Abstract: Disclosed is a polarization separation device to receive an incident light beam. The device includes first and second geometric-phase lenses, having respective first optical centers, first optical axes and first focal lengths. The first and second geometric-phase lenses are separated from one another by a first distance according to the first optical axis, the first geometric-phase lens and the second geometric-phase lens being disposed to have an optical power with the same sign for a first circular polarization state and an optical power with an opposite sign for another circular polarization state orthogonal to the first circular polarization state. The device is configured and directed so a projection of the first optical center according to the first optical axis on the second geometric-phase optical lens is located at a non-zero second distance from the second optical center.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ellipsometer or scatterometer including a light source, a polarizer, an optical illumination system suitable for directing an incident polarized light beam towards a sample, a wavefront-division optical beam splitter arranged to receive a secondary light beam produced by reflection, transmission or diffraction, the wavefront-division optical beam splitter being oriented to form three collimated split beams, an optical polarization modification device and an optical polarization splitting device to form six angularly split beams, a detection system suitable for detecting the six split beams, and a processing system suitable for deducing therefrom an ellipsometric or scatterometric measurement.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ellipsometer or scatterometer including a light source, a polarizer, an optical illumination system suitable for directing an incident polarized light beam towards a sample, a wavefront-division optical beam splitter arranged to receive a secondary light beam produced by reflection, transmission or diffraction, the wavefront-division optical beam splitter being oriented to form three collimated split beams, an optical polarization modification device and an optical polarization splitting device to form six angularly split beams, a detection system suitable for detecting the six split beams, and a processing system suitable for deducing therefrom an ellipsometric or scatterometric measurement.

Abstract: Disclosed is a micro-localisation device defining a system of spatial coordinates for an imaging instrument. The micro-localisation device includes at least one first zone and a second zone, adjacent to each other, each zone extending spatially over an area of macroscopic size, each zone including an elementary cell or a tiling of a plurality of elementary cells extending over the respective area of the zone, each elementary cell of the first, respectively second, zone including an orientation pattern, a positioning pattern and a periodic spatial pattern, configured to be imaged by an imaging instrument and to determine a position and, respectively an orientation of the imaging instrument in the system of spatial coordinates of the micro-localisation device.

Abstract: Disclosed is a micro-localisation device defining a system of spatial coordinates for an imaging instrument. The micro-localisation device includes at least one first zone and a second zone, adjacent to each other, each zone extending spatially over an area of macroscopic size, each zone including an elementary cell or a tiling of a plurality of elementary cells extending over the respective area of the zone, each elementary cell of the first, respectively second, zone including an orientation pattern, a positioning pattern and a periodic spatial pattern, configured to be imaged by an imaging instrument and to determine a position and, respectively an orientation of the imaging instrument in the system of spatial coordinates of the micro-localisation device.

Abstract: A glow discharge spectrometry system includes a glow discharge lamp suitable for receiving a solid sample (10) and forming a glow discharge etching plasma (19). The system (100) for measuring in situ the depth of the erosion crater generated by etching of the sample (10) includes an optical separator (3), optical elements (4) suitable for directing a first incident beam (21) toward a first zone (11) of the sample, the first zone being exposed to the etching plasma, and a second incident beam (22) toward a second zone (12) of the same side of the sample, the second zone being protected from the etching plasma, respectively, and an optical recombining device (3) suitable for forming an interferometric beam (30) so as to determine the depth (d) of the erosion crater.

Abstract: A device for characterizing a sample includes a measuring instrument for determining a physical characteristic of the sample, and a positioning system for positioning the measuring instrument in relation to the sample. The positioning system includes a localization target, a unit for acquiring and analysing images, and image analysis unit suitable for analysing the image of the portion of the localization target to determine the position and orientation of the optical imaging system in relation to the localization target and a processing unit processing results of image analysis and calibration, suitable for determining an absolute position of the localized measurement point in a referential system linked to the sample, the measuring instrument being positioned to take the measurement at said localized measurement point and the physical characteristic of the sample being determined by the measuring instrument at the localized measurement point.

