A wafer inspection apparatus includes: an objective lens on an optical path of first and second input beams; and an image sensor configured to generate an image of the wafer based on scattered light according to a nonlinear optical phenomenon based on the first and second input beams, wherein the first input beam passing through the objective lens is obliquely incident on the wafer at a first incident angle with respect to a vertical line that is normal to an upper surface of the wafer, the second input beam passing through the objective lens is incident on the wafer at a second incident angle oblique to the vertical line that is normal to the upper surface of the wafer, and the first and second incident angles are different from each other.

Systems and methods implement of high-speed delay scanning for spectroscopic SRS imaging characterized by scanning a first pulsed beam across a stepwise reflective surface (such as a stepwise mirror or a reflective blazed grating) in a Littrow configuration to generate near continuous temporal delays relative to a second pulsed beam. Systems and methods also implement deep learning techniques for image restoration of spectroscopic SRS images using a trained encoder-decoder convolution neural network (CNN) which in some embodiments may be designed as a spatial-spectral residual net (SS-ResNet) characterized by two parallel filters including a first convolution filter on the spatial domain and a second convolution filter on the spectral domain.

The invention relates to a device and corresponding method for raster-scan optoacoustic imaging, the device comprising: a radiation source comprising at least one Raman laser source, the radiation source being configured to generate a plurality of pulses of electromagnetic radiation, each of the pulses comprising portions of electromagnetic radiation at two or more distinct wavelengths, and at least one acousto-optic tunable filter configured to select, from at least one of the pulses, one of the portions of electromagnetic radiation at one of the wavelengths; an irradiation unit configured to irradiate a region of interest of an object, in particular a biological tissue, with the selected portion of electromagnetic radiation of the at least one pulse; a detection unit configured to detect acoustic waves emitted from the region of interest in response to irradiating the region of interest with the selected portion of electromagnetic radiation of the at least one pulse; and a scanning unit configured to move the irradiation unit and detection unit, on the one hand, and/or the region of interest, on the other hand, along at least one dimension relative to each other so as to position the irradiation unit and detection unit at a plurality of different locations along the at least one dimension relative to the region of interest, and to control the detection unit to detect the acoustic waves at the plurality of locations.

The disclosure provides a Raman spectrum detection apparatus and a method of monitoring detection security thereof. The method includes: emitting excited light by a light source and guiding the excited light to a sample; collecting a light signal generated by the sample under irradiation of the excited light and generating spectrum data representing the light signal; determining a first part representing an excited light component of the light signal and a second part representing a Raman scattered component and a fluorescence component of the light signal, of the spectrum data; calculating a first parameter representing an amplitude of spectral intensity, and a second parameter representing a fluctuation of spectral intensity, of each of the first and second parts; comparing the first parameters, and comparing the second parameters, of the first and second parts; and determining whether or not the sample is a deep-colored substance based on comparison results.

An exemplary laser microscope can be provided, comprising at least one first laser source which emits at least one (e.g., pulsed) excitation beam, a scanning optical configuration (e.g., configured to scan the excitation beam over the surface of a sample), a focusing optical configuration (e.g., configured to focus the excitation beam onto the sample), and at least one detector configured to detect light emitted by the sample due to an optical effect in response to the excitation beam. A second laser source facilitates a pulsed ablation beam for a local ablation of the material of the sample. The ablation beam can be guided to the sample via the scanning and focusing optical configurations, The first and second laser sources can be fed by a mutual continuous wave pump laser- and/or a mutual pulsed pump laser. The first laser source can emit pulses with at least two different wavelengths.

A system includes a laser (1) operative to emit a light beam, a beam splitter (2) arranged to split the light beam into a first beam and a second beam, the first beam being directed to a nonlinear converter (8) that generates a signal beam having a Stokes-shifted wavelength, a recombiner (9) arranged to recombine the signal beam with the second beam to form a recombined beam which is directed to a tapered optical fiber (5) located within a material to be monitored, and a detector (7) arranged to detect light emitted by the tapered optical fiber (5) and which uses stimulated Raman spectroscopy to detect a chemical in the material.

Methods and devices for real-time detection of fouling chemistry are described herein. In one aspect, a method of detecting and characterizing fouling of a membrane used for separation in a fluid-based system can include illuminating the membrane with one or more light sources, collecting Raman spectroscopy data from the membrane, and based on the Raman data, determining at least one selected from the group consisting of: presence or absence of membrane fouling, severity of membrane fouling, and composition of the membrane fouling, where the Raman spectroscopy is selected from the group consisting of Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS), Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS), and spontaneous Raman Scattering.

Systems and methods implement of high-speed delay scanning for spectroscopic SRS imaging characterized by scanning a first pulsed beam across a stepwise reflective surface (such as a stepwise mirror or a reflective blazed grating) in a Littrow configuration to generate near continuous temporal delays relative to a second pulsed beam. Systems and methods also implement deep learning techniques for image restoration of spectroscopic SRS images using a trained encoder-decoder convolution neural network (CNN) which in some embodiments may be designed as a spatial-spectral residual net (SS-ResNet) characterized by two parallel filters including a first convolution filter on the spatial domain and a second convolution filter on the spectral domain.

There are provided a substrate including a three-dimensional (3D) nanoplasmonic composite structure, a method of fabricating the same, and a rapid analysis method using the same. More specifically, there are provided a substrate including a 3D plasmonic-nanostructure/target-molecule composite thin film composed of an analyte and a plasmonic nanostructure and formed by applying a voltage to a plasmonic electrode in an electrochemical cell including an analyte and a metal precursor to induce an analyte molecule on the electrode and performing electrochemical deposition (or electrodeposition), a method of fabricating the same, and a rapid analysis method using the same.

Systems and methods for hybrid time-resolved and time-shifted spectroscopy for measuring biological analytes are disclosed. Exemplary methods include: illuminating an analyte using first light from and excitation source, the first light having a first excitation wavelength; detecting a first spectrum from the analyte illuminated by the first light using a time-resolved spectroscopy technique, the first spectrum including a first Raman signal and fluorescence; illuminating the analyte using second light, the second light having a second excitation wavelength; detecting a second spectrum using a time-resolved spectroscopy technique; illuminating the analyte using third light, the third light having a third excitation wavelength; detecting a third spectrum; recovering the first Raman signal using the first spectrum, the second spectrum, and the third spectrum using an inverse transform; and using the first Raman signal to identify and measure at least one molecule of the analyte using a database of identified Raman signals.