By Wavefront Detection Patents (Class 356/512)
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Patent number: 11313794Abstract: An optical inspection apparatus includes an interferometer module, which is configured to direct a beam of coherent light toward an area under inspection and to produce a first image of interference fringes of the area. The apparatus also includes a triangulation module configured to project a pattern of structured light onto the area, and at least one image sensor configured to capture the first image of interference fringes and a second image of the pattern that is reflected from the area. Beam combiner optics are configured to direct the beam of coherent light and the projected pattern to impinge on the same location on the area. A processor is configured to process the first and second images in order to generate a 3D map of the area.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2020Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: Orbotech Ltd.Inventors: Ram Oron, Hanina Golan, Ilia Lutsker, Gil Tidhar
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Patent number: 11293750Abstract: A film thickness measuring apparatus including: a measurement light path for irradiating a measurement target object with light from a light source; a correction light path for irradiating a reference member with light from the light source; and a light switching unit that selectively guides reflected light from the measurement target object or reflected light from the reference member, to a spectroscope.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2020Date of Patent: April 5, 2022Assignee: Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shiro Kawaguchi, Kazuya Nakajima
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Patent number: 11243067Abstract: Embodiments of systems and methods for measuring a surface topography of a semiconductor chip are disclosed. In an example, a method for measuring a surface topography of a semiconductor chip is disclosed. A plurality of interference signals each corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of positions on a surface of the semiconductor chip are received by at least one processor. The plurality of interference signals are transformed by the at least one processor into a plurality of spectrum signals each corresponding to the respective one of the positions on the surface of the semiconductor chip. The spectrum signals are classified by the at least one processor into a plurality of categories using a model. Each of the categories corresponds to a region having a same material on the surface of the semiconductor chip.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2020Date of Patent: February 8, 2022Assignee: YANGTZE MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.Inventors: Sicong Wang, Xiaoye Ding, Yi Zhou
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Patent number: 11237117Abstract: Methods of and apparatus for inspecting composite layers of a first material formed on a second material are provided including providing an illumination source, illuminating at least a portion of the composite at the layer, receiving light reflected from the sample, determining a spectral response from the received light, and comparing the received spectral response to an expected spectral response.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2020Date of Patent: February 1, 2022Assignees: BWXT Nuclear Operations Group, Inc., BWXT NOG Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Aaron C. Havener, James D. Jogerst, Thomas C. Mohr, Keith B. Rider
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Patent number: 11237120Abstract: A device and method for expediting spectral measurement in metrological activities during semiconductor device fabrication through interferometric spectroscopy of white light illumination during calibration, overlay, and recipe creation.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2020Date of Patent: February 1, 2022Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Vincent Immer, Tal Marciano, Etay Lavert
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Patent number: 11199396Abstract: A compensation optical unit (30) for a measurement system (10) for determining a shape of an optical surface (12) of a test object (14) by interferometry generates a measuring wave (44), directed at the test object, with a wavefront that is at least partly adapted to a target shape of the optical surface from an input wave (18). The unit includes first (32) and second (34) optical elements disposed in a beam path of the input wave. The second optical element is a diffractive optical element configured to split the input wave into the measuring wave and a reference wave (42) following an interaction with the first optical element. At least 20% of a refractive power of the entire compensation optical unit is allotted to the first optical element, and this allotted refractive power has the same sign as the refractive power of the entire compensation optical unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2020Date of Patent: December 14, 2021Assignee: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBHInventors: Jochen Hetzler, Stefan Schulte
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Patent number: 11145120Abstract: A surface generation device includes: a profile curve setting unit 2 configured to set a profile curve fitted to a part of shape data, a profile curve movement unit 3 configured to move the profile curve so as to satisfy a predetermined condition, and a surface generation unit 4 configured to generate a surface defined by a locus obtained by moving the profile curve satisfying the predetermined conditions. The predetermined conditions include a condition in which a locus of one point (for example, midpoint) on the profile curve becomes a line of curvature of the surface to be generated. Using such a condition, it is possible to efficiently obtain the high quality surface by setting the line of curvature indicating a flow of the surface as a guide line of a sweep method without repeating trial and error many times.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2017Date of Patent: October 12, 2021Assignees: Nihon Unisys, Ltd., Yokohama National UniversityInventors: Shoichi Tsuchie, Takashi Maekawa
