Abstract: A system and method for generating a spherical situation display representing the state of a monitored variable of a system, including a hub representing the system to be monitored, at least one variable cone representing a variable of the system with each variable cone extending radially from a hub and having a radial extent and width representative of a characteristic of a variable of the system, at least one threshold shell representing a boundary of a characteristic of a variable of the system, a trend shell representing a current value of a characteristic of a variable, and modifying a characteristic of a variable cone to represent a corresponding change of a variable of the system.

Abstract: A system for emitting diffused ultraviolet radiation for the disinfection of air, water, food or other surfaces includes a laser for generating a laser beam in a desired wavelength range and a beam shaping system. The beam shaping system includes a beamsplitting optical element for splitting the laser beam into a plurality of beamlets and at least one diffusive reflective element for reflecting at least one beamlet with a diffused radiation profile wherein the at least one diffusive reflective element comprises one of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and barium sulphate.

Abstract: Fiber lasers and methods for constructing and using fiber lasers for micro-/nano-machining with output beams including stacked pulses and combinations of continuous wave, pseudo-continuous wave and pulse sequence components.

Abstract: A process of manufacturing micro or nanostructure surfaces or parts formed of PTFE by applying a vacuum to powered or granulated PTFE in a heated compression mold. The process further includes applying a compression anvil within the metallic mold, removing the mold from a heat source and quenching the mold while maintaining the pressure in the mold during quenching. A mold or mold insert may be manufactured from sintered metal, sintered ceramic or sintered stainless steel to allow the vacuum to be applied across a surface holding the micro or nanostructures.

Abstract: A method for forming an array of three dimensional electrode elements for micro-batteries, including forming a plurality of first parallel channels in a substrate, filling the plurality of first channels with a sacrificial filler material, forming at least one plurality of second parallel channels, each of the pluralities of channels being oriented in a different direction, and removing the sacrificial filler material to leave a grid array of electrode elements. The method may further include a preliminary step of depositing a sacrificial coating onto the surface of the substrate and a final step of removing the sacrificial coating and any debris resulting from the channel forming steps deposited thereon.

Abstract: Inspection of partially drilled microvias by fluorescence based optical imaging techniques, selective coaxial illumination and multivariable off-axis illumination and the use of comparative image analysis and the transformation of back reflected radiation by means of an integrated fluorescing plate mounted to the surface of a CCD or EMCCD array.

Abstract: Fiber lasers and methods for constructing and using fiber lasers for micro-/nano-machining with output beams including stacked pulses and combinations of continuous wave, pseudo-continuous wave and pulse sequence components.

Abstract: Fiber lasers and methods for constructing and using fiber lasers for micro-/nano-machining with output beams including stacked pulses and combinations of continuous wave, pseudo-continuous wave and pulse sequence components.

Abstract: A method for forming an array of three dimensional electrode elements for micro-batteries, including forming a plurality of first parallel channels in a substrate, filling the plurality of first channels with a sacrificial filler material, forming at least one plurality of second parallel channels, each of the pluralities of channels being oriented in a different direction, and removing the sacrificial filler material to leave a grid array of electrode elements. The method may further include a preliminary step of depositing a sacrificial coating onto the surface of the substrate and a final step of removing the sacrificial coating and any debris resulting from the channel forming steps deposited thereon.

Abstract: A laser beam system for measuring an aspect of a surface wherein a laser beam is reshaped into a corrected shaped laser beam having a corrected energy profile and subsequently reshaped into a measurement shaped laser beam having an measurement energy profile shaped to be effected by the at least one aspect of the surface. The measurement shaped laser beam is reflected from the surface, being modified by the aspect of interest of the surface, and to a sensor array wherein the sensors measure the reflected laser beam to determine the aspect of interest of the surface.

Abstract: A process for the manufacture of micro or nanostructure surfaces or parts formed of PTFE by applying a vacuum to powered or granulated PTFE in a heated compression mold, applying a compression anvil within the metallic mold, removing the mold from the heating bath and quenching the mold to maintain pressure in the mold during a part of the quench. A mold or mold insert may be manufactured from sintered metal, a sintered ceramic of sintered stainless steel to allow the vacuum to be applied across a surface holding the micro or nanostructures.

