Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Hewlett-packard Company

Micron Technology Incorporated

William D Fisher

Richard Paul Tella

Michael P Caren

Peter G Webb

Jean-Luc Truche

Gregor T Overney

M Shahid Mujtaba

Lee Alton Barford

Christopher A Schantz

Kyle J Schleifer

Scott A Conradson

Michael J Weinstein

Svetlana Shchegrova

Allen C Thompson

Henrique A S Martins

Julie D Wilker

The invention provides an apparatus for producing an image of a global surface of an ion source sample plate that is exterior to an ion source. In general terms, the apparatus contains a sample plate for an ion source, an imaging device (e.g., a CCD or CMOS camera) and an illumination device that is configured to produce a light beam that contacts the sample plate surface to define a grazing angle between the light beam and the sample plate surface. The apparatus may be present at a location that is remote to the ion source.

MALDI sample plate imaging workstation

The invention provides a mass spectrometry system ion source containing a sample plate and an illumination device that is configured to produce a light beam that contacts the sample plate surface to define a grazing angle between the light beam and the sample plate surface. The ion source may also contain an imaging device, e.g., a CCD or CMOS camera or the like, for viewing the area. In one embodiment, the imaging device may be connected to a display, e.g., a video monitor. Methods and mass spectrometry systems empliying the ion source are also provided.

Ion source sample plate illumination system

A lens-placement system in accordance with the invention includes an imaging system having an imaging camera to capture an image of at least a portion of an image sensor module that is located in a fixed-focus camera. The captured image is used for placement of a lens in the fixed-focus camera.

System and method of lens placement

A method, apparatus, and computer program products for fabricating multiple chemical arrays on a substrate, each array having multiple rows of feature locations with arrays of different sets being arranged in a sideways orientation with respect to the rows. The method includes dispensing drops from a drop dispensing head onto the substrate while maintaining a gap between the head and substrate and moving them relative to one another along a path so as to fabricate the arrays. The path for the relative moving includes moving the head in a direction along the rows of a first array set then moving the head in an opposite direction along the rows of a second array set. This pattern is repeated with the second array set of an earlier cycle being the first array set of a later cycle.

Multi-directional deposition in array fabrication

A method of fabricating an addressable array of chemical probes at respective feature locations on a substrate surface. The method may use a deposition apparatus with a substrate unit which includes the substrate and with a drop deposition unit which includes a drop deposition head. Such an apparatus when operated according to a target drive pattern based on nominal operating parameters of the apparatus provides the probes on the substrate surface in the target array pattern. The method may include depositing at least one drop from the head unit onto the substrate surface. A fiducial on the substrate unit is optionally viewed from a sensor. A deposited drop on the substrate surface is viewed from a sensor. An actual position of the viewed deposited drop may be determined relative to a fiducial on the substrate unit, based on the views of the fiducial and deposited drop. An error is determined based on any difference between the actual and target positions. Alternatively, an error for one or more deposition units may be determined based on a statistical difference between the actual and target positions of a set of multiple drops deposited from each deposition unit. The deposition apparatus is operated to deposit further drops from the head unit onto the substrate surface at feature locations while moving at least one of the substrate unit or head unit with respect to the other, so as to fabricate the array. Apparatus and computer program products are also provided.

Chemical array fabrication errors

A drop deposition apparatus, and a method and computer program products using the drop deposition apparatus, for fabricating at least one addressable array of biopolymers on a substrate. The drop deposition apparatus has a drop dispenser unit and a sensing element. The method comprises includes for each of multiple addresses, dispensing droplets carrying the biopolymers or biopolymer precursors from a drop dispenser unit onto the sensing element, and onto the substrate so as to fabricate the array. Electrical signals resulting from dispensed droplets striking the sensing element are detected. A performance characteristic of the deposition apparatus is evaluated based on the detected signals.

Array fabrication with drop detection

An apparatus and method are provided for producing and inspecting a plurality of deposited features in a pattern on a portion of a substrate surface, as in an oligonucleotide array. The apparatus comprises a printhead for depositing a fluid to form the array of features on the substrate surface and a camera for imaging the deposited features. The apparatus also comprises a printhead controller for positioning and activating the inkjet printhead to deposit the array features. The camera, e.g., a digital line scan camera, is controlled by a camera controller such that the camera acquires images corresponding to substantially only the portion of the surface on which features should have been deposited. The camera and printhead are preferably situated such that an induced movement of the printhead relative to the substrate results in a substantially identical corresponding movement of the camera. Optionally, the apparatus further comprises means for comparing an image acquired by the camera with a predetermined standard to produce a signal.

Apparatus for deposition and inspection of chemical and biological fluids

Liquids are transferred from a plurality of wells or depots having openings arranged in a selected format to one or more receptacles, by displacing liquid contained in each well so that a convex meniscus swells from the opening, and contacting the receptacle with the swollen meniscus to draw a portion of the liquid into the receptacle. According to the invention, the liquid transfer is effected directly from the depot to the corresponding receptacle without contact between depots and receptacles, and without interposition of any transfer device between depots and receptacles. Apparatus for carrying out the method includes a depot member having a plurality of wells having openings supported in a selected format, and a receiving member defining at least one receptacle and usually a plurality of receptacles in a corresponding or complementary format; a device for displacing liquid contained within the wells toward and through the openings; and a device for bringing at least one selected well opening into proximity with at least one selected receptacle. In some embodiments the liquid is displaced by inwardly deforming portions of the walls of the wells; in other embodiments the liquid is displaced by introducing a displacing fluid into the wells at a point away from the openings. The inventions is particularly useful in transferring a multiplicities of liquids from preparative or storage depots to receptacles formed in planar members such as planar microfluidics devices or printing devices adapted for deposition of materials in microarrays.

Method and apparatus for liquid transfer

A method of fabricating a biopolymer array, and an apparatus which can execute the method, droplets of fluid carrying the biopolymer or a biomonomer are deposited onto a front side of a transparent substrate. Light is directed through the substrate from the front side, back through a substrate back side and a first set of deposited droplets on the first side to an image sensor. The substrate may be mounted by means of a chuck with parallel channels, and a scanning operation of a droplet dispensing head, light source, and sensor conducted in unison in the direction of the channels.

Biopolymer array inspection

A method of fabricating a biopolymer array, and an apparatus which can execute the method. droplets of fluid carrying the biopolymer or a biomonomer are deposited onto a front side of a transparent substrate. Light is directed through the substrate from the front side, back through a substrate back side and a first set of deposited droplets on the first side to an image sensor. The substrate may be mounted by means of a chuck with parallel channels, and a scanning operation of a droplet dispensing head, light source, and sensor conducted in unison in the direction of the channels.

A CAD system and method for designing sheet metal parts. A proposed design is automatically tested against a set of design rules. Available tools are selected according to criteria computed with reference to the part to the fabricated and then are tested to determine whether they can be used to make desired bends. A fabrication sequence is computed.

Apparatus and method for computer-aided design of sheet metal fabricated

A hybrid position and force control system for a robotic manipulator. A displacement error signal of an end effector such as a robotic hand is multiplied by a pseudo-inverse of a matrix product of a selection matrix and a Jacobian matrix to provide a joint displacement error signal in the coordinates of the various joints of the manipulator. The system may be tuned for obstacle avoidance and the like by means of a joint tuning signal having displacement and force components each produced by multiplying a user-provided tuning signal by a matrix difference between an identity matrix and a matrix product of a pseudo-inverse of the Jacobian mattrix and the Jacobian matrix.

System for hybrid position and force control

A kinematic method to operate a multi-jointed robot to achieve coordinated, speed-invariant motion when the robot's end effector is moved along a predefined path. To accomplish such operation, a total execution time function is defined which is a function of acceleration time, slew time, and deceleration time for the joints. Values for the acceleration time, slew time, and deceleration time are calculated which minimize the total time function subject to constraints on the displacement, the limiting velocity, the limiting acceleration, and the limiting deceleration for the joints. Then, the end effector of the robot is operated such that all joints start moving at the same instant, all joints accelerate for the same period, all joints slew for the same period, and all joints decelerate for the same period. During such motion, at least one moving joint is responsible for determining the acceleration time, at least one other moving joint (or possibly the same joint) is responsible for determining the deceleration time, and at least one moving joint (or one of the two prior joints) is responsible for determining the slew time. Also during such motion, each moving joint will progress through its motion at the same relative rate; that is, at the time the ith joint completes some percentage of its travel distance, any other moving joint will complete the same percentage of its travel distance.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

William D Fisher