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Patent number: 11067477Abstract: The wavefront measurement device performs: generating a first pupil function at a reference wavelength based on input data of a wavefront aberration; calculating a first image plane amplitude at a reference wavelength based on the first pupil function; generating a second pupil function at a multi-wavelength region; calculating a second image plane amplitude at the multi-wavelength region based on the second pupil function; correcting a measured point spread function using the first and second image plane amplitudes; applying a constraint condition using the corrected point spread function to the first image plane amplitude to correct the first image plane amplitude; generating a third pupil function based on the corrected first image plane amplitude; and calculating a wavefront aberration on a pupil plane based on the third pupil function.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2020Date of Patent: July 20, 2021Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Masataka Suzuki, Takayuki Yanagisawa, Shigetaka Itakura, Takayasu Anada
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Patent number: 10935364Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods to extract information about the size and shape of an object by observing variations of the radiation pattern caused by illuminating the object with coherent radiation sources and changing the wavelengths of the source. Sensing and image-reconstruction systems and methods are described for recovering the image of an object utilizing projected and transparent reference points and radiation sources such as tunable lasers. Sensing and image-reconstruction systems and methods are also described for rapid sensing of such radiation patterns. A computational system and method is also described for sensing and reconstructing the image from its autocorrelation. This computational approach uses the fact that the autocorrelation is the weighted sum of shifted copies of an image, where the shifts are obtained by sequentially placing each individual scattering cell of the object at the origin of the autocorrelation space.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2019Date of Patent: March 2, 2021Inventor: Lyle G. Shirley
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Patent number: 10866082Abstract: A method for adjusting a measuring device having an interferometer unit with an optical axis, an optical distance measuring device with a measuring axis and a support slide that is moveable along a slide axis. The measuring axis is first aligned parallel to the slide axis. An adjustment body with a first spherical reflection and/or diffraction surface and a retro reflector at the back side is arranged at the support slide. It is brought into a first confocal position, in which a first center point of the first spherical reflection/diffraction surface coincides with the focus of the spherical wavefront that is emitted from the interferometer unit. The retro reflector defines a vertex that is located close to the first center point, such that the measuring axis of the distance measuring device extends close to the focus of the emitted spherical wavefront. In doing so, Abbe-faults can be reduced or eliminated.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2019Date of Patent: December 15, 2020Assignee: Carl Mahr Holding GmbHInventors: Axel Wiegmann, Markus Lotz
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Patent number: 10831014Abstract: Methods, devices and systems for up to three-dimensional scanning of target regions at high magnification are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2018Date of Patent: November 10, 2020Assignee: The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New YorkInventor: Elizabeth M. C. Hillman
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Patent number: 10742963Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes an image sensing device, a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, and a display control unit. The first acquisition unit acquires an image acquired by using the image sensing device and three-dimensional information regarding a subject in the image. The three-dimensional information includes depth information regarding the image. The second acquisition unit acquires a shaping resolution indicating a resolution used by a shaping device to shape an object in a three-dimensional shape of the subject. The display control unit displays, based on the shaping resolution and the three-dimensional information regarding the subject, a relationship between a size of the subject and magnitude of the shaping resolution.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2016Date of Patent: August 11, 2020Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Go Naito
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Patent number: 10739277Abstract: A measurement system is presented for use in metrology measurements on patterned samples. The system comprises: at least one light source device configured to generate broadband light, at least one detection device configured to provide spectral information of detected light, and an optical system. The optical system comprises at least an oblique channel system for directing incident light generated by the light source(s) along an oblique illumination channel onto a measurement plane, on which a sample is to be located, and directing broadband light specularly reflected from the sample along a collection channel to the detection device(s). The optical system further comprises an interferometric unit comprising a beam splitting/combining device and a reference reflector device.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2016Date of Patent: August 11, 2020Assignee: NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS LTD.Inventors: Yoav Berlatzky, Valery Deich, Dror Shafir, Danny Grossman
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Patent number: 10704888Abstract: A three-dimensional measurement device includes an optical system that: splits an incident light into two lights; radiates one light to a measurement object and the other light to a reference surface; and emits the combined light; a first irradiator that emits a first light that comprises a polarized light of a first wavelength and enters a first element of the optical system; a second irradiator that emits a second light that comprises a polarized light of a second wavelength and enters a second element of the optical system; a first camera that takes an image of the first light emitted from the second element when the first light enters the first element; a second camera that takes an image of the second light emitted from the first element when the second light enters the second element; and an image processor that performs measurement based on the images.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2017Date of Patent: July 7, 2020Assignee: CKD CORPORATIONInventors: Hiroyuki Ishigaki, Takahiro Mamiya
