Gte Laboratories Incorporated

E. Heller & Company

Paul O Haugsjaa

Robert J Regan

William H McNeill

Joseph Martin Lech

Craig A Armiento

Marvin J Tabasky

Thomas W Fitzgerald

Adam Heller

Ephraim Heller

James L Say

Robert A Boudreau

Jerry Martin Kramer

Alfred E Feuersanger

Margaret B Stern

Chirravuri Jagannath

Jagannath Chirravuri

Harry F Lockwood

Donald H Baird

Roger Bonnecaze

Victor Cataldo

Vincent J Barry

Mark A Rothman

Steven Sitkiewitz

Michael J Urban

Joseph M Proud

William H Rhodes

John C Gustafson

William F Nelson

Edward F White

A compact, efficient reactor for the photocatalyzed conversion of contaminants in a fluid stream. The reactor includes a photocatalyst disposed on a support structure with a light source in optical proximity to the support structure to activate the photocatalyst. In one embodiment of the invention, the support structure includes multiple non-intersecting fins oriented parallel to the general flow direction of the fluid stream to provide a reactor with low pressure drop and adequate mass transfer of the contaminant to the photocatalyst disposed on the surface of the fins. The light source includes one or more lamps that may penetrate the fins to provide efficient illumination of the photocatalyst. The fins may be flat or pleated. In an alternative embodiment, the fins are pleated and composed of a porous material. These fins are oriented so that the fluid stream flows through the fins. In another embodiment, the support structure includes one or more cylinders having pleated inner surfaces with longitudinal lamps disposed within the cylinders. The photocatalyst is deposited on the inner surface of the cylinder to convert contaminants flowing through the cylinder. The reactor is designed for ease of support structure or light source removal or replacement and may be used as a modular subassembly in a larger fluid purification unit.

Apparatus for photocatalytic fluid purification

The present invention involves a combination of active and passive optical or opto-electronic device alignment techniques. Passive alignment is used for two axial lateral directions and all three axial rotational directions (yaw, pitch and roll). In such passive alignment, only the substrate is micromachined with passive alignment structures. One-dimensional active alignment is then used for the remaining axial lateral direction.

One-dimensional active alignment of optical or opto-electronic devices

A waferboard assembly incorporates mechanical registration features into a substrate platform to facilitate the passive alignment of lasers integrated on a chip to fibers in integral contact with the substrate. The waferboard includes two front pedestal structures and one side pedestal structure, and two vertical post structures within a mounting region defined by the pedestal structures. The laser chip is mounted on the vertical post structures, and placed in concurrent abutting contact with the pedestal structures. The waferboard is fabricated by etching the substrate to form the front and side pedestal structures, and etching the substrate to define the grooves. In order to form the post structures, a polyimide material is deposited on the substrate using an appropriate mask.

Method of fabricating waferboard structure

Waferboard structure and method of fabricating

A method of passively aligning optical receiving elements such as fibers to the active elements of a light generating chip includes the steps of forming two front and one side pedestal structures on the surface of a substrate body, defining a vertical sidewall of the chip to form a mating channel having an edge at a predetermined distance from the first active element, mounting the chip epi-side down on the substrate surface, and positioned the fibers in fiber-receiving channels so that a center line of each fiber is aligned to a center line of a respective active element. When mounted, the front face of the chip is abutting the contact surfaces of the two front pedestals, and the defined sidewall of the mating channel is abutting the contact surface of the side pedestal. The passive alignment procedure is also effective in aligning a single fiber to a single active element.

Method and device for passive alignment of diode lasers and optical

A method of passively aligning optical receiving elements such as fibers to the active elements of a light generating chip includes the steps of forming two front and one side pedestal structures on the surface of a substrate body, defining a vertical sidewall of the chip to form a mating channel having an edge at a predetermined distance from the first active element, mounting the chip epi-side down on the substrate surface, and positioning the fibers in fiber-receiving channels to that a center line of each fiber is aligned to a center line of a respective active element. When mounted, the front face of the chip is abutting the contact surfaces of the two front pedestals, and the defined sidewall of the mating channel is abutting the contact surface of the side pedestal. The passive alignment procedure is also effective in aligning a single fiber to a single active element.

Apparatus for repeatedly generating a staircase ramp voltage pulse on a bus connected to a capacitive load employing a set of DC voltage sources, each producing a voltage of a step in the staircase ramp voltage. A storage capacitor is connected between the output terminal of each voltage source and ground. An FET switch is connected between each of the output terminals and the bus and between ground and the bus. A timing circuit closes each of the FET switches in order to produce a staircase ramp voltage on the bus charging the capacitive load. When it is desired to discharge the capacitive load, the timing circuit then closes the switches in reverse order. Each storage capacitor is charged by the discharging capacitive load to a voltage above the voltage of its associated voltage source. The energy thus stored is used during the next cycle to contribute to the energy required to charge the capacitive load on the bus.

