The invention relates to a method for optical analysis of a component of an aerosol generating article, the method comprising:—providing a component of an aerosol generating article defining a first end and a second end, the component comprising: o an aerosol forming substrate; o a susceptor in thermal contact with the aerosol forming substrate;—providing a first polarized camera including a sensor to detect polarization information of electromagnetic radiation;—illuminating the component by electromagnetic radiation;—detecting transmitted, infected or refracted electromagnetic radiation from the component by the first polarized camera; —generating a first image of the first end of the component by the first polarized camera, the first image being formed by a plurality of pixels, each pixel of the plurality of pixels containing polarization information about the detected electromagnetic radiation; and—detecting in the first image a position of the susceptor.

An example system for detecting pipe defects is provided. The system includes a transmitter, a receiver and a processing device. The transmitter is oriented to transmit Terahertz (THz) waveform pulses towards at least one of an outer surface of a pipe or an inner surface of the pipe. The receiver is oriented to receive reflected Terahertz (THz) waveform pulses from at least one of the outer surface of the pipe or the inner surface of the pipe. The processing device configured is to receive as input the Terahertz (THz) waveform pulses transmitted from the transmitter and the reflected Terahertz (THz) waveform pulses received by the receiver and, based on the received input, determine if a defect in the pipe exists.

Assemblies (10), devices, and methods are described herein that allow an examiner to inspect a container (12) of liquid product (14) through a bottom wall (18) of the container using a line-of-sight diversion member (28, e.g. beam splitter, mirror or prism). In some forms, the assemblies described herein can be provided with mounts and connecting arms to couple the devices to inspection booths.

An evaluation method includes a step of disposing a sensitive color plate between two polarization plates disposed in a crossed Nicols shape, a step of disposing a measurement material that is a transparent material containing a nanowire between any of one polarization plate or the other polarization plate of the polarization plates and the sensitive color plate, a step of making white light incident from a side of one of the disposed polarization plates, a step of observing a color of the measurement material from a side of the other polarization plate, and a step of evaluating an orientation direction of the nanowire from the color of the measurement material obtained by observation.

Methods and systems for monitoring the quality of a semiconductor measurement in a targeted manner are presented herein. Rather than relying on one or more general indices to determine overall measurement quality, one or more targeted measurement quality indicators are determined. Each targeted measurement quality indicator provides insight into whether a specific operational issue is adversely affecting measurement quality. In this manner, the one or more targeted measurement quality indicators not only highlight deficient measurements, but also provide insight into specific operational issues contributing to measurement deficiency. In some embodiments, values of one or more targeted measurement quality indicators are determined based on features extracted from measurement data. In some embodiments, values of one or more targeted measurement quality indicators are determined based on features extracted from one or more indications of a comparison between measurement data and corresponding measurement data simulated by a trained measurement model.

A system for optical imaging of defects on unpatterned wafers that includes an illumination module, relay optics, a segmented polarizer, and a detector. The illumination module is configured to produce a polarized light beam incident on a selectable area of an unpatterned wafer. The relay optics is configured to collect and guide, radiation scattered off the area, onto the polarizer. The detector is configured to sense scattered radiation passed through the polarizer. The polarizer includes at least four polarizer segments, such that (i) boundary lines, separating the polarizer segments, are curved outwards relative to a plane, perpendicular to the segmented polarizer, unless the boundary line is on the perpendicular plane, and (ii) when the area comprises a typical defect, a signal-to-noise ratio of scattered radiation, passed through the polarizer segments, is increased as compared to when utilizing a linear polarizer.

A FinFET structure with a gate structure having two notch features therein and a method of forming the same is disclosed. The FinFET notch features ensure that sufficient spacing is provided between the gate structure and source/drain regions of the FinFET to avoid inadvertent shorting of the gate structure to the source/drain regions. Gate structures of different sizes (e.g., different gate widths) and of different pattern densities can be provided on a same substrate and avoid inadvertent of shorting the gate to the source/drain regions through application of the notched features.

Various surface and structural defects are currently inspected visually. This method is labor intensive, requiring large maintenance man hours, and is prone to errors. To streamline this process, herein is described an automated inspection system and apparatus based on several optical technologies that drastically reduces inspection time, provides accurate detection of defects, and provides a digital map of the location of defects. The technology uses a sensor that includes a pattern projection generator for generating a pattern image on the structural surface and a camera for detecting the pattern image generated by the pattern projection generator on the structural surface. Furthermore, the technology utilizes an image processing and correction apparatus for performing a pattern image and structural surface defect map correction and generate a distortion corrected defect map for a surface scan area on the structure that is incident on the sensor.

An inspection system for an additive manufacturing machine can include a housing configured to be mounted to an internal construction of the additive manufacturing machine, wherein the housing defines a laser inlet configured to allow a laser beam from a laser of the additive manufacturing machine to enter into the housing, wherein the housing defines a laser outlet configured to allow the laser beam to exit from the housing and to allow reflected light to enter into the housing. One or more detectors is disposed within the housing and configured to receive the reflected light. The system includes one or more optical elements configured to allow the laser beam to pass through the housing from the laser inlet to the laser outlet toward a build area of the additive manufacturing machine and to direct reflected light from the laser outlet to the one or more detectors within the housing.

An imaging spectropolarimeter configured to examine targets with polarized light, in which orientation of light-polarizing components is judiciously chosen to be target-specific and which employ a three-camera optical detection system defining an optical detection axis with respect to which individual camera analyzers are oriented in a specifically-defined fashion. Programmable electronic circuitry is adapted to substantially simultaneously acquire polarimetric images of the target utilizing intensity information collected by the multi-pixel sensors of the optical detection system.