Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona

Invent Technologies LLC

Seagate Technology Incorporated

Folio Photonics, Inc.

Other

International Business Machines Corporation

Wavefront Analysis, Inc.

Thomas Dean Milster

Barry Gelernt

Irina Shiyanovskaya

Kenneth D Singer

Lee C Johnson

Pramod Kumar Khulbe

Asher Sussman

Young Sik Kim

Daniel Apai

Tim Rausch

William Albert Challener

Mark Ian Lutwyche

Patrick Breckow Chu

Kurt R Denninghoff

Akira Eguchi

Sang-Ki Park

Rolf Gerchberg

Shingshwang Yao

Eduardo Bendek

Thiago Jota

Kei Shimura

Jun Zhang

Jaisoon Kim

Emily Finan

Swetha Kannan

A new diversity concept is provided for achieving accurate phase retrieval with a single shot acquisition. Multiple irradiance data are obtained by a diffractive grating or CGH designed to generate multiple diffraction orders with different diversity values. The effective filters associated with the individual diffraction orders from the diffractive grating or CGH are calculated. The effective filters are extracted by numerical propagation, and they preferably include both real and imaginary values, which signify both absorption and phase shift versus position in the filter plane. The reconstruction process utilizes accurate knowledge of the effective filters for each diffraction order for high quality reconstruction of the extrinsic phase.

Complex diversity for accurate phase retrieval with single shot acquisition

An optical system for automated vision and detection. The system includes a light source configured to emit a beam into an environment and a first diffractive optical element. The beam passes through the first diffractive optical element, resulting in a plurality of beams. One or more of the plurality of beams are reflected by the environment, resulting in reflected beams. A second diffractive optical element of the optical system is configured to receive the reflected beams. A detector in alignment with the second diffractive optical element receives the reflected beams. The detector is configured to determine wave data from the reflected beams and generate a plurality of phasorgrams in a single image representing the wave data. The optical system also includes a processor configured to receive the single image and generate a representation of the environment. A control computer is configured to receive the representation of the environment from the processor.

Machine vision method and system

A multi-order diffractive Fresnel lens (MOD-DFL) that is suitable for use in a space telescope for studying transiting earth-like planets of distant stars is provided. The MOD-DFL may comprise a MOD-DFL array comprising a plurality of MOD-DFL segments that are secured to a mounting surface of a deployment device, such as a balloon, for example, in a preselected arrangement to form the MOD-DFL. An array telescope may be formed of an array of deployment devices, such as an array of balloons, for example, each having a MOD-DFL secured to a mounting surface of the respective deployment device, an optics system disposed inside of the respective deployment device, and a camera disposed inside of the respective deployment device. Each MOD-DFL comprises a plurality of MOD-DFL segments arranged in a preselected arrangement to form the respective MOD-DFL.

Multi-order diffractive Fresnel lens (MOD-DFL) and systems that incorporate the MOD-DFL

Systems and methods, e.g., optical apparatuses, for digital optical information storage systems that improve the speed, signal to noise, controllability, and data storage density for fluorescent and reflective multilayer optical data storage media. The systems and methods include an optical system for a reading beam of a data channel from a moving single or multi-layer or otherwise 3-dimensional optical information storage medium that comprises at least one optical element characterized by restricting the field of view (FOV) of the reading beam on an associated image plane to 0.3 to 2 Airy disk diameters in a first direction.

Systems and methods for increasing data rate and storage density in 3-dimensional optical data storage media

An optical device is provided that comprises a multi-order diffractive Fresnel lens (MOD-DFL) and an achromatizing compensation mechanism that reduces refractive dispersion created by the MOD-DFL, thereby reducing the focal range of the MOD-DFL. A method is also provided of using the optical device in an image processing system to obtain images of an object and processing the images to perform image enhancement.

Optical device comprising a multi-order diffractive Fresnel lens (MOD-DFL) and an achromatizing compensation mechanism, and a method for enhancing images captured using the MOD-DFL

Systems and methods for increasing data rate and storage density in multilayer optical discs

An active thin film (coating) that enables dynamic modification of a reflective surface for wavefront control. The embodied active coatings are photonic devices comprising an optically thin layer of photosensitive polymer disposed between a substrate and a reflective optical coating. The polymer volume can be controlled from molecular to microscopic (sub-nanometer to micrometer) levels when light of a specific polarization and wavelength is applied from the backside of the coating surface (i.e., through a transmissive substrate for the stimulating light). As a result of the polymer volume change, the coating exhibits localized thickness changes (realized as dips/bumps that function as localized actuators) that modify the phase of incident light on the reflective surface. The size and shape of these photonic dip/bump actuators can be adjusted by design and can be placed on both flat and curved optical surfaces. Resolution and dynamic range can be controlled by the light intensity.