Abstract: A harmonic generation/beam shaping system to generate a shaped beam having a harmonic relationship with a beam generated by a laser, including a first harmonic generation element and a second harmonic generation element arranged sequentially along an axial beam path extending between an input from the laser and an output of the harmonic generation/beam shaping system and at least two beam shaping elements located along the axial beam path. At least one of the least two beam shaping elements is located between the second harmonic generation element and the laser to transform the beam energy profile into a preferred profile to distribute the beam energy across a larger cross sectional area of at least one harmonic generation element or to reduce peaks in the energy distribution profile of the beam, or both, wherein the preferred profile may be a flat-top profile or a Bessel function profile.

Abstract: A harmonic generation/beam shaping system to generate a shaped beam having a harmonic relationship with a beam generated by a laser, including a first harmonic generation element and a second harmonic generation element arranged sequentially along an axial beam path extending between an input from the laser and an output of the harmonic generation/beam shaping system and at least two beam shaping elements located along the axial beam path. At least one of the least two beam shaping elements is located between the second harmonic generation element and the laser to transform the beam energy profile into a preferred profile to distribute the beam energy across a larger cross sectional area of at least one harmonic generation element or to reduce peaks in the energy distribution profile of the beam, or both, wherein the preferred profile may be a flat-top profile or a Bessel function profile.

Abstract: A laser beam delivery system for transforming a laser energy profile into a desired laser beam output energy profile. The laser beam delivery system comprises a laser for generating a laser beam along a beam path, at least one extra-cavity harmonic generation element being located along the beam path for generating harmonic multiples of a beam input frequency, and an extra-cavity beam expansion element, located before the at least one harmonic generation element, for expanding and collimating the laser beam prior to the laser beam being multiplied by the at least one harmonic generation element. The beam expansion element may be a refractive lens.

Abstract: Inspection of partially drilled microvias by fluorescence based optical imaging techniques, selective coaxial illumination and multivariable off-axis illumination and the use of comparative image analysis and the transformation of back reflected radiation by means of an integrated fluorescing plate mounted to the surface of a CCD or EMCCD array.

Abstract: An imaging method and imaging system for inspecting features located at a known inter-feature pitch on portions of a target surface. The system includes a lens array having a plurality of lenses wherein the lenses of the lens array have an inter-lens pitch and an inter-field of view pitch corresponding to the inter-feature pitch, and an array of imaging elements having an inter-element pitch corresponding to the inter-feature pitch, whereby the imaging system images only field of view areas of the target surface containing features.

Abstract: A grayscale mask for imaging operations, including a substrate layer and a mask layer having a plurality of apertures forming a mask pattern to form a grayscale image. Each edge of each aperture includes a plurality segments forming a serrated edge, resulting in mixed edge diffraction. The apertures may be in an irregular and non-symmetric pattern and may be of variable size. A random diffusing layer may be in proximity to or integral with the substrate layer. The grayscale mask may be used for generating an optical element by printing the initial grayscale mask onto a photoresist layer and transferring the photoresist pattern onto a transparent layer and the mask may include areas or layers of variable transmission. Also described are methods for diffractive intensity averaging, diffractive error diffusion, diffractive spatial dithering, and diffractive intensity averaging.

Abstract: An imaging method and imaging system for inspecting features located at a known inter-feature pitch on portions of a target surface. The system includes a lens array having a plurality of lenses wherein the lenses of the lens array have an inter-lens pitch and an inter-field of view pitch corresponding to the inter-feature pitch, and an array of imaging elements having an inter-element pitch corresponding to the inter-feature pitch, whereby the imaging system images only field of view areas of the target surface containing features.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for maintaining a desired position of a collimated light beam are provided. An optical system includes one or more passive optical elements movably positioned in the beam path. Beam position is responsive to movement of at least one of the passive optical elements. The actual position of the beam is detected and compared with the desired beam position. An error signal is generated and the beam path is altered responsive to movement of one or more of the passive optical elements. In further aspects, beam shaping optics, such diffractive optics, are provided to shape the sensed beam portion. In still other aspects, thermal conditions of the laser may be monitored and a thermal map is provided to automatically compensate for estimated beam drift due to thermal conditions.

Abstract: Aligning and testing alignment of optical elements in a laser beam delivery system using non-visible radiation. An alignment mirror replaces a beam redirection mirror and includes a fluorescing substrate and a dielectric coating on an incident face of the fluorescing substrate that reflects a major part of an incident laser beam along a next leg of the beam path and transmits a part of the beam into the fluorescing substrate, which is transmissive to visible radiation and fluoresces when irradiated by the beam to emit a visible light image from a back face of the alignment mirror. An alignment target on the back face indicates a preferred point of incidence of the beam on the alignment mirror for a desired alignment of the at least one laser beam. A lens may be tested and the properties of the lens determined by use of a fluorescing target plate.