Abstract: The present invention is a lightwave oven that includes an oven chamber, a food support within the oven chamber, and a lightwave cooking lamp moveably mounted within the oven chamber between a first position in which the lamp is positioned to direct radiant energy onto a first area of the food support and a second position in which the lamp is positioned to direct radiant energy onto a second, separate, area of the food support. The lamp is illuminated and made to scan, preferably multiple times, across the food so as to cook the food.

Abstract: A lightwave oven for cooking with light having wavelengths in the visible, near visible, and infra-red spectral ranges uses one or more quartz halogen tungsten lamps or quartz arc bulbs positioned above and below the food item and delivers light energy in select ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum during select portions of the cooking cycle.

Abstract: A lightwave oven that includes an oven cavity housing enclosing a cooking chamber therein, and first and second pluralities of elongated high power lamps. The oven cavity housing includes a top wall with a first non-planar reflecting surface facing the cooking chamber, a bottom wall with a second non-planar reflecting surface facing the cooking chamber, and a sidewall with a third reflecting surface that surrounds and faces the cooking chamber. The sidewall has a cross-section that is either circular, elliptical, or polygonal having at least five planar sides. The first plurality of elongated high power lamps provide radiant energy in the visible, near-visible and infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum and are disposed adjacent to and along the top wall. The second plurality of elongated high power lamps provide radiant energy in the visible, near-visible and infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum and are disposed adjacent to and along the bottom wall.

Abstract: A lightwave oven cooking method and apparatus uses pulsed power applied to a plurality of high-power lamps which provides radiant energy in the electromagnetic spectrum and having wavelengths including the visible and near-visible ranges. Irradiation is applied to the food by applying power to the lamps for a specified period of time without vaporizing all of the surface water on the food, and then applying reduced irradiation to the food to complete the cooking cycle without producing an overly browned surface which inhibits deep penetration of radiation in the near-visible and visible ranges. The reduced power can be at a reduced duty cycle which can be done in a sequence of one or more reducing steps in the duty cycle or a continuous reduction of the duty cycle of the power applied to the lamps. A change in color, in water vapor concentration emitted from the surface, in the food temperatures and/or in the generation of steam to a predetermined degree can be sensed to reduce power.

Abstract: An lightwave oven and method of cooking therewith for cooking food with radiant energy in the visible, near-visible and infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum from a first plurality of high power lamps positioned above the food and a second plurality of high power lamps positioned below the food. The first plurality of lamps are sequentially operated at a first average power level by applying power thereto in a staggered manner so that not all of the first plurality of lamps are on at the same time, and the second plurality of lamps are sequentially operated at a second average power level by applying power thereto in a staggered manner so that not all of the second plurality of lamps are on at the same time. The stagger can be varied to change the time average power level of the first and/or second pluralities of lamps without adversely affecting the spectral outputs thereof. The first and second pluralities of lamps can be operated in one of several different modes.

Abstract: A lightwave oven and method of cooking therewith that cooks food contained in cookware having a given reflectivity, and automatically changes the lightwave oven cooking sequence to compensate for the reflectivity of the cookware. The lightwave oven includes an oven cavity housing that encloses a cooking region therein. A first plurality and a second plurality of high power lamps provide radiant energy in the visible, near-visible and infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. The first plurality of lamps is positioned above the cooking region and the second plurality of lamps is positioned below the cooking region. An optical sensor measures an amount of the radiant energy produced by at least one of the second plurality of lamps that is reflected by the cookware in the cooking region. A controller changes an average power level of the second plurality of lamps based upon the amount of radiant energy measured by the optical sensor.

Abstract: An oven for cooking with light having wavelengths in the visible, near visible, and infra-red spectral ranges uses one or more quartz halogen tungsten lamps or quartz arc bulbs positioned above and below the food item. Uniform cooking of the food item is achieved by positioning the lamps asymmetrically with respect to the midline of the oven and by rotating the food item on a rack during the cooking cycle.

Abstract: An oven for cooking with light having wavelengths in the visible, near visible, and infra-red spectral ranges cooks food items for periods that are predetermined for given food items. When prolonged use of the oven increases the oven temperature, a thermistor detects the temperature increases and delivers a signal representing the increase to a microprocessor. The microprocessor is programmed to compensate for increases in the oven temperature by lowering the cooking time for a given food item below the predetermined period. Some of the heated air that accumulates in the oven is withdrawn by an evacuation device.