Abstract: Device for characterizing a sample includes a measuring instrument for determining a physical characteristic of the sample at one point thereof; a positioning system for positioning the measuring instrument relative to the sample, to obtain a measurement at a point localized on the sample. The positioning system includes: a locating target connected to the sample and defining a reference system linked thereto; elements for acquiring and analyzing images, including lighting elements for illuminating the target; an optical imaging system connected to the measuring instrument for acquiring an image of at least one portion of the target; and image analysis elements for analyzing the image to determine the position and orientation of the optical imaging system relative to the target; calibration elements for determining the position of the measuring instrument relative to the optical imaging system; and processing elements for processing the results of the image analysis and of the calibration.

Abstract: A spectrometer (100) for analyzing the spectrum of an upstream light beam (1) includes an entrance slit (101) and angular dispersing elements (130). The angular dispersing elements include at least one polarization-dependent diffraction grating that is suitable for, at the plurality of wavelengths (1, 2, 3), diffracting a corrected light beam (20) into diffracted light beams (31, 32, 33) in a given particular diffraction order of the polarization-dependent diffraction grating, which is either the +1 diffraction order or the ?1 diffraction order, when the corrected light beam has a preset corrected polarization state that is circular; and the spectrometer includes elements for modifying polarization (1100) placed between the entrance slit and the angular dispersion elements, which are suitable for modifying the polarization state of the upstream light beam in order to generate the corrected light beam with a preset corrected polarization state.

Abstract: A spectrometer (100) for analyzing the spectrum of an upstream light beam (1), includes an entrance slit (101) and collimating elements (110) suitable for generating, from the upstream light beam, a collimated light beam (10), characterized in that it also includes: a polarization-dependent diffraction grating (120) suitable for diffracting, at each wavelength (11, 12) of the spectrum of the upstream light beam, the collimated light beam into a first diffracted light beam (11, 12) and a second diffracted light beam (21, 22); optical recombining elements (130) including a planar optical reflecting surface (130) perpendicular to the grating and suitable for deviating at least the second diffracted light beam; and focussing elements (140) suitable for focussing, at each wavelength, the first diffracted light beam and the second diffracted light beam onto one and the same focussing area (141).

Abstract: A glow discharge spectrometry system includes a glow discharge lamp suitable for receiving a solid sample (10) and forming a glow discharge etching plasma (19). The system (100) for measuring in situ the depth of the erosion crater generated by etching of the sample (10) includes an optical separator (3), optical elements (4) suitable for directing a first incident beam (21) toward a first zone (11) of the sample, the first zone being exposed to the etching plasma, and a second incident beam (22) toward a second zone (12) of the same side of the sample, the second zone being protected from the etching plasma, respectively, and an optical recombining device (3) suitable for forming an interferometric beam (30) so as to determine the depth (d) of the erosion crater.

Abstract: An accurate and robust wavefront-division polarimetric analysis method and device, allows the quasi-instantaneous measurement of the polarization states of a luminous object. The device can be used to produce a plurality of light beams, all polarized according to different polarization states, from a single upstream light beam. The polarized light beams, which do not overlap and which carry information items that are complementary in terms of polarization, are analyzed simultaneously by a plurality of detectors that measure the luminous intensity of each beam. Processing elements digitally process the luminous intensity values obtained in order to determine the polarization state of the upstream light beam. The operations performed by the processing elements prevent luminous intensity variations in the split light beams during the division of the wavefront of the upstream light beam.

Abstract: A spectrometer (100) for analyzing the spectrum of an upstream light beam (1), includes an entrance slit (101) and collimating elements (110) suitable for generating, from the upstream light beam, a collimated light beam (10), characterized in that it also includes: a polarization-dependent diffraction grating (120) suitable for diffracting, at each wavelength (11, 12) of the spectrum of the upstream light beam, the collimated light beam into a first diffracted light beam (11, 12) and a second diffracted light beam (21, 22); optical recombining elements (130) including a planar optical reflecting surface (130) perpendicular to the grating and suitable for deviating at least the second diffracted light beam; and focussing elements (140) suitable for focussing, at each wavelength, the first diffracted light beam and the second diffracted light beam onto one and the same focussing area (141).

