By High Frequency Field (e.g., Plasma Discharge) Patents (Class 356/316)
  • Patent number: 11882643
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods generating a plasma flow are disclosed. A method may include applying energy that alternates between being at a base level for a first duration and at a pulse level for a second duration according to a controlled pattern, generating a plasma flow having a directional axis, and discharging the plasma flow alternating between a base configuration and a pulse configuration according to the controlled pattern. The plasma flow in the base configuration may have (1) a first temperature at the outlet and (2) a first flow front that advances along the directional axis. The plasma flow in the pulse configuration may have (1) a second temperature at the outlet that is greater than the first temperature and (2) a second flow front that advances along the directional axis at a speed greater than the first flow front.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: PLASMA SURGICAL, INC.
    Inventor: Nikolay Suslov
  • Patent number: 11867058
    Abstract: Some embodiments may be directed to a drilling tool for drilling in a formation. This drilling tool may include an optical fiber having a laser input end and a laser output end and a laser source optically connected to the laser input end. Further, the drilling tool may include an activating agent conduit having an activating agent inlet and an activating agent outlet and an activating agent source connected to the activating agent inlet that supplies an activating agent. Finally, the drilling tool may include a drill head. In some embodiments, the drill head may include a nozzle connected to the activating agent outlet that discharges the activating agent on an area of the formation, and a laser head optically connected to the laser output end and arranged to lase at least a portion of the area of the formation having the activating agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Faisal Mustafa ALshunaifi, Sameeh Issa Batarseh
  • Patent number: 11543357
    Abstract: Disclosed is an operating method of a metal sorting system using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which may include: analyzing a metal component distribution for various metals using LIBS library information; setting multiple clusters according to the metal component distribution; performing first regression component analysis with respect to spectral data of a metal sample; calculating a probability that the spectral data will belong to each of the set multiple clusters using the first regress component analysis result; performing second regression component analysis with respect to the spectral data which belong to each cluster; and discriminating a type of metal sample by a weighted sum of the calculated probability and the second regression component analysis result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Eui Seok Hwang, E Den Kim, Sung Ho Jeong, Sung Ho Shin
  • Patent number: 11538672
    Abstract: Provided is an inductively coupled plasma spectrometric system for measuring an emission state of plasma into which a measurement target sample is fed, the inductively coupled plasma spectrometric system including: a spectrometer configured to resolve light emitted in a measurement region set in the plasma into a plurality of wavelength components; a detection device configured to detect a spatial distribution of the resolved light; and a measuring device configured to measure the detected spatial distribution at every measurement unit time, the measurement unit time being at least shorter than time required for the sample to pass through the measurement region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Teramoto, Akihiro Wakisaka
  • Patent number: 11513060
    Abstract: In order to provide an absorption analyzer capable of directly measuring an analysis target gas flowing into or produced in a vessel such as a chamber and preventing a measurement error due to moisture condensation, the absorption analyzer is adapted to include: a light emission module that is attached covering a first opening of the vessel into which the analysis target gas flows or in which the analysis target gas is produced and emits light into the vessel; and a light detection module that detects the light emitted from the light emission module and passing through the vessel. In addition, the light emission module is adapted to include: a base flange that is attached around the first opening on an outer surface of the vessel; a window material whose outer surface is tilted at a predetermined angle; a seal member; and a pressing body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: HORIBA STEC, CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Miyako Hada, Daisuke Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11471983
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for monitoring the process for a welding seam formed by means of collision welding, in which a first joining partner (1) and a second joining partner (2) are moved toward one another by an introduction of energy and are welded to one another to form the welding seam. A light flash between the first joining partner (1) and the second joining partner (2) is detected during the welding by an optical capture unit (6), which measures in a time-resolved manner, having at least one detector (19, 20, 24) and an actual value of a beginning of the light flash, a duration of the light flash, an intensity of the light flash, and/or an intensity distribution over time of the light flash is determined by an analysis unit (16) and compared to a respective target value of the beginning of the light flash, the duration of the light flash, the intensity of the light flash, and/or the intensity distribution over time of the light flash.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignees: FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V., TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITÄT DRESDEN
    Inventor: Joerg Bellmann
  • Patent number: 11446399
    Abstract: A system for quantifying the presence of at least one chemical and/or a physical condition in ocular tissues is provided. The system uses a membrane having at least one photo-reactive chemical- and/or physical condition-sensing indicator dye and a photo-reactive reference dye wherein both the photo-reactive chemical- and/or physical condition-sensing indicator dye and the photo-reactive reference dye are responsive to the same wavelength of an excitation light source but emit different wavelengths of light in a light spectrum. An optical data detector receives the emitted light and a processor splits the data into two or more colours of the light spectrum and measures the intensity of the two or more colours.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: OPTIGGX INC.
    Inventors: Marek Pacal, Jeremy Michael Sivak, Stefan Wilhelm, Desmond Fonn
  • Patent number: 11340173
    Abstract: An emission-based detector for use in conjunction with capillary chromatography or other applications involving a gas sample having a small volume is provided. The detector is based on optical emission from a plasma medium. An optical cartridge or other detection and/or processing means may be provided to receive and analyse the emitted radiation and thereby obtain information on the gas to be analysed. The emission-based detector includes a gas inlet, a gas outlet and a capillary channel which is in fluid communication with the gas inlet and gas outlet. The capillary channel acts as the plasma chamber. Preferably, the capillary channel has transversal dimensions of the same order as the cross-section of typical chromatography capillary columns and defines a winding path within the detection area. A multi-cell emission-based detector and a method of analysing a gas sample using multiple detection cells are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: MECANIQUE ANALYTIQUE INC.
    Inventor: Yves Gamache
  • Patent number: 11183374
    Abstract: There is provision of a plasma processing apparatus including a chamber; a gas inlet for supplying a first gas containing fluorine and supplying a second gas into the chamber; a plasma generator configured to generate a plasma from the first gas and the second gas supplied into the chamber; an optical emission spectrometer (OES) configured to measure light emission intensities of first radicals and second radicals in the plasma, the first radicals originating from the first gas, the second radicals originating from the second gas; an expendable part disposed in the chamber; and a processor configured to determine a wastage rate of the expendable part based on the measured light emission intensities of the first radicals and the second radicals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shu Kusano, Yusuke Hirayama
  • Patent number: 11150132
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a grating rotation method and apparatus for improving spectrograph wavelength accuracy. The grating rotation method comprises: acquiring a start wavelength and an end wavelength of a scanning range; determining a start angle and an end angle of a grating rotation according to preset grating rotation angle series values, the start wavelength and the end wavelength, wherein a wavelength corresponding to the start angle is smaller than the start wavelength, and a wavelength corresponding to the end angle is larger than the end wavelength; and rotating the grating according to the start angle and the end angle to obtain required spectral information. According to the grating rotation scheme provided by the present disclosure, the problem that the obtained spectral accuracy is inconsistent due to different grating rotation angles can be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Zolix Instruments Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hongtai Cai, Haixia Chen
  • Patent number: 11064381
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a fifth generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system to be provided to support a higher data transmission rate since fourth generation (4G) communication systems like long term evolution (LTE). A method for generating cell measurement information is provided. The method includes receiving measurement configuration information associated with a beam reference signal that is a beamformed reference signal, receiving beam reference signals per a plurality of beam pairs consisting of a base station's (5G-NB's) beam and a user equipment's (UE's) beam, generating beam measurement information based on the beam reference signals received per the plurality of beam pairs, and generating cell measurement information on a cell based on the beam measurement information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jungmin Moon, Seunghoon Park, Byounghoon Jung, Jungsoo Jung
  • Patent number: 11026114
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a fifth generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system to be provided to support a higher data transmission rate since fourth generation (4G) communication systems like long term evolution (LTE). A method for generating cell measurement information is provided. The method includes receiving measurement configuration information associated with a beam reference signal that is a beamformed reference signal, receiving beam reference signals per a plurality of beam pairs consisting of a base station's (5G-NB's) beam and a user equipment's (UE's) beam, generating beam measurement information based on the beam reference signals received per the plurality of beam pairs, and generating cell measurement information on a cell based on the beam measurement information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jungmin Moon, Seunghoon Park, Byounghoon Jung, Jungsoo Jung
  • Patent number: 10790118
    Abstract: A microwave system has a solid-state generator which generates microwave energy and includes at least one control input for receiving a control signal to vary electrically a parameter of the microwave energy. A microwave load receives the microwave energy and produces an effect in response to the microwave energy. A microwave conducting element couples the microwave energy to the microwave load. An impedance match adjusting device is coupled to the microwave conducting element to vary at least one of the parameters of the microwave energy. The effect produced in response to the microwave energy is altered by both electrical variation of the parameter of the microwave energy via the control signal and adjustment of the impedance match adjusting device to vary the parameter of the microwave energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Mohammad Kamarehi, Ken Trenholm, Colin Sanford, Kevin Wenzel, Olivia Keller
