Laser 3D imaging techniques include splitting a laser temporally-modulated waveform of bandwidth B and duration D from a laser source into a reference beam and a target beam and directing the target beam onto a target. First data is collected, which indicates amplitude and phase of light relative to the reference beam received at each of a plurality of different times during a duration D at each optical detector of an array of one or more optical detectors perpendicular to the target beam. Steps are repeated for multiple sampling conditions, and the first data for the multiple sampling conditions are synthesized to form one or more synthesized sets. A 3D Fourier transform of each synthesized set forms a digital model of the target for each synthesized set with a down-range resolution based on the bandwidth B.

A plaque detection method and apparatus wherein at least one processor is programmed to receive above focus images to detect the presence of live cells without detecting the lysed cell materials, receive below focus images wherein virtual dark regions exist which are similar to cell shadows as seeds in a segmentation process and use contours around each resulting shape to obtain a subset that are more likely to be part of the cell population to define a cell map. A distance map is created in which each pixel value is the distance of that pixel from the nearest pixel of the cell map and the distance map is thresholded to create a first image of the places which are relatively far from the cells a second image with a smaller distance threshold to get an image that mimics the edges of the cells.

A hologram acquisition apparatus and a hologram acquisition system are disclosed. A hologram acquisition apparatus includes a beam splitter configured to split light emitted from an object into a first beam and a second beam, a first reflective optical element configured to receive and emit the first beam to the beam splitter, and a second reflective optical element configured to receive and emit the second beam to the beam splitter and formed as an annular spherical array having discontinuous surfaces, wherein the second reflective optical element has a plurality of segment regions that are concentric and divided to have the discontinuous surfaces and, the plurality of segment regions are formed to have the same focal point.

An optical measurement system capable of suppressing noise and realizing more accurate measurement is provided. The optical measurement system includes a light source, an image sensor, and an optical system including a beam splitter that divides light from the light source into first light and second light. The optical system can configure a first optical system that records with the image sensor, a first hologram resulting from modulation of first light with second light while there is no sample, the second light being diverging light, and a second optical system that records with the image sensor, a second hologram resulting from modulation with second light, of light obtained by illumination of a sample with first light. The second optical system includes a restriction mechanism that restricts spread of the light obtained by illumination of the sample with first light to be kept within a predetermined range.

Systems and methods for simultaneous multi-channel off-axis holography are described. Multi-channel imaging systems can include a light system including a plurality of light sources configured to generate illumination and reference beams at a plurality of wavelengths, an illumination system configured to illuminate a target object with the illumination beams, an optical assembly configured to receive a reflected target beam and condition the target beam for recording at an optical imaging system, and a reference system configured to propagate the reference beams to the optical imaging system. The reference beams are interfered with the target beam at the optical imaging system to create interference patterns, which can be recorded in a collective image having a plurality of side lobes. Holographic information in the side lobes can be combined to generate 3D images having a substantially reduced signal to noise ratio.

Example embodiments provide digital holographic techniques and associated systems for imaging through scattering media in a strictly one-sided observation in which the observer (e.g. the controller of the camera) has no access to the object plane nor does the observer introduce a fluorescing agent to the object plane. An example imaging system comprises a laser source, a digital sensor array, and a processing system. The processing system transmits light from the laser source to a target object; detects interference formed on the digital sensor array by a reference beam from the transmitted light and reflected light from the target object, the reflected light either travelling through or being reflected by a scattering medium located between the target object and the digital sensor array; jointly estimating, based on the detected interference, parameters defining the scattering behavior of the particular scattering medium and an image of the target object; and outputting the jointly estimated scattering parameters and an image of the target object.

Systems and methods for simultaneous multi-channel off-axis holography are described. Multi-channel imaging systems can include a light system including a plurality of light sources configured to generate illumination and reference beams at a plurality of wavelengths, an illumination system configured to illuminate a target object with the illumination beams, an optical assembly configured to receive a reflected target beam and condition the target beam for recording at an optical imaging system, and a reference system configured to propagate the reference beams to the optical imaging system. The reference beams are interfered with the target beam at the optical imaging system to create interference patterns, which can be recorded in a collective image having a plurality of side lobes. Holographic information in the side lobes can be combined to generate 3D images having a substantially reduced signal to noise ratio.

An apparatus and method are disclosed for actinic inspection of semiconductor masks intended for extended ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, or similar objects, with feature sizes less than 100 nm. The approach uses a coherent light source with wavelength less than 120 nm. Inside a vacuum system, an optical system directs the light to an object, i.e., the mask or mask blank, and directs the resulting reflected or transmitted light to an imaging sensor. A computational system processes the imaging sensor data to generate phase and amplitude images of the object. The preferred imaging modality, a form of digital holography, produces images of buried structures and phase objects, as well as amplitude or reflectance images, with nanometer resolution less than or equal to the feature size of the mask.

A system for monitoring a building structure is described. The system comprises a laser source which emits an infrared radiation and an interferometric arrangement which divides the radiation into an object beam and a reference beam. The object beam irradiates the building structure and is scattered by it, while the reference beam interferes with the scattered object beam so as to create a hologram of the building. The system also comprises a sensor which detects a sequence of holograms and a processing unit which reconstructs the evolution in time of deformations or displacements of the building by numerically processing the sequence of holograms. The systembeing based on digital holographyoffers various advantages compared to known monitoring techniques, for example techniques which make use of seismometers (possibility of remote monitoring, substantial space-time continuity of the monitoring, capacity for detecting a wider range of deformations and displacements).

Techniques to improve image quality in holography utilizing lenses made from materials with non-quantized anisotropic electromagnetic properties, such as birefringent materials, to advantageously split an incoming beam of light into two coincident beams with different focal lengths that interfere with one another and thus create holograms free of electro-optical or pixelated devices are disclosed. Corresponding systems, methods and apparatuses are described.