A device for inspecting a liquid crystal stain of a polarization plate, the device comprising a surface light source; a first polarization member; a polarization plate including a liquid crystal film; a second polarization member; and an inspection source, and a method using the device, the device and the method capable of easily inspecting liquid crystal stains generated on a polarization plate with excellent visibility.

Sub-diffraction limited magneto-optical microscopy, such as Kerr or Faraday effect microscopy, provide many advantages to fields of science and technology for measuring, or imaging, the magnetization structures and magnetization domains of materials. Disclosed is a method and system for performing sub-diffraction limited magneto-optic microscopy. The method includes positioning a microlens or microlens layer relative to a surface of a sample to image the surface of the sample, forming a photonic nanojet to probe the surface of the sample, and receiving light reflected by the surface of the sample or transmitted through the sample at an imaging sensor. The methods and associated systems and devices enable sub-diffraction limited imaging of magnetic domains at resolutions 2 to 8 times the classical diffraction limit.

An inspection apparatus for inspecting a light-emitting diode wafer is provided. The inspection apparatus includes a Z-axis translation stage, a sensing probe, a height measurement module, a carrier, an illumination light source, and a processing device. The sensing probe is integrated with the Z-axis translation stage. The Z-axis translation stage is adapted to drive the sensing probe to move in a Z axis. The sensing probe includes a photoelectric sensor, a beam splitter, and a photoelectric sensing structure. One of the photoelectric sensor of the sensing probe and the height measurement module is adapted to receive a light beam penetrating the beam splitter, and the other one of the photoelectric sensor of the sensing probe and the height measurement module is adapted to receive a light beam reflected by the beam splitter. The carrier is configured to carry the light-emitting diode wafer. The illumination light source is configured to emit an illumination beam to irradiate the light-emitting diode wafer. An inspection method for inspecting light-emitting diodes is also provided.

A sample detection device includes a first polarizer configured to allow part of incident light to pass therethrough by polarizing the incident light, a stage disposed on a path of light having passed the first polarizer, the stage allowing a sample to be seated thereon, a second polarizer configured to polarize light and a detection unit configured to detect light having passed the second polarizer and to generate a detection signal. The first polarizer allows first polarized light oscillating in a first direction to proceed toward the sample when the incident light reaches the first polarizer. Emission light is emitted by an excitation of the sample when the first polarized light reaches the sample. The second polarizer allows second polarized light oscillating in a second direction to proceed toward the detection unit when the emission light reaches the second polarizer.

An inspection apparatus for inspecting a light-emitting diode wafer is provided. The inspection apparatus includes a Z-axis translation stage, a sensing probe, a height measurement module, a carrier, an illumination light source, and a processing device. The sensing probe is integrated with the Z-axis translation stage. The Z-axis translation stage is adapted to drive the sensing probe to move in a Z axis. The sensing probe includes a photoelectric sensor, a beam splitter, and a photoelectric sensing structure. One of the photoelectric sensor of the sensing probe and the height measurement module is adapted to receive a light beam penetrating the beam splitter, and the other one of the photoelectric sensor of the sensing probe and the height measurement module is adapted to receive a light beam reflected by the beam splitter. The carrier is configured to carry the light-emitting diode wafer. The illumination light source is configured to emit an illumination beam to irradiate the light-emitting diode wafer. An inspection method for inspecting light-emitting diodes is also provided.

A semiconductor device inspection method of inspecting a semiconductor device which is an inspection object includes: a step of inputting a stimulation signal to the semiconductor device; a step of acquiring a detection signal based on a reaction of the semiconductor device to which the stimulation signal has been input; a step of generating a first in-phase image and a first quadrature image including amplitude information and phase information in the detection signal based on the detection signal and a reference signal generated based on the stimulation signal; and a step of performing, a filtering process of reducing noise on at least one of the first in-phase image and the first quadrature image and then generating a first amplitude image based on the first in-phase image and the first quadrature image.

A method and system for imaging thermodynamic phase of clouds includes obtaining a spatially-resolved polarimetric image of a region of the sky containing a cloud using a multipixel image sensor having multiple channels corresponding to different wavelength bands, determining a value of the Stokes S.sub.1 polarization parameter of incident light on each pixel corresponding to a portion of the image containing the cloud for multiple channels corresponding to different wavelength bands, and determining the thermodynamic phase of the cloud within the image based on the values of the Stokes S.sub.1 polarization parameter. The Stokes S.sub.1 polarization parameter values determined for a first channel corresponding to a first wavelength band is used to determine a liquid thermodynamic phase, and the Stokes S.sub.1 polarization parameter values determined for a second channel corresponding to a second, shorter wavelength band is used to determine an ice thermodynamic phase.

A sample detection device includes a first polarizer configured to allow part of incident light to pass therethrough by polarizing the incident light, a stage disposed on a path of light having passed the first polarizer, the stage allowing a sample to be seated thereon, a second polarizer configured to polarize light and a detection unit configured to detect light having passed the second polarizer and to generate a detection signal. The first polarizer allows first polarized light oscillating in a first direction to proceed toward the sample when the incident light reaches the first polarizer. Emission light is emitted by an excitation of the sample when the first polarized light reaches the sample. The second polarizer allows second polarized light oscillating in a second direction to proceed toward the detection unit when the emission light reaches the second polarizer.

There is provided a method of detecting a change of a state of a liquid comprising the steps of: providing a liquid detection medium (12) comprising a liquid and having a plurality of anisotropic magnetic particles suspended therein; applying a modulated magnetic field across at least a portion of the liquid detection medium (12), wherein the magnetic field induces an alignment of the magnetic particles; introducing electromagnetic radiation (22) into the liquid detection medium (12); detecting a variable which is modulated by the applied magnetic field, wherein the variable is associated with the interaction of the electromagnetic radiation (22) with the magnetic particles and wherein the change in the state of the liquid causes a variation in the detected variable; and correlating the variation in the detected variable with the change in the state of the liquid.

There is provided a chirped diffractive element (20) in the form of a grating (22) configured for supporting a plurality of guided mode resonances (54), which resonances (54) may be considered to comprise a standing wave. Chirping the grating (22) may allow guided mode resonances (54) to be distinguishable in terms of position within a section (34) the grating (22). An incident electromagnetic field may be coupled into at least one of the sections (34) when the electromagnetic field has a wavelength value within a predetermined wavelength range and a sample has a refractive index value within a predetermined index range. The incident electromagnetic field may be reflected by at least one of the sections (34) of the grating (22) exhibiting a guided mode resonance (54). The reflected electromagnetic field from the section (34) can then be detected by directly imaging the grating (22), thereby revealing the position of the exhibited guided mode resonance (54) in the grating (22), and thereby inferring the refractive index value of the sample.