Abstract: The invention relates to glass-ceramic plates, hotplates incorporating them and their fabrication process. The glass-ceramic plate of the invention is of the type having a bottom substrate layer and a top coating layer and is characterized in that the top coating layer covers at least the external top surface of the bottom glass-ceramic layer and is a layer of a hard substrate material chosen from the group constituted by silicon carbide, silicon oxycarbide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride and hydrogenated amorphous carbons. The invention finds an application in the fabrication of coated glass-ceramic plates and in particular in the fabrication of glass-ceramic hotplates.

Abstract: Self-aligned aperture masks are produced using a positive-acting photoresist (18) which is developed with a liquid developer. The apertures (30) of the mask have lower levels of inter-aperture variability than masks produced using mechanical transfer of toner particles (FIGS. 4-5 and 7-8), both for the apertures of a given mask and between masks.

Abstract: The invention relates to glass-ceramic plates, hotplates incorporating them and their fabrication process. The glass-ceramic plate of the invention is of the type having a bottom substrate layer and a top coating layer and is characterized in that the top coating layer covers at least the external top surface of the bottom glass-ceramic layer and is a layer of a hard substrate material chosen from the group constituted by silicon carbide, silicon oxycarbide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride and hydrogenated amorphous carbons. The invention finds an application in the fabrication of coated glass-ceramic plates and in particular in the fabrication of glass-ceramic hotplates.

Abstract: Self-aligned aperture masks are produced using a positive-acting photoresist (18) which is developed with a liquid developer. The apertures (30) of the mask have lower levels of inter-aperture variability than masks produced using mechanical transfer of toner particles (FIGS. 4-5 and 7-8), both for the apertures of a given mask and between masks.

Abstract: A pin plate used to print a high density array printing of materials such as biological inks and a method for manufacturing the pin plate are described herein. The pin plate can be manufactured by coating a top surface of a silica wafer with a substantially thick layer of photoresist material. Next, a photolithography process is used to remove selected areas of the photoresist material from the silica wafer. Thereafter, a reactive ion etching process is used to form the pins in the silica wafer by etching away a predetermined amount of the top surface from the silica wafer that is not covered by the photoresist material. Afterwards, the remaining photoresist material is removed from the silica wafer which now resembles the pin plate.

Abstract: An optical device which utilizes a photothermal optical effect to achieve switching or attenuation includes a waveguide defined by a waveguide core and a surrounding cladding, wherein the polymer waveguide core includes a region consisting of a photothermally responsive material having an absorption coefficient at a switch wavelength or attenuation wavelength that is higher than an absorption coefficient at a signal wavelength. Switching devices include an optical splitter circuit having a branch that includes the photothermally responsive material, and either a multiplexer for introducing light at the switch wavelength into the optical circuit or a light source focused at the photothermally responsive material. Attenuating devices include a Mach-Zehnder type interferometer having a branch that includes the photothermally responsive material and either a multiplexer for introducing light at the attenuation wavelength into the optical circuit or a light source focused at the photothermally responsive material.

Abstract: An optical device which utilizes a photothermal optical effect to achieve switching or attenuation includes a waveguide defined by a waveguide core and a surrounding cladding, wherein the polymer waveguide core includes a region consisting of a photothermally responsive material having an absorption coefficient at a switch wavelength or attenuation wavelength that is higher than an absorption coefficient at a signal wavelength. Switching devices include an optical splitter circuit having a branch that includes the photothermally responsive material, and either a multiplexer for introducing light at the switch wavelength into the optical circuit or a light source focused at the photothermally responsive material. Attenuating devices include a Mach-Zehnder type interferometer having a branch that includes the photothermally responsive material and either a multiplexer for introducing light at the attenuation wavelength into the optical circuit or a light source focused at the photothermally responsive material.

Abstract: Self-aligned aperture masks are produced using a positive-acting photoresist (18) which is developed with a liquid developer. The apertures (30) of the mask have lower levels of inter-aperture variability than masks produced using mechanical transfer of toner particles (FIGS. 4-5 and 7-8), both for the apertures of a given mask and between masks.