Sandia Corporation

National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

Kurt O Wessendorf

Murat Okandan

Darren W Branch

Bryan Carson

DeAnna Marie Campbell

Sean Pearson

Jeffry Joseph Sniegowski

Todd Richard Christenson

Joseph Cesarano, Iii

Liam D Claus

Dale R Koehler

Pin Yang

David J Stein

Andrew Montoya

Jennifer G Dellinger

Dale A Kemper

John L Porter, Jr

Marcos O Sanchez

Gideon Robertson

Doug Trotter

Hugh M Bivens

Tom Gurrieri

Thomas Hill

The present invention relates to systems including an acoustic wave resonator and an active shunt capacitance cancelling oscillator circuit. Such systems can be used in biosensing methods, while avoiding impedance distortion and phase shift anomalies.

Acoustic wave resonator with active shunt capacitance cancellation and systems thereof

Multifunctional RF limiting amplifiers having various configurations and functions are disclosed. In a first configuration, the RF limiting amplifier includes an active load output circuit that allows one to adjust the output impedance based upon the anticipated connected load impedance. In a second configuration, the RF limiting amplifier includes a pair of emitter-followers to buffer the output of a first stage, allowing the RF limiting amplifier to drive one or more second stages. A third configuration includes a pair of RF limiting amplifiers with their outputs mixed to implement a down conversion function. The third configuration may be used to drive dual SAW resonators for detecting the presence of biological or chemical agents. The RF limiting amplifier may be implemented in either bipolar junction transistors or CMOS transistors.

Multifunctional RF limiting amplifier

Both parallel-type and serial-type dual-mode oscillators employing stress compensated cut resonators having various configurations are disclosed. Both classes of dual-mode oscillators employ multiple tank circuits to pass one frequency of the resonator and block the other frequency. The tank circuits isolate the operation of the two oscillator sub-circuits that form the dual-mode oscillator from one another. The dual-mode oscillators may be implemented with either bipolar or CMOS transistors. The parallel-type dual-mode oscillators employ inverters to provide gain. The serial-type dual-mode oscillators employ a two (or three) stage design including a follower circuit first stage and an inverting amplifier/limiter circuit second stage, with an optional intervening transimpedance amplifier stage.

Dual-mode oscillator for stress compensated cut resonator

The present invention relates to an active shunt capacitance cancelling oscillator circuit. Such systems can be used in resonator-based methods, while avoiding impedance distortion and phase shift anomalies.

Active shunt capacitance cancelling oscillator for resonators

Various technologies pertaining to a high-impedance current source are described herein. The current source outputs a substantially constant current by way of a first transistor that draws current from a supply. The current source is configured to feed-back noise from the supply to a feedback resistor at an input of an operational amplifier (op-amp) by way of a second transistor. The feedback resistor and the op-amp are configured such that responsive to receiving the supply noise feedback, the op-amp drives a gate voltage of the first transistor to cause the first transistor to reject the supply noise and cause the output of the current source to remain substantially constant.

Supply-noise-rejecting current source

Various technologies described herein pertain to non-inverting multi-mode oscillators. An oscillator circuit can include a non-inverting sustaining amplifier and a feedback network. The non-inverting sustaining amplifier includes an amplifier input and an amplifier output. The feedback network includes a crystal, an input portion, and an output portion. The crystal of the feedback network can be connected between the amplifier input and the amplifier output of the non-inverting sustaining amplifier. The input portion of the feedback network can be connected between the amplifier input and ground, and can include an inductor realized using a tank circuit. Further, the output portion of the feedback network can be connected between the amplifier output and ground, and can include a capacitor. Moreover, the crystal can operate in series resonance mode or parallel resonance mode.

Non-inverting multi-mode oscillator

Various technologies pertaining to a high-impedance current source are described herein. The current source outputs a substantially constant current by way of a first transistor that draws current from a supply. The current source is configured to feed back noise from the supply to a feedback resistor at an input of an operational amplifier (op-amp) by way of a second transistor. The feedback resistor and the op-amp are configured such that responsive to receiving the supply noise feedback, the op-amp drives a gate voltage of the first transistor to cause the first transistor to reject the supply noise and cause the output of the current source to remain substantially constant.

A high-speed CMOS camera includes an array of pixel circuits coupled to a photodiode array, an oscillator circuit, and a pattern generator circuit. The pattern generator circuit includes a high speed shift register and a non-overlap generator. The shift register is programmable to produce a pulse train of trigger pulses that defines an interframe and a frame's shutter duration. The non-overlap generator deserializes the incoming pulse train of trigger pulses, and it produces a time-separated reset pulse based on the pulse train of trigger pulses. The shift register is configured to permit the frame durations and the interframe times to be selected arbitrarily over specified ranges in increments of a basic time unit that depends on the oscillator period.

