| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090114901 | Room Temperature Carbon Nanotubes Integrated on CMOS - Embodiments of the invention integrate carbon nanotubes on a CMOS substrate using localized heating. An embodiment can allow the CMOS substrate to be in a room-temperature environment during the carbon nanotube growth process. Specific embodiments utilize a maskless post-CMOS microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) process. The post-CMOS MEMS process according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a carbon nanotube growth process that is foundry CMOS compatible. The maskless process, according to an embodiment, eliminates the need for photomasks after the CMOS fabrication and can preserve whatever feature sizes are available in the foundry CMOS process. Embodiments integrate single-walled carbon nanotube devices into a CMOS platform. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20090261688 | MICROACTUATOR HAVING MULTIPLE DEGREES OF FREEDOM - A MEMS vertical displacement device for vertically displacing and tilting a vertically displaceable platform. The vertically displaceable platform may be displaced using a plurality of recurve actuators configured to provide vertical displacement without horizontal movement. The vertically displaceable platform may be tilted about two axes to yield tilting that is advantageous in numerous applications. The recurve actuators may be thermal, piezoelectric or formed from other appropriate materials. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20090303138 | WIRELESS DEVICE HAVING A DUAL-FUNCTION BATTERY ANTENNA - A wireless electronic device is provided that includes an encapsulation and a substrate enclosed within the encapsulation. The substrate has first and second opposing regions and electronic circuitry formed on or embedded in the substrate. The wireless electronic device further includes a signal chip for generating a signal under the control of the electronic circuit, the signal chip being connected to the first region of the substrate. Additionally, the wireless electronic device includes a dual-function battery antenna mounted to the second region of the substrate. The dual-function battery antenna supplies electrical power to the electronic circuitry and/or the signal chip. The dual-function battery antenna operates as an antenna for transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals conveyed from and/or received by the wireless electronic device. | 12-10-2009 |
| 20090318824 | NEURALPROBE AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING SAME - A neural probe and method of fabricating same are provided. The probe comprises a plurality of frames connected to each other and to a substrate by respective bimorphs. A probe base is connected by another bimorph to the frames. A probe tip extends from the probe base. The probe can achieve a large vertical motion and out-of-plane curling. The probe can operate according to three modes. The first mode pertains to a large-signal motion for tuning in single-unit neuronal activity. The second pertains to a small-signal motion with lock-in amplifier that increases SNR. The third pertains to burst small-signal motion for clearing tissue responses. Fabrication of a neural probe begins with a processed CMOS chip. Post-CMOS processing incorporates self-aligned selective nickel plating and sacrifices two aluminum layers. The fabrication technique produces a neural probe in which the sensing elements are in close proximity to CMOS circuitry. The fabrication technique obviates the need for post-CMOS masks, alignment, or assembly. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20100007352 | Fiber Optic Fault Detection System and Method for Underground Power Lines - Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and fault detection system for detecting and identifying the location of faults in underground power lines that can effectively and quickly identify faults in underground power lines. Embodiments can provide a method and fault detection system that quickly identify faults in a power grid that result from open circuits or short circuits in underground conduits. A specific system for fault detection of power lines in a network having one or more substations and corresponding one or more manholes for access to underground lines, includes: a sensor device for each manhole, wherein the sensor device is capable of detecting a magnetic field generated by a power line and can send a signal through a fiber optic cable, the signal including a unique wavelength identifier; and a communication device for each substation for transmitting the signal from the sensor device to an operator. | 01-14-2010 |
| 20100020509 | Integrated Power Passives - A multi-layer film-stack and method for forming the multilayer film-stack is given where a series of alternating layers of conducting and dielectric materials are deposited such that the conducting layers can be selectively addressed. The use of the method to form integratable high capacitance density capacitors and complete the formation of an integrated power system-on-a-chip device including transistors, conductors, inductors, and capacitors is also given. | 01-28-2010 |
| 20100033788 | MICROMIRROR AND FABRICATION METHOD FOR PRODUCING MICROMIRROR - A high-fill-factor and large-aperture tip-tilt micromirror array is disclosed. Electrothermal actuation can be used to obtain a large scan range, and the actuation engine can be hidden underneath the mirror plate for high fill factor. In one embodiment, inverted-series-connected (ISC) bimorph actuators can be used to achieve tilt and piston scanning. Embodiments can be used to implement optical phased array technology for steering active and passive electro-optical systems based on MEMS mirrors. | 02-11-2010 |
| 20100140669 | MICROFABRICATION METHODS FOR FORMING ROBUST ISOLATION AND PACKAGING - Exemplary embodiments provide an electrical single-crystal silicon (SCS) isolation device and a method for manufacturing the SCS isolation device. The isolation device can include a trench isolation structure formed using a trench having sidewall dielectrics and a follow-up filling of a metal or a polymer that is conductive or nonconductive. In an exemplary embodiment, metals such as a copper can be electroplated to fill the trench to provide robust mechanical support and a thermal conducting path for subsequent fabrication processes. In addition, exemplary embodiments provide a CMOS compatible process for self-packaging the disclosed isolation device or other devices from CMOS processing. In an exemplary embodiment, a backside packaging can be performed on a structured substrate prior to fabricating the active structures from the front side. Following the formation of the active structures (e.g., movable micro-sensors), a front-side packaging can be performed using bonding pads to complete the disclosed self-packaging process. | 06-10-2010 |
| 20100157308 | SINGLE FIBER ENDOSCOPIC FULL-FIELD OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY (OCT) IMAGING PROBE - A single fiber full-field optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging probe ( | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100307150 | ELECTROTHERMAL MICROACTUATOR FOR LARGE VERTICAL DISPLACEMENT WITHOUT TILT OR LATERAL SHIFT - A microactuator for displacing a platform vertically with respect to a substrate includes a first rigid frame, a first flexible bimorph beam connecting the first frame to the substrate, a second rigid frame, a second flexible bimorph beam connecting the second frame to the first frame, and a third flexible bimorph beam connecting a platform to the second frame. Activation of the first, second, and third flexible bimorph beams allows vertical displacement of the platform with respect to the substrate, with negligible lateral shift. A microactuator assembly includes a substrate, a plurality of first rigid frames, a plurality of first flexible bimorph beams, a plurality of second rigid frames, a plurality of second flexible bimorph beams, a platform, and a plurality of third flexible bimorph beams. Activation of the first, second, and third bimorph beams allows vertical displacement of the platform with respect to the substrate, with negligible lateral shift. A further embodiment with four identical such microactuators oriented at four sides of the platform, can achieve 1D or 2D angular scanning of the mirror plate by the activation of 1 or 2 adjacent microactuators. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20110139990 | MEMS-BASED FTIR SPECTROMETER - A MEMS-based Fourier Transform (FT) spectrometer is provided. According to an embodiment, the MEMS-based FT spectrometer is an FT infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. The FT spectrometer can include a beam splitter positioned to receive an incoming beam from a light source and split the incoming beam into a first sub-beam and a second sub-beam, a fixed mirror positioned to receive the first sub-beam from the beam splitter, a scanning MEMS mirror positioned to receive the second sub-beam from the beam splitter, and a photodetector, wherein a reflected first sub-beam from the fixed mirror and a reflected second sub-beam from the scanning MEMS mirror recombine at the beam splitter and become directed to the photodetector. According to one embodiment, the photodetector is a MEMS-based IR detector. In addition, the MEMS-based IR detector can be an un-cooled IR detector having a capacitive sensing structure. | 06-16-2011 |
