Brown & Sharpe Surface Inspection Systems, Inc.

The University of Alabama

Particle Measuring Systems, Inc.

Technion Research & Development Foundation Ltd

Tufts University

Teledyne Industries, Inc.

Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc.

P.m.l-particles Monitoring Technologies, Ltd.

Joseph Shamir

Andrei Brunfeld

Gregory Toker

H John Caulfield

Ilan Laver

Liviu Singher

Ely Pekel

Charles F Hester

Qiang Huang

Valentin Morozov

Andrei Putilin

Jason M Kinser

Yael Nemirovsky

Nir Karasikov

Mark Cronin-Golomb

Sara Stolyarova

Arye Peyser

Robert Beserman

Raoul Weil

The present invention provides a system and method of particle size and concentration measurement that comprises the steps of: providing a focused, synthesized, structured laser beam, causing the beam to interact with the particles, measuring the interaction signal and the number of interactions per unit time of the beam with the particles, and using algorithms to map the interaction signals to the particle size and the number of interactions per unit time to the concentration.

Detection scheme for particle size and concentration measurement

The present invention provides a system and method of particle size and concentration measurement based on providing a focused, synthesized, non-Gaussian laser beam, causing the beam to interact with the particles, measuring the interaction signal and the number of interactions per unit time of the beam with the particles, and using algorithms to map the interaction signals to the particle size and the number of interactions per unit time to the concentration. The particles are fluid borne, airborne, or on a surface and have a size ranging from sub-micron to thousands of microns. In an embodiment of the invention, the focused, synthesized, non-Gaussian laser beam is a dark beam. The measurements can be made using the duration of interaction with a scanning beam, including dark field.

Method for particle size and concentration measurement

A method for improving CdZnTe-based gamma-ray detectors is presented. A CdZnTe detector/crystal is exposed to acoustic waves. After exposure to acoustic waves, the CdZnTe gamma-detector gains higher resistivity and exhibits better spectral resolution and greater sensitivity. Further, when a batch of detectors is made according to the method of the present invention, the properties of the crystals are more homogenous, allowing for cheaper and more standardized detectors.

Gamma ray detector

An optical inspection apparatus operates at high speed at very high resolution for detecting defects in transparent disks in a production environment. These transparent disks are of the type commonly used as disk platters in hard disk drives. This apparatus uses a laser beam directed to a polygon scanner, which provides a linear scan of the beam along a radius of the disk. The disk to be inspected is rotated such that its entire surface passes the scan path of the laser beam. The laser beam, after passing through the unit to be inspected, is directed to a parallel detector array, which detects changes in the nominal Gaussian distribution of the laser beam that correspond to defects in the surface of the transparent disk above a programmable threshold level. This parallel detection method allows the inspection apparatus to identify defects much smaller than the diffraction limits of the optics used, and will accurately identify changes of the laser beam caused by defects in the disk. An automatic disk handler loads untested disks into the apparatus and unloads and sorts tested disks according to the results of the inspection.

High speed optical inspection apparatus for a transparent disk using gaussian distribution analysis and method therefor

An optical inspection apparatus operates at high speed at very high resolution for detecting defects in reflective disks in a production environment. These reflective disks are of the type commonly used as disk platters in hard disk drives. This apparatus uses a laser which provides a light beam directed to a polygon scanner, which provides a linear scan of the beam along a radius on both sides of the disk by using two mirrors to direct the light beam. The disk to be inspected is rotated such that its entire surface passes the scan path of the light beam. The light beam is reflected off the reflective disk, and returns to the scanning optics and the polygon scanner in a path coincident with the transmitted light beam. The reflected light beam is distinguished from the transmitted light beam by using a beam splitter to direct the reflected light beam to a parallel detector array, which detects changes in the nominal Gaussian distribution of the light beam that correspond to defects in the surface of the reflective disk above a programmable threshold level. This parallel detection method allows the inspection apparatus to identify defects much smaller than the diffraction limits of the optics used, and will accurately identify changes in the light beam caused by defects in the disk. An automatic disk handler loads untested disks into the apparatus and unloads and sorts tested disks according to the results of the inspection.