  • Patent number: 10763089
    Abstract: There is provision of a method of determining wastage including: processing a substrate using a plasma generated by multiple gases including fluorine gas; obtaining light emission intensity of each gas of the multiple gases including fluorine gas from the plasma, by an optical emission spectrometer (OES); and calculating a wastage rate of a particular expendable part from the obtained light emission intensity of each gas of the multiple gases including fluorine gas, with reference to a storage section storing a wastage rate of the particular expendable part in association with the light emission intensity of each gas of the multiple gases including fluorine gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shu Kusano, Yusuke Hirayama
  • Patent number: 10551323
    Abstract: The disclosure provides plasma spectroscopy analysis methods using a preparatory process of adding a control metal species that is different from an analyte metal species to a sample so as to have a known concentration; a concentration process of introducing the sample to a measurement container, and applying an electric current across a pair of electrodes disposed in the measurement container to concentrate the analyte metal species and the control metal species in the sample in a vicinity of at least one of the electrodes; a detection process; a correction process; and a quantification process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc.
    Inventors: Kojiro Honma, Kentaro Kiriyama, Hirofumi Yamada
  • Patent number: 10539548
    Abstract: The disclosure provides plasma spectroscopy analysis methods using a preparatory process of diluting a urine sample assumed to contain mercury or lead as an analyte metal species, and then adding a known concentration of thallium as a control metal species to the diluted urine sample; a concentration process of introducing the urine sample containing the control metal species to a measurement container, and applying an electric current across a pair of electrodes disposed in the measurement container to concentrate the analyte metal species and the control metal species present in the urine sample in a vicinity of at least one of the electrodes; a detection process; a correction process; and a quantification process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc.
    Inventor: Kentaro Kiriyama
  • Patent number: 10520422
    Abstract: An optical micro-particle detector including a light source, a gas channel and a plurality of optical detectors is provided. The light source is configured to generate a light beam. The gas channel has at least one curved segment. The curved segment has a light entrance and a plurality of light exits. The light beam from the light source enters the gas channel through the light entrance. The plurality of optical detectors are optically coupled to the light exits, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Wei-Lan Chiu, Hsiang-Hung Chang
  • Patent number: 10510517
    Abstract: A cleaning apparatus of an exhaust path of a process reaction chamber used in a manufacturing of articles including a semiconductor or an LCD. The cleaning apparatus of the exhaust path includes a housing having an inflow pipe, connected to an upstream end of the exhaust path, an outflow pipe, connected to a downstream end of the exhaust path, and a connecting pipe disposed between the inflow pipe and the outflow pipe. A radio frequency generator in the housing applies radio frequency power to the inflow pipe and to the outflow pipe via respective coils. Plasma induced within the inflow and outflow pipes from RF power applied via the respective coils causes the generation of radicals from the exhaust gas flowing within. The radicals act to dislodge accumulated particulates within the exhaust path downstream of the cleaning apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: RETRO-SEMI TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Dong-Soo Kim, Min-Su Joo, Min Kyu Chu
  • Patent number: 10408744
    Abstract: A processing system monitors and/or controls a surface modification process occurring on a substrate within a processing chamber. An optical processing module having a light emission submodule to output a generated light signal and an optical detection submodule to detect a resultant light signal, is connected via fiber optic cables to light illuminating and light receiving components located within the chamber. A processor determines an amount of atomic absorption by an atomic element encountered by a probing beam passing between the illuminating and receiving components, based on the intensity of the generated light signal, the intensity of the received light signal and optionally the spontaneous emission of the atomic element in the absence of illumination by a probing beam. Based on the determined amount, the system derives a plurality of parameters of the modified substrate, their spatial and temporal uniformity, and information about process conditions in the processing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Accustrata, Inc.