High-speed CMOS camera

A demultiplexer circuit is disclosed which can be used with a conventional neural stimulator to extend the number of electrodes which can be activated. The demultiplexer circuit, which is formed on a semiconductor substrate containing a power supply that provides all the dc electrical power for operation of the circuit, includes digital latches that receive and store addressing information from the neural stimulator one bit at a time. This addressing information is used to program one or more 1:2demultiplexers in the demultiplexer circuit which then route neural stimulation signals from the neural stimulator to an electrode array which is connected to the outputs of the 1:2demultiplexer. The demultiplexer circuit allows the number of individual electrodes in the electrode array to be increased by a factor of 2with N generally being in a range of 2-4.

Demultiplexer circuit for neural stimulation

An electrode array for neural stimulation is disclosed which has particular applications for use in a retinal prosthesis. The electrode array can be formed as a hermetically-sealed two-part ceramic package which includes an electronic circuit such as a demultiplexer circuit encapsulated therein. A relatively large number (up to 1000 or more) of individually-addressable electrodes are provided on a curved surface of a ceramic base portion the electrode array, while a much smaller number of electrical connections are provided on a ceramic lid of the electrode array. The base and lid can be attached using a metal-to-metal seal formed by laser brazing. Electrical connections to the electrode array can be provided by a flexible ribbon cable which can also be used to secure the electrode array in place.

Electrode array for neural stimulation

A transimpedance amplifier system is disclosed which simultaneously generates a low-gain output signal and a high-gain output signal from an input current signal using a single transimpedance amplifier having two different feedback loops with different amplification factors to generate two different output voltage signals. One of the feedback loops includes a resistor, and the other feedback loop includes another resistor in series with one or more diodes. The transimpedance amplifier system includes a signal linearizer to linearize one or both of the low- and high-gain output signals by scaling and adding the two output voltage signals from the transimpedance amplifier. The signal linearizer can be formed either as an analog device using one or two summing amplifiers, or alternately can be formed as a digital device using two analog-to-digital converters and a digital signal processor (e.g. a microprocessor or a computer).

Dual-range linearized transimpedance amplifier system

An electrode array is disclosed which has applications for neural stimulation and sensing. The electrode array, in certain embodiments, can include a plurality of electrodes each of which is flexibly attached to a common substrate using a plurality of springs to allow the electrodes to move independently. In other embodiments of the electrode array, the electrodes can be fixed to the substrate. The electrode array can be formed from a combination of bulk and surface micromachining, and can include electrode tips having an electroplated metal (e.g. platinum, iridium, gold or titanium) or a metal oxide (e.g. iridium oxide) for biocompatibility. The electrode array can be used to form a part of a neural prosthesis, and is particularly well adapted for use in an implantable retinal prosthesis.

Micromachined electrode array

An oscillator circuit is disclosed which can be formed using discrete field-effect transistors (FETs), or as a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit. The oscillator circuit utilizes a Pierce oscillator design with three inverter stages connected in series. A feedback resistor provided in a feedback loop about a second inverter stage provides an almost ideal inverting transconductance thereby allowing high-Q operation at the resonator-controlled frequency while suppressing a parasitic oscillation frequency that is inherent in a Pierce configuration using a 'standard' triple inverter for the sustaining amplifier. The oscillator circuit, which operates in a range of 10&#x2013;50 MHz, has applications for use as a clock in a microprocessor and can also be used for sensor applications.

Triple inverter pierce oscillator circuit suitable for CMOS

An electrode array which has applications for neural stimulation and sensing. The electrode array can include a large number of electrodes each of which is flexibly attached to a common substrate using a plurality of springs to allow the electrodes to move independently. The electrode array can be formed from a combination of bulk and surface micromachining, with electrode tips that can include an electroplated metal (e.g. platinum, iridium, gold or titanium) or a metal oxide (e.g. iridium oxide) for biocompatibility. The electrode array can be used to form a part of a neural prosthesis, and is particularly well adapted for use in an implantable retinal prosthesis where the electrodes can be tailored to provide a uniform gentle contact pressure with optional sensing of this contact pressure at one or more of the electrodes.

Flexible retinal electrode array

An oscillator circuit is disclosed which can be used to produce oscillation using a piezoelectric crystal, with a frequency of oscillation being largely independent of any shunt capacitance associated with the crystal (i.e. due to electrodes on the surfaces of the crystal and due to packaging and wiring for the crystal). The oscillator circuit is based on a tuned gain stage which operates the crystal at a frequency, f, near a series resonance frequency, f . The oscillator circuit further includes a compensation circuit that supplies all the ac current flow through the shunt resistance associated with the crystal so that this ac current need not be supplied by the tuned gain stage. The compensation circuit uses a current mirror to provide the ac current flow based on the current flow through a reference capacitor that is equivalent to the shunt capacitance associated with the crystal. The oscillator circuit has applications for driving piezoelectric crystals for sensing of viscous, fluid or solid media by detecting a change in the frequency of oscillation of the crystal and a resonator loss which occur from contact of an exposed surface of the crystal by the viscous, fluid or solid media.

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Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Kurt O Wessendorf