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Patent number: 10687738Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing phase-sensitive optical coherence tomographic (PS-OCT) measurements involving the vibrographic response of an acoustic stimulus. Detected signals are processed to provide sampled time-dependent vibrographic data characterizing a vibratory amplitude and phase response over one or more periods of the acoustic stimulus. The sampled time-dependent vibrographic data is processed to suppress the sinusoidal signal component associated with the acoustic stimulus, thereby providing a residual data associated with noise. The residual data is processed to obtain an estimate of the motion noise, and the motion noise is subtracted from the sampled time-dependent vibrographic data in order to provide noise-corrected vibrographic data. The noise-corrected vibrographic data can be processed to obtain one or more vibrographic measures and/or one or more images.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2018Date of Patent: June 23, 2020Assignee: AUDIOPTICS MEDICAL INCORPORATEDInventors: Daniel MacDougall, Robert Adamson
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Patent number: 10677589Abstract: A substrate having a plurality of features for use in measuring a parameter of a device manufacturing process and associated methods and apparatus. The measurement is by illumination of the features with measurement radiation from an optical apparatus and detecting a signal arising from interaction between the measurement radiation and the features. The plurality of features include first features distributed in a periodic fashion at a first pitch, and second features distributed in a periodic fashion at a second pitch, wherein the first pitch and second pitch are such that a combined pitch of the first and second features is constant irrespective of the presence of pitch walk in the plurality of features.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2018Date of Patent: June 9, 2020Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.Inventors: Alok Verma, Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer, Thomas Theeuwes, Anagnostis Tsiatmas, Bert Verstraeten
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Patent number: 10663408Abstract: A method for use in optical measurements on patterned structures, the method including performing a number of optical measurements on a structure with a measurement spot configured to provide detection of light reflected from an illuminating spot at least partially covering at least two different regions of the structure, the measurements including detecting light reflected from the at least part of the at least two different regions within the measurement spot, the detected light including interference of at least two complex electric fields reflected from the at least part of the at least two different regions, and being therefore indicative of a phase response of the structure, carrying information about properties of the structure.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2019Date of Patent: May 26, 2020Assignee: NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS LTD.Inventors: Gilad Barak, Dror Shafir, Yanir Hainick, Shahar Gov
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Patent number: 10655954Abstract: In a conventional moiré method, achieving both measurement accuracy and dynamic measurement and balancing field of view and measurement accuracy have been difficult. The present invention makes it possible to handle conventional moiré fringes as a grating for generating phase-shifted second-order moiré fringes, use a spatial phase shift method algorithm to accurately analyze the phases of the second-order moiré fringes before and after deformation, and determine shape from the phase differences between gratings projected onto the surface of an object of measurement and a reference surface and determine deformation and strain from the phase differences between the second-order moiré fringes, before and after deformation, of a repeating pattern on the object surface or a produced grating. As a result, it is possible to measure the three-dimensional shape and deformation distribution of an object accurately and with a wide field of view or dynamically and with a high degree of accuracy.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2017Date of Patent: May 19, 2020Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Qinghua Wang, Shien Ri, Hiroshi Tsuda
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Patent number: 10612905Abstract: An interferometer for areally measuring an optically smooth surface is presented, including means for illuminating a surface region with a plurality of discrete object waves from different directions and comprising means which, on a detector, superimpose object waves reflected at the surface onto a reference wave that is coherent with a plurality of object waves in order to form an interferogram. The interferometer is distinguished by virtue of it being configured to illuminate the surface with a plurality of object waves at the same time and produce the reference wave by way of a Fizeau beam splitter plate or a Fizeau objective, and by virtue of the interferometer including an interferometer stop that is arranged in the beam path upstream of the detector, and imaging optics, wherein the interferometer stop is situated within, or slightly outside of, the Fourier plane of the imaging optics and said interferometer stop filters the object waves reflected by the surface.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2016Date of Patent: April 7, 2020Assignee: UNIVERSITAET STUTTGARTInventors: Goran Baer, Christof Pruss, Wolfgang Osten
