Automated super-resolution polarimetric nonlinear microscope 'PolarNon'

ended

The analysis of materials is a key requirement for device quality control in medical, electronic and photonic industry. Currently, fluorescence imaging, electron microscopy and photoluminescence are typical tools for quality control in research and industry. However, they suffer from several limitations: complex samples preparation, special environments, destructive and time-consuming measurements. The development of new materials and components needs innovative approaches for fast and non-destructive testing (NDT). We propose to use nonlinear optical responses that are strongly dependent on material properties like crystal structure, defects and roughness for NDT. Despite the high potential of nonlinear optics in material sciences, the existing solutions are not convenient in terms of equipment, measurements methods, sample preparation and human resources costs. We propose the implementation and testing of a fully automated polarimetric nonlinear microscope ‘PolarNon’ as a hardware and software solution for NDT and quality control of materials or optoelectronic components in the semiconductor industry (Market segment I), and metallic or ceramic alloys in the aerospace industry (Market segment II). The PolarNon system overcomes the limitations of current methods: it does not require special sample preparation or measurement conditions, like low temperatures, vacuum or ultrathin substrates, and it can characterize materials already incorporated in a device. The PolarNon includes a method of per-pixel analysis of optical images to reconstruct the material crystalline properties down to the pixel resolution. We already successfully applied this approach to several materials for predicting samples inner structure. This project allows us to build an industrial prototype for future commercialization and secure the invention to create an engineering start-up focused on the development of nonlinear optical microscopy tools for material analysis.