Particle analyzing system and methodology

• US 7,338,168 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2004
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pixel Matched Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Angkor Technology, LLP, Daniel B. Bortnick, Gregory Turocy, Himanshu S. Amin, Palantyr Research LLC
• Inventors: Cartlidge, Andrew G., Fein, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): HASAN, MOHAMMED A
• Application Number:
  US10/758,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20040246479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 351200-212, 250/208.1, 250/216, 250/584, 250/224, 250/580, 356/330, 356/333
• US Class Current: 351/206
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1433 using image recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1479 Using diffuse illumination or excitation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1497 Particle shape
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6458 Fluorescence microscopy fluorescence microscopes per se G02B21/0076 and G02B21/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9501 Semiconductor wafers manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/361 Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting

Abstract

An imaging system, methodology, and various applications are provided to facilitate optical imaging performance. The system contains a sensor having one or more receptors and an image transfer medium to scale the sensor and receptors in accordance with resolvable characteristics of the medium, and as defined with certain ratios. A computer, memory, and/or display associated with the sensor provides storage and/or display of information relating to output from the receptors to produce and/or process an image, wherein a plurality of illumination sources can also be utilized in conjunction with the image transfer medium. The image transfer medium can be configured as a k-space filter that correlates receptor size to a diffraction-limited spot associated with the image transfer medium, wherein the receptor size can be unit-mapped within a certain ratio to the size of the diffraction-limited spot.

Claims

1. A particle analyzing system comprising

an area for accommodating particles;

an imaging sensor for capturing image data of the particles, the imaging sensor comprising receptors having a size;

an image transfer medium having a diffraction limited spot size in an object plane, the object plane positioned within the area for accommodating particles, the image transfer medium operative to unit map a projected receptor size in the object plane to about the diffraction limited spot size in the object plane, the image transfer medium comprising a first lens positioned toward the object plane and a second lens positioned toward the imaging sensor, the first lens sized to have a focal length smaller than the second lens to provide an apparent reduction of the receptors within the object plane; and

an analyzer coupled to the imaging sensor, the analyzer for characterizing the particles.

2. The particle analyzing system of claim 1, wherein the receptors comprise pixels having a pixel pitch from about 0.1 microns to about 20 microns.

3. The particle analyzing system of claim 1, wherein the area for accommodating particles comprises a chamber through which flows a gaseous medium comprising particles.

4. The particle analyzing system of claim 1, wherein the area for accommodating particles comprises a chamber through which flows a liquid medium comprising particles.

5. The particle analyzing system of claim 1, wherein the analyzer for characterizing the particles is operative to determine at least one of particle shape, particle size, particle color, and particle transparency.

6. The particle analyzing system of claim 1, wherein the analyzer for characterizing the particles comprises a processor and a data store, and the analyzer is operative to compare image data of the particles with data in the data store.

7. The particle analyzing system of claim 1, wherein image data is captured in a synchronous or asynchronous manner.

8. The particle analyzing system of claim 1, wherein the particle analyzing system is an air quality monitor.

9. The particle analyzing system of claim 1, wherein the particle analyzing system is a clean room monitor.

10. A particle sizing system comprising

a chamber for accommodating particles;

a sensor for capturing image data of the particles, the sensor comprising pixels having a size;

an image transfer medium having a diffraction limited spot size in an object plane, the object plane positioned within the chamber, the image transfer medium operative to unit map a projected pixel size in the object plane to about the diffraction limited spot size in the object plane, the image transfer medium comprising a first lens positioned toward the object plane and a second lens positioned toward the imaging sensor, the first lens sized to have a focal length smaller than the second lens to provide an apparent reduction of the receptors within the object plane;

an analyzer coupled to the sensor, the analyzer for determining the size of the particles.

11. The particle sizing system of claim 10, wherein the analyzer comprises a computer.

12. The particle sizing system of claim 10 further comprising an illumination source providing at least about 75% of illumination energy having a wavelength range from about 100 nm to about 2,000 nm.

13. The particle sizing system of claim 10, wherein the particle sizing system is a clean room monitor or an air quality monitor.