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Patent number: 10563975Abstract: According to an aspect of one or more embodiments, the present subject matter describes an apparatus for inspecting a slab of a material. The apparatus comprises a first and second low-coherence sensor configured to irradiate a first and second side of a slab of material with first light having a first polarization and second light having a second polarization, and thereafter configured to detect a reflection. A first polarizer is configured to allow reflected first light having the first polarization to pass through, and reject a second-light cross-talk portion having the second polarization. A second polarizer is configured to allow reflected second light having the second polarization to pass through, and reject a first-light cross-talk portion having the first polarization. Further, a computing-system is configured to receive signals representing the reflected first light and the reflected second light; and analyze the reflected first light and the reflected second light.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2018Date of Patent: February 18, 2020Assignee: APPLEJACK 199 L.P.Inventor: Wojciech J Walecki
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Patent number: 10480927Abstract: The present disclosure provides an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system for characterising first and second areas of interest of a material. The OCT system comprises first and second optical elements in use positioned at the first and second areas of interest of the material. The first and second optical elements are at least partially transmissive for electromagnetic radiation. The system further comprises first and second scanning heads in use positioned at the first and second optical elements, respectively, to receive electromagnetic radiation that has interacted with the material at the first and second areas of interest. In addition, the system comprises at least one detector optically coupled to the first and second scanning heads.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2017Date of Patent: November 19, 2019Assignee: OncoRes Medical Pty LtdInventor: Brendan Kennedy
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Patent number: 10463254Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of systems and methods can be provided which can generate data associated with at least one portion of a sample. For example, at least one first radiation can be forwarded to the portion through at least one optical arrangement. At least one second radiation can be received from the portion which is based on the first radiation. Based on an interaction between the optical arrangement and the first radiation and/or the second radiation, the optical arrangement can have a first transfer function. Further, it is possible to forward at least one third radiation to the portion through such optical arrangement (or through another optical arrangement), and receive at least one fourth radiation from the portion which is based on the third radiation. Based on an interaction between the optical arrangement (or the other optical arrangement) and the third radiation and/or the fourth radiation, the optical arrangement (or the other optical arrangement) can have a second transfer function.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2017Date of Patent: November 5, 2019Assignee: The General Hospital CorporationInventors: Guillermo J. Tearney, Brett Eugene Bouma, Joseph A. Gardecki, Linbo Liu
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Patent number: 10436907Abstract: Provided herein are systems and methods for an active sensing instrument actively utilizing the Christiansen effect to sense and adapt to suspended scatterers such as dust. The instrument enhances detection of remote surfaces that are partially or fully obscured at visual wavelengths due to those suspended scatterers. The system also may be used to measure properties and spatial distributions of the suspended scatterers themselves. Though the system is broadly applicable to remote detection through scattering media, it is particularly drawn to remote sensing through dust particles in the atmosphere as may be produced from helicopter fly-overs, dust storms, or other events that draw up substantial concentrations of mineral-based dust particles into the air.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2015Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: Arete AssociatesInventors: James Murray, Paul Lundquist, Jason Seely, Steve Rako, Micah Boyd
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Patent number: 10352692Abstract: Object: An object is to quantify the roughness of a test surface by scattering and diffraction of illumination light and to evaluate the matching degree of surface roughness separately from color based on a difference in roughness. Solution to Problem A surface roughness determination apparatus 1 using a white light source includes an arithmetic processing unit 3 configured to convert 3-band visual sensitivity images S1i, S2i and S3i, which respectively have three spectral sensitivities (S1(?), S2(?) and S3(?)) subjected to linear transformation so as to be equivalent to a CIE XYZ color matching function and are obtained from a surface 5 by a two-dimensional colorimeter 2 using the three spectral sensitivities (S1(?), S2(?) and S3(?)), into tristimulus values X, Y and Z in a CIE XYZ color system and perform arithmetic operations.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2018Date of Patent: July 16, 2019Assignee: PAPALAB CO., LTD.Inventor: Makoto Kato
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Patent number: 10288416Abstract: An interference fringe projection apparatus includes light source units that selectively emit light from a coherent light source from one of a plurality of optical emitters, a polarization-maintaining waveguide unit with a plurality of PANDA fibers (polarization-maintaining waveguides) that each guide light emitted from one of the plurality of optical emitters, polarization splitters that split an optical path of light emitted from each of the PANDA fibers by polarization direction, and a polarizing film that transmits only a linear polarization component in a particular direction of light split by the polarization splitter. The light source unit only emits linearly polarized light in one polarization-maintaining direction for at least one of the PANDA fibers, and the polarization-maintaining waveguide unit causes retardation of light emitted from the PANDA fibers to vary.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2017Date of Patent: May 14, 2019Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventor: Daichi Watanabe