High speed surface inspection optical apparatus for a reflective disk using gaussian distribution analysis and method therefor

An optical inspection apparatus operates at high speed at very high resolution for detecting defects in transparent flat panels in a production environment. This apparatus uses a laser which provides a light beam directed to a polygon scanner, which provides a linear scan of the beam along the width of the flat panel. The flat panel to be inspected is moved such that its entire surface passes the scan path of the light beam. The light beam passes through the transparent flat panel, and is reflected off a spherical mirror, back through the transparent flat panel, and returns to the scanning optics and the polygon scanner in a path coincident with the transmitted light beam. The reflected light beam is distinguished from the transmitted light beam by using a beam splitter to direct the reflected light beam to a parallel detector array, which detects changes in the nominal Gaussian distribution of the light beam that correspond to defects in the surface of the transparent flat panel above a programmable threshold level. This parallel detection method allows the inspection apparatus to identify defects much smaller than the diffraction limits of the optics used, and will accurately identify changes in the light beam caused by defects in the flat panel. An automatic flat panel handler loads untested flat panels into the apparatus and unloads and sorts tested flat panels according to the results of the inspection.

High speed optical inspection apparatus for a large transparent flat panel using gaussian distribution analysis and method therefor

An optical inspection apparatus operates at high speed at very high resolution for detecting defects in flat, polished media in a production environment. The configuration of the first embodiment is used to inspect transparent disks such as those used as disk platters in hard disk drives. The configuration of the second embodiment is used to inspect reflective disks. The configuration of the third embodiment is used to inspect transparent flat panels such as those commonly used in Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panels. All embodiments use a laser providing a light beam directed to a polygon scanner, which provides a linear scan of the beam. The unit to be inspected is moved such that its entire surface passes the scan path of the light beam. The light beam, after contacting the unit to be inspected, is directed to a parallel detector array, which detects changes in the nominal Gaussian distribution of the light beam that correspond to defects above a programmable threshold level. This parallel detection method allows the inspection apparatus to identify defects much smaller than the diffraction limits of the optics used, and will accurately identify changes in the light beam caused by defects in the media. An automatic media handler loads untested units into the apparatus and unloads and sorts tested units according to the results of the inspection.

High speed optical inspection apparatus using Gaussian distribution analysis and method therefore

A waveguide hologram illumination system is based on thin substrate waveguides bearing a hologram on the surface through which light is diffracted out. A light source is optically coupled to the waveguide such that light emitted from the source is caused to propagate along the waveguide, being diffracted out at intersections with the surface of the waveguide on which the hologram is formed. The selective emission through the hologram can be advantageously used to illuminate display holograms or spatial light modulators. Provisions are made for rendering the amount of light emitted through the hologram uniform along the length of the hologram.

Waveguide hologram illuminators

An optical apparatus for simulating a highly interconnected neural network is disclosed as including a spatial light modulator (SLM), an inputting device, a laser, a detecting device, and a page-oriented holographic component. The inputting device applies input signals to the SLM. The holographic component optically interconnects N.sup.2 pixels defined on the spatial light modulator to N.sup.2 pixels defined on a detecting surface of the detecting device. The interconnections are made by N.sup.2 patterns of up to N.sup.2 interconnection weight encoded beams projected by N.sup.2 planar, or essentially two-dimensional, holograms arranged in a spatially localized array within the holographic component. The SLM modulates the encoded beams and directs them onto the detecting surface wherein a parameter of the beams is evaluated at each pixel thereof. The evaluated parameter is transformed according to a nonlinear threshold function to provide transformed signals which can be fed back to the SLM for further iterations.

Neural processor with holographic optical paths and nonlinear operating

An optical apparatus for simulating a highly interconnected neural network is disclosed as including a spatial light modulator (SLM), an inputting device, a laser, a detecting device, and a page-oriented hologaphic component. The inputting device applies input signals to the SLM. The holographic component optically interconnects N.sup.2 pixels defined on the spatial light modulator to N.sup.2 pixels defined on a detecting surface of the detecting device. The interconnections are made by N.sup.2 patterns of up to N.sup.2 interconnection weight encoded beams projected by N.sup.2 planar, or essentially two-dimensional, holograms arranged in a spatially localized array within the holographic component. The SLM modulates the encoded beams and directs them onto the detecting surface wherein a parameter of the beams is evaluated at each pixel thereof. The evaluated parameter is transformed according to a nonlinear threshold function to provide transformed signals which can be fed back to the SLM for further iterations.

An interferometric device for measuring optical thin film parameters such as refractive index, thickness and absorption uses phase conjugate mirrors in place of standard mirrors. The optical thin film for which the refractive index, thickness and absorption are determined acts as a beam-splitter in the interferometer.

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Haifa, Israel

Joseph Shamir