Mcnc

Nextreme Thermal Solutions, Inc.

Jds Uniphase Corporation

Bridgestone Americas, Inc.

Tyrata, Inc.

Duke University

David Alan Koester

Vijayakumar Rudrappa Dhuler

Mark David Walters

Karen W Markus

Randall G Alley

James Barton Summers, Iii

Aaron Daniel Franklin

Stephen W Brooks

Rama Venkatasubramanian

Edward Arthur Hill

Bing A Shen

Ramaswamy Mahadevan

Jayesh Bharathan

Pratima V Addepalli

Philip A Deane

Allen Bruce Cowen

Aaron Franklin

Joseph Batton Andrews

Steven Cummer

Jesko Von Windheim

Thomas Peter Schneider

Cynthia Watkins

Michael Stangler

Shady Tarek El Bassiouny

Steven Noyce

Daniel Stevenson

Maria Luisa Sartorelli

Glen Metheny

James Barton Summers Iii

A system for measuring a tread of a tire can include a nonmagnetic layer, a frame, and a housing. The nonmagnetic layer can provide a drive-over surface adapted to receive the tire thereon including the tread to be measured. The frame can have a magnet and a magnetic sensor coupled thereto. The housing can include a cavity therein. The frame with the magnet and the magnetic sensor can be mounted in the cavity. The nonmagnetic layer can be provided on the housing and on the frame.

Magnetic drive-over system providing tire tread thickness/depth measurement

According to some embodiments disclosed herein, a system is provided to measure a tread of a tire. The system includes a nonmagnetic layer providing a drive over surface, a magnet, and a magnetic sensor associated with the magnet. The drive over surface is adapted to receive the tire thereon including the tread to be measured. The magnet has opposing first and second magnetic poles, the nonmagnetic layer is between the drive over surface and the magnet, and the magnet is arranged so that the first magnetic pole is between the second magnetic pole and the nonmagnetic layer. The nonmagnetic layer is between the drive over surface and the magnetic sensor, and the magnetic sensor is configured to detect a magnetic field resulting from the magnet and the tire on the drive over surface.

Magnetic drive over system (DOS) providing tire tread thickness/depth measurement

A tire monitoring system may include first and second sensor elements, a circuit board, and a housing. The circuit board includes control circuitry coupled with at least one of the first and second sensor elements, wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate tire tread information based on an electrical response of at least one of the first and second sensor elements. The housing includes a housing material that surrounds the circuit board in a direction parallel with respect to a surface of the circuit board. Related methods are also discussed.

Structures and methods providing tread sensor integration

Methods of measuring a thickness of a material are disclosed. An oscillating signal at a measurement frequency is applied to a circuit including an inductive component and a capacitive component provided using a pair of capacitive sensor electrodes adjacent the material. The measurement frequency is less than a resonant frequency of the circuit, and the resonant frequency is based on the inductive component and the capacitive component. Information regarding a value of a measured parameter is generated based on applying the oscillating signal at the measurement frequency to the circuit. A value of the measured parameter is related to the thickness of the material.

Methods providing enhanced material thickness sensing with capacitive sensors using inductance-generated resonance and related devices

A method of forming a thermoelectric device may include providing a substrate having a surface, and thermally coupling a thermoelectric p-n couple to a first portion of the surface of a substrate. Moreover, the thermoelectric p-n couple may include a p-type thermoelectric element and an n-type thermoelectric element. In addition, a thermally conductive field layer may be formed on a second portion of the surface of the substrate adjacent the first portion of the surface of the substrate. Related structures are also discussed.

Methods of forming embedded thermoelectric coolers with adjacent thermally conductive fields

An electronic assembly may include a packaging substrate, an integrated circuit (IC) semiconductor chip, a plurality of metal interconnection structures, and a thermoelectric heat pump. The integrated circuit (IC) semiconductor chip may have an active side including input/output pads thereon and a back side opposite the active side, and the IC semiconductor chip may be arranged with the active side facing the first surface of the packaging substrate. The plurality of metal interconnection structures may be between the active side of the IC semiconductor chip and the first surface of the packaging substrate, and the plurality of metal interconnection structures may provide mechanical connection between the active side of the IC semiconductor chip and the first surface of the packaging substrate. The thermoelectric heat pump may be coupled to the packaging substrate with the thermoelectric heat pump being configured to actively pump heat between the IC semiconductor chip and the packaging substrate. Related methods and structures are also discussed.

Electronic assemblies providing active side heat pumping

A method of forming a thermoelectric device may include forming a pattern of conductive traces, and forming an electrically insulating matrix between the conductive traces of the pattern of conductive traces. In addition, a plurality of thermoelectric elements may be electrically and mechanically coupled to the pattern of conductive traces so that each conductive trace of the pattern of conductive traces has one of the plurality of thermoelectric elements thereon. In addition, the plurality of thermoelectric elements may be free of the electrically insulating matrix. Related methods and structures are also discussed.

