Patents by Inventor John A. Hoffnagle
John A. Hoffnagle has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11592388Abstract: Improved optical absorption spectroscopy of species having broad spectral features is provided by choosing frequencies to cover the spectral feature(s) of interest, where the frequencies are slightly adjusted as needed to avoid narrow spectral features from interfering chemical species (i.e., clutter). The resulting clutter avoidance provides improved optical spectroscopy of species having broad spectral features.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2019Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: Picarro, Inc.Inventors: John A. Hoffnagle, Chris W. Rella
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Publication number: 20210372855Abstract: Improved cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy is provided using a piecewise tunable laser by using a lookup table for laser tuning that is configured specifically for this application. In preferred embodiments this is done in combination with a laser control strategy that provides precise wavelength determination using cavity modes of the instrument as a reference.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 15, 2021Publication date: December 2, 2021Inventors: Alejandro Dario Farinas, John A. Hoffnagle, Chris W. Rella, Sze Meng Tan
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Patent number: 11092493Abstract: Improved cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy is provided using a piecewise tunable laser by using a lookup table for laser tuning that is configured specifically for this application. In preferred embodiments this is done in combination with a laser control strategy that provides precise wavelength determination using cavity modes of the instrument as a reference.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2019Date of Patent: August 17, 2021Assignee: Picarro, Inc.Inventors: Alejandro Dario Farinas, John A. Hoffnagle, Chris W. Rella, Sze Meng Tan
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Publication number: 20210181092Abstract: Improved optical absorption spectroscopy of species having broad spectral features is provided by choosing frequencies to cover the spectral feature(s) of interest, where the frequencies are slightly adjusted as needed to avoid narrow spectral features from interfering chemical species (i.e., clutter). The resulting clutter avoidance provides improved optical spectroscopy of species having broad spectral features.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2019Publication date: June 17, 2021Inventors: John A. Hoffnagle, Chris W. Rella
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Publication number: 20210181023Abstract: Improved cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy is provided using a piecewise tunable laser by using a lookup table for laser tuning that is configured specifically for this application. In preferred embodiments this is done in combination with a laser control strategy that provides precise wavelength determination using cavity modes of the instrument as a reference.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2019Publication date: June 17, 2021Inventors: Alejandro Dario Farinas, John A. Hoffnagle, Chris W. Rella, Sze Meng Tan
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Patent number: 11035728Abstract: Interleaved data acquisition in optical spectroscopy is used to provide interference correction for time-varying interference. Measurements at a reference frequency are used to provide an estimate of the interference. These reference measurements are interleaved with the remaining measurements in order to provide estimates of the interference vs. time at relevant times. The interference being corrected can be spectrally structured or unstructured.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2019Date of Patent: June 15, 2021Assignee: Picarro, Inc.Inventors: Chris W. Rella, Hongbing Chen, Derek Gregory Fleck, John A. Hoffnagle, James Ian Lee, Gerald Thomas Sorensen, Sze Meng Tan
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Publication number: 20200049556Abstract: Interleaved data acquisition in optical spectroscopy is used to provide interference correction for time-varying interference. Measurements at a reference frequency are used to provide an estimate of the interference. These reference measurements are interleaved with the remaining measurements in order to provide estimates of the interference vs. time at relevant times. The interference being corrected can be spectrally structured or unstructured.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2019Publication date: February 13, 2020Inventors: Chris W. Rella, Hongbing Chen, Derek Gregory Fleck, John A. Hoffnagle, James Ian Lee, Gerald Thomas Sornsen, Sze Meng Tan
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Patent number: 9645077Abstract: Optical spectrometer apparatus, systems, and methods for analysis of carbon-14 including a resonant optical cavity configured to accept a sample gas including carbon-14, an optical source configured to deliver optical radiation to the resonant optical cavity, an optical detector configured to detect optical radiation emitted from the resonant cavity and to provide a detector signal; and a processor configured to compute a carbon-14 concentration from the detector signal, wherein computing the carbon-14 concentration from the detector signal includes fitting a spectroscopic model to a measured spectrogram, wherein the spectroscopic model accounts for contributions from one or more interfering species that spectroscopically interfere with carbon-14.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2015Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignees: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, Picarro, Inc.Inventors: Ted Ognibene, Graham Bench, Alan Daniel McCartt, Kenneth Turteltaub, Chris W. Rella, Sze Tan, John A. Hoffnagle, Nabil Saad, Eric Crosson
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Patent number: 9267880Abstract: For cavity enhanced optical spectroscopy, the cavity modes are used as a frequency reference. Data analysis methods are employed that assume the data points are at equally spaced frequencies. Parameters of interest such as line width, integrated absorption etc. can be determined from such data without knowledge of the frequencies of any of the data points. Methods for determining the FSR index of each ring-down event are also provided.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2015Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: Picarro, Inc.Inventors: Sze Meng Tan, John A. Hoffnagle, Chris W. Rella