Staircase ramp voltage generating apparatus with energy reuse

A high frequency amplifier utilizes series-connected transistors to achieve high voltage class C operation. High frequency input power is coupled to the gate of a first FET which is normally biased off. The source of a second FET is coupled to the drain of the first FET. The drain of the second FET, which forms the output of the amplifier, is coupled through a radio frequency choke to a supply voltage. The gate of the second FET is dc biased at about one half of the supply voltage. A capacitor coupled between the gate of the second FET and ground controls the level of high frequency power applied to the second FET. The amplifier can be operated at a dc voltage which is approximately equal to one half the sum of the individual breakdown voltages of the serially connected FET's.

High voltage, high frequency amplifier

A display system includes a plurality of thin-film electroluminescent elements each having a digit electrode and a segment electrode, a set of digit drivers, and a set of segment drivers. The digit drivers and the segment drivers are operative, during precharging portions of digit and segment control signals, to precharge the elements of the display by applying a first voltage to the digit electrode and a second voltage to the segment electrode of each element. The digit drivers are further operative, during addressing portions of the digit control signal, to selectively address elements of the display by applying the second voltage to the digit electrodes of the elements which are to be addressed and by applying the first voltage to the digit electrodes of the elements which are not to be addressed. The segment drivers are further operative, during energizing portions of the segment control signal, to selectively energize elements which are addressed by applying the first voltage to the segment electrodes of the elements which are to be energized and by applying the second voltage to the segment electrodes of the elements which are not to be energized. The first voltage can be ground potential and the second voltage can be a positive dc voltage which is greater than the threshold voltage of the electroluminescent elements.

Electroluminescent display driver system for thin-film

A light source includes a high pressure discharge lamp and incandescent filaments which provide illumination during the warm-up and hot restart periods associated with the discharge lamp. A current regulator, which provides dc power to the discharge lamp, draws sufficient current through one filament to energize the filament only during discharge lamp warm-up. A second filament provides illumination during the period after the occurrence of a momentary power failure or power transient which is required by the discharge lamp to cool down to its maximum starting temperature. A bimetal switch permits current flow through the second filament when the discharge lamp is above the maximum starting temperature. An electronic switch permits current flow through the second filament when a current sensing resistor senses a lack of current through the discharge lamp.

Instant-on light source

An electromagnetic discharge apparatus has a power coupling fixture which couples power to both ends of an electrodeless discharge vessel and produces a substantially uniform arc. Power can be coupled to the fixture from two high frequency power sources or can be coupled from a single high frequency power source by using a power divider. If power is coupled to the electrodeless discharge vessel from a single source, power transfer to the vessel is optimized when the electrical length of the circuit is an integral number of wavelengths. In an alternative embodiment, a second coupler is utilized in a conventional electrodeless light source to shape the electric fields and produce a more uniform arc.

Electromagnetic discharge apparatus with double-ended power coupling

Radioactive materials are used to assist in starting a discharge in an electrodeless light source. The radioactive emissions predispose on the inner surface of the lamp envelope loosely bound charges which thereafter assist in initiating discharge. The radioactive material can be enclosed within the lamp envelope in gaseous or non-gaseous form. Preferred materials are krypton 85 and americium 241. In addition, the radioactive material can be dispersed in the lamp envelope material or can be a pellet imbedded in the envelope material. Finally, the radioactive material can be located in the termination fixture. Sources of alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays are suitable. Because charges accumulate with time on the inner surface of the lamp envelope, activity levels as low as 10.sup.-8 curie are effective as starting aids.

Radioactive starting aids for electrodeless light sources

An apparatus for combining outputs of serially connected high frequency power sources includes a number of input ports, an output port, and a power combination structure. The power combination structure includes two outer conductive layers which extend from the input ports to the output port and one or more intermediate conductive layers which extend from the input ports to a power combination region. High frequency power from the input ports propagates to the power combination region and therein combines vectorially. The sum of the individual input power levels then propagates to the output port. The power combiner can be reversed and used as a power divider operating into serially connected loads. A preferred embodiment, including two copper clad dielectric members and an aluminum base, operates at about 915 MHz. The power combiner can be constructed in a coaxial configuration.

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Acton, MA, United States of America

Paul O Haugsjaa