A white light confocal optical measurement device capable of detecting abnormalities in a received light waveform; the optical measurement device includes: a light source; an optical system; a light receiving unit; and a processor configured to compute the distance from the optical system to the measurement object on the basis of a received light intensity of the wavelength components received in the light receiving unit.

The processor compares a received light intensity of a wavelength component to a reference value for the wavelength component for a plurality of wavelength components in a waveform representing the light received, and detects an abnormality in the received light waveform when the amount of change in the received light intensity compared to the reference value therefor is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold for any wavelength component in the plurality of wavelength components.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for the optical detection of a plurality of labeled substrates in an assay. The various aspects of the optical detection systems enable the simultaneous detection of the plurality of labeled substrates. These systems are particularly useful in the detection of nucleic acids during an amplifications reaction.

[Object] To provide a chemical sensor capable of detecting light emitted from a detection target object efficiently, a method of producing the chemical sensor, and a chemical detection apparatus.

[Solving Means] A chemical sensor according to the present technology includes a substrate and a lens layer. On the substrate, at least one light detection unit is formed. The lens layer is laminated on the substrate and has optical transparency, and a lens structure is formed on a surface of the lens layer opposite to the substrate in a concave shape toward a lamination direction.

A sensor for monitoring CO.sub.2 in a fluid regardless of the phase properties of the fluid, i.e., regardless of whether the fluid contacting the window is a liquid water-based phase, a liquid oil-based phase, a mixture of liquid water and liquid oil-based phases, or a gas phase. The sensor includes an internal reflection window for contacting with the fluid. A mid-infrared light source directs a beam of mid-infrared radiation into the window and the beam is internal reflected at an interface between the window and the fluid. The reflected beam is passed through three narrow bandpass filters which preferentially transmit mid-infrared radiation over bands of wavelengths corresponding to absorbance peaks of water, oil and CO.sub.2. The amount of CO.sub.2 is determined from the intensities of the mid-infrared radiation passing through the three filters

A sensor for monitoring a hydrate inhibitor dissolved in a liquid. The sensor includes an internal reflection window for contacting with the liquid. The sensor further includes a mid-infrared light source for directs a beam of mid-infrared radiation into the window to provide for attenuated internal reflection at an interface between the window and the liquid. The internally reflected mid-infrared beam is passed through a narrow bandpass filter which preferentially transmits mid-infrared radiation over a band of wavelengths corresponding to an absorbance peak of the dissolved hydrate inhibitor to filter internally reflected mid-infrared radiation received from the window. The intensity of the reflected mid-infrared beam transmitted through the filter is measured and used to determine an amount of hydrate inhibitor ion the liquid.

A sensor is provided for monitoring cement. An internal reflection is contacted with the cement and a mid-infrared light source directs a beam of mid-infrared radiation into said window for attenuated internal reflection at an interface between the window and the cement. The reflected infrared radiation is passed through a first narrow bandpass filter that preferentially transmits mid-infrared radiation over a band of wavelengths corresponding to an absorbance peak of a species associated with the cement to filter internally reflected mid-infrared radiation received from the window. An infrared detector detects filtered mid-infrared radiation transmitted through the first filter and a processor measures the intensity of the detected mid-infrared radiation transmitted through the first filter, and determines therefrom an amount of the species associated with the cement.

A sensor including an optical cavity capable of receiving the gas, and defined by first and second opposite ends and a connecting portion connecting said ends; a light source arranged to emit infrared light in the optical cavity; at least one infrared detector arranged to detect the infrared light; at least one mirror arranged in the optical cavity to guide the infrared light towards said at least one infrared detector; the sensor being remarkable in that it includes first and second reflective elements respectively extending at the first and second ends of the optical cavity, and having an infrared light reflection coefficient greater than or equal to 75% for any angle of incidence.

A quantum cascade detector includes a semiconductor substrate; an active layer having a cascade structure; a lower cladding layer provided between the active layer and the substrate and having a lower refractive index than the active layer; a lower metal layer provided between the lower cladding layer and the substrate; an upper cladding layer provided on an opposite side to the substrate with respect to the active layer and having a lower refractive index than the active layer; and an upper metal layer provided on an opposite side to the active layer with respect to the upper cladding layer. A first end face being in a waveguide direction in a waveguide structure with the active layer, lower cladding layer, and upper cladding layer is an entrance surface for light to be detected.

A method, a computer system and an apparatus are disclosed for inspection recipe generation for the automated inspection of semiconductor devices. In order to generate the inspection recipe a reference data set is used. Automatic inspection is carried out with an initial recipe on images of dies of the reference data set (reference wafermap). The detected inspection results from the automatic inspection are classified and the classified inspection results are compared with an expert classification of defects in dies. Overkill and underkill numbers are automatically generated. According to the overkill and underkill numbers the inspection recipe parameters are modified. Automatic inspection is repeated if the detection and/or the classification are below a predefined threshold.

Metrology methods, systems and targets are provided, which implement a side by side paradigm. Adjacent cells with periodic structures are used to extract the overlay error, e.g., by introducing controllable phase shifts or image shifts which enable algorithmic computation of the overlay. The periodic structures are designed to exhibit a rotational symmetry to support the computation and reduce errors.