A copolymer is prepared by the polymerization of monomers that include an ultraviolet absorbing monomer, and a base-solubility-enhancing monomer. The copolymer is useful for forming a topcoat layer for electron beam and extreme ultraviolet lithographies. Also described are a layered article including the topcoat layer, and an associated method of forming an electronic device.

Methods and systems for detecting foreign material within a product stream in real-time, involve illuminating a portion of the agricultural product stream with light spanning a wavelength range including or within near-infrared and/or shortwave infrared wavelengths; scanning a line of the illuminated agricultural product stream to acquire a hyperspectral image of the line, the hyperspectral image of the line having a width of a single pixel; processing the hyperspectral image of the scanned line to obtain spectrum data for one or more pixels of the hyperspectral image of the scanned line; comparing the obtained spectrum data of the one or more pixels to predetermined spectrum data to determine whether the obtained spectrum data is indicative of foreign material within the scanned line of the agricultural product stream.

Systems and methods for sorting and imaging insects, including egg and larval life stages, useful for automated high throughput bioassays.

An inspection and sorting apparatus includes a support frame supporting a transport mechanism with an endless transport belt extending along an inspection zone with an inspection mechanism for transported items and a sorting zone with a sorting mechanism for moving rejected items transverse to a transport path to a sorting side. When in an operation state, a space lateral to and alongside the sorting zone is covered by a housing cover but is open to the sorting zone and to a downside to allow rejected items to further fall or slide down by gravity. Alternatively, or additionally, the apparatus includes a side cover covering a region below the sorting zone laterally from the sorting side. The housing cover and/or the side cover is movable between a covering position in the operation state of the apparatus and a release position granting lateral access to the sorting zone and/or to said region from the sorting side.

An inspection station for detecting oil or lubricant contamination in a manufactured product, the inspection station having (a) a conveyor for advancing manufactured product, and (b) an infrared detection apparatus, including (i) a high intensity infrared light source for directing at the manufactured product, and (ii) a high speed NIR spectrometer sensor tuned to detect an emitted signal from a taggant disposed in the oil or lubricant.

The invention relates to a method for identifying plastics and/or the additives therein, wherein at least some of the plastic material is irradiated with light of at least one wavelength, at least some of the light reflected by the plastic material is detected and analyzed, and the plastic material and/or the additive therein is/are identified on the basis of the result of the analysis. The disclosed method is characterized in that a fluorescence decay time constant of the intrinsic fluorescence of the plastic material and, if applicable, of the additive(s) therein is determined on the basis of the detected light, and the plastic material and/or the additive(s) therein is/are identified on the basis of the determined fluorescence decay time constant.

Systems and methods for sorting and imaging insects, including egg and larval life stages, useful for automated high throughput bioassays.

A method and device for separating at least one catalyst from a mixture of homogeneously shaped catalysts, the catalysts comprising at least one metal selected from the group formed by Ni, Co, Mo, W, the catalyst to be separated comprising a characteristic metal selected from the group formed by Ni, Co, Mo, W and the other catalysts of the mixture not containing said characteristic metal, in which method: the grains of the catalyst of said mixture pass in front of the LIBS detection system, the presence of said characteristic metal in the catalysts is detected by the LIBS technique, the wavelength being selected so as to detect said characteristic metal, the LIBS detection system sends a signal to a means for evacuating grains of catalyst to be separated in a manner such as to separate said grains from the other catalysts of said mixture.

A process for detecting oil or lubricant contamination in a manufactured product, the process comprising adding a fluorescent taggant to oils or lubricants contained in processing machinery for said product, conveying said product past an infrared detection apparatus, irradiating said product with infrared radiation from said detection apparatus as it passes the detection apparatus, and detecting infrared radiation emitted from said irradiated product.

An apparatus for manipulating particles uses tunable standing surface acoustic waves includes a channel defined on a substrate and a pair of variable frequency interdigital transducers. The channel is disposed asymmetrically between the transducers such that the zero order node location is outside of a working region in the channel.