Company Filing History:
Years Active: 2002
Title: Akiko Harasaki: Innovator in White-Light Interferometry
Introduction
Akiko Harasaki is a notable inventor based in Kawasaki, Japan. She has made significant contributions to the field of interferometry, particularly in the area of white-light applications. Her innovative work has led to the development of a unique patent that addresses challenges in height measurement techniques.
Latest Patents
Harasaki holds a patent titled "Bat-wing attenuation in white-light interferometry." This invention focuses on removing bat wings at step discontinuities within the coherence length of the light source of a vertical-scanning interferometer. A first height profile is obtained from a correlogram using a coherence-sensing technique. A second height profile is derived from phase measurements at the best-focus frame position of the scanner. The two profiles are compared, and phase ambiguities are resolved in a conventional manner. Additionally, during the unwrapping process, the differences in height between two adjacent pixels obtained from both coherence sensing and phase measurements are compared to f&lgr;/4. If the inter-pixel height difference calculated by coherence sensing is smaller and the one calculated by phase is larger than f&lgr;/4, the phase measurement is corrected by 2&pgr; increments until both coherence and phase inter-pixel height differences are within f&lgr;/4. This additional step effectively removes bat-wing effects from profiles obtained through phase measurement.
Career Highlights
Harasaki is currently employed at Veeco Instruments Inc., where she continues to advance her research and development efforts. Her work has been instrumental in enhancing the accuracy and reliability of interferometric measurements.
Collaborations
One of her notable collaborators is Joanna Schmit, who has worked alongside Harasaki in various projects. Their partnership has contributed to the successful development of innovative solutions in their field.
Conclusion
Akiko Harasaki's contributions to white-light interferometry exemplify the impact of innovative thinking in scientific research. Her patent and ongoing work at Veeco Instruments Inc. highlight her commitment to advancing measurement technologies.