the reflected light detected and the relative position. The analysis method determines if the analysis chip is abnormal when a quantity of target reflected light is equal to or lower than a predetermined light quantity.

Abstract: A system includes a method and apparatus suitable for measuring planar drop sizes in a liquid spray. Measurement may involve illuminating the spray with multiple lasers and measuring the scattered intensities at several view angles using linear arrays. The system may use inverse calculation of the measured scattered intensity to estimate the local drop sizes across the entire plane in a spray. The system includes radiation detectors containing sensing elements, a lens systems, and analog to digital conversion board to convert scattered intensities to drop sizes. In addition, the system may include choppers including at least two unique filters. The filters may be selectively placed in a path between the spray and the sensing elements. By selectively placing a single array may measure both a scattered intensity and an extinction of laser light emitted from the spray.

Abstract: A mirror unit 2 includes a mirror device 20 including a base 21 and a movable mirror 22, an optical function member 13, and a fixed mirror 16 that is disposed on a side opposite to the mirror device 20 with respect to the optical function member 13. The optical function member 13 is provided with a light transmitting portion 14 that constitutes a part of an optical path between the beam splitter unit 3 and the fixed mirror 16. The light transmitting portion 14 is a portion that corrects an optical path difference that occurs between an optical path between the beam splitter unit 3 and the movable mirror 22 and the optical path between the beam splitter unit 3 and the fixed mirror 16. The second surface 21b of the base 21 and the third surface 13a of the optical function member 13 are joined to each other.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods suitable to measure trace amounts of specific ions in fluid samples. An example system includes a resonator having an input coupler and an output coupler. The example system also includes an ion-selective membrane (ISM) optically coupled to at least a portion of the resonator. The system additionally includes a light source configured to illuminate the resonator by way of the input coupler. Furthermore, the system includes a detector configured to receive output light by way of the output coupler and provide information indicative a concentration of a specific ion proximate to tire ISM.

Abstract: Various implementations of systems and methods for insertion loss estimation are disclosed. The system for insertion loss estimation includes a first filter, a focusing component, and a digital micromirror device (DMD). The first filter, the focusing component, and the DMD are in parallel with an optical fiber connector. Additionally, the system includes an optical concentrator and a photodetector device. A first face of the optical concentrator is facing towards the DMD, and a second face of the optical concentrator is facing the photodetector device. Both the photodetector device and the optical concentrator are in parallel.

Abstract: Images of samples that are illuminated with polarized light are captured. Azimuth and inclination data are extracted from the captured images. The azimuth and inclination data are used to quantify MTRs.

Abstract: The subject disclosure relates to techniques for detecting an object. A process of the disclosed technology can include steps for receiving three-dimensional (3D) Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data of the object at a first time, generating a first point cloud based on the 3D LiDAR data at the first time, receiving 3D LiDAR data of the object at a second time, generating a second point cloud based on the 3D LiDAR data at the second time, aggregating the first point cloud and the second point cloud to form an aggregated point cloud, and placing a bounding box around the aggregated point cloud. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

Abstract: The sample introduction device includes a nebulizer that atomizes a sample liquid; a spray chamber that has one end into which a spray port part of the nebulizer is inserted and the other end from which at least a part of liquid droplets of the sample liquid sprayed from the spray port part is discharged to an outside; and a heating electromagnetic wave radiation unit that is arranged outside the spray chamber, wherein the heating electromagnetic wave radiation unit performs radiation of heating electromagnetic waves from the outside of the spray chamber toward at least a part of the spray chamber other than a part into which the spray port part of the nebulizer is inserted.

Abstract: A method for detecting the quality of cell culture fluid based on Raman spectral measurement. The method comprises the following steps: collecting cell culture fluid; collecting, processing and analyzing a Raman spectral signal; measuring an original Raman spectral signal of a metabolite in the cell culture fluid using a Raman spectra technique; determining whether the original Raman spectral signal is qualified, and carrying out data signal processing on the qualified original Raman spectral signal to obtain analyzable signals; and then carrying out difference statistical analysis on the analyzable signals to obtain difference signals; carrying out modeling using the difference signals; classifying the difference signals using a support vector machine; and distinguishing the spectral signals of normal and abnormal cell culture fluid to obtain a quality result of the cell culture fluid.

Abstract: An angle detecting device for detecting a bending angle of an element. The element comprises a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion bent relative to the second connecting portion. The angle detecting device comprises a fixing member, a non-contact range finder and a base. The fixing member comprises a first fixing portion and a second fixing portion. The fixing member and the non-contact range finder is mounted on the base. The first fixing portion cooperates with the second fixing portion to fix the first connecting portion. The non-contact range finder faces the second connecting portion to detect a distance between the second connecting portion and the non-contact range finder, and determine whether the distance is within a preset range. An angle detecting method using the above angle detecting device is also provided.

Abstract: Methods and systems disclosed herein can measure thin film stacks, such as film on grating and bandgap on grating in semiconductors. For example, the thin film stack may be a 1D film stack, a 2D film on grating, or a 3D film on grating. One or more effective medium dispersion models are created for the film stack. Each effective medium dispersion model can substitute for one or more layers. A thickness of one or more layers can be determined using the effective medium dispersion based scatterometry model. In an instance, three effective medium dispersion based scatterometry models are developed and used to determine thickness of three layers in a film stack.

Abstract: Methods and systems for estimating a value of a quality metric indicative of one or more performance characteristics of a semiconductor measurement are presented herein. The value of the quality metric is normalized to ensure applicability across a broad range of measurement scenarios. In some embodiments, a value of a quality metric is determined for each measurement sample during measurement inference. In some embodiments, a trained quality metric model is employed to determine the uncertainty of defect classification. In some embodiments, a trained quality metric model is employed to determine the uncertainty of estimated parameters of interest, such as geometric, dispersion, process, and electrical parameters. In some examples, a quality metric is employed as a filter to detect measurement outliers. In some other examples, a quality metric is employed as a trigger to adjust a semiconductor process.

Abstract: A five-degree-of-freedom heterodyne grating interferometry system, comprising a single frequency laser device (1) and an acousto-optic modulator (2); the single frequency laser device (1) emits a single frequency laser, and the single frequency laser is coupled by optical fiber and, after being split, enters the acousto-optic modulator (2) to obtain two linearly polarized lights of different frequencies, one being a reference light, and one being a measurement light; an interferometer lens group (3) and a measurement grating (4), used for forming the reference light and the measurement light into a measurement interference signal and a compensation interference signal; and multiple optical fiber bundles (5), respectively receiving the measurement interference signal and the compensation interference signal, each optical fiber bundle (5) having multiple multimode optical fibers respectively receiving signals at different positions on the same plane.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are nanostructured plasmonic materials. The nanostructured plasmonic materials can include a first nanostructured layer comprising: a first layer of a first plasmonic material permeated by a first plurality of spaced-apart holes, wherein the first plurality of spaced apart holes comprise a first array; and a second nanostructured layer comprising a second layer of a second plasmonic material permeated by a second plurality of spaced-apart holes, wherein the second plurality of spaced apart holes comprise a second array; wherein the second nanostructured layer is located proximate the first nanostructured layer; and wherein the first principle axis of the first array is rotated at a rotation angle compared to the first principle axis of the second array.