Active coating apparatus, methods and applications

Optical systems and methods including interferometric systems and methods are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the present invention relates to a system comprising at least one light source including a deep ultraviolet light source, a lens device, a beam splitter, and a camera device. The lens device receives first light, directs at least some of that light toward a target location, receives reflected light therefrom, and directs at least some of the reflected light toward a further location, where at least part of a light path between the deep ultraviolet light source and the target location is other than at a high vacuum. The camera device is positioned at either the further location or an additional location, whereby an image is generated by the camera device based upon at least a portion of the reflected light. Also encompassed herein are interferometric lithography and optical microscopy systems.

Interferometric systems and methods

An apparatus for determining an optical property of a set of cells is described. The apparatus may include a light source for providing a light signal, a light-conditioning unit configured to condition the light signal, and a diffractive structure. The diffractive structure may be configured to receive the conditioned light signal and produce diffracted light having plasmon-resonance properties and an angular spectrum. The angular spectrum may correspond to the set of cells when the set of cells are within a threshold distance from the diffractive structure. The apparatus further includes a light-collecting unit for collecting the diffracted light.

In-vivo optical sensor

An apparatus comprises a lens, an alignment feature positioned adjacent to a surface of the lens, a detector for producing an alignment signal in response to a portion of incident light reflected by the alignment feature and a portion of the incident light reflected by the surface adjacent to the alignment feature, and an actuator for controlling alignment of the incident light in response to the alignment signal. A method of controlling alignment of the beam of incident light is also provided.

Alignment feature for near-field transducers

An apparatus and method for performing optical microscopy are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the apparatus includes a deep ultraviolet light source configured to generate light having a wavelength within a window in the deep ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum within which a local minimum in the absorption coefficient of Oxygen occurs. Further, the apparatus includes a lens device that receives at least a first portion of the generated light, directs at least some of the first portion of the generated light toward a location, receives reflected light from the location, and directs at least some of the reflected light toward a further location. Additionally, the apparatus includes a camera device that is positioned at one of the further location and an additional location, where the camera device receives at least a second portion of the reflected light, whereby an image is generated by the camera device.

Apparatus and method for deep ultraviolet optical microscopy

An optical medium including a plurality of data layers stacked relative to each other in a dielectric medium. A respective data layer including mark and land regions for having information recorded thereon. A mark region and a land region in the respective data layer are disposed beside each other and have substantially the same optical path length across respective thicknesses of the mark region and the land region. A method and computer program product associated with forming the optical medium which determines whether an admittance curve for a material to be used as the mark region forms an intersection with a desired admittance curve based on the admittance of a land region disposed beside the mark region, and determines a thickness of the material based on the intersection.

Optimized media structure for bit-wise multi-layer optical data storage

An optical data recovery system including an optical receiver configured to receive light reflected from an optical medium and produce modulated data, a processing unit configured to transform the modulated data into a series of transform coefficients respectively identifying frequencies of the modulated data at respective times, and the processing unit is configured to identify from the series of transform coefficients defect coefficients associated with positions in the modulated data where the modulated data is corrupted.

Application of wavelet transform filtering for processing data signals from optical data storage devices

Apparatuses and methods for performing spectroscopy and optical microscopy are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, a Raman spectrometer includes a vacuum ultraviolet light source configured to generate light having a wavelength within a window in the vacuum ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum within which a local minimum in the absorption coefficient of Oxygen occurs. The spectrometer also includes a lens device that receives a first portion of the generated light, directs at least some of the first portion of the generated light toward a target location, receives reflected light from the target location, and directs the reflected light toward a further location. The spectrometer further includes a dispersive device that receives at least some of the reflected light and outputs dispersed light produced based thereupon, and a camera module that is positioned at additional location, where the camera module receives at least some of the dispersed light.

Apparatus and method for spectroscopy

An apparatus includes a moveable arm for positioning an optical transducer adjacent to a storage medium, a light source, and an elliptical or ellipsoid shaped mirror mounted for reflecting light from the light source to the optical transducer. The elliptical mirror can be positioned on an ellipse, the moveable arm can pivot about an axis passing through a first focus of the ellipse, and the light source can direct light from a point on a second axis passing through a second focus of the ellipse to the elliptical minor. The light source can include a fixed laser and a moveable mirror mounted to pivot about the second axis or a moveable laser mounted to pivot about the second axis. A method performed by the apparatus is also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Thomas Dean Milster