Abstract: Illumination assemblies, components, and related methods are described. An illumination assembly is provided that comprises a plurality of illumination tiles each having a light emission surface. The plurality of illumination tiles are arranged in a two-dimensional array. The illumination tiles are constructed and arranged so as to provide a substantially contiguous illumination surface comprising the light emission surfaces of the plurality of the illumination tiles. Each illumination tile is illuminated by at least one solid state light-emitting device. A method of local dimming an illumination assembly of a display (e.g., LCD) backlight unit is also provided.

Abstract: One or more embodiments presented herein include a light emitting system and/or device that can include a thermal management system. The thermal management system can provide for transport and/or dissipation of heat generated by a light emitting device.

Abstract: Illumination assemblies, components, and related methods are described. An illumination assembly is provided that comprises a plurality of illumination tiles each having a light emission surface. The plurality of illumination tiles are arranged in a two-dimensional array. The illumination tiles are constructed and arranged so as to provide a substantially contiguous illumination surface comprising the light emission surfaces of the plurality of the illumination tiles. Each illumination tile is illuminated by at least one solid state light-emitting device. A method of local dimming an illumination assembly of a display (e.g., LCD) backlight unit is also provided.

Abstract: Illumination assemblies, components, and related methods are described. A plurality of illumination tiles may be arranged in a two-dimensional array. In one embodiment, an illumination tile comprises at least one solid state light-emitting device and a light guide including an edge constructed and arranged to receive light from the solid state light-emitting device, and a top emission surface constructed and arranged to emit light received by the edge, wherein the solid state light-emitting device is disposed under the top emission surface.

Abstract: A fluid flow monitoring device. A laser source produces a laser beam having a beam frequency that is transmitted through an optical fiber and absorbed in a small quantity of thermally conductive material having high optical absorption at the beam frequency. A temperature sensor is embedded in the light absorbing material. The light absorbing material is placed in a fluid flow and the light absorbing material is heated with energy in the laser beam. Voltage produced by the temperature sensor is monitored as an indication of the fluid flow. The flow-measuring device can be made extremely unintrusive using very thin temperature sensor wire and very thin optical fiber, both of which are contained within a very thin probe. The device is calibrated under known flow conditions. The flowing fluid cools the material. Using the calibration information, speed of the flowing fluid is determined by measuring the voltage produced by the temperature sensor.

Abstract: The invention describes a method for measuring a property of a sample by: 1) irradiating a portion of the sample with an excitation pattern characterized by at least one spatial phase and spatial period; 2) diffracting a portion of a probe beam off a surface of the sample; 3) detecting the diffracted portion of the probe beam with an optical detector to generate a light-induced signal; 4) adjusting the spatial phase of the excitation pattern; 5) repeating the irradiating, diffracting and detecting steps to generate an additional light-induced signal; and 6) processing the light-induced signals to determine a property of the sample.

Abstract: A device for evacuating plume products. A gas is forced through at least one compressed gas jet nozzle which directs a compressed gas flow toward an evacuation orifice. A vacuum system provides a vacuum at said evacuation orifice sufficient to provide a vacuum mass flow rate substantially greater than said compressed gas mass flow rate so that the plume products are entrained in gas exiting said gas jet nozzles and evacuated along with the gas through the evacuation orifice. In one embodiment, compressed gas may be cooled to produce aerosol particles to further improve collection efficiency and produce beneficial therapeutic effects. The device is especially useful in laser surgery to evacuate ablation products in plumes created by pulse lasers.

Abstract: A scheme for monitoring the performance of a gas-phase filter in which upstream and downstream detection surfaces are exposed to upstream and downstream air so that molecular contamination may respectively form non-volatile residue thereon, and the performance of the air filter is determined based on the ratio of the amount of non-volatile residue respectively forming on the upstream and downstream detection surfaces. In another embodiment, a first electrical signal is provided representative of the amount of non-volatile residue forming on the upstream detection surface, a second electrical signal is provided representative of the amount of non-volatile residue forming on the downstream detection surface, and the performance of the air filter is determined in real-time based on the first and second electrical signals that are provided.

Abstract: A scheme for defining, inside a processing facility, a storage environment that is substantially free of a targeted molecular contaminant and in which one or more substrates are to be stored for a period of time before or after a substrate processing step; the scheme including: an air blower for providing a flow of air within a storage environment defined inside a processing facility; a substrate support for holding one or more substrates inside the storage environment; and a molecular air filter having an input face positioned to receive air from the blower and having an output face for providing a flow of filtered air inside the storage environment, the molecular air filter being constructed and arranged to remove an airborne molecular contaminant from air flowing into the storage environment to achieve a concentration level of the molecular contaminant inside the storage environment suitable for storing one or more substrates therein for a sit time corresponding to the time before a subsequent substrate pr