US 12,461,404 B2
Analyzing microtextured regions of optically anisotropic materials
Daniel P. Satko, Centerville, OH (US); Ayman A. Salem, Beavercreek, OH (US); Thomas J. Carmody, Chicago, IL (US); and Patrick M. Fleisher, Kettering, OH (US)
Assigned to MRL Materials Resources LLC, Beavercreek, OH (US)
Filed by MRL Materials Resources LLC, Beavercreek, OH (US)
Filed on Aug. 21, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/452,881.
Application 18/452,881 is a continuation in part of application No. 18/178,630, filed on Mar. 6, 2023.
Application 18/178,630 is a continuation of application No. 16/431,161, filed on Jun. 4, 2019, granted, now 11,598,981.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/680,093, filed on Jun. 4, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0400720 A1, Dec. 14, 2023
Int. Cl. G02F 1/11 (2006.01); G01N 21/21 (2006.01)
CPC G02F 1/116 (2013.01) [G01N 21/21 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a light source for emitting monochromatic light with a bandwidth of up to 40 nanometers;
a linear polarizer having a first polarization axis, the linear polarizer for receiving the emitted light and producing a polarized light from the received light;
a beam splitter for receiving the polarized light and redirecting the received light to a half-wave plate;
an objective lens for receiving the redirected light from the half-wave plate and focusing the redirected light onto a sample, the sample having an optical anisotropy, the objective lens further for receiving a reflected light from the sample and propagating the reflected light to the half-wave plate and the beam splitter, the reflected light being a function of the optical anisotropy;
an analyzer having a second polarizer with a second polarization axis, the second polarization axis being orthogonal or nearly orthogonal to the first polarization axis, the analyzer for receiving the propagated reflected light from the beam splitter and producing a partially extinguished light,
an intensity of the partially extinguished light being a function of the first polarization axis, the second polarization axis, and the optical anisotropy of the sample;
a camera to capture an image sequence of the partially extinguished light; and
a processing system configured to:
obtain flat-field corrected images from the captured image sequence;
performing image rotation and image registration of the flat-field corrected images;
determining an intensity response at each pixel from the rotated and registered images determining an amplitude value and a phase value at each pixel from the intensity response at each pixel;
correlating the amplitude value with an inclination of an optic axis at each pixel;
correlating the phase value with an azimuth of the optic axis at each pixel; and
and quantifying microstructured regions (MTRs) using the inclination and azimuth at each pixel.