Raytheon Company

Hughes Aircraft Company

Other

James R Chow

Carl W Townsend

Kurt S Ketola

Stephanie J Lin

Thomas K Dougherty

Theodore J Conrad

Norman H Harris

Brian M Pierce

William E Elias

Kalin Spariosu

David A Whelan

David M La Komski

Edward Ward, Jr

Christopher R Koontz

Craig A Armiento

Stephen J Schiller

Alberto F Viscarra

Lowell A Bellis

David T Winslow

Richard C Ross

Reza Tayrani

Rohn Sauer

Kevin C Rolston

Billy D Ables

Hans P Naepflin

Brian Schaefer

Susan B Spencer

Michael J Ellis

Stuart J Marble

Tom Huang

Troy T Matsuoka

Bruce Hirano

Steven E Persh

Kurt J Krause

David M Lakomski

Brian R Schaefer

A broadband calibrator assembly is provided and includes a medium/long wave infrared (MW/LW IR) assembly and multiple ultraviolet (UV)/visible and near IR (VNIR)/short wave IR (SWIR) assemblies.

Broadband calibrator from visible to long wave infrared

An apparatus includes a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat to a fluid and to absorb heat from the fluid as the fluid flows between a warm end and a cold end of a cryocooler. The heat exchanger includes at least one section having a substrate of at least one allotropic form of carbon and a layer of nanoparticles on or over the substrate. The heat exchanger could include multiple sections, and each section could include one of multiple substrates and one of multiple layers of nanoparticles. The heat exchanger can further include pores through the multiple sections of the heat exchanger, where the pores are configured to allow the fluid to flow through the heat exchanger and to contact the substrates and the layers of nanoparticles. The nanoparticles could include at least one lanthanide element or alloy, and the substrate could include carbon nanotubes or graphene.

Cryocooler containing additively-manufactured heat exchanger

In certain embodiments, a first semiconductor material is vaporized to generate a vapor phase condensate. The vapor phase condensate is allowed to form nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are annealed to yield nanoparticles or cores. The cores are overcoated by introducing a solution containing second semiconductor material precursors in a coordinating solvent into a suspension of cores at a desired elevated temperature and mixing for a period of time sufficient to cause diffusion of the shell into the core. The diffusion of the shell into the core causes the quantum dots to exhibit a broadened optical emission. The produced quantum dots may be incorporated into a quantum dot based radiation source.

Process for producing quantum dots having broadened optical emission

A thin-film device for generating a blackbody spectrum is disclosed. The device includes first layer configured to generate heat in response to an applied voltage and a second layer configured to generate the blackbody radiation spectrum in response to the heat from the first layer. A thermocouple is disposed between the first layer and the second layer for measuring a temperature at the second layer. The thermocouple measures temperature at the second layer in order to control temperature at the second layer. The thermocouple can be a copper-carbon nanotube thermocouple.

In-situ thin film based temperature sensing for high temperature uniformity and high rate of temperature change thermal reference sources

A light source, calibration device and method of calibrating an imaging device is disclose. The calibration device includes the light source which includes an ultraviolet light layer that, in operation, generates ultraviolet light, and a quantum dot layer that absorbs the ultraviolet light and, in response, generates radiation within the near infrared region at a selected intensity. The near infrared light is received at the selected intensity at the imaging device and a sensitivity of the imaging device is altered to detect the near infrared light at the selected intensity provided by the light source.

Irradiation of lead based quantum dots to generate near infrared phosphorescence as part of a compact, thin profile, on-demand calibration source

A graphene strip includes a plurality of graphene strips, a metal additive and a binding material is provided. The plurality of graphene strips include strips of graphene nanoplatelets. The metal additive is applied to each of the plurality of graphene strips. The binding material couples the plurality of graphene strips together.