Abstract: An oven for cooking a food item with radiant energy typically having a significant portion of radiant energy in the visible light range of the electromagnetic spectrum is disclosed. The desired cooking time for the given food item is set in or already stored in the oven controller, and radiation is initiated for cooking the food item for that desired cooking time. At a given time before the end of the desired cooking time, a signal is triggered indicating that a determination must be made as to whether the food item is cooked to the desired degree. Once the food item is cooked to the desired degree, the radiation is either stopped before the end of the desired cooking time, terminated at the end of desired cooking time or maintained beyond the desired cooking time.

Abstract: An oven using one or more quartz tungsten light bulbs capable of producing 1.5 kW of radiant energy of which a significant portion is light energy in the 0.4 to 0.7 .mu.m wavelength range impinges high intensity visible light wave radiation directly onto a food item. Light sources can be positioned above and below the food item and the inner walls of the oven are preferably highly reflective to reflect light energy onto the food. The intensity of the visible light source is automatically controllable and can be varied throughout the cooking cycle.

Abstract: An oven using one or more quartz halogen tungsten lamps or quartz arc bulbs capable of producing radiant energy of which a significant portion is in the visible light range of the electromagnetic spectrum to pop popcorn whereby visible and near visible radiation directly impinges onto corn kernels. Radiation sources can be positioned around the corn kernels and the inner walls of the oven are preferably highly reflective to reflect light energy onto the kernels. The kernels travel down a tube shaped cooking chamber by a forced air stream. When the corn pops, the highly reflective and very light popped corn is removed via the air stream which stops the cooking process.

Abstract: A method for sensing the temperature of a remote object within a chamber that is heated from outside the chamber, includes sensing radiation from the object within the chamber through a window in the wall of the chamber that exhibits different transmissivity than the wall of the chamber to radiation in a selected waveband relative to the waveband of the radiation supplied through the wall of the chamber to heat the object within the chamber.

Abstract: Dual pyrometric detectors and method measure the temperature of a remote heated object in the presence of ambient radiation. One detector measures emitted radiation from both the remote object and from the environment, and the other detector measures radiation predominantly from the environment alone. The output signals from the two detectors are processed electronically to yield the detected radiation from the remote object alone. The result can then be electronically processed to display the pyrometrically-measured temperature of the remote object.

Abstract: Dual pyrometric detectors and method measure the temperature of a remote heated object in the presence of ambient radiation. One detector measures emitted radiation from both the remote object and from the environment, and the other direction measures radiation predominantly from the environment alone. The output signals from the two detectors are processed electronically to yield the detected radiation from the remote object alone. The result can then be electronically processed to display the pyrometrically-measured temperature of the remote object.

Abstract: An oven using one or more quartz tungsten light bulbs or quartz arc bulbs capable of producing 1.5 kW of radiant energy of which a significant portion is light energy in the 0.4 to 0.7 .mu.m wavelength range impinges high intensity visible light wave radiation directly onto a food item. Light sources can be positioned above and below the food item and the inner walls of the oven are preferably highly reflective to reflect light energy onto the food. The intensity of the visible light source is automatically controllable and can be varied throughout the cooking cycle.

Abstract: A method is set forth of constructing an electrochemical cell from a crystalline slab having front and back sides facing generally away from one another. Masking layers are provided covering the front and back sides of the slab and a back resist layer is provided covering the front masking layer, the front and resist layer having at least one opening therethrough exposing a portion of the masking layer therebehind. A passage is etched through the exposed part of the back masking layer and extending into the slab to terminate at the front masking layer. A conductor is deposited in the passage. A second front masking layer is formed covering the front side other than where the passage terminates. The masking layers are etched away opposite the passage sufficiently to expose the conductor. The technology provides electrochemical cells either on or completely below the surface of a slab, for example a silicon slab. Integrated circuitry can be provided on the side of the slab removed from the electrochemistry.

Abstract: Radiation heating of a semiconductor wafer employs first and second pluralities of spaced and skewed lamps. Lamps in each plurality are grouped beginning with the innermost lamps and extending to the outermost lamps. Each group of lamps in one plurality of lamps are interconnected with a group of lamps in the other plurality of lamps whereby the interconnected groups of lamps are simultaneously and equally energized. Lamp voltage is modulated in accordance with a preestablished table for each size of wafer and temperature cycle. Alternatively, temperature sensors can be employed to provide feedback to a computer controlled modulator. The lamps in the different groups can be selected to have different steady state power intensities for a given voltage to thereby establish a desired temperature gradient.

Abstract: An oven using one or more quartz tungsten light bulbs capable of producing 1.5 kW of radiant energy of which a significant portion is light energy in the 0.4 to 0.7 .mu.m wavelength range impinges high intensity visible light wave radiation directly onto a food item. Light sources can be positioned above and below the food item and the inner walls of the oven are preferably highly reflective to reflect light energy onto the food. The intensity of the visible light source is automatically controllable and can be varied throughout the cooking cycle.