1783 results about "Photodetection" patented technology

A device and method for spatially resolved photodetection and demodulation of temporally modulated electromagnetic waves makes it possible to measure phase, amplitude and offset of a temporally modulated, spatially coded radiation field. A micro-optical element (41) spatially averages a portion (30) of the scene and equally distributes the averaged intensity on two photo sites (51.1.51.2) close to each other. Adjacent to each of these photo sites (51.1) are two storage areas (54.1, 54.2) into which charge from the photo site can be moved quickly (with a speed of several MHz to several tens or even hundreds of MHz) and accumulated essentially free of noise. This is possible by employing the charge-coupled device (CCD) principle. The device combines a high optical fill factor, insensitivity to offset errors, high sensitivity even with little light, simultaneous data acquisition, small pixel size, and maximum efficiency in use of available signal photons for sinusoidal as well as pulsed radiation signals. The device and method may be used in a time-of-flight (TOF) range imaging system without moving parts, offering 2D or 3D range data.

A dental optical coherence tomography apparatus for measuring tissue in a stomatognathic region of a living body or an artificial composition in the stomatognathic region as a measured object includes: a variable wavelength light source (15); a light splitting portion (19) that splits light-source light emitted from the variable wavelength light source (15) into reference light (29) and measuring light (28); an interference portion (19) that causes the measuring light (28) and the reference light (29) to interfere with each other, thereby generating interference light; a photodetection portion (41) that measures the interference light; and an arithmetic portion (27b) that generates an image of a measured object (22) by Fourier transforming or inverse Fourier transforming the intensity of the interference light, whose wavelength changes with time, that has been detected by the photodetection portion for each of the wavelengths. Accordingly, an optical coherence tomography apparatus applicable to dental measurement can be provided.

Metallotetrapyrrolic compounds having photherapeutic properties useful in photodetection and phototherapy of target issues, particularly porphyrins and azaporphyrins that including gallium in the central pyrrolic core. Also disclosed are methods of using metallotetrapyrrolic compounds for the treatment or detection of cardiovascular disease.

Systems for enhancing the sensitivity of detecting an optical signal using nonlinear optics and method of performing the same. In one embodiment, a single-photon detection system includes an optical amplifier realized in a waveguide, and a photodetector coupled to an output of the optical amplifier. A light detection and ranging system includes the optical amplifier coupled to an optical source and one photodetector. In another embodiment, a photodetection system includes a plurality of optical frequency converters, coupled to an optical source, that sequentially convert a wavelength of photons of the optical source to a final wavelength, and a single-photon photodetector coupled to the optical frequency converters to detect single photons produced by the optical source. In another embodiment, an optical sensor includes an optical pump, and a transducer including an optical ring cavity coupled to the optical pump and configured to utilize optical four-wave mixing to detect an external stimulus.

An optical inspection device 1, comprising a light generation means 2, a light irradiation means 3 irradiating an object to be inspected 4 with light generated from the light generation means 2 and a photodetection means 6 photoelectrically converting signal light obtained from the object to be inspected 4 through irradiation of light by the light irradiation means 3, and inspecting the object to be inspected 4 based on output from the photodetection means 6, wherein a light amplification means 5 amplifying signal light obtained from the object to be inspected 4 is provided. There is thus provided an optical inspection device capable of photoelectrically converting signal light from the object to be inspected with high sensitivity and promptly with its inexpensive configuration without increasing the intensity of light with which the object to be inspected is irradiated and without using an expensive low-noise and high-sensitivity photodetector.

The present invention provides an apparatus for photodynamic therapy and fluorescence detection, in which a combined light source is provided to illuminate an object body and a multispectral fluorescence-reflectance image is provided to reproduce various and complex spectral images for an object tissue, thus performing effective photodynamic therapy for various diseases both outside and inside of the body.For this purpose, the present invention provides an apparatus for photodynamic therapy and photodetection, which provides illumination with light of various wavelengths and multispectral images, the apparatus including: an optical imaging system producing an image of an object tissue and transmitting the image to a naked eye or an imaging device; a combined light source including a plurality of coherent and non-coherent light sources and a light guide guiding incident light emitted from the light sources; a multispectral imaging system including at least one image sensor; and a computer system outputting an image of the object tissue to the outside. Thus, the apparatus for photodynamic therapy and photodetection of the present invention can effectively perform the photodynamic therapy and photodetection by means of the combined light source capable of irradiating light having various spectral components to an object tissue and the multispectral imaging system capable of obtaining images from several spectral portions for these various spectral ranges at the same time, thus improving the accuracy of diagnosis and efficiency of the photodynamic therapy.

