The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 16, 2025
Filed:
Apr. 21, 2022
Unm Rainforest Innovations, Albuquerque, NM (US);
Juan Jose Faria Briceno, Albuquerque, NM (US);
Steven R. J. Brueck, Albuquerque, NM (US);
UNM RAINFOREST INNOVATIONS, Albuquerque, NM (US);
Abstract
A system for measuring a periodic array of structures on a sample is provided. The system includes an optical source configured to produce an optical beam; an optical system configured to control the polarization of the optical beam and to focus the optical beam with a first NAon a sample surface and to sweep the angle of incidence across a range of angles with an approximately fixed focal position on a sample surface with a second NAwherein NA>NA; additional optical components configured to receive the optical beam reflected from the sample surface and to focus the reflected beam onto a detector; and a recording system to record the reflectivity of the sample surface as a function of the angle of incidence. In an embodiment, the optical system provides a spot on the sample such that both the angle of incidence and the position on the sample are varied during a sweep. Electronic filtering is provided to separate low frequency signals, corresponding to structural details of the sample, and high frequency signatures, corresponding to localized defects on the sample.