The Penn State Research Foundation

Owens Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc.

The Pennsylvania Research Corporation

Microwave Measurements Systems LLC

Microwave Measurement Systems LLC

Vasundara V Varadan

Vijay K Varadan

Jose A Kollakompil

William D Suh

Pascal B Xavier

John L Olinger

Fred S Coffey

Kalarickaparambil Vinoy

Thomas L Schaffer

Fathi Selmi

Kenneth B Carney

Joseph W Cresko

Xiao-Qi Bao

Neil R Williams

Embodiments of the present invention may provide an antenna characterization system. The system may include a horn antenna including a waveguide and a horn section with an open end and at least one lens disposed at the open end of the horn antenna, having a focal length. The system may also include a platform to hold an antenna under test (AUT) positioned at substantially distance x from the open end of the horn antenna, wherein x is the sum of the focal length and a far-field distance property of the AUT. The system may further include an analyzer coupled to the horn antenna to measure a radiation pattern and other properties such as EIRP, TRP, EVR and spurious emission of a passive or active AUT.

Freespace antenna measurement system

A gyroscope comprises a piezoelectric substrate having a surface. Disposed on the surface are a resonator transducer, a pair of reflectors, a structure such as a metallic dot, and a sensor transducer. The resonator transducer creates a first surface acoustic wave on the surface. The pair of reflectors reflects the first surface acoustic wave to form a standing wave within a region of the surface between the pair of reflectors. The structure is disposed on the surface within the region, wherein a Coriolis force acting upon the structure creates a second surface acoustic wave. The sensor senses the second surface acoustic wave and provides an output indicative thereof.

Method for making a micro-electro-mechanical gyroscope

A class of antennas that comprise an electrically conductive fractal pattern disposed on a dielectric substrate and are capable of construction in a size measured in centimeters as compared to previous antennas of the same class that measured in meters. One antenna style has a ground plane that is perpendicular to the substrate and another style has a ground plane that is parallel to the substrate. The substrate has a dielectric constant of in the range of about 10 to 600 or more and may be a ferroelectric, such as barium strontium titanate. A bias voltage applied across the substrate can tune the antenna for operation in a particular frequency range. The antenna can be made especially wideband by placing an absorbing material behind the substrate. The fractal pattern may be any fractal pattern, such as Hilbert curve, Koch curve, Sierpinski gasket and Sierpinski carpet. One style of the antenna uses a fractal pattern that has a plurality of segments arranged in a first configuration and a switch disposed to alter the first configuration to one or more other configurations. The antenna elements may also be arranged in a phased array.

Miniaturized conformal wideband fractal antennas on high dielectric substrates and chiral layers

Micro-electro-mechanical gyroscope

A method for reducing noise generated by the operation of a noise-producing machine includes sensing the noise of the machine with a piezoelectric sensor, sending an activation signal, responsive to the sensed noise of the machine, to activate a piezoelectric actuator to reduce the noise of the machine, where the piezoelectric actuator is independent of a wave guide. Further, a parameter of the machine indicative of the speed of the machine is sensed with a second sensor, and the activation signal is corrected, responsive to the sensed parameter of the machine, to optimize the noise reduction of the piezoelectric material.

Active noise control using piezoelectric sensors and actuators

An improved BST dielectric powder is created used a sol-gel procedure. Addition of graphite to the powder, followed by a firing of the mixture results in a highly porous BST substrate, with the included graphite being burned off. By adjustment of the amount of added graphite, the porosity of the BST substrate is widely adjustable and enables achievement of a low bulk dielectric constant. A low dielectric filler is added to the fired substrate so as to provide a composite substrate with physical rigidity. Conductive layers are then adhered to the composite substrate to enable a tuning of the dielectric constant in accordance with applied DC voltage potentials. Antenna and other applications of the improved composite BST substrate are described.

Voltage tunable dielectric ceramics which exhibit low dielectric

The present invention provides for conductive electromagnetic shielding (EMS) compositions which can be formulated to provide effective shielding over a broad range of frequencies, e.g. 30 MHz. to 110 GHz. which is based on a mixture of a polymeric or liquid matrix material and a synergestic combination of conductive powders, fibers and optional flake components. The invention also provides for formulations containing the above composition which are adapted for EMS applications such as pliable caulking, thermoformable shaped articles such as housings and cabinetry, flexible gasket material, shielding curtains, coatings and paints which may be applied to substrates such as glass, plastic or metal, structural composites, conformal coatings for printed circuit boards and like applications.

Electromagnetic shielding materials

A system is provided for heating non-metallic material or a discrete layer of the non-metallic material. Microwave energy is introduced into an enclosure defining a first cavity and capable of substantially containing the microwave energy. A semiconductive sheet is positioned at the bottom of the first cavity. Thermal insulation overlies the semiconductive sheet. A second cavity is defined by the undersurface of the semiconductive sheet and flexible microwave shielding in the form of a skirt which is attached to, and depends from, the enclosure. The flexible shielding is composed of a material which also substantially contains the microwave energy. The semiconductive sheet is effective to convert some of the microwave energy into thermal energy and to transmit the thermal energy into the second cavity while transmitting the remainder of the microwave energy directly to the discrete layer, thereby rapidly heating the discrete layer. The system includes a carriage with a handle for moving the apparatus across a surface of the non-metallic material and for adjusting the height of the semiconductive sheet above the surface of the non-metallic material.

Microwave heating apparatus having two cavities and method of using the

A material having a matrix and a plurality of inclusions which are chiral is effective as a coating to reduce incident reflections and absorptions of microwave frequency electromagnetic energy. The matrix can use an electrically conductive polymeric material as the base as well as any other low loss dielectric material. Chiral inclusions may be in the form of helices or any other small object displaying handedness. Moreover, it is possible to use electrically conductive polymeric materials by themselves as absorbers of electromagnetic energy. There are a variety of uses for these materials and the unique properties including gaskets for controlling the emission of microwave energy from electronic enclosures.

Growing community of inventors

State College, PA, United States of America

Vasundara V Varadan