Xerox Corporation

Leland Stanford Junior University

James C Mikkelsen

Nicholas K Sheridon

Juan G Santiago

Guerino G Sacripante

Edward Anthony Richley

Thomas W Kenny

Kenneth E Goodson

Daniel J Laser

Shulin Zeng

Linan Jiang

David E Huber

Chuan-Hua Chen

Lian Zhang

Evelyn Ning-Yi Wang

Jae-Mo Koo

David Kalman Biegelsen

Warren Bruce Jackson

Linda T Romano

Thomas W Smith

Richard H Bruce

Babur B Hadimioglu

William D Turner

Donald Leonard Smith

Joseph Michael Crowley

Jackson H Ho

Martin G Lim

William P Meuli

Michael H Oddy

Donald L Smith

Apparatus and methods according to the present invention utilize micropumps that are capable of generating high pressure and flow without moving mechanical parts and the associated generation of unacceptable electrical and acoustic noise, as well as the associated reduction in reliability. These micropumps are fabricated with materials and structures that improve performance, efficiency, and reduce weight and manufacturing cost relative to presently available micropumps. These micropumps also can allow for recapture of evolved gases and deposited materials, which may provide for long-term closed-loop operation. Apparatus and methods according to the present invention also allow active regulation of the temperature of the device through electrical control of the flow through the pump and can utilize multiple cooling loops to allow independent regulation of the spatial and temporal characteristics of the device temperature profiles. Novel enclosed microchannel structures are also described.

Closed-loop microchannel cooling system

Apparatus and methods according to the present invention preferably utilize electroosmotic pumps that are capable of generating high pressure and flow without moving mechanical parts and the associated generation of unacceptable electrical and acoustic noise, as well as the associated reduction in reliability. These electroosmotic pumps are preferably fabricated with materials and structures that improve performance, efficiency, and reduce weight and manufacturing cost relative to presently available micropumps. These electroosmotic pumps also preferably allow for recapture of evolved gases and deposited materials, which may provide for long-term closed-loop operation. Apparatus and methods according to the present invention also allow active regulation of the temperature of the device through electrical control of the flow through the pump and can utilize multiple cooling loops to allow independent regulation of the special and temporal characteristics of the device temperature profiles. Novel microchannel structures are also described.

Electroosmotic microchannel cooling system

A novel electrokinetic instability (EKI) micromixer and method takes advantage of the EKI to effect active rapid stirring of confluent microstreams of biomolecules without moving parts or complex microfabrication processes. The EKI is induced using an alternating current (A/C) electric field. Within seconds, the randomly fluctuating, three-dimensional velocity field created by the EKI rapidly and effectively stirs an initially heterogeneous solution and generates a homogeneous solution that is useful in a variety of biochemical and bioanalytical systems. Microfabricated on a glass substrate, the inventive EKI micromixer can be easily and advantageously integrated in molecular diagnostics apparatuses and systems, such as a chip-based 'Lab-on-a-Chip' microfluidic device.

Electrokinetic instability micromixer

A display comprised of a first component containing spheres encapsulated within a wax, and thereover and thereunder said component substrates.

Process of making flexible displays comprising wax-encapsulated bichromal spheres

A display is provided with an insulative layer with electrical properties which have been selected so that the display can be addressed with a stylus and which minimizes the effects of stray triboelectrically generated charges. Also provided is a method of addressing such a display by depositing charges on a surface of the display, maintaining sufficient charge to effect an image change, and then removing the charges.

Tribo-addressed and tribo-suppressed electric paper

Tribo-addressed and tribo-supperessed electric paper

Process for the preparation of wax encapsulated bichromal spheres

A display media with an encapsulant medium, and bichromal beads having a crystalline material, wherein the bichromal beads are dispersed or contained in the encapsulant medium is set forth.

Bichromal beads having crystalline materials therein

A display is provided with an insulative layer whose electrical properties have been selected so that the display can be addressed by the effects of triboelectrically generated charges and thus requires no stylus or special writing utensil. Thus, the display can be addressed by dragging a finger across the display. Alternately, the display is provided with an insulafive layer whoes electrical properties have been selected so that the display is addressed with a stylus and is immune from the effects of stray riboelectrically generated charges.

Flexible displays comprising spheres encapsulated within a wax

A method of fabrication is provided for multi-step microlithographic structures including Fresnel lenses whereby the process includes the formation of intermediate etch stop layers that are embedded with the structure material. This is accomplished in one aspect of the invention by depositing Fresnel lens material using known techniques and the selectively altering the chemistry of the material being deposited to form the intermediate etch stop layers at suitable positions without interrupting the deposition process. In another aspect, etch stop layers are patterned on layers of the lens material and embedded between such layers. The structure, or lens, is then formed using masking, patterning and etching techniques.

Method for fabrication of multi-step structures using embedded etch stop layers

Twisting balls (10) for an electric-paper display are formed from a polarizable material and encapsulated in a protective shell (12). The balls (10) are disposed between first and second electrodes (14, 16) which generate an electric field. The electric field polarizes each ball (10) transforming each into a dipole electret having a first and second charged poles. At least one colorant (20) is applied to each of the balls (10) to obtain multichromal balls such that the charged poles are distinct from each other. The polarized multichromal balls may then be used in fabricating an electric-paper display by encapsulating the balls (10) in an array such that each ball is capable of rotating in response to a selectively applied electric field.

Poled electrets for gyricon-based electric-paper displays

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

James C Mikkelsen