The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Northeastern University

Eugene H Cook

Marc Steven Weinberg

Jonathan Jay Bernstein

David J Carter

Francis J Kub

Karl D Hobart

Steven Jay Spector

Michael G Moebius

Amy Elizabeth Duwel

Rachael L Myers-Ward

Eugene A Imhoff

Peter Miraglia

William David Sawyer

Mirela G Bancu

Gayatri E Perlin

Paul A Ward

Matteo Rinaldi

James Alan Bickford

Nicol E McGruer

Thomas A Campbell

Murali V Chaparala

Tirunelveli Subramaniam Sriram

William Whitcomb McFarland

John Joseph LeBlanc

Alla A Gimbel

Parshant Kumar

Clayton Morris

John J Le Blanc

Ralph Cohn

Stephen L Finberg

Thayne R Henry

Sean P O'Connor

Zoltan S Spakovszky

Methods for fabricating MEMS tuning fork gyroscope sensor system using silicon wafers. This provides the possibly to avoid glass. The sense plates can be formed in a device layer of a silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer or in a deposited polysilicon layer in a few examples.

Silicon MEMS gyroscopes with upper and lower sense plates

Methods for fabricating silicon MEMS gyroscopes with upper and lower sense plates

MEMS-actuated optical switches can be implemented on photonic chips. These switches are compact, essentially planar, simple to implement and include only one moving MEMS component per switch. The switches exhibit low optical loss, require low power to operate, and are simple to control and easy to integrate with other optical devices. Each switch has two optical waveguides that are optically coupled in an ON switch state and not coupled in an OFF switch state. An end or a medial section of one of the two waveguides may translate between the ON and OFF states to affect the coupling. Alternatively, a coupling frustrator may translate between the ON and OFF states to affect the coupling.

Optical switch controllable by vertical motion MEMS structure

An optical system includes a laser source that provides a beam of light, a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) with an input aperture, and an alignment fixture that has at least one actuator. The alignment fixture may be mounted on the PIC. The optical system is aligned such that the beam of light travels from the laser source to the alignment fixture and from the alignment fixture to the input aperture of the PIC. The alignment fixture can move in at least one direction upon actuation of the at least one actuator to adjust coupling between the laser source and the PIC. The at least one actuator may be a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) structure actuated by an electrical signal.

Movable flexure and MEMS elements for improved optical coupling to photonic integrated circuits

A mold for casting a micro-scale structure includes an upper surface including a first cavity having a first depth. A negative pattern for an array of micro-scale structures is defined in a surface of the first cavity. The mold includes at least one second cavity having a second depth defined in the cavity outside of the negative pattern for the array of micro-scale structures. The at least one second cavity defines a negative pattern for a standoff of the micro-scale structure. A fabric retaining frame is disposed in the first cavity.

Polymer microwedges and methods of manufacturing same

Electromechanical device structures are provided, as well as methods for forming them. The device structures incorporate at least a first and second substrate separated by an interface material layer, where the first substrate comprises an anchor material structure and at least one suspended material structure, optionally a spring material structure, and optionally an electrostatic sense electrode. The device structures may be formed by methods that include providing an interface material layer on one or both of the first and second substrates, bonding the interface materials to the opposing first or second substrate or to the other interface material layer, followed by forming the suspended material structure by etching.

Silicon carbide microelectromechanical structure, device, and method

Aspects and embodiments are generally directed to magnetic field detector systems and methods. In one example, a magnetic field detector system includes a proof-mass including a magnetic dipole source, a plurality of supports, each individual support of the plurality supports being coupled to the proof-mass, a plurality of sensors, each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors positioned to measure a resonant frequency of a corresponding support of the plurality of supports, and a controller coupled to each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors, the controller configured to measure a characteristic of a magnetic field imparted on the proof-mass based on at least a first resonant frequency of the measured resonant frequencies.

Magnetic field detector system

According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a whole angle gyroscope comprising a central point, at least one mass arranged symmetrically about the central point, a plurality of transducers, each configured to perform at least one of driving and sensing motion of the at least one mass, and a processor coupled to the plurality of transducers, the processor configured to operate the plurality of transducers to drive the at least one mass in at least a first vibratory mode and a second vibratory mode, identify a rate dead zone of the whole angle gyroscope, and operate the plurality of transducers to apply a force to the at least one mass to reduce the identified rate dead zone of the whole angle gyroscope.

Calibration system and method for whole angle gyroscope

An environmental physical sensor is provided that includes a power input terminal, a sensor output terminal, and a resonant switch. The resonant switch includes a mechanical element that is responsive to an environmental stimulus and is coupled to an electrical switch. The electrical switch is operable between an open position and a closed position and electrically connects the power input terminal to the sensor output terminal when in the closed position. The mechanical element is configured to intermittently actuate the electrical switch into the closed position responsive to the environmental stimulus.

Zero power sensors

According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a gyroscope comprising an axially symmetric structure, and a plurality of transducers, each configured to perform at least one of driving and sensing motion of the axially symmetric structure, wherein the plurality of transducers is configured to drive the axially symmetric structure in at least a first vibratory mode and a second vibratory mode, and wherein the gyroscope is implemented on a hexagonal crystal-based substrate.

Whole angle MEMS gyroscope on hexagonal crystal substrate

According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a gyroscope comprising a central anchor, a plurality of internal flexures, a plurality of masses, each mass coupled to the central anchor via at least one of the plurality of internal flexures and configured to translate in a plane of the gyroscope, and a plurality of mass-to-mass couplers, each mass-to-mass coupler coupled between two adjacent masses of the plurality of masses, and a plurality of transducers, each configured to perform at least one of driving and sensing motion of a corresponding one of the plurality of masses, wherein the plurality of transducers is configured to drive the plurality of masses in at least a first vibratory mode and a second vibratory mode.

Whole angle MEMS gyroscope

A method of fabricating ultra-thin semiconductor devices includes forming an array of semiconductor dielets mechanically suspended on a frame with at least one tether connecting each semiconductor dielet of the array of semiconductor dielets to the frame.

Method for realizing ultra-thin sensors and electronics with enhanced fragility

Growing community of inventors

Acton, MA, United States of America

Eugene H Cook