Abstract: An energy efficient distillation process in which the heat of evaporation is recovered as the heat of condensation and recycled by a Peltier heat pump to promote further evaporation.

Abstract: Saltwater is boiled in a vacuum generated by a pump and its water vapor exhaust is condensed into purified water.

Abstract: An array of miniature lenses overlays a silicon solar cell panel generating a conforming array of intensely illuminated spots. A drastic saving of silicon material is achieved by restricting the size of the solar cells of the panel in accordance with the size of the sun's image.

Abstract: This invention concerns heat relief by Peltier cooling. In one embodiment Peltier cells are attached to a garment with the cold plate of the Peltier cell in intimate thermal contact with the skin of the wearer of the garment. Heat generated by the Peltier cell is dissipated to the ambient from cooling fins. Heat pipes are used to conduct the heat to the fins, or to distribute the cooling across the skin.

Abstract: A static memory cell uses a micro-tunnel diode as load to a switching circuit involving field effect transistors. Another field effect transistor circuit is used as gate for read-address and read-out. The stationary current through the tunnel diode at logic zero is kept barely above the valley current to prevent aging. Close control of two threshold levels for the transistors in the memory cell is achieved by using the same dopant distribution in their channels in conjunction with a Schottky gate and a p-n junction gate.

Abstract: An active multi-terminal switching device such as a transistor in electric series connection with a tunnel diode load discharges, or charges, the output node between tunnel diode and transistor upon activating, or deactivating, the transistor by appropriate input signals. The negative current-voltage characteristics of the forward biased tunnel diode provides a large load resistance, and thus causes a low current level, during the stationary on-state of the transistor, but it also provides a small load resistance during most of the transient when the transistor is turned off, and thus causes a fast switching speed. A tunnel diode connected between gate and source of an enhancement mode n-channel GaAs junction field effect phototransistor enhances the recovery of the transistor after the activating light beam is switched off.