Patents by Inventor Joseph Armstrong

Joseph Armstrong 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).

  • Publication number: 20180191126
    Abstract: An optical inspection system that utilizes sub-200 nm incident light beam to inspect a surface of an object for defects is described. The sub-200 nm incident light beam is generated by combining first light having a wavelength of about 1109 nm with second light having a wavelength of approximately 234 nm. An optical system includes optical components configured to direct the incident light beam to a surface of the object, and image relay optics are configured to collect and relay at least two channels of light to a sensor, where at least one channel includes light reflected from the object, and at least one channel includes light transmitted through the object. The sensor is configured to simultaneously detect both the reflected and transmitted light. A laser for generating the sub-200 nm incident light beam includes a fundamental laser, two or more harmonic generators, a frequency doubler and a two frequency mixing stages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Yujun Deng, Justin Dianhuan Liou, Vladimir Dribinski, John Fielden
  • Patent number: 9972959
    Abstract: A pulse multiplier includes a polarizing beam splitter, a wave plate, and a set of multi-surface reflecting components (e.g., one or more etalons and one or more mirrors). The polarizing beam splitter passes input laser pulses through the wave plate to the multi-surface reflecting components, which reflect portions of each input laser pulse back through the wave plate to the polarizing beam splitter. The polarizing beam splitter reflects each reflected portion to form an output of the pulse multiplier. The multi-surface reflecting components are configured such that the output pulses exiting the pulse multiplier have an output repetition pulse frequency rate that is at least double the input repetition pulse frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Justin Dianhuan Liou, Vladimir Dribinski, David L. Brown
  • Publication number: 20180097893
    Abstract: Features are disclosed for synchronizing information across various devices, and using the synchronized information during subsequent content interactions. Devices may receive and/or store information, such as cookies or other account-level information, in connection with content interactions, such as content page retrieval, application execution, and the like. Information that is not device-specific can be synchronized across multiple devices, thus providing access to the information on any of the devices regardless of which device originally received or stored the information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Inventor: Patrick Joseph Armstrong
  • Patent number: 9935421
    Abstract: An improved solid-state laser for generating sub-200 nm light is described. This laser uses a fundamental wavelength between about 1030 nm and 1065 nm to generate the sub-200 nm light. The final frequency conversion stage of the laser creates the sub-200 nm light by mixing a wavelength of approximately 1109 nm with a wavelength of approximately 234 nm. By proper selection of non-linear media, such mixing can be achieved by nearly non-critical phase matching. This mixing results in high conversion efficiency, good stability, and high reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Yujun Deng, Justin Dianhuan Liou, Vladimir Dribinski, John Fielden
  • Publication number: 20170323716
    Abstract: A laser assembly for generating laser output light at an output wavelength of approximately 183 nm includes a fundamental laser, an optical parametric system (OPS), a fifth harmonic generator, and a frequency mixing module. The fundamental laser generates fundamental light at a fundamental frequency. The OPS generates a down-converted signal at a down-converted frequency. The fifth harmonic generator generates a fifth harmonic of the fundamental light. The frequency mixing module mixes the down-converted signal and the fifth harmonic to produce the laser output light at a frequency equal to a sum of the fifth harmonic frequency and the down-converted frequency. The OPS generates the down-converted signal by generating a down-converted seed signal at the down-converted frequency, and then mixing the down-converted seed signal with a portion of the fundamental light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Yujun Deng, Vladimir Dribinski, John Fielden, Jidong Zhang
  • Patent number: 9792266
    Abstract: Techniques and solutions are described for content synchronization across devices. A web page currently being viewed at a first device associated with a user profile of a user can be identified. Browsing information for the page (such as URL, scrolling location, and a DOM element) may be stored in the profile. The DOM element may be associated with page content displayed during a browsing session in a viewport while the web page is at the current scrolling location. The browsing information may be updated dynamically, upon detecting a change in the current scrolling location of the page at the first device. A request for displaying the web page at a second device associated with the user profile may be received. The browsing information for the web page may be provided to the second device, so that the web page with the current scrolling location is displayed at the second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Joseph Armstrong, Yousef Zachary Khwaja, Sajeeva Lakmal Bandara Pallemulle, Vincent Roseberry, Arun Sundaram, Ameet Nirmal Vaswani, Leonardo Davi Viccari, Li Yan
  • Patent number: 9793673
    Abstract: A pulse multiplier includes a polarizing beam splitter, a wave plate, and a set of mirrors. The polarizing beam splitter receives an input laser pulse. The wave plate receives light from the polarized beam splitter and generates a first set of pulses and a second set of pulses. The first set of pulses has a different polarization than the second set of pulses. The polarizing beam splitter, the wave plate, and the set of mirrors create a ring cavity. The polarizing beam splitter transmits the first set of pulses as an output of the pulse multiplier and reflects the second set of pulses into the ring cavity. This pulse multiplier can inexpensively reduce the peak power per pulse while increasing the number of pulses per second with minimal total power loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Justin Dianhuan Liou, Vladimir Dribinski, David L. Brown
  • Patent number: 9768577
    Abstract: A pulse multiplier includes a beam splitter and one or more mirrors. The beam splitter receives a series of input laser pulses and directs part of the energy of each pulse into a ring cavity. After circulating around the ring cavity, part of the pulse energy leaves the ring cavity through the beam splitter and part of the energy is recirculated. By selecting the ring cavity optical path length, the repetition rate of an output series of laser pulses can be made to be a multiple of the input repetition rate. The relative energies of the output pulses can be controlled by choosing the transmission and reflection coefficients of the beam splitter. This pulse multiplier can inexpensively reduce the peak power per pulse while increasing the number of pulses per second with minimal total power loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, Justin Dianhuan Liou, J. Joseph Armstrong, Yujun Deng
  • Patent number: 9753352
    Abstract: The present invention includes a fundamental laser light source configured to generate fundamental wavelength laser light, a first nonlinear optical crystal configured to generate first alternate wavelength light, a second nonlinear optical crystal configured to generate second alternate wavelength light, a set of Brewster angle wavefront processing optics configured to condition the first and second alternate wavelengths of light, and a harmonic separator configured to receive the first alternate wavelength light and the second alternate wavelength light from the set of Brewster angle wavefront processing optics, the harmonic separator configured to at least partially separate the first alternate wavelength light from the second alternate wavelength light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventor: J. Joseph Armstrong
  • Patent number: 9748729
    Abstract: A laser assembly for generating laser output light at an output wavelength of approximately 183 nm includes a fundamental laser, an optical parametric system (OPS), a fifth harmonic generator, and a frequency mixing module. The fundamental laser generates fundamental light at a fundamental frequency. The OPS generates a down-converted signal at a down-converted frequency. The fifth harmonic generator generates a fifth harmonic of the fundamental light. The frequency mixing module mixes the down-converted signal and the fifth harmonic to produce the laser output light at a frequency equal to a sum of the fifth harmonic frequency and the down-converted frequency. The OPS generates the down-converted signal by generating a down-converted seed signal at the down-converted frequency, and then mixing the down-converted seed signal with a portion of the fundamental light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Yujun Deng, Vladimir Dribinski, John Fielden, Jidong Zhang
  • Patent number: 9736246
    Abstract: Features are disclosed for synchronizing information across various devices, and using the synchronized information during subsequent content interactions. Devices may receive and/or store information, such as cookies or other account-level information, in connection with content interactions, such as content page retrieval, application execution, and the like. Information that is not device-specific can be synchronized across multiple devices, thus providing access to the information on any of the devices regardless of which device originally received or stored the information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Patrick Joseph Armstrong
  • Publication number: 20170229829
    Abstract: Laser and inspection systems that generate laser output light at sub-200 nm wavelengths using fundamental light at approximately 1064 nm. A second harmonic generator module generates second harmonic light directed to both an optical parametric (OP) module, which generates down-converted signal (idler light), and to a fifth harmonic generator module, which generates fifth harmonic light. The OP module includes an optical parametric oscillator that is configured to generate the idler signal at approximately 0.5 times the fundamental frequency. The idler light and fifth harmonic light are then mixed by a frequency mixing module to generate the laser output light having an output frequency equal to approximately 5.5 times the fundamental frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Vladimir Dribinski, John Fielden
  • Patent number: 9608399
    Abstract: An improved laser uses a pump laser with a wavelength near 1109 nm and a fundamental wavelength near 1171 nm to generate light at a wavelength between approximately 189 nm and approximately 200 nm, e.g. 193 nm. The laser mixes the 1109 nm pump wavelength with the 5th harmonic of the 1171 nm fundamental, which is at a wavelength of approximately 234.2 nm. By proper selection of non-linear media, such mixing can be achieved by nearly non-critical phase matching. This mixing results in high conversion efficiency, good stability, and high reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Justin Dianhuan Liou, Vladimir Dribinski, John Fielden
  • Publication number: 20170063026