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Patent number: 10286485Abstract: The laser processing device includes: a measuring device configured to measure a change in a height of an object and including a first light source configured to emit probe light, a first light focusing unit configured to focus the probe light on the object, a light sensing unit configured to detect a change in the probe light reflected from a reflective surface of the object and including a Shack-Hartmann sensor, and a calculation unit configured to calculate the change in the height of the object by using the change in the reflected light detected by the light sensing unit; a second light source configured to emit laser light for processing to the object; and a focus adjusting device configured to adjust a focus of the laser light emitted to the object by using the change in the height of the object to be processed measured by the measuring device.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2016Date of Patent: May 14, 2019Assignee: EO TECHNICS CO., LTD.Inventors: Dong Jun Lee, Dong Won Hyun, Byung Oh Kim
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Patent number: 10236222Abstract: The system includes a dual interferometer sub-system configured to measure flatness across a substrate. The system includes a mass sensor configured to measure the mass of the substrate. The system includes a controller communicatively coupled to the dual interferometer sub-system and the mass sensor. The controller includes one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in memory, the set of program instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to determine a thickness distribution of at least one of the substrate or a film deposited on the substrate as a function of position across the substrate based on one or more flatness measurements from the dual interferometer sub-system and one or more mass measurements from the mass sensor.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2017Date of Patent: March 19, 2019Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Dengpeng Chen, Andrew Zeng
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Patent number: 10190871Abstract: A method for determining characteristics of a test cavity, the method includes for each of a plurality of optical frequencies within a bandwidth of a tunable laser, measuring interference signals from the test cavity and a reference cavity having a known characteristic. The method includes determining values for the plurality of optical frequencies from the measured interference signals from the reference cavity and the known characteristic of the reference cavity, and determining the characteristic of the test cavity using the determined values of the plurality of optical frequencies.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2017Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Zygo CorporationInventor: Leslie L. Deck
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Patent number: 10176588Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to systems and methods for specular surface inspection, and particularly to systems and methods for surface inspection comprising inverse synthetic aperture imaging (“ISAI”) and specular surface geometry imaging (“SSGI”). Embodiments may allow an object under inspection, to be observed, imaged and processed while continuing to be in motion. Further, multiple optical input sources may be provided, such that the object does not have to be in full view of all optical sensors at once. Further, multi-stage surface inspection may be provided, wherein an object under inspection may be inspected at multiple stages of an inspection system, such as, for an automotive painting process, inspection at primer, inspection at paint, inspection at final assembly. SSGI imaging modules are also described for carrying out micro-deflectometry.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2016Date of Patent: January 8, 2019Inventors: Wallace Trenholm, Maithili Mavinkurve, Mark Alexiuk, Jason Cassidy
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Patent number: 10132609Abstract: A system and methods for quantitative optical phase imaging of a sample. First second replica field of an image field are generated, characterized by a respective optical phase, cross-polarized and shifted in a shift direction transverse to a normal to the surface of the sample. The replica fields are Fourier transformed, the second replica field is retarded by four successive phase shifts, and, after inverse Fourier transforming, the first and second replica fields pass through an analyzer polarizer and superposing the first and second replica fields on a detector array to create four successive detector signals. The four successive detector signals are solved to derive a gradient of the optical phase of the image field, which may be integrated to obtain a quantitative phase image.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2017Date of Patent: November 20, 2018Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the University of IllinoisInventors: Gabriel Popescu, Mikhail Eugene Kandel, Tan Huu Nguyen
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Patent number: 10095183Abstract: In one embodiment, a color holographic image is created by generating a separate complex hologram for each of multiple different colors of an object field illuminated with incoherent light, combining the separate complex holograms to obtain a color complex hologram, and generating a reconstructed color holographic image of the object field.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2014Date of Patent: October 9, 2018Assignee: University of South FloridaInventor: Myung K. Kim