Methods of forming thermoelectric devices including electrically insulating matrices between conductive traces

A method of forming a thermoelectric device may include forming a plurality of islands of thermoelectric material on a deposition substrate. The plurality of islands of thermoelectric material may be bonded to a header substrate so that the plurality of islands are between the deposition substrate and the header substrate. More particularly, the islands of thermoelectric material may be epitaxial islands of thermoelectric material having crystal structures aligned with a crystal structure of the deposition substrate. Related structures are also discussed.

Methods of forming thermoelectric devices using islands of thermoelectric material and related structures

An electromechanical device includes a first frame having a first aperture therein, a second frame suspended in the first frame wherein the second frame has a second aperture therein, and a plate suspended in the second aperture. A first pair of beams support the second frame along a first axis relative to the first frame so that the second frame rotates about the first axis. A second pair of beams supports the plate along a second axis relative to the second frame so that the plate rotates about the second axis relative to the frame. The first and second axes preferably intersect at a 90&deg; angle. A first actuator provides mechanical force for rotating the second frame relative to the first frame about the first axis. A second actuator provides mechanical force for rotating the plate relative to the second frame about the second axis. Accordingly, the plate can be independently rotated relative to the first axis and the second axis. Related methods are also disclosed.

Method for fabricating a microelectromechanical bearing

A microelectronic reflector is fabricated by forming a first polysilicon layer on a microelectronic substrate, forming a first phosphosilicate glass (PSG) layer on the first polysilicon layer, and reactive ion etching to remove the first PSG layer from at least a portion of the first polysilicon layer. A second polysilicon layer is formed on at least a portion of the first polysilicon layer from which the first PSG layer was removed and a second PSG layer is formed on at least a second portion of the second polysilicon layer. Reactive ion etching is performed to remove the second PSG layer from at least a portion of the second polysilicon layer. A third PSG layer then is formed on at least a portion of the second polysilicon layer from which the second PSG layer was removed. Reactive ion etching is performed to remove the third PSG layer from at least a portion of the second polysilicon layer. By forming a third PSG layer, and reactive ion etching this layer, additional stress may be created in the first and/or second doped polysilicon layers that bends the ends of the doped first and/or second polysilicon layers towards the microelectronic substrate upon release of the treated polysilicon layer from the substrate, compared to doped polysilicon layers on which the third PSG layer was not formed and reactive ion etched. This increased stress may be counteracted by forming a stress-correcting layer on at least a portion of the second polysilicon layer from which the third PSG layer was removed, and then forming a reflective layer such as gold on at least a portion of the stress-correcting layer. The stress-correcting layer preferably comprises platinum, which can produce high stresses that can counteract the stresses in the first and second doped polysilicon layers, to thereby allow a flat mirror and/or beam to be produced.

Polysilicon microelectric reflectors

Microelectromechanical devices including rotating plates and related methods

A variable capacitor having low loss and a correspondingly high Q is provided. In addition to a substrate, the variable capacitor includes at least one substrate electrode and a substrate capacitor plate that are disposed upon the substrate and formed of a low electrical resistance material, such as HTS material or a thick metal layer. The variable capacitor also includes a bimorph member extending outwardly from the substrate and over the at least one substrate electrode. The bimorph member includes first and second layers formed of materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion. The first and second layers of the bimorph member define at least one bimorph electrode and a bimorph capacitor plate such that the establishment of a voltage differential between the substrate electrode and the bimorph electrode moves the bimorph member relative to the substrate electrode, thereby altering the interelectrode spacing as well as the distance between the capacitor plates. As such, the capacitance of the variable capacitor can be controlled based upon the relative spacing between the bimorph member and the underlying substrate. A method is also provided for micromachining or otherwise fabricating a variable capacitor having an electrode and a capacitor plate formed of a low electrical resistance material such that the resulting variable capacitor has low loss and a correspondingly high Q. The variable capacitor can therefore be employed in high frequency applications, such as required by some tunable filters.

Variable capacitor and associated fabrication method

An electromechanical device includes a first frame having a first aperture therein, a second frame suspended in the first frame wherein the second frame has a second aperture therein, and a plate suspended in the second aperture. A first pair of beams support the second frame along a first axis relative to the first frame so that the second frame rotates about the first axis. A second pair of beams supports the plate along a second axis relative to the second frame so that the plate rotates about the second axis relative to the frame. The first and second axes preferably intersect at a 90.degree. angle. A first actuator provides mechanical force for rotating the second frame relative to the first frame about the first axis. A second actuator provides mechanical force for rotating the plate relative to the second frame about the second axis. Accordingly, the plate can be independently rotated relative to the first axis and the second axis. Related methods are also disclosed.

Reflective mems actuator with a laser

Microelectromechanical beam for allowing a plate to rotate in relation

Microelectromechanical devices including rotating plates and related

Growing community of inventors

Burlington, NC, United States of America

David Alan Koester