Reduced cost and schedule manufacturing of graphene paper based thermal straps/harnesses

A method includes exposing a non-aqueous solution to ultraviolet illumination, where the non-aqueous solution includes one or more lanthanide elements and one or more photo-initiators. The method also includes producing lanthanide nanoparticles using the non-aqueous solution. The non-aqueous solution could be formed by mixing a first non-aqueous solution including the one or more lanthanide elements and a second non-aqueous solution including the one or more photo-initiators. The non-aqueous solution could include one or more metallic salts, where each metallic salt includes at least one lanthanide element. The one or more metallic salts could include erbium chloride, and the one or more photo-initiators could include benzophenone. The non-aqueous solution could include an organic solvent, such as an alcohol.

Method for forming lanthanide nanoparticles

An apparatus includes a substrate having a recess and a first insulator submerged in the recess of the substrate. The apparatus also includes a cover having a second insulator that, together with the first insulator, defines an insulated volume. The apparatus further includes one or more components to be cooled located over the first insulator and within the insulated volume. The apparatus could also include one or more electrical conductors located over the first insulator, where at least one of the one or more components is electrically connected to the one or more electrical conductors. The one or more electrical conductors could be submerged in the recess of the substrate. The one or more electrical conductors could be thermally-insulative at cryogenic temperatures and could include carbon nanotubes. The first and second insulators could include foam or aerogel insulation.

Thermal isolation of cryo-cooled components from circuit boards or other structures

A hyperspectral calibrator comprises a composite light source disposed within a housing and including an ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV LED) and a phosphor arranged such that a first beam generated by the UV LED is transmitted through the phosphor to produce and emit a calibration beam that is spectrally continuous over a wavelength range extending from 0.4 &#x3bc;m to 0.7 &#x3bc;m, the housing having an output opening and configured to direct the calibration beam emitted from the composite light source to the output opening to produce a calibration beam at the output opening.

UV LED-phosphor based hyperspectral calibrator

An apparatus includes a regenerator configured to transfer heat to a fluid and to absorb heat from the fluid as the fluid flows between a warm end and a cold end of a cryocooler. The regenerator includes an anisotropic thermal layer configured to reduce a flow of heat axially along the regenerator and to spread the absorbed heat radially or laterally in a plane of the anisotropic thermal layer. The anisotropic thermal layer includes at least one allotropic form of carbon. The anisotropic thermal layer could have a higher radial or lateral thermal conductivity and a lower axial thermal conductivity. The anisotropic thermal layer could include carbon nanotubes and/or graphene. The regenerator could include multiple anisotropic thermal layers that divide the regenerator into multiple segments, where the anisotropic thermal layers are configured to reduce heat transfer between adjacent segments of the regenerator.

Cryocooler regenerator containing one or more carbon-based anisotropic thermal layers

An apparatus, method and thin-film structure for producing a blackbody spectrum is disclosed. A first layer of the apparatus is configured to generate heat in response to an applied voltage. A second layer is configured to emit the blackbody radiation spectrum in response to the heat from the first layer. A thermal spreading layer is disposed between the first layer and the second layer. The thermal spreading layer includes a graphene sheet for reducing a spatial variation of the heat in a plane of the thermal spreading layer.

Multi-layer advanced carbon nanotube blackbody for compact, lightweight, and on-demand infrared calibration

A structure having a carbon nanotube material having a plurality of carbon nanotubes and an electrically or thermally conductive material disposed on at least a portion of the carbon nanotubes, such electrically or thermally conductive material being chemically bonded to such portion of the carbon nanotubes.

Carbon nanotube (CNT) materials having increased thermal and electrical conductivity

An apparatus and method of calibrating a sensor. A voltage is applied to a first carbon nanotube layer to obtain a first temperature of the first carbon nanotube layer. A thermally conductive layer is used to provide a substantially uniform temperature related to the first temperature of the first carbon nanotube layer by smoothing a spatial variation of the first temperature. A second carbon nanotube layer receives the substantially uniform temperature and emits a first blackbody radiation spectrum to calibrate the sensor. The apparatus may be used to emit a second black body radiation spectrum by altering the applied voltage.

Carbon nanotube blackbody film for compact, lightweight, and on-demand infrared calibration

Growing community of inventors

San Gabriel, CA, United States of America

James R Chow