Texas Instruments Corporation

Quarkstar LLC

Itac Systems, Inc.

Waviks, Inc.

Zyvex Corporation

Omniprobe, Inc.

Adhawk Microsystems Inc.

Apogee Semiconductor, Inc.

Gregory A Magel

Robert M Boysel

Hans Peter Stormberg

Ferdinand Schinagl

Thomas M Moore

Robert C Gardner

Tsen-Hwang Lin

Roland H Haitz

James M Florence

Larry V Moore

Robert Leo Dawes

Minhaj Ahmed

Donald P Bynum

Richard A Stoltz

Ingo Speier

Nino Zahirovic

Han-Tzong Yuan

George Dee Skidmore

Jau-Yuann Yang

Niladri Sarkar

John Domm

Charles G Roberts

Philip A Congdon

Mark Hamlyn

Cheryl Hartfield

Duncan Wesley Strathearn

Terrance Gus McDonald

Geoffrey Lee

Arash Rohani

T Gus McDonald

Dong Yan

Wen R Wu

Zhenhao Li

Emily Ann Donnelly

Kyle Schulmeyer

Jon C Zimmerman

The present disclosure is directed to compact packaging for optical MEMS devices, such as one- and two-dimensional light scanners. An embodiment in accordance with the present disclosure includes a housing having a chamber for holding a light source and a MEMS scanner. The MEMS scanner receives light from the light source via an optical element disposed on a cover of the housing and steers an output signal along a propagation direction through the cover while steering the output signal in at least one dimension.

Advanced packaging for compact object-scanning modules

Devices with increased susceptibility to ionizing radiation feature multiple parasitic transistors having leakage currents that increase with total ionizing dose (TID) due to negative threshold shifts from radiation-induced charge buildup in the field oxide. Leakage currents of parasitic edge transistors associated with active region sidewalls under a gate are enhanced using branching gate patterns that increase the number of these sidewalls. Other variations combine parasitic edge transistors with parasitic field transistors formed under the field oxide between active regions, or between n-wells and active regions. Arrays of such devices connected in parallel further multiply leakage currents, while novel compact designs increase the density and hence the sensitivity to TID for a given circuit area. These NMOS-based radiation-intolerant devices can be integrated with more radiation-tolerant CMOS integrated circuits using commercial processes, to produce circuits having a level of radiation intolerance required for export, or to be used as dosimeters.

MOS devices for sensing total ionizing dose

An optical pyrometer having a coaxial light guide delivers laser radiation through optics to heat a localized area on a sample, and simultaneously collects optical radiation from the sample to perform temperature measurement of the heated area. Inner and outer light guides can comprise the core and inner cladding, respectively, of a double-clad fiber (DCF), or can be formed using a combination of optical fibers in one or more coaxial bundles. Coaxial construction and shared optics facilitate alignment of the centers of the heated and observed areas on the sample. The heated area can be on the order of micrometers when using a single-mode optical fiber core as the inner light guide. The system can be configured to heat small samples within a vacuum system of charged-particle beam microscopes such as electron microscopes. A method for using the invention in a microscope is also provided.

Coaxial fiber optical pyrometer with laser sample heater

Apparatus and methods for the alignment of a charged-particle beam with an optical beam within a charged-particle beam microscope, and to the focusing of the optical beam are disclosed. An embodiment includes a charged-particle beam microscope having one or more charged-particle beams, such as an electron beam, and one or more optical beams provided by an optical-beam accessory that is mounted in or on the charged-particle beam microscope. This accessory is integrated into a nanomanipulator system, allowing its focus location to be moved within the microscope. The apparatus includes a two-dimensional pixelated beam locator such as a CCD or CMOS imaging array sensor. The image formed by this sensor can then be used to manually, or automatically in an open or closed loop configuration, adjust the positioning of one or more charged-particle beams or optical beams to achieve coincidence of such beams or focus of one or more such beams.

Method and apparatus for alignment of optical and charged-particle beams in an electron microscope

A variety of light-emitting devices are disclosed that are configured to output light provided by a light source. In general, embodiments of the light-emitting devices feature a light source and an extractor element coupled to the light source, where the extractor element includes, at least in part, a total internal reflection (TIR) surface. Luminaires incorporating light-emitting devices of this type are also disclosed.

Light-emitting device with total internal reflection (TIR) extractor

A variety of light-emitting devices are disclosed that are configured to output light provided by a light-emitting element (LEE). In general, embodiments of the light-emitting devices feature a light-emitting element, a scattering element that is spaced apart from the light-emitting element and an extractor element coupled to the scattering element, where the extractor element includes, at least in part, a total internal reflection surface. Luminaires incorporating light-emitting devices of this type are also disclosed.

