An automatic optical inspection (AOI) device and method are disclosed. The device is adapted to inspect an object under inspection (OUI) (102) carried on a workpiece stage (101) and includes: a plurality of detectors (111, 112) for capturing images of the OUI (102); a plurality of light sources (121, 122) for illuminating the OUI (102) in different illumination modes; and a synchronization controller (140) signal-coupled to both the plurality of detectors (111, 112) and the plurality of light sources (121, 122). The synchronization controller (140) is configured to directly or indirectly control the plurality of detectors (111, 112) and the plurality of light sources (121, 122) based on the position of the OUI (102) so that each of them is individually activated and deactivated according to a timing profile, that each of the detectors (111, 112) is able to capture images of the OUI (102) in an illumination mode provided by a corresponding one of the light sources (121, 122), and that when any one of the light sources (121, 122) is illuminating the OUI (102), only the one of the detectors (111, 112) corresponding to this light source (121, 122) is activated. Through the timing control over the multiple light sources (121, 122) and detectors (111, 112) by the synchronization controller (140), inspection with multiple measurement configurations can be accomplished within a single scan, resulting in a significant improvement in inspection efficiency.

The invention provides a defect inspection apparatus. The defect inspection apparatus includes: an illumination optical system configured to irradiate a sample with an illumination spot; a detection unit configured to detect, from a plurality of directions, reflected light from the sample irradiated with the illumination spot of the illumination optical system; a control unit configured to control a scan of the sample with the illumination spot of the illumination optical system by overlapping detection regions such that the detection regions partially overlap, the detection regions being detected by the detection unit configured to execute a detection from the plurality of directions when the sample is scanned with the illumination spot of the illumination optical system; and a signal processing unit configured to process a signal obtained by detecting the reflected light from the sample by the detection unit to detect a defect. The signal processing unit includes: a data integration unit configured to synthesize an integrated signal by processing the signal detected a plurality of times by overlapping the reflected light of the sample for each detection region by the detection unit; and a defect detection unit configured to detect the defect on a surface of the sample based on the integrated signal synthesized by the data integration unit.

An airborne particle-measuring device quantifies and qualifies contaminants of an air environment in clean-rooms, open spaces, and enclosed spaces such as homes, offices, industrial environments, airplanes in flight, cars and others. The device may include a sensor system, an electronics system, communications and information storage. The sensor system may include a high-power low-wavelength single-frequency continuous laser, an open-cavity high-efficiency mirror having an optical surface tuned to the laser frequency and a flow system that includes a vacuum pump to sample the air. The electronics system may be mounted on a single multilayer PC board with a microprocessor, firmware, electronics and a touch-screen LCD display. Innovations in light source, flow control, analog and digital signal processing, components integration and software allow provision of equipment in a wide range of high-complexity settings that require precise particle measurements.

The systems and methods include generating polarization-switched (PS) detector and reference signals using a polarization switch controlled by a digital control signal generated by digital input/output card. A gain adjustment is performed on the PS detector and reference signals to define gain-adjusted detector and reference signals. The digital control signal is used to synchronize the gain-adjusted PS detector and reference signals to define gain-adjusted synchronized PS detector and reference signals each having respective steady-state portions. The steady state portions are used to define a measurement signal. The measurement signal is then used to calculate a stress-based characteristic of the sample being measured. The sample can be moved continuously or discretely through different measurement positions, which are synchronized with the operation of the polarization switch using the digital control signal.

An analysis device includes an optical disc drive, a gate information processing unit, a detection circuit, and a gate shift processing unit. The optical disc drive rotates a specimen analysis disc and detects a measurement radial position for an optical pickup. The detection circuit generates gate signals shifted by a gate shift amount in each measurement radial position in a rotating direction of the specimen analysis disc, and generates count values of the respective gate signals. The gate shift processing unit divides a gate signal-corresponding region of the corresponding gate signal by a unit gate shift amount in the rotating direction of the specimen analysis disc to define a plurality of divided regions and sets count values of the divided regions based on the count values of the gate signals.

The systems and methods include generating polarization-switched (PS) detector and reference signals using a polarization switch controlled by a digital control signal generated by digital input/output card. A gain adjustment is performed on the PS detector and reference signals to define gain-adjusted detector and reference signals. The digital control signal is used to synchronize the gain-adjusted PS detector and reference signals to define gain-adjusted synchronized PS detector and reference signals each having respective steady-state portions. The steady state portions are used to define a measurement signal. The measurement signal is then used to calculate a stress-based characteristic of the sample being measured. The sample can be moved continuously or discretely through different measurement positions, which are synchronized with the operation of the polarization switch using the digital control signal.

A method, a mobile device and a kit for performing an analytical measurement are disclosed, wherein outliers are eliminated. In the inventive method, a mobile device having a camera and a test strip for performing a color-change detection reaction are provided. A sample is applied to a test field of the test strip and an image of at least part of the test strip is captured. A region of interest in the image is determined and associated with a first sub-set of pixels. A color distribution is evaluated and outliers are eliminated in the first sub-set of pixels. A sub-region of interest is determined within the region of interest and is associated with a second sub-set of pixels. Mean values of the color distributions of the first sub-set of pixels and the second sub-set of pixels are compared to thereby determine homogeneity information of the image.

A system of writing to and reading from a magnetic nanostructure is disclosed which includes an opto-magnetic write arrangement including a polarizer configured to receive incident light and provide a circularly or linearly polarized light, wherein light polarization is controlled by the polarizer and its orientation with respect to polarization of the incident light, a nanomagnetic structure configured to receive the polarized light including a substrate, and a nanomagnetic stack including a nanomagnet, and a capping layer, wherein the nanomagnetic stack is configured to receive the polarized light and thereby switch orientation of a magnetic moment associated with the magnetic nanostructure whereby the magnetic moment direction specifies a bit value held in the magnetic structure, and a magnetic read arrangement, configured to receive and interpret an optical signal from the magnetic nanostructure indicating the magnetic moment orientation from the nanomagnetic stack.

A system utilizes a flow cell for holding an analyte of interest for examination, such as a genetic material to be imaged for sequencing. Liquids, such as reagents and washing fluids are introduced into the flow cell during operations. A degasser removes gasses from at least some of the liquids before introduction into the flow cell. The liquids may be resident in the flow cell during detection operations, such as imaging. At least one fluid may be moved bidirectionally into and from the flow cell, such as for reuse. Another fluid may be moved unidirectionally through the flow cell to remove bubbles that may be present in the system.

A spectrophotometer 1 comprises a control unit 45 with a warming-up determination unit 452 that determines the completion of a warming-up based on a variation amount of a detection signal in a predetermined duration when a light detector 7 detects a light from a sample chamber without loading the sample. Specifically, the warming-up determination unit 452 calculates a difference between a signal intensity of the detection signal detected by the light detector 7 at the time when the predetermined time passes and a signal intensity of the detection signal detected by the light detector 7 at a previous time and determines that a warming-up is complete when a value of the difference is less than a first threshold value. The warming-up determination unit 452 automatically determines the completion of warming-up independently from the determination by the user.