    Inventors: George Atanasoff, Christopher Metting, Hasso Von Bredow
  • Patent number: 10327320
    Abstract: In a high-frequency power supply for plasma having a housing and a high-frequency circuit substrate placed inside the housing elements for supplying a high-frequency current to a high-frequency inductive coil are mounted on the high-frequency circuit substrate, a cooling block for cooling the high-frequency circuit substrate, a fan for sending air to the elements on the high-frequency circuit substrate as wind are further provided, and fins for allowing air to flow through so that the air is cooled are formed on the surface of the cooling block. The housing is provided with an air path for supplying the air that has flown through the fins to the absorbing side of the fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Inventor: Tomoyoshi Matsushita
  • Patent number: 10267741
    Abstract: The present invention belongs to the field of laser plasma emission spectrometry, and in particular relates to a method for improving the detection sensitivity on a carbon element in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: HUAZHONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Xiangyou Li, Jiaming Li, Lianbo Guo, Xiaoyan Zeng, Yongfeng Lu, Zhongqi Hao, Ran Zhou, Yun Tang, Ping Yang
  • Patent number: 10204840
    Abstract: A method for measuring gas dissociation degrees is provided. The method comprises the following steps. A reaction process with at least one reactive gas in a main path and a second path connecting to the main path is performed. A plasma gas dissociation degree of the reactive gas in the reaction process is detected. A dissociation quantity value of the reactive gas in the reaction process is calculated. An amount of the reactive gas in the main path after the reaction process is provided. The reactive gas is discharged according to the dissociation quantity value of the reactive gas for removing contaminants in the main path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: FairTech Corporation
    Inventor: Jui-Pao Pan
  • Patent number: 10073038
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Horiba Jobin Yvon SAS
    Inventors: Simon Richard, Jean-Paul Gaston, Olivier Acher, Patrick Chapon
  • Patent number: 10024801
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an analysis system capable of online transferring an analysis sample and promptly acquiring an analysis result. The analysis system capable of analyzing the analysis samples supplied from at least two sites, with one analysis apparatus, and requiring no cleaning process for a nebulizer and a spray chamber, is provided. The present invention relates to analysis system including at least two sample individually transferring units. Each sample transferring path of the sample individually transferring units is coupled to a plasma torch of a common analysis unit including the one analysis apparatus with inductively-coupled plasma or microwave plasma. Each sample transferring path has a main flow path, a makeup gas supply path, and a drain flow path. The plasma torch has a sample introducing pipe that introduces the atomized analysis sample, provided at a substantially center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: IAS Inc.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Kawabata, Tatsuya Ichinose, Mitsumasa Ikeuchi
  • Patent number: 10024802
    Abstract: A method for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) calibration or LIBS assay comprises providing a plurality of reference samples, each having a respective, known concentration of an analyte, assaying each reference sample to obtain a respective LIBS spectrum, and for each reference LIBS spectrum, measuring an intensity of at least one spectral analyte line that varies with concentration of the analyte, and measuring a peak amplitude of at least one saturating line of a reference element. The ratio and known concentrations define a calibration curve for the analyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: National Research Council of Canada
    Inventors: Mohamad Sabsabi, Jean-Pierre Monchalin, René Héon, Paul Bouchard
  • Patent number: 9965866
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for tracking and correlating particles include an optical detector that captures a first and a second image of the particles. A video detector is used to capture a plurality of video frames of the particles. The video detector captures the video frames of the particles at a rate faster than the rate at which images are captured by the optical detector to track the movement of particles. A first image position of a particle in the first image of the particles is identified, and then the first image position of the particle is correlated to a second image position of the particle in the second image using the plurality of video frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: LUMINEX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Adam Schilffarth, Matthew Fisher
