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Applications that require awareness of the structure, environment or objects are growing, and include augmented and virtual reality applications, gesture recognition and facial recognition for consumer, industrial and entertainment applications. This is creating a demand for 3D data capture and the use of depth sensors. Structured Light Illumination (SLI) is one of the leading depth sensor technologies. It is an indirect measurement of distance through observed distortion of a projected light pattern. To miniaturize these sensors for consumer applications, custom optics are required for the projector including diffractive optical elements (DOE). SLI is currently preferred due to its small form factor, high resolution and low power consumption. It can deliver high spatial resolution while working in low light conditions. To use SLI for high accuracy applications, the stability of the pattern under various environmental conditions and temperature ranges is required. We show simulations of the impact of the DOE substrate CTE on the generated dot patterns, and ultimately the depth accuracy and distortion of the 3D image. Measurements of commercially available consumer structured light sensors support the simulations.

Ever since the human genome was first sequenced, scientists have been inspired by possibilities of using genomic information for medical research. In recent year, new generation sequencing platform to deliver complete genome sequence data with higher throughputs are to be built to conduct genomic studies on a large scale. This requires the development of a wide field multi-channel fluorescence imager system. The complexity of this optical system for human genome sequencing application would also have specific optical coating challenges. For the objective lens system, it requires selection of multiple glass types with normal and anomalous dispersions in order to successfully correct chromatic aberrations to diffraction-limited level over a broad wavelength spectrum. The challenge is anti-reflection (AR) coatings need to be coated over these multi-glass types with various refractive index from 1.43 to 1.8 and operate through an extended range of broad spectrum range. In addition, auto-fluorescence of optical components and coatings applied to the lenses are considered an isotropic generation of the secondary stray light inside the system. This is undesirable and should be minimized. This research work presents the AR coating design strategy to accommodate the multiple glass types in the lens system over a broadband application range and the investigation results of achieving low auto-fluorescence through material selection and coating process control.

Many fiber based probes used in Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) are comprised of a spacer, GRIN lens, fiber, and a microprism. This design form suffers from many material interfaces, which induce back reflections into the sample arm of the interferometer. With so many interfaces, these probes can produce artifacts in the system’s imaging window. We present a design which has just two interfaces to minimize image artifacts. The two components of this design are the fiber endface and a reflective optic. With optimization, these two components can produce back reflections below -90dB which will minimize image artifacts. This will results in high fidelity imaging for medical diagnostics.

Fiber-based cylindrical light diffusers are often used in photo dynamic therapy to illuminate a luminal organ, such as the esophagus. The diffusers are often made of plastic and suffer from short diffusion lengths and low transmission efficiencies over a broad spectrum. We have developed Fibrance TM , a glass-based fiber optic cylindrical diffuser which can illuminate a fiber from 0.5 cm to 10 meters over a broad wavelength range. With these longer illumination lengths, a variety of other medical applications are possible beyond photodynamic therapy. We present a number of applications for Fibrance ranging from in situ controllable illumination for Photodynamic Therapy to light guided anatomy highlighting for minimally invasive surgery to mitigating hospital acquired infections and more. Keywords : Anatomy Illumination, Photodynamic Therapy, Phototherapy, Surgical Risk Mitigation, Hospital Acquired Infections 1. INTRODUCTION For the past 45 years, Corning Incorporated has made significant contributions to optical communications through its continued research, development, and innovations in optical fiber development and manufacturing. An optimal telecommunication fiber transports most of the light inputted into the system through the fiber such typical loss is less a few percent per km of the fiber. Therefore, losses at short di stance such as a few 10’s of meters are negligible. Although we do not live in an optimal world, Corning Incorporated has developed and created extremely low loss optical fibers, even at tight bend radii

CaF 2 is one of the dominating optical materials used for ArF excimer laser optics. Surface quality of optically finished CaF 2 plays an important role in the components' lifetime. A variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry was employed to evaluate surface quality of optically finished CaF 2 in terms of top surface and subsurface damage. The subsurface damage was revealed by removing the top surface. Combining plasma ion assisted deposition and ellipsometric measurement, a dense smooth F-SiO 2 film was developed to prevent fluorine loss of CaF 2 optics under ArF excimer laser irradiation, leading to an extended lifetime. In addition, an integrated protective coating approach was established on fluoride multilayer coated CaF 2 optics, resulting in environmentally stable optical performance.

