A fluorescent liquid penetrant is provided which includes a liquid medium having a plurality of fluorophores disposed therein. Upon excitation with a suitable light source, the penetrant exhibits a quantum yield greater than 40% (or in some embodiments, greater than 90%). In some embodiments, the fluorophore is a low-toxicity quantum dot. In some embodiments, the fluorophore has significantly reduced self-absorption, which allows for surface discontinuity depth measurement. Also disclosed are apparatuses for using these fluorescent liquid penetrants for non-destructive testing purposes. In some embodiments, these tests include measuring the depth of a discontinuity by analyzing photoluminescence intensity and/or photoluminescence peak position shift.

The invention relates to a system for determining a level of nitrate in a water sample, including: (a) an optical flow cell which is at least partially transparent and which is configured to contain a sample of water; (b) a first illuminator for illuminating the sample by light in a first wavelength, and a first photodetector for collecting the first-wavelength illumination, following the light passage through the sample; (c) a second illuminator for illuminating the sample within the cell by light in a second, fluorescence-exciting wavelength, and a second photodetector for collecting illumination in a third, fluorescence-emission wavelength from the sample; and (d) an analysis unit for determining the combined effect of nitrate+DOC within the sample on the absorbance of light, determining a concentration of DOC within the sample based on fluorescence emission from the sample, and subtracting the effect of DOC from the combined effect of nitrate+DOC on the absorbance, thereby to determine a concentration of nitrate within the sample.

Aspects of the present disclosure include methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for transmitting a light such that it is incident on a multi-layer stack, wherein the multi-layer stack includes the feature and a region without the feature, detecting a narrow-band light from the feature and the region without the feature, wherein the feature has a first optical response in response to a wavelength of the narrow-band light and the region without the feature has a second optical response in response to the wavelength of the narrow-band light, and generating, based on the narrow-band light, an image indicative of where the first optical response and the second optical response occur on the multi-layer stack.

An inspection apparatus is an inspection apparatus includes an excitation light source that generates excitation light to irradiate the object, a dichroic mirror that separates fluorescence from the sample by transmitting or reflecting the fluorescence according to a wavelength, a camera that images fluorescence reflected by the dichroic mirror, a camera that images fluorescence transmitted through the dichroic mirror, and a control apparatus that derives color irregularity information of a light-emitting element based on a first fluorescence image acquired by the camera and a second fluorescence image acquired by the camera, and an edge shift width corresponding to a width of a wavelength band in which transmittance and reflectance change according to a change in wavelength in the dichroic mirror is wider than a full width at half maximum of a normal fluorescence spectrum of the light-emitting element.

The present invention relates to defects inspection on a silicon carbide wafer or an epitaxial layer thereon to determine the location, and adjustment of the location of the scribe line, which is a separation line forming a gap between adjacent dies. The present invention can obtain high efficiency and economy in the semiconductor process using wafers containing various defects in the surface and thin film, by minimizing the effect of wafer defects on the final yield of the semiconductor chip or die, via adjustment of scribe line positions arranged on the wafer.

An example system for inspecting a surface includes a laser, an optical system, a gated camera, and a control system. The laser is configured to emit pulses of light, with respective wavelengths of the pulses of light varying over time. The optical system includes at least one optical element, and is configured to direct light emitted by the laser to points along a scan line one point at a time. The gated camera is configured to record a fluorescent response of the surface from light having each wavelength of a plurality of wavelengths at each point along the scan line. The control system is configured to control the gated camera such that an aperture of the gated camera is open during fluorescence of the surface but closed during exposure of the surface to light emitted by the laser.

A system is disclosed for remotely determining patient compliance with an orthodontic device. This system includes a handheld portable computing device having a camera, and the handheld portable computing device is configured for communication via the Internet. A patient compliance application is executed by the handheld portable computing device, and an image analysis module is associated with the patient compliance application. The image analysis module receives an image from the camera, and the image analysis module analyzes the image to determine a presence status of the removable orthodontic device. The patient compliance application is further configured to communicate the presence status to an orthodontic provider at a remote location relative the user.

The embodiments disclose a method for in-situ inspection and processing of an object including providing a pulsed laser source during the in-situ inspection of a surface of the object for modifying at least one of an optical, mechanical, or chemical property of a first region of the surface, directing the laser source through an optics path to shape, position and focus a pulsed laser beam at the first region, directing a probe illumination light beam to the optics path to produce a combined and collinear optical light path of the probe illumination light beam and the pulsed laser beam to focus and deliver the combined and collinear optical light path at a same region on the surface, superimposing a first focus spot of the probe illumination light beam over a second focus spot of the pulsed laser beam on an illuminated region of the surface.

A method for detecting mentholated tobacco, comprising irradiating tobacco containing menthol and a fluorescent taggant with radiation and observing the tobacco for fluorescence from the taggant. A system and method for detecting and separating mentholated tobacco from non-mentholated tobacco within a product stream is also provided.

A detecting apparatus for use in specifying regions having different impurity concentrations in an ingot includes an ingot holding unit having a holding surface for holding the ingot thereon, an excitation light source for applying excitation light having a predetermined wavelength to a face side of the ingot held on the holding surface, and a photodetector for detecting fluorescence emitted from the ingot upon exposure to the excitation light and generating an electric signal representing a number of photons of only light whose wavelength is in an infrared radiation range, of the detected fluorescence.