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:
May. 04, 1999
Filed:
Mar. 06, 1997
Youqi Wang, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
An optical telemicroscope, also called an optical interferometer, uses split optical beams and an intensity detector to precisely measure the difference between two optical beam paths. By measuring the difference in path lengths, and/or by measuring changes in the relative difference between the two paths as the optical beams are scanned over a surface, the topology of an object's surface may be precisely measured. Similarly, by measuring changes in the relative difference between the two paths as a material etching or material deposition or growth process is performed, the amount of material added or removed from an object's surface may be precisely metered. The optical telemicroscope includes an optical beam source that generates a monoenergetic optical beam, an optical beam splitter that splits the beam into first and second optical beams having different trajectories, and an optical beam intensity detector that receives a reflected portion of the first and second optical beams after they have been reflected from distinct positions of a target surface and generates an intensity signal indicative of the received beams combined intensity. A controller that receives the intensity signal, and analyzes changes in the intensity signal to determine relative changes in path lengths of the first and second optical beams.