Abstract: A spectrometer (100) for analyzing the spectrum of an upstream light beam (1) includes an entrance slit (101) and angular dispersing elements (130). The angular dispersing elements include at least one polarization-dependent diffraction grating that is suitable for, at the plurality of wavelengths (1, 2, 3), diffracting a corrected light beam (20) into diffracted light beams (31, 32, 33) in a given particular diffraction order of the polarization-dependent diffraction grating, which is either the +1 diffraction order or the ?1 diffraction order, when the corrected light beam has a preset corrected polarization state that is circular; and the spectrometer includes elements for modifying polarization (1100) placed between the entrance slit and the angular dispersion elements, which are suitable for modifying the polarization state of the upstream light beam in order to generate the corrected light beam with a preset corrected polarization state.

Abstract: An accurate and robust wavefront-division polarimetric analysis method and device, allows the quasi-instantaneous measurement of the polarization states of a luminous object. The device can be used to produce a plurality of light beams, all polarized according to different polarization states, from a single upstream light beam. The polarized light beams, which do not overlap and which carry information items that are complementary in terms of polarization, are analyzed simultaneously by a plurality of detectors that measure the luminous intensity of each beam. Processing elements digitally process the luminous intensity values obtained in order to determine the polarization state of the upstream light beam. The operations performed by the processing elements prevent luminous intensity variations in the split light beams during the division of the wavefront of the upstream light beam.

Abstract: Device for characterizing a sample includes a measuring instrument for determining a physical characteristic of the sample at one point thereof; a positioning system for positioning the measuring instrument relative to the sample, to obtain a measurement at a point localized on the sample. The positioning system includes: a locating target connected to the sample and defining a reference system linked thereto; elements for acquiring and analyzing images, including lighting elements for illuminating the target; an optical imaging system connected to the measuring instrument for acquiring an image of at least one portion of the target; and image analysis elements for analyzing the image to determine the position and orientation of the optical imaging system relative to the target; calibration elements for determining the position of the measuring instrument relative to the optical imaging system; and processing elements for processing the results of the image analysis and of the calibration.

Abstract: A bidirectional Cartesian-cylindrical converter system and method for converting the spatial distribution of polarization states include a radial polarization converter capable of receiving a linearly polarized, spatially uniform, polarization distribution beam in order to convert it into a beam having a radial or azimuthal distribution of polarization states about an axis of symmetry. An optical device compensates for the phase shift induced by the radial polarization converter and is capable of introducing a spatially uniform phase shift to compensate for the phase shift introduced by the radial polarization converter.

Abstract: A polarimetric measurement device and method with microscopic resolution include a polarization conversion device to modify the polarization of a beam so as to switch from a spatially uniform distribution to a distribution that is cylindrically symmetric about the optical axis, and vice versa. The conversion device is positioned on the axis of a focusing objective for focusing the cylindrically symmetric polarized beam onto the surface of a sample to be measured. The device may be incorporated into a microellipsometer, or an interference contrast microscope, or used as a polarimetric accessory for a microscope.

Abstract: A polarimetric measurement device and method with microscopic resolution include a polarization conversion device to modify the polarization of a beam so as to switch from a spatially uniform distribution to a distribution that is cylindrically symmetric about the optical axis, and vice versa. The conversion device is positioned on the axis of a focusing objective for focusing the cylindrically symmetric polarized beam onto the surface of a sample to be measured. The device may be incorporated into a microellipsometer, or an interference contrast microscope, or used as a polarimetric accessory for a microscope.

Abstract: A process and a system giving to material objects in the form of samples an equivalent to the peer-review and publication of articles includes one embodiment where the review and publication is given by the fact that a third party, called a user, from the public who may be interested by the material object, has requested and received the material object under specific contracting conditions. Thus, this process may be generally called adoption, or more specifically peer-adoption or user-adoption of the material object.