  • Patent number: 9922811
    Abstract: A laser ablation cell (1) comprises a flow channel (11) having an essentially constant cross-sectional area so as to ensure a strictly laminar flow in the flow channel. A sample chamber (21) is provided adjacent to a lateral opening (14) of the flow channel. A laser beam (41) enters the sample chamber (21) through a lateral window (16) and impinges on a surface (24) of a sample (23) to ablate material from the sample. The sample may be positioned in such a distance from the flow channel that the laser-generated aerosol mass distribution has its center within the flow channel. This leads to short aerosol washout times. The laser ablation as cell is particularly well suited for aerosol generation in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), including imaging applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignees: ETH ZURICH, PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
    Inventors: Detlef Gunther, Daniel Grolimund, Hao Wang
  • Patent number: 9863473
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a processing method for preparing at least one sliding part of a pair of sliding parts, and includes a processing step of forming a shallow groove within a range of depth from 0.05 ?m to 5 ?m on a sealing face of the sliding part by irradiating an ultrashort pulse laser to a part of the sealing face where a positive pressure generation groove and a negative pressure generation groove are formed and removing part of a surface of the sealing face, wherein an energy fluence of the ultrashort pulse laser used in the processing step is 0.5 J/(cm2·pulse) to 7 J/(cm2·pulse).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: EAGLE INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Hosoe, Shinji Nishida, Koichi Mori, Yuta Negishi, Hideki Kawai, Masatoshi Itadani
  • Patent number: 9846081
    Abstract: A light wavelength measurement method of measuring a wavelength of target light includes: receiving target light on a second dispersion device that disperses the target light into a plurality of second beams which reach a plurality of positions corresponding to the wavelength of the target light (S106, S202); and measuring the wavelength of the target light, by using the plurality of the second beams as a vernier scale for measuring the wavelength of the target light within a wavelength range specified by a main scale (S108, S204).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: OSAKA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Konishi, Takema Satoh, Tomotaka Nagashima
  • Patent number: 9766128
    Abstract: A filter for removing coherent radiation from a source in a field of view, substantially independent of the size of the source, comprises a first reticle 22 located in the path of received light 21, a first lens 23 producing an optical transform of the first reticle 22 at a second reticle 24 located in the image plane of the first lens 23, a second lens 25 producing an optical transform of the second reticle 24 and a third reticle 26 located in the image plane of the second lens 25. The arrangement is such that the spatial transmittance of the third reticle 26 is selected to block at least part of the diffracted image of the first reticle 22 produced in the image plane of the second lens 25 and characteristic of the coherent radiation. Preferably the optical transforms are Fourier Transforms. A monochromatic coherent source in the field of view produces a pattern of diffracted energy in the image plane of the second lens which is independent of the size of the source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: QINETIQ LIMITED
    Inventors: Herbert A. French, Philip Sutton
  • Patent number: 9267842
    Abstract: An analysis system includes a moveable focusing lens, a laser (typically an eye safe laser) having an output directed at the focusing lens, and a spectrometer outputting intensity data from a sample. A controller system is responsive to the spectrometer and is configured to energize the laser, process the output of the spectrometer, and adjust the position of the focusing lens relative to the sample until the spectrometer output indicates a maximum or near maximum intensity resulting from a laser output focused to a spot on the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: SciAps, Inc.