A novel method for fabrication of hybrid semiconductor-graphene nanostructures in large scale by floating graphene sheets on the surface of a solution is provided. Using this approach, crystalline ZnO nano / micro-rod bundles on graphene fabricated using chemical vapor deposition were prepared. UV detectors fabricated using the as-prepared hybrid ZnO-graphene nano-structure with graphene being one of the two electrodes show high sensitivity to ultraviolet light, suggesting the graphene remained intact during the ZnO growth. This growth process provides a low-cost and robust scheme for large-scale fabrication of semiconductor nanostructures on graphene and may be applied for synthesis of a variety of hybrid semiconductor-graphene nano-structures demanded for optoelectronic applications including photovoltaics, photodetection, and photocatalysis.

A multispectral photodetector array includes a two-dimensional array of photodetectors, either photodiodes or photoconductors, are coupled to a read out integrated circuit. The integrated circuit collects electrical signals from individual pixels of the array. Such an array differs from a conventional array in that each row or group of rows in the array has a distinct spectral response.

A photodetector used in, for example, an optical pickup device includes: a photodetection unit including a plurality of photodetection elements and provided on a semiconductor chip; a light transmitting unit formed on the upper surface of the photodetection unit; and a light shielding layer having an optical aperture and disposed on the upper surface of the light transmitting unit, with these components being formed integrally. The light transmitting unit is configured such that the distance between the optical aperture and the photodetection unit is maintained constant, and the optical aperture is formed such that the inner portion of an incident light beam passes therethrough. The positioning of the photodetector and the positioning of the optical aperture such as a pinhole or a slit for adjusting the light beam entering the photodetection elements of the photodetector can be made at the same time.

The present invention provides a measuring system, which comprises a surveying device installed at a known point, at least one photodetection device to be installed at a measuring point, and a main arithmetic device; wherein the surveying device projects by rotary irradiation a reference plane forming laser beam including two or more fan-shaped laser beams with at least one of the fan-shaped laser beams tilted and a distance measuring light performs distance measurement by receiving a reflected distance measuring light, and performs communication of the distance measurement data between the photodetection device and the main arithmetic device; wherein the photodetection device calculates an elevation angle with respect to the surveying device based on a photodetection signal issued by receiving the reference plane forming laser beam, calculates an elevation position based on the elevation angle and the distance to the surveying device, and performs communication of distance measurement data and elevation position data at least with the main arithmetic device; and wherein the main arithmetic device communicates at least with the photodetection device among the surveying device and the photodetection device, and collects and records surveying data such as distance measurement data, elevation position data, etc. for each measuring point.

By irradiating a detection beam from an irradiation system of a detection device to a scale used for measuring the position of a wafer stage, and detecting the detection beam via the scale by a photodetection system, a surface state (an existence state of foreign substance) of the scale is detected. With this operation, detection of the surface state can be performed contactlessly with respect to the scale. Moreover, movement control of the wafer stage can be performed with high precision by taking the surface state into consideration.

A projector having a tilt angle measurement device is provided with: a projection device for projecting an image onto a projection surface; a tilt angle measurement device for calculating the tilt angle that is formed between the axis of projection of the projection device and the projection surface; and an image control unit for controlling the output image from the projection device in accordance with the tilt angle that is calculated and thus correcting distortion in the image that is projected onto the projection surface. The tilt angle measurement device includes: a light guide unit that is provided on the projection-side surface of the case of the projector and separated from the axis of projection in a prescribed direction; a photodetection element for photodetecting, by way of the light guide unit, reflected light from at least two points that are projected onto the projection surface; and a tilt angle calculation unit for calculating the tilt angle that is formed between the axis of projection of the projection device and the projection surface based on photodetection position information of the reflected light of the photodetection element.

The present invention provides of a three-dimensional bicontinuous heterostructure, a method of producing same, and the application of this structure towards the realization of photodetecting and photovoltaic devices working in the visible and the near-infrared. The three-dimensional bicontinuous heterostructure includes two interpenetrating layers which are spatially continuous, they are include only protrusions or peninsulas, and no islands. The method of producing the three-dimensional biontinuous heterostructure relies on forming an essentially planar continuous bottom layer of a first material; forming a layer of this first material on top of the bottom layer which is textured to produce protrusions for subsequent interpenetration with a second material, coating this second material onto this structure; and forming a final coating with the second material that ensures that only the second material is contacted by subsequent layer. One of the materials includes visible and / or infrared-absorbing semiconducting quantum dot nanoparticles, and one of materials is a hole conductor and the other is an electron conductor.

