An angle independent optical surface inspector capable of generating a light beam, directing the light beam to a sample, and de-scanning a reflected light beam that is reflected from the sample, thereby generating a first de-scanned light beam. The de-scanning is performed at approximately one focal length of a de-scanning lens from an irradiation location where the light beam irradiates the sample. The optical inspector also capable of focusing the first de-scanned light beam, thereby generating a focused light beam, and measuring the location of the focused light beam. The measuring of the location is performed at approximately one focal length of a focusing lens from the focusing lens. The incident angle of the light beam is within ten degrees of Brewster's angle. The focusing is performed by an achromatic lens.

A light field microscope may record a raw light field video of a sample. The raw video recording may be decomposed into a non-negative low-rank component and a non-negative sparse component. The low-rank component may correspond to a static portion of the sample, and the sparse component may correspond to a dynamically changing portion of the sample. Volume reconstruction may be performed on the sparse component to generate a three-dimensional video of the sample, with improved spatial resolution. In some cases, the decomposition is calculated by an alternating direction method of multipliers algorithm, with the non-negativity of the sparse component and low-rank component enforced after each iteration. In some cases, the volume reconstruction is calculated by Richardson-Lucy iteration with regularization. The sample may be fluorescent. The fluorescence may be indicative of neural activity in the sample.

An optical scanning system includes a radiating source capable of outputting a light beam, a time varying beam reflector that is configured to reflect the light beam through a scan lens towards a transparent sample at an incident angle that is not more than one degree greater or less than Brewster's angle of the transparent sample, and a focusing lens configured to be irradiated by light scattered from the transparent sample at an angle that is normal to the plane of incidence of the moving irradiated spot on the transparent sample. A first portion of the light beam is scattered from a first surface of the transparent sample and a second portion of the light beam is scattered from a second surface of the transparent sample. A spatial filter is configured to block the second portion of the light beam scattered from the second surface of the transparent sample.

An optical scanning system includes a radiating source capable of outputting a light beam, a first time varying beam reflector that is configured to reflect the light beam through a scan lens towards a transparent sample at an incident angle that is not more than one degree greater or less than Brewster's angle of the transparent sample, and a second time varying beam reflector that is configured to reflect the light beam reflected from the transparent sample after passing through a de-scan lens onto a phase retardance detector. The output of the phase retardance detector is usable to determine if a defect is present on the transparent sample. The first time varying beam reflector causes a first phase retardance of the light beam and the second time varying beam reflector causes a second phase retardance of the reflected light beam in the opposite direction of the first phase retardance.

An inspection apparatus includes a limiting unit that is provided between a light source and a target region and limits light traveling from the light source toward the target region, and an imaging unit that captures an image using light passing through the limiting unit, reflected from the target region, and incident on the imaging unit. The limiting unit allows light, which travels in one direction and is incident on the imaging unit in a case where the light is specularly reflected from the target region, to pass and allows at least a part of light, which travels in other directions, not to pass, among light emitted from the light source.

An object of the present invention is to provide a polarized vinylidene fluoride/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer resin film that can significantly reduce, when used as an optical film, the deterioration of the quality of video or still images formed by display elements. The present invention provides a polarized vinylidene fluoride/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer resin film having 2,000 or fewer spot defects per m.sup.2, the number of spot defects being measured by a defect measurement method; the method using an surface inspection system in which a CCD camera is placed so as to detect defects at an angle of 45 degrees relative to an LED source, defects of the film are read within a rectangular range of 300 mm in a width direction (the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction), and 150 mm in a machine direction (the scanning direction), while the film is scanned under the camera at a rate of 20 m/min; wherein first, defects having a bright area of 1.5 mm.sup.2 or less and a dark area of 1.4 mm.sup.2 or less are selected; and next, in order to remove defects resulting from causes other than a corona treatment contained in these defects, a circumscribed rectangle of defect is set so as to have two sides along the scanning direction, and the number of only defects that have a circumscribed width of 2.88 mm or less, a circumscribed length of 2.3 mm or less, an aspect ratio of 39 to +27, an occupancy area ratio in the circumscribing rectangle of 4,000 to 6,950, and an area ratio of 3,100 to +5,200, is automatically counted as spot defects by the surface inspection system.

An angle independent optical surface inspector capable of generating a light beam, directing the light beam to a sample, and de-scanning a reflected light beam that is reflected from the sample, thereby generating a first de-scanned light beam. The de-scanning is performed at approximately one focal length of a de-scanning lens from an irradiation location where the light beam irradiates the sample. The optical inspector also capable of focusing the first de-scanned light beam, thereby generating a focused light beam, and measuring the location of the focused light beam. The measuring of the location is performed at approximately one focal length of a focusing lens from the focusing lens. The incident angle of the light beam is within ten degrees of Brewster's angle. The focusing is performed by an achromatic lens.

A method of evaluating a crystallized silicon layer on a substrate includes injecting light into the substrate in such a way that it is wave-guided by the substrate. Wave-guided injected light is diffracted out of the substrate by periodic features of the silicon layer. The diffracted light is detected and processed to evaluate the crystalline layer.

A method of evaluating a crystallized silicon layer on a substrate includes injecting light into the substrate in such a way that it is wave-guided by the substrate. Wave-guided injected light is diffracted out of the substrate by periodic features of the silicon layer. The diffracted light is detected and processed to evaluate the crystalline layer.

An object of the present invention is to provide a polarized vinylidene fluoride/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer resin film that can significantly reduce, when used as an optical film, the deterioration of the quality of video or still images formed by display elements.

The present invention provides a polarized vinylidene fluoride/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer resin film having 2,000 or fewer spot defects per m.sup.2, the number of spot defects being measured by a defect measurement method; the method using an surface inspection system in which a CCD camera is placed so as to detect defects at an angle of 45 degrees relative to an LED source, defects of the film are read within a rectangular range of 300 mm in a width direction (the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction), and 150 mm in a machine direction (the scanning direction), while the film is scanned under the camera at a rate of 20 m/min; wherein first, defects having a bright area of 1.5 mm.sup.2 or less and a dark area of 1.4 mm.sup.2 or less are selected; and next, in order to remove defects resulting from causes other than a corona treatment contained in these defects, a circumscribed rectangle of defect is set so as to have two sides along the scanning direction, and the number of only defects that have a circumscribed width of 2.88 mm or less, a circumscribed length of 2.3 mm or less, an aspect ratio of 39 to +27, an occupancy area ratio in the circumscribing rectangle of 4,000 to 6,950, and an area ratio of 3,100 to +5,200, is automatically counted as spot defects by the surface inspection system.