In Zeiten, in denen Banken vor allem negative Schlagzeilen machen und in denen Kunden massenweise ihre Geschafte im und uber das Internet tatigen, stellt sich die Frage, wie kann sich eine Regionalbank ihren Vertrieb ausrichten, um auch kunftig erfolgreich zu sein. Die Herausforderung ist gewaltig: mittels gnadenloser Standardisierung nach innen und groser Individualitat zum Kunden kann aber auch kunftig nachhaltiger Erfolg sichergestellt werden. Anhand der zentralen Erfolgsfaktoren Strategie, Struktur und Kultur wird der Frage nachgegangen, was eine Regionalbank anders machen muss, um auch kunftig erfolgreich zu sein. Dabei stehen nicht Patentlosungen im Vordergrund, sondern die Formulierung passender Fragen. Letztlich geht es um einen ausgewogenen Gestaltungsmix, der alle drei Themenbereiche einschliest, fehlt nur ein Bereich oder wird ein Bereich vernachlassigt, schwacht dies das ganze Unternehmen.

HfO2/SiO2 multilayers were deposited on single point diamond turned aluminum substrates via modified reactive plasma ion assisted deposition to form a laser durable and environmentally stable dielectric enhanced IR mirror at a wavelength of 1064nm. The effect of the surface quality of the diamond turned aluminum on the optical performance of the dielectric enhanced mirror was assessed. A laser-induced damage threshold up to 11 J/cm2 was obtained from the enhanced aluminum mirror tested in pulse mode at 1064nm with a pulse length of 20ns and a repetition rate of 20Hz. Laser damage morphology was revealed by a scanning electron microscopy. The damage mechanism was attributed to nodule defects generated by particle embedded on the aluminum substrate surface.

Red-to-green laser conversion requires dual-wave laser optics coatings at 1060nm and 530nm. Loss analysis of the dual-wave coatings were presented for 3 types of coating designs with a coating material combination of HfO 2 /SiO 2 . Homogeneity and smoothness of the HfO 2 /SiO 2 multilayers via standard plasma ion assisted deposition were evaluated. A modified plasma ion assisted deposition process with in-situ plasma smoothing was developed to deposit dense and smooth HfO2/SiO2 multilayers. Improved film microstructure was revealed on single layer and multilayer coated samples by means of atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The improved film microstructure led to low loss and laser durable coating performance.

A holographic optical element can either be characterized by the wave aberrations or by the point spread function or alternatively by the modulation transfer function. Here we propose the measurement of the wave aberrations with the help of a Twyman-Green interferometer adapted to the requirements for testing holographic optical elements. The evaluation of the interferograms is done with the phase-shifting technique. The resulting wave aberrations are expressed by Zernike coefficients. In addition to this evaluation, the point spread function and the modulation transfer function are calculated from the wave aberrations. The set-up, the evaluation method and also exemplary results of a tested holographic optical element are presented.

Diffraction tomography is applied to reconstruction of the gradient-index distribution of planar gradient-index microlenses, fabricated by thermal ion exchange. Measurements of the single-phase projections are performed by phase-shifting interferometry For reconstruction, the Rytov approximation for smooth inhomogeneities is applied. Results are compared with measurement results from other methods and simulation results.

Wide bandgap metal fluorides are the materials of choice for optical coating applications at 193 nm. Low loss and environmentally stable optics requires a mitigating fluoride film structure on a nanometer scale. To understand the growth mechanism of fluoride materials, GdF(3) films grown on CaF(2) (111) and SiO(2) substrates were investigated. Film inhomogeneity and surface roughness were modeled by fitting ellipsometric data with an effective medium approximation, indicating a correlation between film inhomogeneity and surface roughness. The modeled surface roughness was compared with the atomic force microscope measurement. Film inhomogeneity was correlated to the cone-shaped columnar structure revealed by cross-sectional images from a scanning electron microscope. The film crystalline structure was determined by x-ray diffraction measurement, suggesting a different growth mechanism of GdF(3) films on crystalline and amorphous substrates.

HfO(2) is a well-known high-refractive-index material for optical interference coatings from the infrared down to the ultraviolet (UV). Dense, homogeneous, and stoichiometric HfO(2) film is critical for low-loss UV optics where the spectral region is close to its fundamental absorption edge. We prepare HfO(2) films by plasma-ion-assisted deposition with various amounts of plasma-ion momentum transfer. The correlation between the HfO(2) film structure and the optical properties are evaluated by a variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, indicating inhomogeneous to homogeneous to inhomogeneous film structural evolution with increasing momentum transfer during deposition. The HfO(2) film inhomogeneity, surface roughness, and crystal phase are confirmed by scanning electron microscopy cross-sectional, atomic force microscopy, and x-ray diffraction measurements. The results suggest that the HfO(2) film structural evolution corresponds to crystal phase transition from weak monocline amorphous to strong monocline depending on the amount of plasma-ion momentum transfer during film deposition.

Es ist unbestritten, dass das Filialgeschaft im Rahmen eines Vertriebswege-Mixes, und hier insbesondere im Zusammenhang mit einem zielgerichteten Beratungsgeschaft, wieder an Bedeutung gewinnt. Auch der genossenschaftliche Verbund, fur den die raumliche Nahe zum Kunden ein zentrales strategisches Ziel darstellt, beschaftigt sich aktuell mit der Frage, wie der Vertrieb in den Verkaufsstellen optimal konzeptioniert werden kann. In diesem Zusammenhang werden neben der Gestaltung der Filiale auch die Aspekte Produktportfolio, Verkaufsprozess und Personalentwicklung intensiv beleuchtet. Die Ausfuhrungen lehnen sich an das Konzept „Genossenschaftsbank 2010 „Filiale der Zukunft“ Teil 1: Verkaufsstellenkonzeption“ des BVR (Bundesverband der Deutschen Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken e. V.) an.

Surface and coating technology plays an important role for extending lifetime of fluoride optics for ArF excimer laser applications. Optically finished CaF2 optics is characterized as top surface and subsurface by means of non-distractive quasi-Brewster angle technique. The subsurface is revealed by removing the top surface via distractive methods. Color centers on plasma ion and laser irradiated CaF2 optics are discussed. The results suggest that fluorine depletion is associated with laser damage, dense smooth coatings enable one to extend the lifetime of CaF2 optics.

Metal oxide layers produced by plasma ion-assisted deposition are extensively used for complex optical coatings due to the availability of materials, the high packing density of films, and the smooth surfaces. Stringent optical surface figure specifications necessary for both laser optics and precision optics require film stress to be well-controlled and surface deformation to be corrected or compensated. SiO(2)- based single-cavity UV narrow-bandpass filters were prepared by plasma ion-assisted deposition. The correlation between film stress, refractive index, deposition parameters, and postdeposition annealing was established. The film stress was calculated based on interferometric surface deformation. The refractive index and film thickness were determined by means of variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. The center wavelength of the filters was obtained through spectral transmission measurement. The results suggest that the wavefront distortion of the multilayer coatings is dominated by the compressive stress of the SiO(2) layers and can be controlled and corrected by the amount of plasma ion momentum transfer, substrate temperature, postdeposition annealing, and stress compensation via backside SiO(2) coating. Based on the understanding of the mechanical and optical properties, the wavefront correction technique enables us to satisfy stringent surface figure specifications.

Elastic and plastic deformations of densified SiO2 films prepared by plasma ion-assisted deposition were correlated to reversible and irreversible center wavelength shifts of the correspondent ultraviolet narrow bandpass filters at various temperatures.

