Disclosed is a method of measuring a periodic structure on a substrate with illumination radiation having at least one wavelength, the periodic structure having at least one pitch. The method comprises configuring, based on a ratio of said pitch and said wavelength, one or more of: an illumination aperture profile comprising one or more illumination regions in Fourier space; an orientation of the periodic structure for a measurement; and a detection aperture profile comprising one or more separated detection regions in Fourier space. This configuration is such that: i) diffracted radiation of at least a pair of complementary diffraction orders is captured within the detection aperture profile, and ii) said diffracted radiation fills at least 80% of the one or more separated detection regions. The periodic structure is measured while applying the configured one or more of illumination aperture profile, detection aperture profile and orientation of the periodic structure.

A method for antibacterial susceptibility testing includes preparing a set of two or more samples of a plurality of bacterial cells from a patient; adding a different amount of a selected drug to each sample; illuminating at least a portion of a sample using a coherent illumination source; capturing a series of speckle images over time of at least a portion of the illuminated sample; and determining an inhibition status of the sample using a machine-learning classifier applied to the series of speckle images. The steps of illuminating the sample, capturing a series of images, and determining an inhibition status are repeated for each sample of the set of two or more samples. The method may include transforming the series of speckle images to a frequency series of speckle images; and determining the inhibition status of the sample uses the machine-learning classifier applied to the frequency series of speckle images.

Provided is a water examination device including: a main body; a fluid accommodation unit formed in the main body; a wave source for irradiating waves toward the fluid accommodation unit; a detector for detecting a laser speckle at every set time period that is set in advance, the laser speckle being generated due to multiple scattering of the waves in the fluid; a controller for estimating existence of impurities in the fluid in real-time by using the detected laser speckle; and a calibration unit for controlling the wave source or the detector such that an intensity of light irradiated from the wave source and measured by the detector is within a certain range set in advance.

A method is provided. The method includes forming a shrink material layer over a substrate including a photoresist pattern. The method also includes exposing the substrate with the shrink material layer to an activating radiation via a grey-tone mask that provides a predetermined light transmittance profile for the activating radiation. The method also includes removing at least a portion of the shrink material layer.

The present invention provides a whole blood sample detection method, device and system using a fluidic diffraction chip, including: injecting a whole blood sample through a diffraction chip; rinsing the diffraction chip; emitting a laser light source through the diffraction chip, wherein the wavelength range of the laser light source is 400 nm to 700 nm, the laser power density range of the diffraction chip is 2 mW/cm.sup.2 to 2000 mW/cm.sup.2, and a laser diffraction signal is received on the opposite side of the laser transmitter. The attenuation of the laser diffraction signal calculates the number of a test target. The method, device and system of the present invention can detect the number and status of cells or bacteria without labeling of cells or bacteria.

Provided is a water examination device including: a main body; a cup accommodation unit formed inward from a surface of the main body such that a cup containing a fluid is accommodated therein; a wave source for irradiating a wave toward the cup accommodation unit; a detector for detecting a laser speckle generated when the irradiated wave is multiple-scattered in the fluid, at every time point set in advance; and a controller for estimating whether foreign substances exist in the fluid in real-time by using the detected laser speckle.

A diffractometric sensing device for analyzing molecular interactions is described, the diffractometric sensing device comprising a transparent carrier medium, the carrier medium comprising a grating structure (42.1-42.5) with a plurality of consecutive surfaces or lines and a plurality of binding sites arranged thereon, the binding sites being configured to interact with one or more target molecules, wherein the grating structure is configured to diffract a portion of coherent light propagating in the carrier medium so as to produce a constructive interference signal at a light detector (4.1-4.4), the signal being dependent on molecular interactions at or in the vicinity of the binding sites. The invention offers more sensitivity, faster response, miniaturization, easy manufacturing and more applications compared to current diffractometric sensing devices.

The present invention relates to an optical nanostructure sensing device and an image analysis method. The image analysis method includes: illuminating a light beam from a predetermined incident angle onto a nanostructure pixel sensor; capturing images of the nanostructure pixel sensor when applying an analyte on the nanostructure pixel sensor; obtaining a relationship of periodic spacing and brightness from each of the images; and obtaining wavelength values from the relationship of periodic spacing and brightness at a predetermined brightness value; and determining a sensing process based on a wavelength shift of the wavelength values. The nanostructure pixel sensor includes a plurality of the nanostructure pixels, each of the nanostructure pixels includes periodic nanostructures, and the relationship of periodic spacing and brightness is based on the brightness of the nanostructure pixels having different periodic spacings.

The invention relates to a system (1) for observing objects, including: a light source (3), a holder (12) able to receive a translucent or opaque substrate, a detector (7) able to collect the backscattered light from the interaction between the light emitted by light source (3) and the objects, a polarization splitter (9), and a quarter-wave plate (10), the splitter (9) and the quarter-wave plate (10) being arranged so that the splitter (9) directs the light emitted by the light source (3) toward the solid substrate and directs the backscattered light from the interaction between the light emitted by the light source (3) and the objects toward the detector (7).

A real-time ablation sensor uses an optical detector, such as a spectrometer or radiometer, to detect ablation of a material, for example by detecting a signal indicative of ablation of the material, which may be an engineered material. The optical detector may detect reflected light, either from the material being ablated, or from products of the ablation, such as in the vicinity of the material being ablated. A light source may be used to provide light that is reflected by the material and/or the ablation products, with the reflected light received by the detector. The light may be of a selected wavelength or wavelengths, with the selection made in combination with the selection/configuration of the material to be ablated, and/or the selection/configuration of the optical detector.