A backside illumination semiconductor image sensor, wherein each photodetection cell includes a semiconductor body of a first conductivity type of a first doping level delimited by an insulation wall, electron-hole pairs being capable in said body after a backside illumination; on the front surface side of said body, a ring-shaped well of the second conductivity type, this well delimiting a substantially central region having its upper portion of the first conductivity type of a second doping level greater than the first doping level; and means for controlling the transfer of charge carriers from said body to said upper portion.

This disclosure provides methods to integrate heat generating nanoparticles to microelectromechanical (MEMs) and photonic devices such as microbolometers and thermopiles for better photodetection and electrical energy generation. Nanoparticles include noble metal and semiconductor nanocrystals of different shapes, as light sensing and heat generating materials.

A photodetector includes a photoreceiving unit which receives a light beam that blinks a plurality of times per detection period and converts the received light beam into an output signal. A signal processing and control unit controls the photoreceiving unit so that the output signal increases in strength as a blinking cycle count increases in each detection period.

The invention provides a bigrid optoelectronic thin film transistor capable of being used for indirect detecting type digital X-ray detectors. In pixel units for indirect X-ray detecting, optoelectronic detecting elements and thin film transistors for signal reading are integrated in the bigrid optoelectronic thin film transistor. The bigrid optoelectronic thin film transistor can achieve the on-off and signal amplification performance of the thin film transistors, and can also achieve the induction function of optoelectronic transistors and the storage function of signal charges. According to the scheme, the bigrid optoelectronic thin film transistor has the advantages of being high in signal to noise ratio and resolution ratio, simple in manufacturing technique and high in integrity degree, pixel areas can be utilized fully, and high-sensitivity detection can be achieved.

Method and apparatus for the single particle detection of submicron structures such as biological molecules and viruses utilises an optical element (100) comprising an optically transparent substrate (1) partially coated with a thin film of metal (2) illuminated with an optical beam (4) incident on a non-metal coated region (3) of the surface of the optical element at a point adjacent or close to the metal coated region of the optical element such that the beam propagates above but close and substantially parallel to the metal surface defining a measurement zone from within which submicron particles (7) contained in a sample (6) placed in contact with the optical element scatter or emit light which can be detected in the far field by conventional photodetection systems. The apparatus can be configured in a flow cell or optical microscope configuration.

A SiGe surface-normal optical path photodetector structure and a method for forming the SiGe optical path normal structure are provided. The method comprises: forming a Si substrate with a surface; forming a Si feature, normal with respect to the Si substrate surface, such as a via, trench, or pillar; depositing SiGe overlying the Si normal feature to a thickness in the range of 5 to 1000 nanometers (nm); and, forming a SiGe optical path normal structure having an optical path length in the range of 0.1 to 10 microns. Typically, the SiGe has a Ge concentration in the range from 5 to 100%. The Ge concentration may be graded to increase with respect to the deposition thickness. For example, the SiGe may have a 20% concentration of Ge at the Si substrate interface, a 30% concentration of Ge at a SiGe film top surface, and a thickness of 400 nm.

The invention relates to a reflection-type confocal scanning retina imaging system based on adaptive optics, which can accurately obtain the high-resolution images of vital human eye retinae in real time and comprises a light source, a reflection-type beam shrinking and expanding system, a two-dimension scanning galvanometer, a Hartmann sensor, a deformable mirror, a photoelectric detection system, a data acquisition and processing system and a contraocular sighting target system. Lasers emitted from the light source are hit into human eye ground; light reflected from the eye ground returns along the original path, enters the photoelectric detection system and passes through the data acquisition and processing system to obtain the real-time images of the human eye ground. Simultaneously, an adaptive optics system comprising the Hartmann sensor and the deformable mirror can synchronously detect and correct human eye aberration, and thereby, the high resolution of the images is ensured.

