Abstract:
An optical inspection system rapidly evaluates a substrate by illumination of an area of a substrate larger than a diffraction-limited spot using a coherent laser beam by breaking temporal or spatial coherence. Picosecond or femtosecond pulses from a modelocked laser source are split into a plurality of spatially separated beamlets that are temporally and/or frequency dispersed, and then focused onto a plurality of spots on the substrate. Adjacent spots, which can overlap by up to about 60-70 percent, are illuminated at different times, or at different frequencies, and do not produce mutually interfering coherence effects. Bright-field and dark-field detection schemes are used in various combinations in different embodiments of the system.
Abstract:
A method for detecting an imperfection in a blister package having at least one radiation-transmissible layer, optionally moving, the blister package having a flat side and a pocket side, the method comprising the steps of directing radiation at the flat side and/or the pocket side of the blister package and detecting any radiation emitted from at least one edge of the blister package.
Abstract:
A portable biochip scanner includes a surface plasmon resonance unit formed in a rotational disk-shape and an optical head projecting light to the surface plasmon resonance unit at an angle within a predetermined range and detecting light totally-reflected from the surface plasmon resonance unit. The optical head is movable in a radial direction of the surface plasmon resonance unit.
Abstract:
A double-sided optical inspection system is presented which may detect and classify particles, pits and scratches on thin film disks or wafers in a single scan of the surface. In one embodiment, the invention uses a pair of orthogonally oriented laser beams, one in the radial and one in the circumferential direction on both surfaces of the wafer or thin film disk. The scattered light from radial and circumferential beams is separated via their polarization or by the use of a dichroic mirror together with two different laser wavelengths.
Abstract:
A local area of a sample is focally heated to produce a transient physical deformation. The surface of the structure is optically monitored while the heated area cools to a baseline temperature by illuminating the heated region with one or more probe beams from time to time and detecting returning light. In some embodiments heat dissipation within the structure is correlated with change in optical reflectivity over time. In other embodiments, surface deformation of the structure is correlated with changes in light scattering from the surface. Following application of a pump pulse and no more than 3 probe pulses, a time varying returning light signal is compared with a corresponding returning light signal from a reference. An anomaly in the sample is indicated by a deviation between the two signals. First-degree exponential decay curves may be constructed from the signals, and their decay constants compared.
Abstract:
Angle-resolved reflectometers and reflectometry methods are provided, which comprise a coherent light source, an optical system arranged to scan a test pattern using a spot of coherent light from the light source to yield realizations of the light distribution in the collected pupil, wherein the spot covers a part of the test pattern and the scanning is carried out optically or mechanically according to a scanning pattern, and a processing unit arranged to generate a composite image of the collected pupil distribution by combining the pupil images. Metrology systems and methods are provided, which reduce diffraction errors by estimating, quantitatively, a functional dependency of measurement parameters on aperture sizes and deriving, from identified diffraction components of the functional dependency which relate to the aperture sizes, correction terms for the measurement parameters with respect to the measurement conditions.
Abstract:
Angle-resolved reflectometers and reflectometry methods are provided, which comprise a coherent light source, an optical system arranged to scan a test pattern using a spot of coherent light from the light source to yield realizations of the light distribution in the collected pupil, wherein the spot covers a part of the test pattern and the scanning is carried out optically or mechanically according to a scanning pattern, and a processing unit arranged to generate a composite image of the collected pupil distribution by combining the pupil images. Metrology systems and methods are provided, which reduce diffraction errors by estimating, quantitatively, a functional dependency of measurement parameters on aperture sizes and deriving, from identified diffraction components of the functional dependency which relate to the aperture sizes, correction terms for the measurement parameters with respect to the measurement conditions.
Abstract:
A scanning module (9) is disposed over a first plate (32). A first motor (39) of moving the scanning module (9) in a second scanning direction and a second motor (49) of moving the scanning module (9) in a first scanning direction are disposed under the first plate (32). In this manner, the first motor (39) and the second motor (49) being a heat source are disposed on a side opposite to a scanning module (9) side using the first plate (32) as a boundary, and thus a transferred amount of heat from the first motor (39) and the second motor (49) to the scanning module (9) decreases. As a result, accuracy of fluorescence detection is prevented from degrading due to thermal distortion of a detection optical system in the scanning module (9).
Abstract:
A system includes a vessel floating on a body of water. The system also includes at least one conduit extending from the vessel to below the body of water. The system also includes a scanning device disposed within the at least one conduit. The scanning device includes at least one two-dimensional (2D) line scanner and a rotary encoder coupled to the at least one 2D line scanner. The scanning device is configured to generate three-dimensional (3D) image data of a surface of the at least one conduit or at least one component disposed within the at least one conduit.
Abstract:
A scanning illuminating device includes an emission centre from which radiation is emitted in an illuminating sector. A cylindrical ring is centred on the source and is rotatably movable about a first axis. The ring includes a plurality of slits regularly distributed about its axis of rotation and having the same angular amplitude α. A cylinder portion is centred on the source and is rotatably movable about a second axis crossing the first axis at the centre and forming a nonzero angle therewith. The cylinder portion includes a slit having an angular amplitude β. A first device control of the rotation of the ring, defining an elementary angular step αα such that an integer N1 other than 1 meets the condition α=N1.αα. A second device controls the rotation of the ring portion defining an angular step ββ such that an integer N2 other than 1 meets the condition β=N2.ββ.