Metal oxide layers produced by plasma ion-assisted deposition are extensively used for complex optical coatings due to the availability of materials, the high packing density of films, and the smooth surfaces. Stringent optical surface figure specifications necessary for both laser optics and precision optics require film stress to be well controlled and surface deformation to be corrected or compensated. In this paper, SiO 2 based single cavity UV narrow bandpass filters were prepared by plasma ion-assisted deposition. The correlation between film stress, refractive index, deposition parameters, and post deposition annealing was established. The film stress was calculated based on interferometric surface deformation. The refractive index and film thickness were determined by means of variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. The center wavelength of the filters was obtained through spectral transmission measurement. The results suggest that the wavefront distortion of the multilayer coatings is dominated by the compressive stress of the SiO 2 layers, and can be controlled and corrected by the amount of plasma ion momentum transfer. substrate temperature, post deposition annealing, and stress compensation via backside SiO 2 coating. Based on the understand of the mechanical and optical properties, the wavefront correction technique enables us to satisfy stringent surface figure specifications.

The production of integrated circuits with ever-smaller feature sizes has historically driven the shift to shorter wavelength radiation sources and increases in numerical aperture (the product of the sine of the imaging cone angle and the refractive index of the media at the image plane). When a next-generation design rule demanded a numerical aperture larger than was technically feasible, a move to a shorter wavelength was the only available solution. Immersion imaging is a detour along the path of shorter wavelengths. Here, the resolution improvement is achieved by exceeding the numerical aperture barrier of 1.0 (for optical systems that form an image in air) by placing a liquid between the final element and the image plane. This liquid layer presents numerous challenges to the optical metrologist. Results of testing a 193nm small-field immersion objective will be reported. The immersion fluid for this objective is de-ionized water. The characterization of the optical and physical properties of the water layer and the effect of those properties on the metrology of the objective will be discussed.

Focusing on smaller features for optical inspection or damage repair, smaller wavelengths are used to increase resolution or energy density. Objectives designed for 157nm will use calcium fluoride optics and the objectives need to be evaluated and optimized actinic, at wavelength. Measurement set-up and imaging results are presented through a catadioptric type of micro-objective. The set-ups and measurements are done at the 157nm wavelength as to include all actinic material effects. The imaging set-up uses a custom illuminator to image 130nm features, 500 times enlarged, onto a back-thinned CCD camera in real time. The knowledge of the spatial coherence characteristics of the light source together with the through-focus imaging of structures at various angles allows for the reconstruction of the wave aberrations of the lens. The lens is also measured and optimized using an interferometric set-up and phase shifting techniques.

Focusing on small features for optical inspection or defect repair, shorter wavelengths are used to increase resolution and energy density. Objectives designed for 157 nm using calcium fluoride are optimized and evaluated interferometrically at the wavelength of use to include all actinic effects. An image evaluation set-up is presented using a custom illuminator to image 130nm features, enlarged 500 times, onto a back-thinned CCD camera in real time.

The path to smaller semiconductor feature sizes demands that lens systems operate at higher numerical apertures and shorter wavelengths. Materials available for operation at shorter wavelengths, such as 157nm, exhibit properties that have strong wavelength dependence. Accurate characterization of lens performance must be done at the wavelength of use so as to include these effects. Measurement of optical system performance at 157nm brings with it the necessity to operate in an environment purged of gases and outgasing byproducts. This constraint coupled with increasingly tight tolerances necessary to meet the advancing requirements of the semiconductor industry raise the level of sophistication required of test set-ups. We present an interferometric set-up designed to meet these requirements. The set-up is designed to work with the very low temporal and spatial coherence typical of 157nm laser sources. These coherence properties are used advantageously, reducing coherent noise in the system and achieving high resolution, repeatability and accuracy simultaneously. Specialized instrumentation enables various error-separation techniques to be used. We now measure phase-retardance in the wavefront in order to characterize the error introduced by the intrinsic properties of the material. The combination of these features is required for 'at wavelength' optimization of 157nm lens systems.

