An optical element includes a conversion layer and a metal piece layer. The conversion layer is provided with a light-incidence surface including an uneven surface, the conversion layer being configured to receive light incident on the uneven surface and output the light from the uneven surface as light in a different state than the incident light. The metal piece layer is configured by a plurality of metal pieces to cover at least part of the uneven surface.

The present method for evaluating an orientation of silver nanowires is a method for measuring an orientation of silver nanowires included in a polyvinyl alcohol film, the method including measuring, using linearly polarized near-infrared light, a first transmittance T1 for polarized light perpendicular to an orientation direction of silver nanowires and a second transmittance T0 for polarized light parallel to the orientation direction of the silver nanowires in a polyvinyl alcohol film including the silver nanowires, and determining an orientation to be high in a case where a ratio (T1/T0) of the first transmittance T1 to the second transmittance T0 is greater than 1, and determining the orientation to be low in a case where the ratio is close to 1.

A measuring device includes: an irradiator that irradiates electromagnetic waves to an inspection object; a light collector having a reflecting surface that guides, to a light-collecting surface, electromagnetic waves whose incident angle with respect to an incident end facing the inspection object is within a predetermined angle, among the electromagnetic waves that have been transmitted through the inspection object; and a detector that detects the electromagnetic waves guided to the light-collecting surface. The measuring device measures a characteristic of the inspection object based on the detected electromagnetic waves.

An active real-time characterization system for monitoring the absorption and/or curing rate of a chemical substance applied to an outer surface of an article under test. Infrared and visible light sources controllably output a pulsed beam of coherent light directed at a particular area on the article under test where the chemical substance has been applied. A series of cameras, including a visible light camera, a visible light second harmonic generation camera, an infrared camera, an infrared second harmonic generation camera, a sum-frequency camera and a third-order camera are configured to receive return beams of light. A processor controls the pulse rate of the light sources and the first visible light source and processes the signals received from the cameras to determine when the chemical substance applied to the outer surface of the article under test has been absorbed or has cured.

An active real-time characterization system for monitoring the absorption and/or curing rate of a chemical substance applied to an outer surface of an article under test. Infrared and visible light sources controllably output a pulsed beam of coherent light directed at a particular area on the article under test where the chemical substance has been applied. A series of cameras, including a visible light camera, a visible light second harmonic generation camera, an infrared camera, an infrared second harmonic generation camera, a sum-frequency camera and a third-order camera are configured to receive return beams of light. A processor controls the pulse rate of the light sources and the first visible light source and processes the signals received from the cameras to determine when the chemical substance applied to the outer surface of the article under test has been absorbed or has cured.

3D graphene optical sensors, such as microstructure sensors and nanostructure sensors. The 3D optical sensors include one or more graphene panels shaped to surround an interior, open volume. Graphene plasmons couple across the interior, open volume. The 3D optical sensors can have a polygonal shape or a cylindrical shape.

An inspection device includes: an illumination device that irradiates standard and inspection objects with near-infrared light; a spectroscope that disperses reflected light; an imaging device that takes images of first and second optical spectrums of the reflected light dispersed by the spectroscope to obtain standard spectroscopic image data and inspection spectroscopic image data; and a processor. The processor executes a predetermined arithmetic operation with regard to at least one of (i) each pixel row of the standard spectroscopic image data perpendicular to a wavelength dispersion direction and (ii) each pixel column of the standard spectroscopic image data parallel to the wavelength dispersion direction. The processor, based on luminance values of pixels belonging to the pixel row or column, determines a characteristic of the pixel row and grasps a wavelength sensitivity characteristic of the imaging element under the near-infrared light emitted from the illumination device.

A measuring device includes: an irradiator that irradiates electromagnetic waves to an inspection object; a light collector having a reflecting surface that guides, to a light-collecting surface, electromagnetic waves whose incident angle with respect to an incident end facing the inspection object is within a predetermined angle, among the electromagnetic waves that have been transmitted through the inspection object; and a detector that detects the electromagnetic waves guided to the light-collecting surface. The measuring device measures a characteristic of the inspection object based on the detected electromagnetic waves.

An installation for producing a film web and a method for operating such an installation includes a control circuit having a controller, a sensor and an actuator integrated into the ongoing film production process. The sensor is set up to sense a flatness of the film web, and the sensor is data-connected to the controller, wherein the controller is data-connected to the actuator and the actuator is actuated by the controller in order to control film production on the basis of the flatness.

A web gauging system and methods of using the web gauging system are described. The web gauging system includes a supercontinuum Laser providing a light beam. A beam expander is configured to expand the light beam and provide an expanded beam to a sample illumination area. A detector unit configured to detect a sample light from the illumination area. A moving web can be placed in the illumination area, where the web gauging system measures parameters of the web.