    Inventor: David Day
  • Patent number: 9157858
    Abstract: A time-resolved spectroscopy system employing a time-division multiplexing optical device with no dispersive optical elements to perform lifetime and concentration measurements in multi-species samples, is disclosed. Some examples include fluorescence and cavity ring-down spectroscopy. The system is unique in its compactness and simplicity of operation. In one embodiment, the system makes use of only one photo-detector and an efficient linear regression algorithm. The system offers a measurement time for multiple species measurements of less than 1 s. The system can also be used to perform fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy. Four methods to de-convolve a multi-component, exponentially decaying optical signal such as obtained with the system disclosed here, are presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Inventor: Ricardo J. Claps
  • Patent number: 9140604
    Abstract: A sensor apparatus for measuring characteristics of optical radiation has a substrate and a low profile spectrally selective detection system located within the substrate at one or more spatially separated locations. The spectrally selective detection system includes a generally laminar array of wavelength selectors optically coupled to a corresponding array of optical detectors. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Earl Jensen, Mei Sun, Kevin O'Brien
  • Patent number: 9091597
    Abstract: Particles of a flow of aerosol are collected and analyzed by passing them through a housing having an inlet area, an outlet area, and a collection and analysis area. A collection electrode has a tip disposed in the flow path in the collection and analysis area. Particles are collected on the tip of the collection electrode. A microwave pulse is applied to the collection and analysis area such that a plasma is created. Atomic emissions produced during at least part of the microwave step are collected for analysis of the ablated particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    Inventors: Pramod Kulkarni, Philip Efthimion
  • Publication number: 20150124250
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method, computer method, system, and apparatus for measuring two-dimensional distributions of optical emissions from a plasma in a semiconductor plasma processing chamber. The acquired two-dimensional distributions of plasma optical emissions can be used to infer the two-dimensional distributions of concentrations of certain chemical species of interest that are present in the plasma, and thus provide a useful tool for process development and also for new and improved processing tool development. The disclosed technique is computationally simple and inexpensive, and involves the use of an expansion of the assumed optical intensity distribution into a sum of basis functions that allow for circumferential variation of optical intensity. An example of suitable basis functions are Zernike polynomials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Junwei BAO, Ching-Ling MENG, Holger TUITJE, Mihail MIHAYLOV, Yan CHEN, Zheng YAN, Haixing ZOU, Hanyou CHU
  • Patent number: 9025143
    Abstract: A device for a device for preventing the intensity reduction of an optical signal, an optical emission spectrometer, an optical instrument, and a mass spectrometer including the same are provided. The device for preventing the intensity reduction includes a shielding filter which has a mesh structure capable of blocking RF electromagnetic waves radiated from a plasma field for a wafer processing, is installed in the front of an optical window of an optical emission spectrometer for measuring the plasma field from an emission spectrum image of the plasma field, and collects charging particles passing through the mesh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation Yonsei University
    Inventor: Jae Won Hahn
  • Publication number: 20150085280
    Abstract: A device for sustaining a plasma in a torch is provided. In certain examples, the device comprises a first electrode configured to couple to a power source and constructed and arranged to provide a loop current along a radial plane of the torch. In some examples, the radial plane of the torch is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the torch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Applicant: PERKINELMER HEALTH SCIENCES, INC.
