Abstract: A process for moving a particle using a device, the device including a substrate, a wave guide and a grating formed on the wave guide. The process includes injecting light with wavelength ? into the wave guide, and diffracting the light transmitted through the guide to a medium with an index nsuper in which the particle is located, particle movement forces being generated by the diffraction of light from the grating.

Abstract: An irreversible optical recording medium comprises at least an active layer presenting a rear face and a front face designed to receive at least an optical writing radiation. The optical writing radiation enables gas bubbles forming write marks to be formed locally in said active layer by means of a layer forming a gas source arranged on the rear face of the active layer. The layer forming the gas source moreover has a thickness less than or equal to 100 nm so as to limit the height of the bubbles formed in the active layer and therefore to improve tracking when read operations are performed. The layer forming the gas source is preferably made of carbon-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide.

Abstract: A method of optical characterization of a layer of material in which the spectrum of index n* (?) is characterized by a limited number of “nodes” that are points with coordinates (?i, ni, ki) or (?i, n*i), with ni=n(?i), ki=k(?i) and n*i=ni+jki, where j2=?1, and an interpolation law between the “nodes,” which can be, for example, linear, cubic, of “spline” type or polynomial (of any given degree). This interpolation law allows the calculation, from the “nodes,” of the refraction indexes and the extinction coefficients for the wavelengths located between the “nodes.

Abstract: A process for moving a particle using a device, the device including a substrate, a wave guide and a grating formed on the wave guide. The process includes injecting light with wavelength ? into the wave guide, and diffracting the light transmitted through the guide to a medium with an index nsuper in which the particle is located, particle movement forces being generated by the diffraction of light from the grating.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for moving a particle using a device comprising a substrate (4), a wave guide (2) and a grating (6) formed on the wave guide, in which: light with wavelength ? is injected into the wave guide, the light transmitted through the guide is diffracted to a medium (14) with an index nsup in which the particle is located.

Abstract: A method for studying a surface provided with relief features, wherein a measurement spectrum is taken and then compared with test spectra representative of arbitrary structures that are adjusted stepwise. A correlation over representative points of the spectra is selected while optimizing the determination by a hierarchized adjustment of the parameters.

Abstract: A method for studying a surface provided with relief features, wherein a measurement spectrum is taken and then compared with test spectra representative of arbitrary structures that are adjusted stepwise. A correlation over representative points of the spectra is selected while optimizing the determination by a hierarchized adjustment of the parameters.

Abstract: A method of optical characterization of materials without using a model. To characterize a layer of material over an interval A of values taken by a function ?(?) (?: wavelength), the method (1) obtains, via reflectometry and/or ellipsometry over A, a measured spectrum ?, (2) chooses m values ?1 . . .

Abstract: According to the invention, a structure, decomposable into at least one elementary structure or base element (30), is illuminated and then provides an optical response, at least one geometrical parameter of the base element is determined, and a value is attributed to it, a regression algorithm is implemented which determines modified values of the parameter(s), in order to make the difference between the theoretical response (32) of the base element and the acquired result (34) at most equal to a threshold, and to obtain an image of the structure, and as long as the separation between the acquired and theoretical responses is not satisfactory, new subdivisions of the base element(s) are performed.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for moving a particle using a device comprising a substrate (4), a wave guide (2) and a grating (6) formed on the wave guide, in which: light with wavelength ? is injected into the wave guide, the light transmitted through the guide is diffracted to a medium (14) with an index nsup in which the particle is located.