The Aerospace Corporation

Neil A Ives

Martin S Leung

Terence S Yeoh

Stephen La Lumondiere

Martin Siu Wo Leung

Ivan Bekey

William T Lotshaw

Genghmun Eng

Nicholas J Marechal

David C Straw

Maribeth Mason

Steven C Moss

Terence Sern-Wei Yeoh

Chia-Hsin Suen

An illumination source may be directed towards a surface of an object comprising subsurface features, wherein the illumination from the source is directed at a first angle relative to the normal of the surface. The object may have a portion between the subsurface features and the surface, the portion having an index of refraction that is greater than the index of refraction of a surrounding medium that surrounds the object. An imaging device may be placed with an objective lens. The first angle may be larger than an acceptance angle of the objective lens. In some embodiments, multiple illumination beams may be generated by one or more illumination sources. The beams may be rotated relative to one another about the normal of the surface. Also, in some embodiments, multiple images may be taken with the objective of the imaging device at different positions rotated off of the normal. The multiple images may be combined to generate a composite image.

Refraction assisted illumination for imaging

Various embodiments are directed to systems and methods for imaging subsurface features of a semiconductor object comprising a first region having a first doping property and a second region having a second doping property. The semiconductor object may comprise subsurface features and material between a surface of the semiconductor object and the subsurface features. The material may have an index of refraction that is greater than an index of refraction of a surrounding medium in contact with the surface of the semiconductor object. For example, a system may comprise an imaging device comprising an objective. The imaging device may be sensitive to a first wavelength. The system may also comprise an illumination source to emit illumination substantially at the first wavelength. The illumination may be directed towards the surface of the semiconductor object at a first angle relative to a normal of the surface. The first angle is greater than an acceptance angle of the objective of the imaging device. Also, the first wavelength may have a photonic energy substantially equal to a bandgap of the first region.

A system and method determines the shape of a surface that preferably is a deployed space-based adaptive flexible membrane antenna, using patterned projections, image capturing, and membrane shape processing for producing membrane shape data describing the contour of the surface of the membrane with the membrane shape data then preferably used as inputs for a feedback control actuation system for deforming the membrane to a desired shaped so as to maintain the three-dimensional shape of the membrane in the desired shape.

Adaptive membrane shape deformation system

An isosurfacial three-dimensional imaging system and method uses scanning electron microscopy for surface imaging of an assumed opaque object providing a series of tilt images for generating a sinogram of the object and a voxel data set for generating a three-dimensional image of the object having exterior surfaces some of which may be obscured so as to provide exterior three-dimensional surface imaging of objects including hidden surfaces normally obscured from stereographic view.

Isosurfacial three-dimensional imaging system and method

A system for achieving a three-dimensional (3D) volumetric display by using a successive stack of transparent two-dimensional planar layers each having light-absorbing elements representing contours as dark features associated with individual respective slices through a three-dimensional object in a direction perpendicular to the plane of view of each of the planar layers so that the combined assembled volumetric display when viewed achieves a volumetric display which may be reconfigured using physical, chemical, electronic and computer-assisted means, so as to effect a dynamic volumetric display.

Three-dimensional real-image volumetric display system and method

The present invention discloses a non-contact technique of polishing semiconductor materials using an apparatus that produces a laminar flow of a polishing solution across the surface of the material to be polished.

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Hawthorne, CA, United States of America

Neil A Ives