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Publication number: 20160011101Abstract: Optical spectrometer apparatus, systems, and methods for analysis of carbon-14 including a resonant optical cavity configured to accept a sample gas including carbon-14, an optical source configured to deliver optical radiation to the resonant optical cavity, an optical detector configured to detect optical radiation emitted from the resonant cavity and to provide a detector signal; and a processor configured to compute a carbon-14 concentration from the detector signal, wherein computing the carbon-14 concentration from the detector signal includes fitting a spectroscopic model to a measured spectrogram, wherein the spectroscopic model accounts for contributions from one or more interfering species that spectroscopically interfere with carbon-14.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2015Publication date: January 14, 2016Inventors: Ted Ognibene, Graham Bench, Alan Daniel McCartt, Kenneth Turteltaub, Chris W. Rella, Sze Tan, John A. Hoffnagle, Nabil Saad, Eric Crosson
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Patent number: 8982352Abstract: For cavity enhanced optical spectroscopy, the cavity modes are used as a frequency reference. Data analysis methods are employed that assume the data points are at equally spaced frequencies. Parameters of interest such as line width, integrated absorption etc. can be determined from such data without knowledge of the frequencies of any of the data points.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2013Date of Patent: March 17, 2015Assignee: Picarro, Inc.Inventors: John A. Hoffnagle, Sze Meng Tan, Chris W. Rella
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Publication number: 20120215456Abstract: An optical system for non-invasive cytometry of mammalian cells includes a light source, a cell positioner, an optical imager, an optical wavefront sensor and a computer. The light source produces an illuminating beam of spatially coherent radiation. The cell positioner sequentially moves a single cell from a population of multiple cells into a sub-aperture region of the illumination beam whose wavefront is perturbed in response to the physical structure of the single cell. An optical system relays a magnified image of the sub-aperture region containing the cell to an image plane. At the image plane a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is positioned. Within the pupil of the wavefront sensor the local tilts of the wavefront in the sub-aperture region are measured and sent to a computer. Software calculates the Zernike coefficients corresponding to the aberration induced by the structure of each cell. Their Zernike signatures classify the cells into distinct types.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2011Publication date: August 23, 2012Applicant: CytoRayInventors: John Hoffnagle, James Jacob
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Patent number: 7875408Abstract: Compositions comprising photobleachable organic materials can be bleached by 193 nm light, and brought back to their original state by stimuli after exposure. (reversible photobleaching). We use these compositions in art-known contrast enhancement layers and as a part of a photoresist, especially in optical lithography processes for semiconductor fabrication. They may comprise polymers such as organo-silicon polymers, polymers comprising polymers of aromatic hydroxyl compounds such as phenol and naphthol such as phenol formaldehyde polymers and naphthol formaldehyde polymers styrene polymers and phenolic acrylate polymers or cyclic materials comprising: where the radicals “R” and “Y” represent organo, or substituted organo moieties, Structures I, II, and III represent basic organic skeletons and can be unsubstituted or substituted in any available position with any one or combinations of multiple substituents.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2007Date of Patent: January 25, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: John A. Hoffnagle, David R. Medeiros, Robert D. Miller, Libor Vycklicky, Gregory M. Wallraff
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Publication number: 20080182178Abstract: Compositions comprising photobleachable organic materials can be bleached by 193 nm light, and brought back to their original state by stimuli after exposure. (reversible photobleaching). We use these compositions in art-known contrast enhancement layers and as a part of a photoresist, especially in optical lithography processes for semiconductor fabrication. They may comprise polymers such as organosilicon polymers, polymers comprising polymers of aromatic hydroxyl compounds such as phenol and naphthol such as phenol formaldehyde polymers and naphthol formaldehyde polymers styrene polymers and phenolic acrylate polymers or cyclic materials comprising: where the radicals “R” and “Y” represent organo, or substituted organo moieties, Structures I, II, and III represent basic organic skeletons and can be unsubstituted or substituted in any available position with any one or combinations of multiple substituents.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2007Publication date: July 31, 2008Inventors: John A. Hoffnagle, David R. Medeiros, Robert D. Miller, Libor Vycklicky, Gregory M. Wallraff
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Patent number: 7079223Abstract: A method and system is provided for computing lithographic images that may take into account non-scalar effects such as lens birefringence, resist stack effects, tailored source polarizations, and blur effects of the mask and the resist. A generalized bilinear kernel is formed, which is independent of the mask transmission function, and which may then be treated using a decomposition to allow rapid computation of an image that includes such non-scalar effects. Weighted pre-images may be formed from a coherent sum of pre-computed convolutions of the dominant eigenfunctions of the generalized bilinear kernel with the appropriate mask polygon sectors. The image at a point may be formed from the incoherent sum of the weighted pre-images over all of the dominant eigenfunctions of the generalized bilinear kernel. The resulting image can then be used to perform model-based optical proximity correction (MBOPC).Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2004Date of Patent: July 18, 2006Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan E. Rosenbluth, Gregg M. Gallatin, Ronald L. Gordon, Nakgeuon Seong, Alexey Y. Lvov, William D. Hinsberg, John A. Hoffnagle, Frances A. Houle, Martha I. Sanchez
