Fei Comapny

Nec Laboratories America, Inc.

Nec Research Institute, Inc.

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Université Louis Pasteur

Henri Joseph Lezec

Tineke Thio

David James Tasker

Thomas W Ebbesen

David A Head

Richard A Linke

John Anthony Notte, Iv

Daniel E Grupp

Jason Harrison Arjavac

Craig Henry

Thomas Wren Ebbesen

Christian R Musil

Liang Hong

Tae J Kim

Ajit Krishnan

Mitsuhito Sakaguchi

Kelly M Pellerin

A graphical programming system allows a user to place geometric shapes onto a scaled image, the shape having associated behavior that operates on the image or on the object of which the image is formed. In a preferred embodiment, the shapes are objects in the Visio program by Microsoft Corporation. The shapes are dragged from a stencil onto an image provided by ion beam or electron microscope image. The shape invokes software or hardware to locate and measure features on the image or to perform operations, such as ion beam milling, on the object that is imaged.

Graphical automated machine control and metrology

An apparatus for emitting light with a controlled directionality and optical divergence from at least one opening includes a light impervious surface structure having the at least one opening, a periodic or quasi-periodic surface topography including one or several surface feature(s) and associated with the at least one opening on the surface structure, whereby light emerging from the opening(s) interacts with surface waves on the surface structure (20) thereby providing controlled directionality and optical divergence of the emitted light.

Optical transmission apparatus with directionality and divergence control

The present invention provides methods for achieving substantially damage-free material deposition using charged particle (e.g., ion, electron) or light beams for generating secondary electrons to induce deposition in a gas deposition material. Among other things, some of the methods can be used to deposit, with satisfactory throughput, a protective layer over a semiconductor feature without significantly altering the feature thereby preserving it for accurate measurement. In one embodiment, the beam is directed onto an electron-source surface next to the target surface but not within it. The beam is scanned on the electron-source surface causing secondary electrons to be emitted from the electron-source surface and enter the region over the target surface to interact with deposition gas for depositing a desired amount of material onto the target surface. In this way, materials can be deposited onto a the target surface at a suitably high rate without having to expose the target surface, itself, to the beam being used to perform the material deposition. In another embodiment, the beam is directed onto a separate electron generating surface (preferably one that has a relatively high secondary electron emission coefficient) proximal to the target surface for generating the electrons to deposit the deposition material onto the target surface.

Proximity deposition

A read/write head for an optical storage medium is provided. The read/write head comprises a waveguide having an end face and a plasmon-enhanced device provided on the end face of the waveguide. The plasmon-enhanced device comprises a metal film having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being fixed to the waveguide end face, the metal film having an aperture provided therethrough. The metal film has a periodic surface topography provided on at least one of the first and second surfaces of the metal film. Light incident on one of the surfaces of the metal film interacts with a surface plasmon mode on at least one of the surfaces of the metal film thereby enhancing transmission of light through the aperture in the metal film which is directed onto and/or collected from the optical storage medium. A read/write head with an integral light source is also provided. The invention also provides an array of precisely aligned read/write heads, and an array of precisely aligned read/write heads with integral light sources, as well as side-emitting lasers and vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) with enhanced transmission.

Surface plasmon-enhanced read/write heads for optical data storage media

Methods and apparatus for calibration of a scanned beam system are provided by sampling a calibration specimen containing an array of targets with a spacing between samples that is greater than the spacing between targets in the array and forming an image from the samples to reduce calibration specimen degradation and to magnify calibration errors to enable very fine calibration of the scanned beam system.

Method and apparatus for scanned instrument calibration

An apparatus for enhanced light transmission is provided. The apparatus comprises a metal film having a first surface and a second surface, at least one aperture being provided in the metal film and extending from the first surface to the second surface. The at least one aperture comprises an entrance portion disposed on the first surface of the metal film and an exit portion disposed in the second surface of the metal film, each portion having a cross-sectional area in the plane of the corresponding metal film surface, wherein the cross-sectional area of the entrance portion is not equal to the cross-sectional area of the exit portion. A periodic surface topography is provided on at least one of the first and second surfaces of the metal film, the periodic surface topography comprising a plurality of surface features, wherein the geometry of each aperture entrance portion substantially matches the geometry of the surface features.

Enhanced optical transmission apparatus with improved aperture geometry

An apparatus for enhanced light transmission through a perforated metal film is provided. The apparatus comprises a metal film having a first surface and a second surface, at least one aperture provided in the metal film and extending from the first surface to the second surface, and first and second dielectric layers. The first dielectric layer is provided substantially adjacent to the first metal film surface, and the second dielectric layer is provided substantially adjacent to the second metal film surface. The respective refractive indices of the first and second dielectric layers are substantially equal. Light incident on one of the surfaces of the metal film interacts with a surface plasmon mode on at least one of the surfaces of the metal film thereby enhancing transmission of light through the at least one aperture in the metal film. The apparatus may have a single aperture or a plurality of periodically arranged apertures, and the metal film surface may be provided with or without a periodic surface topography for further enhanced transmission. Wavelength-selective optical filters, spatial optical filters, light collectors, near-field scanning optical microscope probes and photolithographic masks are also provided.

Enhanced optical transmission apparatus with improved inter-surface coupling

An apparatus for enhanced light transmission is provided. The apparatus comprises a metal film having a first surface and a second surface, at least one aperture provided in the metal film and extending from the first surface to the second surface, and a periodic surface topography provided on at least one of the first and second surface of the metal film. Light incident on one of the surfaces of the metal film interacts with a surface plasmon mode on at least one of the surfaces of the metal film thereby enhancing transmission of light through the at least one aperture in the metal film. The apparatus may have a single aperture or a plurality of periodically arranged apertures. Wavelength-selective optical filters, spatial optical filters, light collectors, near-field scanning optical microscope probes and photolithographic masks are also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Strasbourg, France

Henri Joseph Lezec