Abstract: Optical computing devices may include capacitance-based nanomaterial detectors. For example, an optical computing device may include a light source that emits electromagnetic radiation into an optical train extending from the light source to a capacitance-based nanomaterial detector; a material positioned in the optical train to optically interact with the electromagnetic radiation and produce optically interacted light; and the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector comprising one or more nano-sized materials configured to have a resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum and being configured to receive the optically interacted light, apply a vector related to the characteristic of interest to the optically interacted light using the resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum, and generate an output signal indicative of the characteristic of interest.

Abstract: An example formation fluid analysis tool includes an optical element and a detector configured to receive light passed through the optical element. The optical element is configured to receive light from a fluid sample and comprises a substrate, an integrated computational element (ICE) fabricated on a first side of the substrate, and an optical filter fabricated on a second side of the substrate opposite the first side.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of fabricating an integrated computational element for use in an optical computing device. One method includes providing a substrate that has a first surface and a second surface substantially opposite the first surface, depositing multiple optical thin films on the first and second surfaces of the substrate via a thin film deposition process, and thereby generating a multilayer film stack device, cleaving the substrate to produce at least two optical thin film stacks, and securing one or more of the at least two optical thin film stacks to a secondary optical element for use as an integrated computational element (ICE).

Abstract: Oilfield tools having a metal-to-metal seal formed between a first metal surface and a second metal surface, wherein at least one of the first and second metal surfaces are at least partially coated by chemical bonding or physical deposition of a coating material that is more durable and has a lower coefficient of friction than either or both of the first and/or second metal surfaces to which the coating material is applied.

Abstract: Fabry-Perot based optical computing devices and temperature sensors are disclosed for a number of applications including, for example, in-situ downhole fluid analysis and temperature detection.

Abstract: A device including at least two ICEs that optically interact with a sample light to generate a first and a second modified lights is provided. The at least two ICEs include alternating layers of material, each of the layers having a thickness selected such that the weighted linear combination of the transmission functions is similar to the regression vector associated with a characteristic of the sample. The device may also include a detector that measures a property of the first and second modified lights separately to generate a first and second signal, respectively, wherein the weighted average of first and second signals is linearly related to the characteristic of the sample. A method for fabricating the above device is also provided.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of fabricating an integrated computational element for use in an optical computing device. One method includes providing a substrate that has a first surface and a second surface substantially opposite the first surface, depositing multiple optical thin films on the first and second surfaces of the substrate via a thin film deposition process, and thereby generating a multilayer film stack device, cleaving the substrate to produce at least two optical thin film stacks, and securing one or more of the at least two optical thin film stacks to a secondary optical element for use as an integrated computational element (ICE).

Abstract: An optical device provided to interrogate a fluid sample. The optical device includes a light source configured to provide an light, an optical interface configured to allow the light to pass through to interact with the fluid sample, and a multi-scale ommatidial array (MO A) applied to the optical interface.

Abstract: A method is provided, including: forming an optical computing device having a first plurality of sensing elements selected to measure a characteristic of a sample, generating a transmission function from a first add-on integrated computational element (ICE), and evaluating, with a merit-function and the transmission function of the add-on ICE, a predictive performance of a modified optical computing device that includes the add-on ICE in addition to the first plurality of sensing elements. Also, modifying the first add-on ICE to improve the predictive performance of the modified optical computing device according to the merit-function and a modified transmission function of the add-on ICE.

Abstract: A method for ruggedizing an ICE design, fabrication and application with neural networks as disclosed herein includes selecting a database for integrated computational element (ICE) optimization is provided. The method includes adjusting a plurality of ICE operational parameters according to an environmental factor recorded in the database and simulating environmentally compensated calibration inputs. The method includes modifying a plurality of ICE structure parameters to obtain an ICE candidate structure having improved performance according to a first algorithm applied to the database and validating the ICE candidate structure with an alternative algorithm applied to the database. Further, the method includes determining a plurality of manufacturing ICEs based on the validation with the first algorithm and the alternative algorithm, and fabricating one of the plurality of manufacturing ICEs.

Abstract: Systems, tools, and methods are presented for processing a plurality of spectral ranges from an electromagnetic radiation that has been interacted with a fluid. Each spectral range within the plurality corresponds to a property of the fluid or a constituent therein. In one instance, a series of spectral analyzers, each including an integrated computational element coupled to an optical transducer, forms a monolithic structure to receive interacted electromagnetic radiation from the fluid. Each spectral analyzer is configured to process one of the plurality of spectral ranges. The series is ordered so spectral ranges are processed progressively from shortest wavelengths to longest wavelengths as interacted electromagnetic radiation propagates therethrough. Other systems, tools, and methods are presented.