    Inventor: Peter J. Morrisroe
  • Patent number: 8968286
    Abstract: The present invention is direct to a nano-probe corona tool and uses thereof. A nano-probe corona tool is disclosed having a tip with a diameter in the nano-scale, typically around 100 nm. The nano-probe corona tool is constructed of electrically conductive material. On the other end of the tool, a pulsed voltage source outputs a pulsed voltage to generated a pulsed electrical potential at the tip. The pulsed electrical potential at the tip causes a plasma discharge corona to occur. Uses of the corona discharge include, but are not limited to, optical emission spectroscopy, in the enhancement of deposition of coatings and nanoscale welding, e.g., nanotube or nanowires to a contact pad and welding two nanowires together, and in nanoscale surgery. For example, a nano-probe comprising CNTs may be inserted into cell membranes. The resulting corona discharge may be used to destroy tumors within the cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Drexel University
    Inventors: David Staack, Alexander Gutsol, Alexander Fridman, Yury Gogotsi, Gennady Friedman
  • Publication number: 20150029506
    Abstract: The invention concerns methods for measuring sulfur content in a fiber or polymer resin sample comprising: a) contacting the sample with a solution comprising sodium hydroxide to convert sulfur to sodium sulfate, b) combusting the sample of step a) in a furnace to remove essentially all organic materials to produce a residue; c) dissolving the residue in concentrated nitric acid; and d) determining the sulfur content of the sample using ICP Emission Spectrometry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: E I DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
    Inventor: Jonathan Samuel Tschritter
  • Publication number: 20150015881
    Abstract: The present invention aims at realizing a gas concentration estimation apparatus with versatility wherein the gas concentration estimation apparatus estimates concentration of a target component in an analyte gas by analyzing a light emitted from plasma of the analyte gas. The present invention is directed to a gas concentration estimation apparatus including: a plasma generation device that turns an analyte gas into a plasma state; and an analysis device that analyzes plasma light emitted from the plasma generated by the plasma generation device and estimates concentration of a target component in the analyte gas wherein the analysis device estimates the concentration of the target component based on luminescence intensity of a wavelength component corresponding to luminescence from a predetermined radical within the plasma light, and the predetermined radical is different in atomic structure from the target component and includes an atom or a molecule separated from the target component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Applicants: IMAGINEERING, INC., IMAGINEERING, INC.
    Inventor: Yuji Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8935127
    Abstract: A method for recording pulse signals which allows the reconstruction of a time reference. The time of every pulse signal event can be determined by counting sampling result bits preceding the respective sampling result bit using the known sampling frequency. For this purpose, every period of the sampling frequency is associated with a bit representing the respective sampling result and the sampling result bits are stored one by one and per channel in data blocks. The sampling frequency is preferably higher than a pixel clock, a sampling result bit associated with a flank of the pixel clock being marked. The pixel clock can thus be synchronized with the individual events exactly per sampling period. The invention further relates to the field of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy using confocal microscopes or laser scanning microscopes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH
    Inventors: Mirko Liedtke, Frank Klemm, Manfred Loth
  • Publication number: 20150009496
    Abstract: An elemental analysis device that analyzes an element in a liquid with high sensitivity and with a simple configuration is provided. The elemental analysis device of the present disclosure disposes a part of a first electrode disposed around an insulator having an opening portion, and a part of a second electrode. The elemental analysis device applies a voltage by use of a power supply disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The elemental analysis device analyzes the element in the liquid so that a light detection device detects an emission spectrum generated by interaction of plasma generated by applying the voltage with the element in the liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Inventors: Hironori KUMAGAI, Shin-ichi IMAI
  • Publication number: 20140362375
    Abstract: To implement an analysis result provision system that can acquire an analysis result of a target substance without transferring the substance when the substance is analyzed using plasma light information occurred from plasma area where the substance is turned to plasma state, a provision system of analysis result includes an analytical terminal that turns a target substance to plasma state and acquires plasma light information occurred from plasma area, and a host computer. The host computer includes host side communication part that acquires plasma light information via telecommunication line, and information analysis part that analyzes the target substance using plasma light information acquired by the host side communication part. The host side communication part transmits the analysis result of the target substance to the sender of the plasma light information. The analysis result is obtained by the analysis of the information analysis part using plasma light information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventor: Yuji Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8908173
