General Electric Company

Sarnoff Corporation

Paul J Stabile

Arye Rosen

Peter John Zanzucchi

David Norman Ludington

Satyam Choudary Cherukuri

Pamela Kay York

Arvind K Sharma

Paul Heaney

Fred Sterzer

William H Meise

Philip C Basile

Timothy James Davis

William Chiang

Frank Guarnieri

Walter M Janton

Thomas Louis Fare

Robert N Hurwitz

Russell Todd Granzow

Joseph R Delmaster, Jr

Helen Jiang Semus

Dominic Joseph Lo Iacono

Provided are, among other things, devices for and methods for performing thermal signature assays on a two or more samples in an array, using active/control base thermopiles, the method comprising: &lsqb;a&rsqb; performing a heat transfer to the two or more samples in each of a two or more containers, using at least one base thermopile in thermal communication with the two or more containers; and &lsqb;b&rsqb; determining a total heat transferred to the samples by the base thermopile in step &lsqb;a&rsqb;; and &lsqb;c&rsqb; sensing in real time a temperature difference between a first sample and a second sample of the two or more samples resulting from performing step &lsqb;a&rsqb;.

Arrayable thermal assays

The invention provides apparatuses for detecting light from, for example, closely spaced detection sites. In one embodiment, the invention provides an apparatus for measuring the amount of light emitted from or transmitted through two or more detection sites of a first set of detection sites on a planar substrate while spatially resolving the measurements for each detection site of the first set, the apparatus comprising: for each detection site of the first set, an addressable source of a light beam directed to that detection site at a first angle; and an array detector comprising a plurality of light responsive pixels, wherein for each detection site of the first set there is at least one light responsive pixel that receives light emitted from or transmitted through that detection site at a second angle that can be the same as the first angle.

Massively parallel detection

The invention provides apparatuses for detecting light from, for example, closely spaced detection sites. In one embodiment, the invention provides an apparatus for measuring the amount of light emitted from a first set of two or more detection sites on a planar substrate while spatially resolving the measurements from each first set detection site, the apparatus comprising: a source of a light beam directed towards the planar substrate at a first angle; one or more lenses for focusing light emitted or reflected from each of the first set detection sites and having a second angle having an angle offset from the first angle, onto a unique area of an array detector; and the array detector comprising a plurality of light responsive pixels, wherein for each first detection site there is at least one light responsive pixel that receives light emitted or reflected from that detection site and substantially no cross-talk from another detection site, and wherein substantially none of the light from the light source intersects with the array detector.

A waveguide having walls defining an opening. An optically transmissive aperture in one wall allows light from an optical illumination source such as a laser diode array to illuminate the opening in which is located a semiconductor slab positioned to be illuminated. When the array illuminates the slab, the propagation characteristics (phase velocity and attenuation constant) of the waveguide changes. A continuous wave signal passing through the waveguide is thus attenuated and phase shifted. The laser array may be pulsed on and off while still maintaining the altered propagation constant.

Optically activated waveguide type phase shifter and attenuator

A photon energy activated PIN diode is reverse biased by a continuously supplied direct current voltage. The PIN diode is rendered conductive for passage of a radio frequency input signal when it is illuminated. Continuous illumination of the PIN diode is not required for conduction such that illumination may be pulsed on and off while the diode remains conductive.

Photon energy activated radio frequency signal switch

A diode in a semiconductor body has two laterally adjacent regions. Each region has buried portions. The first and second regions are doped with opposite conductivity type dopants. A buried P-N junction exists where the buried portions meet. Since the junction is buried, surface breakdown effects are greatly reduced. The lateral orientation provides for easier series connection or several such diodes. A method for making a diode in a body comprises forming two laterally adjacent buried portions of respective opposite conductivity type regions. A contact portion of at least one region is formed extending to the surface of the body.

Buried lateral diode and method for making same

An amplifying apparatus has a plurality of series coupled laser diodes that impedance match a signal source impedance and which are optically coupled to at least one PIN diode that impedance matches a load impedance. A high DC voltage is applied to the PIN diode so that gain is obtained and signal power is applied to the load. A plurality of parallel coupled PIN diodes can be used or a series-parallel combination.

High power wide band amplifier using optical techniques and impedance

An electrical short-circuit for alternating-current (ac) microwave signals is physically positionable in direct response to an electrical bias control without an intermediary electromechanical converter. The electrically positionable short circuit includes at least first and second doped regions in a semiconductor, separated by a region in which the short circuit is formed between the doped regions by the bias. A first embodiment comprises discrete diodes connected between conductors at different locations, the discrete diodes having different forward junction voltages, so that varying the common bias voltage varies the number of conducting diodes and thus positions the short circuit in a stepwise manner. A FET embodiment includes various discrete MOSFETs having different conduction threshold voltages, and having their sources and drains connected at various points to the conductors to be short-circuited, so that variations of a common gate bias voltage selectively render one or more of the FETs conductive, thereby stepwise positioning the short-circuit. Distributed PIN and MOSFET structures provide continuous short circuit positioning as a monotonic function of bias. Two distinct modes of operation, pinchoff/resistive and a resistive/below-threshold are possible for the distributed FET embodiment. The electrically positionable short-circuit can be coupled to the conductors of a transmission line for effecting tuning, or can be coupled to a transmission line in such a way as to vary the signal path length and thereby provide phase shift.

Electrically positionable short-circuits

A patch antenna, which may be one element of an antenna array, is formed on one broad surface of a semiconductor plate. A ground plane is formed on the second broad surface. This semiconductor is doped in regions near a periphery of the patch to define a semiconductor PN junction have electrode contacts to the patch and to the ground plane. The junction has capacitance which tunes the patch antenna. The characteristics of the junction are controlled by bias to selectively tune the patch antenna. The bias is a direct voltage in one embodiment of the invention. In another embodiment, the junction work function itself provides a bias which is controlled by temperature control of the diode.

Antenna with integral tuning element

Antennas chiefly intended for microwave and millimeter-wave use include geometric-shaped conductive patches on one broad surface of a planar semiconductor substrate. The other broad side of the substrate bears a conductive ground plane. Monolithic PIN diodes are formed by doping the substrate at various points between the conductive patch and the ground plane. Biasing arrangements affect the conduction of the PIN diodes thereby affecting or tuning the optimum operating frequency, the radiation pattern, and/or the impedance of the antenna. In a particularly advantageous configuration, the PIN diodes have lateral dimensions greater than or equal to one-tenth wavelength (.lambda./10) at the operating frequency. Distributed diodes have lower resistance and reactance than discrete or discrete monolithic diodes, thereby providing improved radiating characteristics, and have a relatively large power-handling capability which makes them useful for power transmission.

Growing community of inventors

Langhorne, PA, United States of America

Paul J Stabile