Abstract: A method for designing an integrated computational element (ICE) includes generating an array of discrete data points and plotting the discrete data points across a predetermined wavelength region. A line shape is then generated that connects to and is constrained by the array of discrete data points, and thereby generates a first transmission function. The discrete data points are then iteratively modified based on one or more performance criteria to generate a second transmission function. A model transmission function corresponding to a model ICE design is then fitted to the second transmission function to identifying a predictive ICE design configured to detect a desired characteristic of interest.

Abstract: Optical computing devices including an electromagnetic radiation source to emit electromagnetic radiation into an optical train; an integrated computational element (ICE) located in the optical train before or after a sample located in the optical train to generate modified electromagnetic radiation in the optical train; a broadband angle-selective filter (BASF) located in the optical train to transmit the electromagnetic radiation and/or the modified electromagnetic radiation in the optical train at a target incident angle, thereby generating angle selected-modified electromagnetic radiation (ASMR), and to reflect one or more stray radiation reflections at angles that are not coincident with the target incident angle; and a detector to receive the ASMR and to generate an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of the sample.

Abstract: A system and method to design highly-sensitive Integrated Computational Elements for optical computing devices. A harmonic line shape is defined and used to simulate an optical response function which has a plurality of parameters that are varied until an ideal optical response function is determined. The ideal optical response function will be that function which maximizes the output sensitivity and/or minimizes the Standard Error of Calibration. Thereafter, the method designs a film stack having an optical response function that matches the ideal transmission function, and an ICE is fabricated based upon this design.

Abstract: Fabry-Perot based optical computing devices and temperature sensors are disclosed for a number of applications including, for example, in-situ downhole fluid analysis and temperature detection.

Abstract: An optical computing device includes an electromagnetic radiation source that emits electromagnetic radiation to optically interact with a substance and an integrated computational element (ICE) core. The ICE core includes a substrate, and a first plurality of thin films alternatingly deposited on the substrate with a second plurality of thin films via a thin film deposition process, wherein the first plurality of thin films is made of a high refractive index material and the second plurality of thin films is made of low refractive index material. A stress relief layer is deposited on the substrate via the thin film deposition process and interposes the substrate and a first layer of the first plurality of thin films. A detector is positioned to receive modified electromagnetic radiation that has optically interacted with the substance and the ICE core and generate an output signal indicative of the characteristic of the substance.

Abstract: Systems and methods of engineering the optical properties of an optical Integrated Computational Element device using ion implantation during fabrication are provided. A system as disclosed herein includes a chamber, a material source contained within the chamber, an ion source configured to provide a high-energy ion beam, a substrate holder to support a multilayer stack of materials that form the Integrated Computational Element device, a measurement system, and a computational unit. The material source provides a material layer to the multilayer stack, and at least a portion of the ion beam is deposited in the material layer according to an optical value provided by the measurement system.

Abstract: An optical computing device including a detector having a non-planar semiconductor structure is provided. The detector may include one or more structures having structure characteristics that may be optimized to respond to and weight predetermined wavelengths of light radiated from a sample that are related to characteristics of the sample. The detector may include an array of the one or more structures, wherein each of the structure units may be individually addressable to program or tune the detector to respond to and weight a spectra of light and generate an output signal based on the weighted spectra of light that is proportional to the characteristics of the sample.

Abstract: A sample analysis tool includes a sample chamber to hold a sample. The tool also includes a broadband angle-selective filter arranged along an optical path with the sample chamber. The tool also includes an electromagnetic radiation (ER) transducer that outputs a signal in response to electromagnetic radiation that passes through the broadband angle-selective filter. The tool also includes a storage device that stores data corresponding to the signal output from the ER transducer, wherein the data indicates a property of the sample.

Abstract: Systems and methods of engineering the optical properties of an optical Integrated Computational Element device using ion implantation during fabrication are provided. A system as disclosed herein includes a chamber, a material source contained within the chamber, an ion source configured to provide a high-energy ion beam, a substrate holder to support a multilayer stack of materials that form the Integrated Computational Element device, a measurement system, and a computational unit. The material source provides a material layer to the multilayer stack, and at least a portion of the ion beam is deposited in the material layer according to an optical value provided by the measurement system.