A method of monitoring overlay is used in a manufacturing process in which successive layers are deposited one over another to form a stack. Each layer may include a periodic structure such as a diffraction grating to be aligned with a periodic structure in another layer. The stacked periodic structures may be illuminated to form + and first order diffraction patterns from the periodic structures. An image of the stacked periodic structures may be captured including + and diffraction patterns. The + and diffraction patterns may be compared to calculate the overlay between successive layers.

A detection device includes an illumination optical system and a detection optical system. The illumination optical system is configured to illuminate a first diffraction grating having a first period in a first direction and a second diffraction grating having a second period different from the first period. The detection optical system is configured to detect light diffracted by the first and second diffraction gratings. The illumination optical system includes an optical member configured to form, on a pupil plane, a first pole and a second pole opposite to the first pole. The illumination optical system causes lights from the first and second poles to obliquely enter the first and second diffraction gratings from the first direction to illuminate the first and second diffraction gratings. The detection optical system detects diffracted light diffracted by one of the first and second diffraction gratings and by an other diffraction grating.

Apparatus for generating a dynamic structured light pattern for optical tracking in three-dimensional space, comprises an array of lasers, such as a VCSEL laser array, to project light in a pattern into a three-dimensional space; and an optical element or elements arranged in cells. The cells are aligned with subsets of the laser array, and each cell individually applies a modulation, in particular an intensity modulation, to light from the laser or lasers of the subset, to provide a distinguishable and separately controllable part of the dynamic structured light pattern. A method of generating a structured light pattern is disclosed, in which light is provided from an array of lasers, and light is individually projected from subsets of the array of lasers to provide differentiated parts of the structured light pattern.

A method of depositing a variable thickness material includes providing a substrate and providing a shadow mask having a first region with a first aperture dimension to aperture periodicity ratio and a second region with a second aperture dimension to aperture periodicity ratio less than the first aperture dimension to aperture periodicity ratio. The method also includes positioning the shadow mask adjacent the substrate and performing a plasma deposition process on the substrate to deposit the variable thickness material. A layer thickness adjacent the first region is greater than a layer thickness adjacent the second region.

A laser light projection apparatus is provided for projecting laser light onto the surface of a target object. The laser light projection apparatus includes a laser light source that generates laser light and a housing with a cavity therein defined by sidewalls, at least a portion of which have one or more reflective surfaces. The cavity extends along a center axis of the laser light and has a first portion at which a distance between opposing sidewalls is less than a distance between opposing sidewalls at a second portion of the cavity at a distance farther from the laser light source than the first portion. At least a portion of the laser light generated by the laser light source is reflected from the reflective surface of the sidewalls to form a two-dimensional pattern spaced apart from the center axis.

The present technology relates to an imaging device capable of efficiently separating signals having different characteristics. An image generating unit generates an image of a subject on the basis of pixel signals obtained by performing imaging in a state where light of a predetermined pattern from a structured light (SL) light source is irradiated to projection areas of specific pixels of an imaging unit that images the subject. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a camera system including an SL light source and an imaging device.

A position detection method includes obtaining a first phase value of a first signal that repetitively changes by a first cycle number, a second phase value of a second signal that repetitively changes by a second cycle number larger than the first cycle number, and a third phase value of a third signal that repetitively changes by a third cycle number larger than the second cycle number, selecting one cycle corresponding to the first phase value from cycles of the second cycle number, selecting one cycle corresponding to the second phase value and the cycle selected from the cycles of the second cycle number, obtaining a fourth phase value of the third signal corresponding to the second phase value of the cycle selected from the cycles of the second cycle number, and obtaining a position of the scale by using the third phase value and the fourth phase value.

In various embodiments, alignment systems for laser resonators generate near-field and/or far-field images of input beams produced by the laser resonators to enable the alignment of the input beams.

The present invention relates to an optical device for generating a diffracted image on a support (S), said device comprising a diffractive optical element (5) arranged to diffract an optical beam, in order to generate a diffraction image. The device further comprises an optical power mirror (7.1; 7.2; 7.3; 7.4; 7.5), the mirror being placed with respect to the diffractive optical element so as to project the diffraction figure towards the support to obtain a magnified version of the diffracted image.

Apparatus for generating a dynamic structured light pattern for optical tracking in three-dimensional space, comprises an array of lasers, such as a VCSEL laser array, to project light in a pattern into a three-dimensional space; and an optical element or elements arranged in cells. The cells are aligned with subsets of the laser array, and each cell individually applies a modulation, in particular an intensity modulation, to light from the laser or lasers of the subset, to provide a distinguishable and separately controllable part of the dynamic structured light pattern. A method of generating a structured light pattern is disclosed, in which light is provided from an array of lasers, and light is individually projected from subsets of the array of lasers to provide differentiated parts of the structured light pattern.