Lithographic lens systems are continually being designed to work at shorter wavelengths and higher numerical apertures. The prospect of 157 nm F 2 excimer-based lithography presents many demanding new challenges to lithographic lens manufacturers. Lens fabricators must re-orient themselves to handling and finishing more delicate optical materials such as calcium fluoride to unprecedented surface requirements. Thin film engineers are pressed to deliver a multitude of new optical coatings, but with a dramatically limited selection of raw materials. And optical test engineers are presented with new testing challenges: among them is at-wavelength interferometric testing of lithographic objectives using an F 2 excimer laser source. Requirements for constructing such an interferometer dictate a design containing several nitrogen-purged beam paths and a camera capable of detecting 157 nm radiation. These contribute to an interferometer that is cumbersome and expensive when applied to production testing of lithographic lens assemblies. In addition, complications emerge in the interferometer design due to the relatively poor coherence in the 157 nm F 2 excimer source 1,2 . 2 . Fortunately, off-wavelength sources (usually at a `user-friendly longer wavelength) can be applied to transmitted wavefront testing of lithographic objectives designed for shorter wavelengths, while still providing nearly perfect and predictable at-wavelength imagery. This testing approach requires additional null optics to correct for off-wavelength spherochromatism effects. We have successfully used off-wavelength 248 nm interferometer testing to characterize 193 nm ArF lens systems 3 , and this approach has been extended to the 157 nm regime by incorporating a well-characterized null corrector 4 . We explain methods to perform null corrector characterization: We describe a technique to separate the non-rotationally symmetric errors introduced by a multi-element null corrector from the errors in the lithographic lens under test. We also discuss methods to characterize the rotationally symmetric errors introduced by this null corrector. In addition, we describe a method to cascade the error separation algorithm such that additional non-rotationally symmetric errors are also isolated. Test results are included and discussed.

Full acceptance of 157nm technology for next generation lithography requires that critical optical components and systems be characterized at this wavelength. Some of the challenges inherent in the 157nm test regime include purged beam paths, a partially coherent and astigmatic light source, limitations in reflective and transmissive optical components, and immature CCD detector technology. A Twyman-Green interferometer specially devised for testing lithographic objective lenses and systems at 157nm that addresses these challenges is presented. A description of the design and components used is provided along with test results obtained with the interferometer.

Progress along the path towards smaller semiconductor feature sizes continually presents new challenges. 157nm technology is a promising new step along this path. The major challenges encountered to date include environmental purging for high transmission and beam alignment in a purged environment at this short wavelength. We present a simple shearing interferometer consisting of two Ronchi phase gratings in series, used on axis. The common path set-up and zero optical path difference between the interfering diffraction orders makes this device both robust and easy to align. Ease of alignment is an added benefit when working remotely in a purged environment with low light levels. If one grating is shifted relative to the other, a phase shift is introduced and phase measurement techniques can be employed for high accuracy characterization of the incident wavefront. Set-ups, measurements and characterization of wavefronts and spatial-coherence at 157nm made with this device are presented.

Shearing interferometers are very popular and have a growing range of applications, especially in the field of optical testing. We describe a new kind of a lateral shearing interferometer. The lateral shear is produced by two Ronchi phase gratings in series. The phase can be shifted by a lateral movement of one grating relative to the other, and the amount of shear can easily be adjusted by variation of the distance of the gratings. The simplicity of the device is an important advantage, especially in the near IR.

Microlens arrays made in photoresist can be transferred into fused silica substrates by reactive ion etching herby, the etch rates of resist and silica differ by a factor of up to 3 depending on the oxygen content of the reacting gases in the etching machine. The resulting lenses are tested for the surface quality with the help of a Mach- Zehnder interference microscope. Merit functions such as point spread function and modulation transfer function can be calculated from the measured wave aberration data.

Refractive or diffractive microlenses have already been reported. Here we discuss two examples of microlenses where the generation process and the interferometric control are strongly interwoven. For refractive lenses we use lenses melted in photoresist and also reactive ion etched samples. The control is done with the help of a phase shifting interference microscope of the Mach-Zehnder type. We developed an evaluation software under Windows. The software allows for the evaluation of the wave aberrations and related functions as are psf and otf.