    Abstract: In a high-frequency power supply for plasma having a housing and a high-frequency circuit substrate placed inside the housing, elements for supplying a high-frequency current to a high-frequency inductive coil are mounted on the high-frequency circuit substrate, a cooling block for cooling the high-frequency circuit substrate is provided, and a coolant path a for allowing a coolant to flow through is formed inside the cooling block so that the coolant is allowed to flow through the coolant path when a high-frequency current is supplied and the coolant is not allowed to flow through the coolant path when a high-frequency current is not supplied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoyoshi Matsushita
  • Patent number: 8896830
    Abstract: A device for mass spectroscopy comprising a chamber configured to provide an atomization source, a boost device configured to provide radio frequency energy to the chamber, and a mass analyzer in fluid communication with the chamber and configured to separate species based on mass-to-charge ratios is disclosed. In certain examples, a boost device may be used with a flame or plasma to provide additional energy to a flame or plasma to enhance desolvation, atomization, and/or ionization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Perkinelmer Health Sciences, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Morrisroe
  • Patent number: 8879062
    Abstract: An analysis apparatus includes a plasma generation unit and an optical analysis unit. The plasma generation unit generates initial plasma by momentarily energizing a target substance to be turned into a plasma state, and maintains the target substance in the plasma state by irradiating the initial plasma with an electromagnetic wave for a predetermined period of time. The optical analysis unit identifies the target substance based on information with respect to emission intensity during a period from when the emission intensity reaches a peak due to the initial plasma until when the emission intensity increases and reaches approximately a constant value due to electromagnetic wave plasma maintained by the electromagnetic wave, or information with respect to emission intensity after the electromagnetic wave irradiation is terminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Imagineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Yuji Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8879061
    Abstract: The analysis apparatus 10 includes a plasma generation device 11 and an optical analysis device 13. The plasma generation device 11 generates initial plasma by energizing a substance in space to be turned into a plasma state, and maintains the plasma state by irradiating the initial plasma with electromagnetic wave for a predetermined period of time. Then, the optical analysis device 13 analyzes the target substance 15 based on a time integral value of intensity of emission from the target substance 15 in an electromagnetic wave plasma region, which is maintained by the electromagnetic wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Imagineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuji Ikeda, Ryoji Turuoka
  • Publication number: 20140268133
    Abstract: The disclosure features methods for analyzing a sample, the methods including exposing the sample to plurality of pulses of electromagnetic radiation to convert a portion of the sample into a plasma, recording a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation emitted in response to each of the plurality of pulses to define a sequence of spectra for the sample, and using an electronic processor to determine information about the sample based on the spectra, where exposing the sample to the plurality of pulses of electromagnetic radiation includes directing the pulses to be incident on different spatial regions of the sample, and where a temporal delay between exposing the sample to each successive radiation pulse is constant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Catherine E. McManus, James W. Dowe, III, Tristan M. Likes, James W. Dowe, IV, Paul McManus, Nelson Winkless, III, Ashley Shelton, Karly Baughn, Robert Baughn, Regan Orr
  • Publication number: 20140261271
    Abstract: To make it easy to adjust a location of an emission antenna in a plasma generation device that generates plasma by a discharge and enlarges the plasma by an electromagnetic wave. A plasma generation device 30 includes an electromagnetic wave generation device 31, an emission antenna 16, a high voltage generation device 14, and a discharge electrode 15. The emission antenna 16 forms a discharge gap together with the discharge electrode 15 which a high voltage outputted from the high voltage generation device 14 is applied to. The plasma generation device 30 enlarges discharge plasma using the electromagnetic wave emitted from the emission antenna 16 caused by the electromagnetic wave outputted from the electromagnetic wave generation device 31, where the discharge plasma is generated at the discharge gap by an output of a high voltage from the high voltage generation device 14.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: IMAGINEERING, INC.
    Inventor: Yuji Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8829468
    Abstract: The present invention provides an inductively coupled, magnetically enhanced ion beam source, suitable to be used in conjunction with probe-forming optics to produce an ion beam without kinetic energy oscillations induced by the source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: FEI Company
    Inventors: John Keller, Noel Smith, Roderick Boswell, Lawrence Scipioni, Christine Charles, Orson Sutherland