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Patent number: 10055849Abstract: An image measurement device according to the present invention comprises: a stage on which a measurement object is mounted; an imaging device imaging the measurement object for a certain imaging range and outputting image information; a position control device that moves the imaging device to a plurality of measurement positions and scans in a scanning direction; and an arithmetic processing device that calculates a displacement of the measurement object. The imaging device is configured capable of imaging a preliminary measurement range broader than the certain imaging range. The arithmetic processing device, prior to a main measurement that measures the displacement of the measurement object at each measurement position, makes a preliminary measurement based on the image information corresponding to the preliminary measurement range, and sets a scanning range of the imaging device at each measurement position during the main measurement based on a result of this preliminary measurement.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2016Date of Patent: August 21, 2018Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATIONInventors: Hiroshi Sakai, Takeshi Saeki
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Patent number: 10022818Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for using optical interferometry in the context of material modification processes such as surgical laser or welding applications. An imaging optical source that produces imaging light. A feedback controller controls at least one processing parameter of the material modification process based on an interferometry output generated using the imaging light. A method of processing interferograms is provided based on homodyne filtering. A method of generating a record of a material modification process using an interferometry output is provided.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2016Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: IPG PhontonicsInventors: Paul J. L. Webster, James M. Fraser, Victor X. D. Yang
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Patent number: 9995648Abstract: Provided is an optical measurement system. The optical measurement system includes: an optical module which includes an optical system and which is configured to illuminate a sample and register a defocused image of a nanostructured surface of the sample, an optical system parameter control module configured to set optical parameters of the optical system, an optical transfer function (OTF) measurement module configured to measure an OTF, a defocused image calculation module configured to calculate the defocused image based on the measured OTF and the optical parameters, and a critical dimension (CD) evaluation module configured to compare the registered defocused image with the calculated defocused image of the nanostructured surface of the sample and to output a CD value of the nanostructured surface.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2015Date of Patent: June 12, 2018Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.Inventors: Alexey Shchekin, Maksim Riabko, Sergey Koptyaev, Anton Medvedev
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Patent number: 9976912Abstract: Hybrid sensors comprising Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensor (S-HWFS) and Zernike Wavefront Sensor (Z-WFS) capabilities are presented. The hybrid sensor includes a Z-WFS optically arranged in-line with a S-HWFS such that the combined wavefront sensor operates across a wide dynamic range and noise conditions. The Z-WFS may include the ability to introduce a dynamic phase shift in both transmissive and reflective modes.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2015Date of Patent: May 22, 2018Assignee: California Institute of TechnologyInventor: James Kent Wallace
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Patent number: 9979586Abstract: The phase modulation device (3) includes a first phase modulation element (11) which modulates a phase of a light flux in accordance with a voltage applied to each of a plurality of first electrodes in accordance with a first ratio of a second aberration component to a first aberration component of a wave front aberration generated by an optical system including an objective lens (4); a second phase modulation element (12) which modulates a phase of a light flux in accordance with a voltage applied to each of a plurality of second electrodes in accordance with a second ratio of the second aberration component to the first aberration component; and a control circuit (3) which controls voltages applied to each of first electrodes and each of second electrodes in accordance with a distance from the objective lens to a light focusing position of the light flux.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2015Date of Patent: May 22, 2018Assignee: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD.Inventor: Ayano Tanabe
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Patent number: 9958355Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the optical performance characteristics and dimensions of an optical element comprising a low coherence interferometer and a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor comprising a light source, a plurality of lenslets, and a sensor array is disclosed. The low coherence interferometer is configured to direct a measurement beam along a central axis of the optical element, and to measure the thickness of the center of the optical element. The light source of the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is configured to emit a waveform directed parallel to and surrounding the measurement beam of the interferometer, through the plurality of lenslets, and to the sensor array. A method for measuring the optical performance characteristics and dimensions of a lens using the apparatus is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2016Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Assignee: Lumetrics, Inc.Inventors: Filipp V. Ignatovich, Donald S. Gibson, Michael A. Marcus
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Patent number: 9903708Abstract: A semiconductor measuring tool has a folding mirror configuration that directs a light beam to pass the same space multiple times to reduce the size and footprint. Furthermore, the folding mirrors may reflect the light beam at less than forty-five degrees; thereby allowing for smaller folding mirrors as compared to the prior art.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2016Date of Patent: February 27, 2018Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Chunhai Wang, Chunsheng Huang, Andrew An Zeng, Frederick Arnold Goodman, Shouhong Tang, Yi Zhang