Wave aberrations determine the quality of the focal spot and, more generally, the imaging quality of the lens under test. Here we propose the measurement of the wave aberrations with the help of a Twyman-Green interferometer adapted to the special requirements for testing holographic optical lens elements. The evaluation of the interferograms is done with the phase-shifting technique. The resulting wave aberrations are expanded as Zernike polynomials. In addition to this evaluation, the point spread function and the modulation transfer function are calculated from the wave aberrations. The setup, the evaluation method, and some exemplary results of a tested holographic optical element are presented.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Ion- and plasma-assisted deposition has been extensively used for the fabrication of high-performance optical films with dense and smooth microstructures that are essential for applications such as low-loss and environmentally stable optics. SiO(2) is a well-known amorphous material suitable for energetic deposition. SiO(2) single layers and SiO(2)-based single-cavity narrow-bandpass filters were prepared by plasma-ion-assisted deposition. The refractive index and film thickness were determined by variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. The high compressive stress of the densified film was correlated to increased packing density. The center wavelength shift of the narrow-bandpass filters as a function of sample-temperature as well as high-temperature annealing was determined via spectral transmission measurement. Structural relaxation of the densified SiO(2) films was observed from the variation of the refractive index and physical thickness for the single layers and the center wavelength shift for the narrow-bandpass filters, suggesting elastic and plastic deformation of the densified films corresponding to a reversible and an irreversible center wavelength shift, respectively.

As excimer lasers extend to deep-ultraviolet and vacuum-ultraviolet wavelengths at 193 and 157 nm, optical coatings experience the challenge of eliminating possible environmental contamination, reducing scattering loss, and increasing laser irradiation durability. Wide bandgap metal fluorides become the materials of choice for the laser optics applications. To understand the optical properties of nanostructure fluoride films, thin GdF(3) films grown on CaF(2) (111) substrates were evaluated by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. An effective medium approximation model was used to determine both the film porosity and the surface roughness. Structural evolution of the GdF(3) film was revealed with improved ellipsometric modeling, suggesting the existence of multilayer structure, a densified bottom layer, middle layers with increasing porosity, and a rough surface. The nanostructure of the film and the surface roughness were confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The attraction of the nanostructure to environmental contamination was experimentally demonstrated.

We report on the fabrication of novel refractive microlens ar- rays in photoresists, in particular on lenses with numerical apertures ranging from 0.1 to 0.3. A base layer technique is described that makesit possible to fabricate lower numerical aperture lenses in resist, com-pared with microlenses on glass substrates. The wave aberrations weremeasured in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Diffraction-limited perfor-mance was achieved for a numerical aperture of 0.2 and a lens diameter of 270 jtm. Subject terms: micro/ens arrays; numerical apertures; Mach-Zehnder interferom-eter.Optical Engineering 32(6), 1322-1324 (June 1993). the substrate is coated with a 1-rim-thick layer ofresist usinga spin coater. Shipley AZ 1518 showed the best results. After30 mm at 160°C the resist is polymerized. The base layer isnow inert against UV exposure.Next, the base layer is covered with a thicklayer of positivephotoresist (Shipley AZ 4620 A). For a fabricated lens witha diameter of 272 im and a focal length of 666 pm, a layerof 1 1 im of positive resist was necessary. After prebakingin a convection oven at 90°C for 30 mm, the prepared sub-strate is exposed through a binary chrome-glass mask usinga UV lamp. After development, an array of cylindrical pho-toresist islands in the transparent regions of the mask is ob-tamed. The focal length of the lens depends on the thicknessof this layer as well as on the diameter of the resist cylinders.The final fabrication process consists of melting the cyl-inders on a hot plate at a temperature of 160°C, for 6 mm.At temperatures above 110°C the resist melts and polymerizescompletely. Because of the base layer below the resist cyl-inders, the critical angle becomes smaller than on the "na-ked" glass substrate. The surface tension pulls the meltedcylinder into a spherical lens with an identical volume. Ascheme of the fabrication process is shown in Fig. 2.