Sri International

Victor M Aguero

Christopher E Holland

Charles A Spindt

Paul R Schwoebel

Richard Cosmo Adamo

Eric M Pearson

Robert A Brown

Jose P Joseph

Richard C Honey

Philip Melese

Elizabeth J Brackmann

Richard Hilbers

Described is a micro-fabricated charged particle emission device including a substrate and a plurality of charged particle emission sites formed in the substrate. A path extends between each emission site and a source of liquid metal. Each path is coated with a wetting layer of non-oxidizing metal for wetting the liquid metal. Exemplary non-oxidizing metals that may be used to make the wetting layer include gold and platinum. The wetting layer is sufficiently thin such that some liquid metal is able to flow to each emission site despite any chemical interaction between the liquid metal and the non-oxidizing metal of the wetting layer.

Liquid metal wetting of micro-fabricated charge-emission structures

Described is a micro-fabricated charged particle emission device including a substrate and a plurality of charged particle emission sites formed in the substrate. A path extends between each emission site and a source of liquid metal. Each path is coated with a wetting layer of non-oxidizing metal for wetting the liquid metal. Exemplary non-oxidizing metals that may be used to provide the wetting layer include gold and platinum. The wetting layer is sufficiently thin such that some liquid metal is able to flow to each emission site despite any chemical interaction between the liquid metal and the non-oxidizing metal of the wetting layer.

Described is a system and method of controlling charge emission by a micro-fabricated charge-emission device. The micro-fabricated charge-emission device has an emitter. A controllable current source is electrically connected to the emitter of the micro-fabricated charge-emission device by an electrical path. The controllable current source provides a controlled amount of electrical current to the emitter of the charge-emission device over the electrical path to induce the emitter to emit electrical charge. The system can include a current sink connected to the controllable current source for shunting at least a portion of the current to ground upon a detection of a particular charge emission condition.

System and method for controlling emission by a micro-fabricated charge-emission device

A system and method for detecting vibration information by receiving electromagnetic radiation reflected or emitted from a target object at a photodetector array to provide real-time imaging of the target object. The detected radiation may be visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation, and/or of other desired frequency ranges. The detected radiation is AC-coupled to isolate components relating to oscillations of the target object from components relating to ambient radiation, e.g. background sunlight, and is digitized, stored, and subjected to processing such as a Fourier transform to generate outputs representative of frequencies of oscillation, which can be used for analysis of the target object.

Method and apparatus for real-time vibration imaging

Described are a method and system for dispensing a fluid. A fluid-dispensing device includes a substrate and a plurality of nozzles formed in the substrate. Each nozzle has an open-ended tip and a fluid-conducting channel between the tip and a source of fluid. A non-conducting spacer is on the substrate and electrically isolates a gate electrode from the substrate. The gate electrode is located adjacent to the tip of at least one of the nozzles to effect dispensing of the fluid in that nozzle in response to a voltage applied between the gate electrode and the nozzle or fluid in the nozzle. In one embodiment, the gate electrode includes a plurality of individually addressable gate electrodes used for selectively actuating nozzles.

System and method of micro-fluidic handling and dispensing using micro-nozzle structures

A sensor and method for measuring an electrical potential difference are described. The sensor includes a micro-fabricated field emission device situated in a space plasma environment. The field emission device has an emitter terminal and a gate terminal. A voltage source applies a voltage across the gate and the emitter terminals to induce current to flow from the emitter terminal A first current monitor measures current flowing from the emitter in response to the applied voltage. A second current monitor measures current flowing to the gate. A control system correlates applied voltages and measured gate and emitter currents with electrical potential differences between the field emission device and the space plasma environment. The control system obtains the gate and emitter currents from the current monitors. A processor computes a value from the gate and emitter current measurements based on a predetermined functional relationship.

System and method for sensing and controlling potential differences between a space object and its space plasma environment using micro-fabricated field emission devices

A system and method for altering an orbit of a space object are described. An electrodynamic tether is deployed from an orbiting space object such that the electrodynamic tether is capable of producing electrical charge. A micro-fabricated charge-emitting device is placed at one end of the electrodynamic tether and has at least two terminals. One of the terminals is electrically connected to the tether to receive the electrical charge produced by the tether. A voltage source applies a voltage across the two terminals of the charge-emitting device to induce the charge-emitting device to emit the charge received from the tether. Depending in part upon the end at which the charge emission device is placed and upon the polarity of the charge emitted, emission of the charge raises or lowers the orbit of the space object.

System and method for adjusting the orbit of an orbiting space object using an electrodynamic tether and micro-fabricated field emission device

A controller for controlling an electrical potential of an object with respect to its environment is described. The controller includes a micro-fabricated charge-emitting device connected to a space object situated in a space plasma environment. The charge-emitting device has a gate and an emitter. A voltage source applies a voltage across the gate and the emitter of the charge-emitting device to induce the emitter to emit into the environment electrical charge drawn from the object. In general, the magnitude of the applied voltage can be less than 100 volts. A control system varies the voltage applied between the gate and the emitter of the charge-emitting device. Varying the voltage adjusts the amount of electrical charge that is emitted by the emitter. Thus, by controlling the voltage, the control system can control the electrical potential of the space object with respect to the space plasma environment.

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Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Victor M Aguero