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Patent number: 9869540Abstract: A displacement measuring device includes an optical module for refracting or reflecting light; a beam splitting module including a polarizing beam splitting layer for allowing light with a first polarization direction to pass through and reflecting light with a second polarization direction; a light source for generating a first light beam with the first polarization direction and a second light beam with the second polarization direction, wherein the first light beam is reflected by a measured object after passing through the optical module and the beam splitting module, and the second light beam is reflected by the polarizing beam splitting layer after passing through the optical module; an image sensor for sensing an interference pattern generated by the reflected first and second light beams; and a processing unit for calculating a displacement value of the measured object according to the interference pattern.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 2016Date of Patent: January 16, 2018Assignee: NOPORVIS CO., LTD.Inventors: Wei-Hung Su, Hui-Hung Lin, Kuo-Kai Hung, Chun-Neng Chan, Lu-Yu Wang
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Patent number: 9835441Abstract: An absolute distance measurement apparatus and method using laser interferometric wavelength leverage includes a light source system, a wavelength-leverage laser interferometric system and an interference signal processing and controlling system. The light source system outputs a orthogonally linearly polarized beam with the wavelength ?1 and the wavelength ?2. The orthogonally linearly polarized beam projects onto the wavelength-leverage laser interferometric system to form the interference beam. The interference beam projects onto the interference signal processing and controlling system. In the wavelength-leverage laser interferometric system, the synthetic wavelength and the single wavelength as well as the measured absolute distance and the moving displacement of the cube-corner prism in the reference arm form a wavelength-leverage absolute distance measurement relationship.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2015Date of Patent: December 5, 2017Assignee: ZHEJIANG SCI-TECH UNIVERSITYInventors: Benyong Chen, Liping Yan, Shihua Zhang
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Patent number: 9811779Abstract: A method and apparatus used for general purpose problem solving using entanglement properties of holography. Intelligent point-based entities having spatial and other electromagnetic properties called DROPLETS [Data-Representative-Object-Particle(s)-Liking-EnTanglement] are generated as delegate objects—avatars—connected to data sources representing situations, event or other problems. A DROPLET's properties are controlled by changes in input data, self-state, feedback, and/or changes of other DROPLETS. Coherent rays are introduced and interact with DROPLETS, generating an INTELLIGENCE WAVEFRONT. Interference patterns are recorded and converted to binary machine codes of a near-infinite set, instructing where to store human/machine-readable content within a plurality of associative memories. Said content includes waveforms, harmonics, codes, data, and other holograms, which are dispersed and stored wholistically throughout using spread spectrum techniques.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2011Date of Patent: November 7, 2017Inventors: Eric John Dluhos, Bradley Lloyd Wilk
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Patent number: 9798130Abstract: Generating a composite image of a non-flat surface includes: acquiring, using a microscope, multiple images of different areas of the non-flat surface, where each image includes a region of overlap with at least one adjacent image, the microscope having sufficient resolution to image in three dimensions a microstructure on the non-flat surface having a lateral dimension of 10 microns or less and a height of 10 nm or less; determining, for each of the images, a set of rigid body parameters relating a position and orientation of the test object in the image to a common coordinate system, where the set of rigid body parameters is determined by fitting the resolved microstructure in the overlap region in the image with the corresponding microstructure in the overlap region of the adjacent image; and combining the images based on the sets of rigid body parameters to generate a composite image.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2015Date of Patent: October 24, 2017Assignee: Zygo CorporationInventors: Thomas Dresel, Jan Liesener, Peter J. de Groot
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Patent number: 9733616Abstract: A portable inspection probe for the inspection of a recessed mating surface of an optical fiber connector is provided. In one variant, the portable inspection probe includes a digital holographic detection module operable to digitally record a hologram of the recessed mating surface, and a rigid probe tip configured to be optically coupled to the digital holographic detection module and shaped to provide optical access to the recessed mating surface. In another variant, the portable inspection probe is to be used with a rigid probe tip connectable thereto, and the digital holographic detection module includes a probing optical assembly not traversed by a reference beam and configured to direct an object beam onto the recessed mating surface and to collect the object beam upon reflection thereof by the recessed mating surface. An inspection system and an inspection method are also provided.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2012Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignee: EXFO INC.Inventors: Bernard Ruchet, Normand Cyr
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Patent number: 9715215Abstract: A display system (300) comprising an optical system and a processing system. The optical system comprising a spatial light modulator (380), a light source, a Fourier transform lens, a viewing system (320, 330) and a processing system. The spatial light modulator is arranged to display holographic data in the Fourier domain, illuminated by the light source. The Fourier transform lens is arranged to produce a 2D holographic reconstruction in the spatial domain (310) corresponding to the holographic data. The viewing system is arranged to produce a virtual image (350) of the 2D holographic reconstruction. The processing system is arranged to combine the Fourier domain data representative of a 2D image with Fourier domain data representative of a phase only lens to produce first holographic data, and provide the first holographic data to the optical system to produce a virtual image.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2011Date of Patent: July 25, 2017Assignee: Two Trees Photonics LimitedInventors: Jamieson Christmas, Dackson Masiyano