Light-emitting device with remote scattering element and total internal reflection extractor element

A cursor control device having a light source and an image sensor for optically tracking motion. The device includes an upwardly facing dome or window that provides a visual and tactile interface for user interaction. The user's hand or finger, bare or gloved, or other object controlled by the user, can be moved in close proximity or touching the dome, and means are provided to discriminate against the motion of objects that are not close to the dome in order to prevent unwanted cursor motion. Said means can include optics having a limited depth of focus, adaptive illumination processing for controlling the intensity of light emitted from the light source to optimize sensor operation, and/or processing for projecting cursor motion in accordance with a detected level of confidence in the sensor data.

Cursor control device

This disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for producing multiple pixel-by-pixel simultaneous and overlapping images of a sample in a microscope with multiple imaging beams. A scanning electron microscope, a focused ion-beam microscope, or a microscope having both beams, also has an optical microscope. A region of interest on a sample is scanned by both charged-particle and optical beams, either by moving the sample beneath the beams by use of a mechanical stage, or by synchronized scanning of the stationary sample by the imaging beams, or by independently scanning the sample with the imaging beams and recording imaging signals so as to form pixel-by-pixel simultaneous and overlapping images.

Method and apparatus for acquiring simultaneous and overlapping optical and charged particle beam images

A system and method for optical frequency conversion having asymmetric output include a coherent light apparatus. The coherent light apparatus includes a coherent light source that produces a first coherent light, a frequency converter optically coupled to the coherent light source, and a coupling optic optically coupled between the coherent light source and the frequency converter. The frequency converter converts the first coherent light to a second coherent light at a second frequency and includes an asymmetric frequency converter (AFC) that nonlinearly converts the first coherent light to the second coherent light with the frequency conversion being more efficient in a first direction than in a second direction. A resonant cavity formed about the AFC circulates the first coherent light and transmits the second coherent light propagating in the first direction.

System and method for optical frequency conversion

A method of moving the cursor is used in a computer system having a processor operatively coupled to a cursor control device having a light source and an image sensor for optically tracking motion of the cursor control device. The method is executed to move the cursor according to an enhanced tracking value generated based on a measured tracking value, a projected tracking value, and a tracking confidence value based on an illumination value representative of an intensity of light sensed by the sensor.

Fabricating electrical isolation properties into a MEMS device is described. One embodiment comprises a main substrate layer of a high-resistivity semiconductor material, such as high-resistivity silicon. The high-resistivity substrate is then controllably doped to provide a region of high-conductivity in the main substrate. Electrical isolation is achieved in such an embodiment by patterning the high-conductivity region either by masking the main substrate during the doping or etching through the doped, high-conductivity region in order to form regions of high conductivity. Effective isolation results from confinement of electrical currents to the lowest-resistance path. An alternative embodiment employs the fabrication of pn junctions and the use of reverse biasing to enhance the electrical isolation. A further embodiment comprises a main substrate layer of low-resistivity semiconductor material with a layer of insulator deposited thereon. High-conductivity or low-resistivity material is then grown on top of the insulator to create electrically isolated conductors.

Apparatus and fabrication methods for incorporating sub-millimeter, high-resistivity mechanical components with low-resistivity conductors while maintaining electrical isolation therebetween

An optical device for sensing properties in an environment such as the presence of a substance or chemical in the zone to be monitored using optical components integrated on a microchip base or substrate. A preferred embodiment introduces a method for fabricating a miniature microchip chemical sensor by integrating a GaAs LED 14 with a polyimide waveguide 48 and a silicon photosensor 16 on the same chip. Light 18 is emitted at the edge of the GaAs LED 14. A portion of the light propagates is detected by a PIN diode 16. A chemical sensitive material 50 is coated on top of a polyimide waveguide 48. When the gas or chemical to which the material is sensitive appears, the light transmitted from the polyimide to air increases, thus the total signal sensed by the photodetector decreases, whereby the change in light signal indicates detection.

Integrated microchip chemical sensor

A membrane device is provided in which a plurality of ridges (14) and recesses (16) are formed proximate to a substrate (12). Electrodes (18) are formed within the recesses (16). A spacer (20) supports a membrane (22). Application of a potential difference between the membrane (22) and the electrodes (18) allows for deflection of the membrane (22) toward the electrodes (18).

Membrane device with recessed electrodes and method of making

Growing community of inventors

Dallas, TX, United States of America

Gregory A Magel