In a planar waveguide optical circuit 1, a inclined groove 3 is formed at an inclination angle .theta. with respect to the vertical axis so as to cross optical waveguides 2.sub.n. A reflection filter 4 structured such that the difference in reflectivity between orthogonal polarization is compensated for with respect to signal light is installed inside the groove 3, the reflected light from the reflection filter 4 is detected by the photodetectors 6.sub.n, and the optical intensity of the signal light is monitored. This makes it possible to accurately monitor the optical intensity regardless of the polarization state of the signal light. Also, since the inside of the groove 3 including the reflection filter 4 is sealed with a filler resin 5, any deterioration in long-term stability that would otherwise be caused by contamination of these components is prevented. Thus, the optical waveguide module with which the structure of the optical circuit is simpler, and the optical intensity can be correctly monitored regardless of the state of polarization of the signal light is realized.

The invention provides a surveying instrument, which comprises a light emitting element for emitting a distance measuring light, a distance measuring light projecting unit for projecting the distance measuring light, a light receiving unit for receiving a reflected distance measuring light, a photodetection element for receiving the reflected distance measuring light and for producing a photodetection signal and a distance measuring unit for performing a distance measurement based on a light receiving result from the photodetection element, further comprises a first optical axis deflecting unit disposed on a projection optical axis of the distance measuring light for deflecting an optical axis of the distance measuring light at a deflection angle as required and in a direction as required, a second optical axis deflecting unit disposed on a light receiving optical axis for deflecting the reflected distance measuring light at the same deflection angle and in the same direction as the first optical axis deflecting unit and a projecting direction detecting unit for detecting a deflection angle and a deflecting direction by the first optical axis deflecting unit, wherein it is so arranged that the distance measuring light is projected through the first optical axis deflecting unit and the reflected distance measuring light is received by the photodetection element through the second optical axis deflecting unit and a three-dimensional data of a measuring point is obtained based on a distance measuring result of the distance measuring unit and a detection result of the projecting direction detecting unit.

Shields that transmit light to be detected and have conductivity are disposed on light receiving surfaces of photodiodes (1 and 2) to prevent electric charges from being induced to the photodiodes (1 and 2) by electromagnetic waves entered from an external. Two kinds of filters having light transmittance depending on a wavelength of light are disposed on the light receiving surfaces of the photodiodes (1 and 2), respectively, to take a difference between their spectral characteristics. The shield and filter may be made of, for example, polysilicon or a semiconductor thin film of a given conductivity type, and may be readily manufactured by incorporating those manufacturing processes into a semiconductor manufacturing process.

A working position measuring system, comprising a rotary laser device for irradiating and rotating a laser beam and a photodetection sensor device for receiving the laser beam and for detecting a working position, wherein the rotary laser device comprises a laser projector for projecting at least two fan-shaped beams with at least one beam tilted, and the photodetection sensor device comprises at least one photodetection unit for receiving the fan-shaped beams and an arithmetic unit for calculating an elevation angle relative to the rotary laser device based on photodetection signals produced when the photodetection unit receives the light beam.

A light wave distance-measuring system, comprising a projection optical system having an optical axis of outgoing light and for projecting a measuring light, and a photodetection optical system having an optical axis of a returning light and for receiving a reflection light, wherein the photodetection optical system comprises a light receiving lens for receiving and for converging the reflection light, a light receiving surface where the reflection light enters, and a ring-like perforated multi-focal optical member arranged between the light receiving surface and the light receiving lens and for converging the light to the light receiving surface.

The invention provides a droplet control detector and a working method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of microfluidics. The droplet control detector comprises: a light source; a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein an electric field for driving a droplet to move is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode; the droplet positioned at the light emitting sideof the light source, wherein the the electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode drives the droplet to move when an electrical signal is applied to the first electrode and thesecond electrode; a photodetection structure capable of detecting lights emitted by the light source and reflected by the droplet and obtaining droplet information according to the detection result;and a processing circuit used for controlling the electric signal applied to the first electrode and the second electrode according to the droplet information. The droplet control detector can realizehighly-effective and accurate droplet control.

An interdigitated nanoelectrode grating functions both as an absorption-enhancing sub-wavelength antenna and to minimize the distance between electron-hole creation and current collection so as to enhance photodetection schemes based upon active layers comprising two-dimensional semiconducting materials.

An optical pickup apparatus having an irradiation optical system for condensing a light beam on a track of a recording plane and a photodetection optical system for guiding return light to a photodetector to detect a focal error includes a holographic lens provided in the optical path of the return light for outputting 0-th and ±1st order diffracted lights based on the return light; an optical element provided in front of or behind the holographic lens for providing astigmatism; photodetectors for receiving the 0-th and ±1st order diffracted lights; and servo-signal generating operation circuits connected to the photodetectors for generating a first and second focus error signals having a first and second capture ranges based on the output signal of the photodetector.