Abstract:
A microsphere-based analytic chemistry system and method for making the same is disclosed in which microspheres or particles carrying bioactive agents may be combined randomly or in ordered fashion and dispersed on a substrate to form an array while maintaining the ability to identify the location of bioactive agents and particles within the array using an optically interrogatable, optical signature encoding scheme. A wide variety of modified substrates may be employed which provide either discrete or non-discrete sites for accommodating the microspheres in either random or patterned distributions. The substrates may be constructed from a variety of materials to form either two-dimensional or three-dimensional configurations. In a preferred embodiment, a modified fiber optic bundle or array is employed as a substrate to produce a high density array. The disclosed system and method have utility for detecting target analytes and screening large libraries of bioactive agents.
Abstract:
Computation-saving techniques and stability-adding techniques provide for fast, accurate reconstructions of a time series of images involving large-scale 3D problems, such as real-time image recovery in an optical tomography imaging system. A system equation for a target medium (116) such as tissue is solved using a Normalized Difference Method (NDM) (250). Because of the inherent stability of the NDM solutions, a weight matrix (W) of the system equation can be provided for a given point in a time series (220), then reused without recalculation at subsequent points. Further savings are achieved by decomposing W using singular value decomposition or direct matrix decomposition, transforming it to reduce its dimensions, and/or scaling it to achieve a more stable numerical solution. Values of measured energy (112) emerging from the target medium are back-substituted into the system equation for the different points to obtain the target medium properties.
Abstract:
An inspection apparatus can include a handset and an elongated inspection tube extending from the handset. For reduction of heat energy radiating from one or more components of the apparatus, the apparatus can include a particularly designed heat sink assembly.
Abstract:
Fast on-line electro-optical detection of wafer defects by illuminating with a short light pulse from a repetitively pulsed laser, a section of the wafer while it is moved across the field of view of an imaging system, and imaging the moving wafer onto a focal plane assembly, optically forming a continuous surface of photo-detectors at the focal plane of the optical imaging system. The continuously moving wafer is illuminated by a laser pulse of duration significantly shorter than the pixel dwell time, such that there is effectively no image smear during the wafer motion. The laser pulse has sufficient energy and brightness to impart the necessary illumination to each sequentially inspected field of view required for creating an image of the inspected wafer die. A novel fiber optical illumination delivery system, which is effective in reducing the effects of source coherence is described. Other novel aspects of the system include a system for compensating for variations in the pulse energy of a Q-switched laser output, methods for autofocussing of the wafer imaging system, and novel methods for removal of repetitive features of the image by means of Fourier plane filtering, to enable easier detection of wafer defects.
Abstract:
A fiber optical illumination delivery system, which is effective in reducing the effects of source coherence. The system preferably utilizes either a single bundle of optical fibers, or serial bundles of optical fibers. In the single bundle embodiment, the differences in optical lengths between different fibers of the bundle is preferably made to be equal to even less than the coherence length of the source illumination. In the serial bundle embodiment, the fibers in the other bundle are arranged as groups of fibers of the same length, and it is the difference in lengths of these groups which is made equal to, or even more preferably, less than the overall difference in length between the shortest and the longest fibers in the other bundle. Both of these fiber systems enable construction of illumination systems delivering a higher level of illumination, but without greatly affecting the coherence breaking abilities of the system, thus enabling a generally more applicable system to be constructed.
Abstract:
Fast on-line electro-optical detection of wafer defects by illuminating with a short light pulse from a repetitively pulsed laser, a section of the wafer while it is moved across the field of view of an imaging system, and imaging the moving wafer onto a focal plane assembly, optically forming a continuous surface of photo-detectors at the focal plane of the optical imaging system. The continuously moving wafer is illuminated by a laser pulse of duration significantly shorter than the pixel dwell time, such that there is effectively no image smear during the wafer motion. The laser pulse has sufficient energy and brightness to impart the necessary illumination to each sequentially inspected field of view required for creating an image of the inspected wafer die. A novel fiber optical illumination delivery system, which is effective in reducing the effects of source coherence is described. Other novel aspects of the system include a system for compensating for variations in the pulse energy of a Q-switched laser output, methods for autofocussing of the wafer imaging system, and novel methods for removal of repetitive features of the image by means of Fourier plane filtering, to enable easier detection of wafer defects.
Abstract:
A device for detecting the fluorescence emitted by chromophore elements contained in the wells of a multiwell plate, the device comprising means integrated in the transparent bottoms of the wells of the plate to limit the penetration length in the wells of a light beam for exciting chromophore elements fixed on the bottoms of the wells.
Abstract:
A spectrometer (100) includes a light source (102) providing output light (106) to the bundled input ends (108) of multiple light pipes (110). The light pipes (110) branch into sets (118) between their input ends (108) and output ends (114), with each set (118) illuminating a sample detector (126) (via a sample chamber (122)) for measuring light scattered or emitted by a sample, or a reference detector (128) for obtaining a reference/datum measurement of the supplied light, so that comparison of measurements from the sample detector (126) and the reference detector (128) allows compensation of the sample detector measurements for drift. Efficient and accurate measurement is further assured by arraying the multiple light pipes (110) in each set (118) about the input bundle (116) so that each set receives at least substantially the same amount of light from the light source (102).
Abstract:
A blood coagulation analyzer and analyzing method perform following: (a) preparing a measurement specimen by dispensing a blood specimen and a reagent into a reaction container; (b) emitting light of a plurality of wavelengths to the measurement specimen in the reaction container, the wavelengths comprising a first wavelength for use in a measurement by a blood coagulation time method, and at least one of a second wavelength for use in a measurement by a synthetic substrate method and a third wavelength for use in a measurement by an immunoturbidimetric method; (c) detecting light of a plurality of wavelengths corresponding to the light emitted in (b), from the measurement specimen, by a light receiving element, and acquiring data corresponding to each wavelength; and (d) conducting an analysis based on the data corresponding to one of the wavelengths among the acquired data, and acquiring a result of the analysis.
Abstract:
Fast on-line electro-optical detection of wafer defects by illuminating with a short light pulse from a repetitively pulsed laser, a section of the wafer while it is moved across the field of view of an imaging system, and imaging the moving wafer onto a focal plane assembly, optically forming a continuous surface of photo-detectors at the focal plane of the optical imaging system. The continuously moving wafer is illuminated by a laser pulse of duration significantly shorter than the pixel dwell time, such that there is effectively no image smear during the wafer motion. The laser pulse has sufficient energy and brightness to impart the necessary illumination to each sequentially inspected field of view required for creating an image of the inspected wafer die. A novel fiber optical illumination delivery system, which is effective in reducing the effects of source coherence is described. Other novel aspects of the system include a system for compensating for variations in the pulse energy of a Q-switched laser output, methods for autofocussing of the wafer imaging system, and novel methods for removal of repetitive features of the image by means of Fourier plane filtering, to enable easier detection of wafer defects.