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Patent number: 9696211Abstract: A tunable light source having a temporal coherence length such that interference fringes are detected within the optical path difference of the interferometer is spectrally controlled to produce multiple wavelengths during sequential fractions of the integration time of the detector of the interferometer. The wavelengths are selected so as to produce a visible correlogram at each integration time according to spectrally controlled interferometry (SCI) principles. Such different wavelengths may be produced by stepwise or continuous modulation. The modulation step is repeated sequentially while changing the period of modulation to produce a succession of predetermined spatial patterns of interference fringes, as required for interferometric measurements. The approach enables the practice of SCI with common-path apparatus used for conventional phase shifting, thereby combining the advantages of high-coherence and white-light interferometry.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2015Date of Patent: July 4, 2017Inventor: Artur Olszak
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Patent number: 9689745Abstract: Current apparatuses and methods for analysis of spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (SOCT) signals suffer from an inherent tradeoff between time (depth) and frequency (wavelength) resolution. In one non-limiting embodiment, multiple or dual window (DW) apparatuses and methods for reconstructing time-frequency distributions (TFDs) that applies two windows that independently determine the optical and temporal resolution is provided. For example, optical resolution is provided. For example, optical resolution may relate to scattering information about a sample, and temporal resolution may be related to absorption or depth related information. The effectiveness of the apparatuses and methods is demonstrated in simulations and in processing of measured OCT signals that contain fields which vary in time and frequency. The DW technique may yield TFDs that maintain high spectral and temporal resolution and are free from the artifacts and limitations commonly observed with other processing methods.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2016Date of Patent: June 27, 2017Assignee: Duke UniversityInventors: Adam Wax, Robert N. Graf, Francisco E. Robles
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Patent number: 9658043Abstract: An optical test apparatus includes a three-dimensional dome, light sources and a control unit. The three-dimensional dome covers a field of view of an image acquisition device. The image acquisition device is a test target device. The light sources are dispersedly arranged on the three-dimensional dome and generate a predetermined image on the three-dimensional dome. The first control unit controls the light sources.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2015Date of Patent: May 23, 2017Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Mariko Sato, Shojiro Furuya, Daichi Miyoshi, Yukito Hata
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Patent number: 9655521Abstract: A dual-modality apparatus for imaging of biological tissue includes a reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) imaging apparatus and an optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging apparatus. A first optical component reflects a first beam of light provided by a RCM imaging apparatus towards a sample and passes a second beam of light provided by an OCT imaging apparatus towards the sample, such that the first and second beam of lights share at least a portion of an imaging path.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2013Date of Patent: May 23, 2017Assignees: Physical Sciences, Inc., Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer CenterInventors: Nicusor V. Iftimia, Mircea Mujat, R. Daniel Ferguson, Ankit H. Patel, Milind Rajadhyaksha
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Patent number: 9644947Abstract: A device for real-time thickness inspection is provided. An optical interferometric technique is used. Measurement requirements in rapid online thickness inspection can be satisfied. An object is measured in a non-contact and non-destructive way. For measuring, an optical spherical wavefront is radiated on the object in an oblique angle. The interference fringe pattern (IFP) thus imaged on a screen is directly related to the thickness distribution of the object. The phase difference on the same horizontal cross section in the IFP monotonically decreases from the light source side to the other side. Accordingly, phase unwrapping can be effectively performed without using phase shift. The present invention achieves rapid on-line thickness inspection through the optical path of interference without using optical lens groups and special optical elements.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2014Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignee: NATIONAL TSING HUA UNIVERSITYInventors: Wei-Chung Wang, Chi-Hung Huang, Po-Chi Sung, Meng-Hsiu Li
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Patent number: 9625674Abstract: The autofocus device for a sample observation device provided with an objective is provided with a photodetector, an autofocus optical system that includes a tube lens, that guides light to one of two regions of a pupil plane of the objective that has been divided into two, and that guides light that has passed through the other region after being reflected by a sample to the photodetector, and a light shielding member which is arranged between the tube lens and a light receiving plane of the photodetector and on which an aperture has been formed. The autofocus device satisfies 2.1<?AP/(2·?LD), where ?AP represents a diameter of the aperture and ?LD represents a light flux diameter, on the light shielding member, of light reflected by the sample in a state in which the light is condensed on the light receiving plane.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2015Date of Patent: April 18, 2017Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventor: Yohei Sakamoto