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Publication number: 20060126053Abstract: An optical apparatus used for the efficient characterization of photoresist material includes at least one grating interferometer having at least two gratings that together define an optical recombination plane. An optical stop blocks any zeroth order beam from propagating through the apparatus. A reticle positioned at the recombination plane has at least one fiducial marking therein. A lithographic imaging optical tool is positioned so that its input optical plane is substantially coincident with the optical recombination plane and its output imaging plane is substantially coincident with photoresist on a wafer. The apparatus writes in the photoresist latent, sinusoidal grating patterns, preferably of different spatial frequencies, as well as at least one fiducial mark whose pattern is determined by the marking in the reticle. After the photoresist is developed, its intrinsic spatial resolution may be determined by automated means.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 9, 2006Publication date: June 15, 2006Inventors: William Hinsberg, John Hoffnagle, Frances Houle, Martha Sanchez
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Publication number: 20050185159Abstract: An efficient method and system is provided for computing lithographic images that takes into account vector effects such as lens birefringence, resist stack effects and tailored source polarizations, and may also include blur effects of the mask and the resist. These effects are included by forming a generalized bilinear kernel, which is independent of the mask transmission function, which can then be treated using a decomposition to allow rapid computation of an image that includes such non-scalar effects. Dominant eigenfunctions of the generalized bilinear kernel can be used to pre-compute convolutions with possible polygon sectors. A mask transmission function can then be decomposed into polygon sectors, and weighted pre-images may be formed from a coherent sum of the pre-computed convolutions for the appropriate mask polygon sectors. The image at a point may be formed from the incoherent sum of the weighted pre-images over all of the dominant eigenfunctions of the generalized bilinear kernel.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 20, 2004Publication date: August 25, 2005Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan Rosenbluth, Gregg Gallatin, Ronald Gordon, Nakgeuon Seong, Alexey Lvov, William Hinsberg, John Hoffnagle, Frances Houle, Martha Sanchez
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Publication number: 20050168717Abstract: An optical apparatus used for the efficient characterization of photoresist material includes at least one grating interferometer having at least two gratings that together define an optical recombination plane. An optical stop blocks any zeroth order beam from propagating through the apparatus. A reticle positioned at the recombination plane has at least one fiducial marking therein. A lithographic imaging optical tool is positioned so that its input optical plane is substantially coincident with the optical recombination plane and its output imaging plane is substantially coincident with photoresist on a wafer. The apparatus writes in the photoresist latent, sinusoidal grating patterns, preferably of different spatial frequencies, as well as at least one fiducial mark whose pattern is determined by the marking in the reticle. After the photoresist is developed, its intrinsic spatial resolution may be determined by automated means.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2004Publication date: August 4, 2005Inventors: William Hinsberg, John Hoffnagle, Frances Houle, Martha Sanchez
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Patent number: 6801368Abstract: An optical beam transformation system includes a first and a second optical element, each of which has a non-reentrant surface. The system transforms a substantially non-uniform optical input beam (such as a Gaussian) to a substantially uniform output beam. The first and second optical elements are arranged in either a Keplerian or Galilean configuration. The aspheric surface of the second optical element is related to the aspheric surface of the first optical element by a ray-tracing function that maps substantially all of an input light beam that is incident on the first optical element to a collimated output light beam that is output from the second optical element. Preferably, the output light beam has a Fermi-Dirac intensity distribution, and the ray-tracing function maps the input light beam to the output beam out to the (1/e)6 intensity radius of the input light beam.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2003Date of Patent: October 5, 2004Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Hans J. Coufal, John A. Hoffnagle, Carl M. Jefferson
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Publication number: 20040061952Abstract: An optical beam transformation system includes a first and a second optical element, each of which has a non-reentrant surface. The system transforms a substantially non-uniform optical input beam (such as a Gaussian) to a substantially uniform output beam. The first and second optical elements are arranged in either a Keplerian or Galilean configuration. The aspheric surface of the second optical element is related to the aspheric surface of the first optical element by a ray-tracing function that maps substantially all of an input light beam that is incident on the first optical element to a collimated output light beam that is output from the second optical element. Preferably, the output light beam has a Fermi-Dirac intensity distribution, and the ray-tracing function maps the input light beam to the output beam out to the (1/e)6 intensity radius of the input light beam.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 2, 2003Publication date: April 1, 2004Inventors: Hans J. Coufal, John A. Hoffnagle, Carl M. Jefferson