Method and system for determining characteristics of substrates employing fluid geometries
First Claim
1. A method for determining characteristics of first and second substrates, said method comprising:
- forming a volume of fluid on said second substrate said volume of fluid having an area associated therewith;
compressing said volume of fluid between said first and second substrates to effectuate a change in properties of said area, defining a changed properties;
sensing said changed properties; and
determining characteristics of said first and second substrates as a function of said changed properties, defining measured characteristics.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a technique for determining characteristics of substrates, such as the presence of contaminants, shape, as well as the spatial relationships between spaced-apart substrates. The spatial relationships include distance and angular orientation, between first and second spaced apart substrates. The technique includes forming a volume of fluid on the second substrate, with the volume of fluid having an area associated therewith. The volume of fluid is compressed between the first and second substrates to effectuate a change in properties of the area, defining changed properties. The changed properties are sensed, and the characteristics of the first and second substrates are determined as a function of the changed properties.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for determining characteristics of first and second substrates, said method comprising:
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forming a volume of fluid on said second substrate said volume of fluid having an area associated therewith;
compressing said volume of fluid between said first and second substrates to effectuate a change in properties of said area, defining a changed properties;
sensing said changed properties; and
determining characteristics of said first and second substrates as a function of said changed properties, defining measured characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for determining spatial relationships between a first substrate, lying in a first plane, and a second substrate, lying in a second plane, said method comprising:
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forming a volume of fluid on said second substrate said volume of fluid having an area associated therewith;
compressing said volume of fluid between said first and second substrates to effectuate a change in properties of said area, defining changed properties, with said properties are selected from a set of properties including, size, shape and symmetry;
sensing said changed properties; and
determining a spatial relationship between said first and second substrates as a function of said changed properties, defining a measured spatial relationship, with said spatial relationship selected from a set of relationships including distance between said first and second planes, and an angle formed between said first and second planes. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A system for determining characteristics of a first substrate, lying in a first plane, and a second substrate, lying in a second plane and having a volume of fluid disposed thereon, said system comprising:
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a displacement mechanism to vary a distance between said first and second substrate, with said distance defining a gap, with said volume of fluid having an area associated therewith and said displacement mechanism adapted to compress said volume of fluid between said first and second substrates to effectuate a change in properties of said area, defining changed properties;
a detector system to sense said changed properties and produce data in response thereto; and
a processing system to receive said data and produce information corresponding to a spatial relationship between said first and second substrates as a function of said changed properties, defining a measured spatial relationship. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification