The Aerospace Corporation

James S Swenson, Jr

Edward J Simburger

Daniel L Rumsey

Peter J Carian

Robert C Cole

Todd S Rose

Renny Arthur Fields

A solar cell regulator in a nanosatellite includes a pulse width modulated DC-DC boost converter and a peak power tracking controller for converting solar cell power to bus power for charging of system batteries and powering loads while the controller controls the pulse width modulation operation of the converter for sensing solar cell currents and voltages along a power characteristic curve of the solar cell for peak power tracking, for determining any power data point, including a peak power point, an open circuit voltage point, and a short circuit current point along the power characteristic curve of the solar cell, and for communicating the power data to a satellite processor for monitoring the performance of the solar cell during operational use of the satellite.

Nanosatellite photovoltaic regulator

A metalization process forms metal contacts having defined profiles for contact between microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices or chemical sensors with semiconductor devices. Gold contacts may be used for connecting the MEMS devices or chemical sensors to integrated CMOS devices. Gold contacts are deposited over a photoresist via having sidewalls for forming upwardly extending flanges. The metal contacts to the underlying semiconductor device, are formed using a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) etch back process for exposing and dissolving the gold metalization layer save the metal contact under a surviving portion of the etched back PMMA layer in a dimple of the gold layer over the photoresist via. The photoresist layer serves to form deep well gold contacts having upwardly extending flanges for connection to the MEMS devices or chemical sensors and to the integrated semiconductor devices.

Method of forming patterned metalization on patterned semiconductor wafers

The invention is a solid state laser resonator or amplifier which employs a longitudinal pumping scheme that provides efficient coupling of greater than 90 percent from the output of one or more high power diode bar arrays. The pumping scheme involves the use of monolithic microlens arrays that match the geometry of the laser diode bar arrays in a one to one manner. The output of each element in the diode bar is collimated by a single microlens in the array. The resultant array of collimated light beams is then configured to overlap by a second macroscopic lens, resulting in a single uniform spot within the laser gain medium. The resultant spot is also configured to overlap with the TEM.sub.00 mode of the laser resonator so that efficient lasing action may occur. Overlapping the pump spot and the laser mode may be interpreted as having the pump spot size be less than or equal to the laser mode size so that all the pump light is absorbed within the mode of the laser.

Growing community of inventors

El Segundo, CA, United States of America

James S Swenson, Jr