    Abstract: An improved solid-state laser for generating sub-200 nm light is described. This laser uses a fundamental wavelength between about 1030 nm and 1065 nm to generate the sub-200 nm light. The final frequency conversion stage of the laser creates the sub-200 nm light by mixing a wavelength of approximately 1109 nm with a wavelength of approximately 234 nm. By proper selection of non-linear media, such mixing can be achieved by nearly non-critical phase matching. This mixing results in high conversion efficiency, good stability, and high reliability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Yujun Deng, Justin Dianhuan Liou, Vladimir Dribinski, John Fielden
  • Patent number: 9529182
    Abstract: An improved solid-state laser for generating sub-200 nm light is described. This laser uses a fundamental wavelength between about 1030 nm and 1065 nm to generate the sub-200 nm light. The final frequency conversion stage of the laser creates the sub-200 nm light by mixing a wavelength of approximately 1109 nm with a wavelength of approximately 234 nm. By proper selection of non-linear media, such mixing can be achieved by nearly non-critical phase matching. This mixing results in high conversion efficiency, good stability, and high reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: KLA—Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Yujun Deng, Justin Dianhuan Liou, Vladimir Dribinski, John Fielden
  • Patent number: 9525265
    Abstract: A repetition rate (pulse) multiplier includes one or more beam splitters and prisms forming one or more ring cavities with different optical path lengths that delay parts of the energy of each pulse. A series of input laser pulses circulate in the ring cavities and part of the energy of each pulse leaves the system after traversing the shorter cavity path, while another part of the energy leaves the system after traversing the longer cavity path, and/or a combination of both cavity paths. By proper choice of the ring cavity optical path length, the repetition rate of an output series of laser pulses can be made to be a multiple of the input repetition rate. The relative energies of the output pulses can be controlled by choosing the transmission and reflection coefficients of the beam splitters. Some embodiments generate a time-averaged output beam profile that is substantially flat in one dimension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, Xiaoxu Lu, Justin Dianhuan Liou, J. Joseph Armstrong, Yujun Deng, John Fielden
  • Publication number: 20160365693
    Abstract: Improved inspection systems utilize laser systems and associated techniques to generate an ultra-violet (UV) wavelength of approximately 193.368 nm from a fundamental vacuum wavelength near 1063.5 nm. Preferred embodiments separate out an unconsumed portion of an input wavelength to at least one stage and redirect that unconsumed portion for use in another stage. The improved laser systems and associated techniques result in less expensive, longer life lasers than those currently being used in the industry. These laser systems can be constructed with readily-available, relatively inexpensive components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Vladimir Dribinski, John Fielden
  • Publication number: 20160359292
    Abstract: A repetition rate (pulse) multiplier includes one or more beam splitters and prisms forming one or more ring cavities with different optical path lengths that delay parts of the energy of each pulse. A series of input laser pulses circulate in the ring cavities and part of the energy of each pulse leaves the system after traversing the shorter cavity path, while another part of the energy leaves the system after traversing the longer cavity path, and/or a combination of both cavity paths. By proper choice of the ring cavity optical path length, the repetition rate of an output series of laser pulses can be made to be a multiple of the input repetition rate. The relative energies of the output pulses can be controlled by choosing the transmission and reflection coefficients of the beam splitters. Some embodiments generate a time-averaged output beam profile that is substantially flat in one dimension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2016
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, Xiaoxu Lu, Justin Dianhuan Liou, J. Joseph Armstrong, Yujun Deng, John Fielden
  • Patent number: 9477041
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a beam dump which is configured for not increasing a temperature of a laser with which it may be implemented. The beam dump may include an opaque enclosure which is configured for receiving light (ex.—initial light) from a light source (ex.—a frequency-converted laser), said light being delivered through an aperture of the enclosure via one or more connected optical fibers. The received light may be scattered within the enclosure. However, the beam dump is configured for minimizing the amount of light which is back scattered light into the fiber(s). For instance, the amount of back scattered light may be less than 1/1000 of the initial light. Further, the beam dump may be configured for minimizing photocontamination which may be caused when the light contacts interior surfaces of the enclosure. Still further, the beam dump may be a small size, low cost structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventor: J. Joseph Armstrong
  • Publication number: 20160285223
    Abstract: A pulse multiplier includes a polarizing beam splitter, a wave plate, and a set of multi-surface reflecting components (e.g., one or more etalons and one or more mirrors). The polarizing beam splitter passes input laser pulses through the wave plate to the multi-surface reflecting components, which reflect portions of each input laser pulse back through the wave plate to the polarizing beam splitter. The polarizing beam splitter reflects each reflected portion to form an output of the pulse multiplier. The multi-surface reflecting components are configured such that the output pulses exiting the pulse multiplier have an output repetition pulse frequency rate that is at least double the input repetition pulse frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventors: Yung-Ho Chuang, J. Joseph Armstrong, Justin Dianhuan Liou, Vladimir Dribinski, David L. Brown