Abstract: Power amplifier apparatuses and techniques for optimizing the design of power amplifiers are disclosed. In one aspect, a method for optimizing a power amplifier includes selecting a circuit topology for the power amplifier. The circuit topology includes one or more photoconductive switches and an impedance matching network including one or more parameter values representative of the impedance matching network or the photoconductive switches that can be adjusted. The method further includes selecting one or more optimization goals for the impedance matching network and the one or more photoconductive switches, and adjusting the one or more parameter values according to the one or more optimization goals. The one or more optimization goals include an efficiency at a particular power output.

Abstract: A portable therapeutic device and a method. The device includes an energy storage device coupled to a power supply. The energy storage device operates during a predetermined number of charge-discharge cycles. During a charge portion of each charge-discharge cycle, the energy storage device receives and stores energy from the power supply. During a discharge portion of each charge-discharge cycle, the energy storage device discharges stored energy. The device also includes a magnetic field generation device coupled to the energy storage device to repeatedly generate one or more magnetic field pulses during a predetermined period of time during the discharge portion of each charge-discharge cycle of the energy storage device. Each magnetic field pulse has a predetermined magnetic field strength. The generated magnetic field pulses cause generation of an electric field having a predetermined strength, thereby generating a desired therapeutic effect in a subject.

Abstract: The invention relates to a composite heat insulation system, comprising an insulating layer, optionally a reinforcing layer, which is applied to the insulating layer, and a cover layer, which is applied to the insulating layer or, if present, to the reinforcing layer, characterized in that the cover layer contains composite particles, wherein the composite particles contain at least one organic polymer and at least one inorganic solid, wherein the weight percentage of inorganic solid is 15 to 40 wt %, with respect to the total weight of organic polymer and inorganic solid in the composite particle.

Abstract: Power amplifier apparatuses and techniques for optimizing the design of power amplifiers are disclosed. In one aspect, a method for optimizing a power amplifier includes selecting a circuit topology for the power amplifier. The circuit topology includes one or more photoconductive switches and an impedance matching network including one or more parameter values representative of the impedance matching network or the photoconductive switches that can be adjusted. The method further includes selecting one or more optimization goals for the impedance matching network and the one or more photoconductive switches, and adjusting the one or more parameter values according to the one or more optimization goals. The one or more optimization goals include an efficiency at a particular power output.

Abstract: Insulating plasters and insulated molded panels produced by molding without input of heat contain closed or open celled light weight bodies or mixtures thereof, and at least one binder composed of composite particles containing both an organic polymer and from 15 to 50 weight percent of inorganic solid.

Abstract: The invention relates to a porous molded body in the form of an insulating plaster layer or an insulating panel, comprising closed-cell or open-cell or mixed-cell hollow bodies made of inorganic materials and comprising a binder, characterized in that composite particles are contained as the binder, wherein the composite particles contain at least one organic polymer and at least one inorganic solid, wherein the weight percentage of inorganic solid is 15 to 50 wt %, with respect to the total weight of organic polymer and inorganic solid in the composite particle.

Abstract: The invention relates to a composite heat insulation system, comprising an insulating layer, optionally a reinforcing layer, which is applied to the insulating layer, and a cover layer, which is applied to the insulating layer or, if present, to the reinforcing layer, characterized in that the cover layer contains composite particles, wherein the composite particles contain at least one organic polymer and at least one inorganic solid, wherein the weight percentage of inorganic solid is 15 to 40 wt %, with respect to the total weight of organic polymer and inorganic solid in the composite particle.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide cross-coupled rectifiers that use near zero-threshold transistors in a switching topology, but provide a topology that avoids reverse conduction problems. Importantly, preferred embodiment rectifiers of the invention only provide a slightly increased on-resistance in each branch, while providing both very high operating efficiency and very low turn-on voltage. An embodiment of the invention is a voltage rectifier for the conversion of RF energy into DC voltage with a turn-on threshold voltages approaching 0V.

Abstract: The invention provides a transistor having a substrate, a structure supported by the substrate including a source, drain, gate, and channel, wherein the source and the channel are made of different materials, and a tunnel junction formed between the source and the channel, whereby the tunnel junction is configured for injecting carriers from the source to the channel.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide cross-coupled rectifiers that use near zero-threshold transistors in a switching topology, but provide a topology that avoids reverse conduction problems. Importantly, preferred embodiment rectifiers of the invention only provide a slightly increased on-resistance in each branch, while providing both very high operating efficiency and very low turn-on voltage. An embodiment of the invention is a voltage rectifier for the conversion of RF energy into DC voltage with a turn-on threshold voltages approaching 0V.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and devices for estimating power amplifier nonlinearity using simple correlation techniques. Methods and devices of the invention can monitor a power amplifier that has digitally modulated inputs and an output containing more than one signal stream. A preferred method of the invention creates a test signal by forming the products of several pseudorandom noise sequences from the digitally modulated inputs to the power amplifier. Nonlinear contributions of the power amplifier output are determined by cross-correlating the test signal and the total output signal of the power amplifier. In preferred embodiments, the determined nonlinear contributions of the power amplifier are used to introduce corrective predistortion in the power amplifier.

Abstract: The invention provides a transistor having a substrate, a structure supported by the substrate including a source, drain, gate, and channel, wherein the source and the channel are made of different materials, and a tunnel junction formed between the source and the channel, whereby the tunnel junction is configured for injecting carriers from the source to the channel.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and devices for estimating power amplifier nonlinearity using simple correlation techniques. Methods and devices of the invention can monitor a power amplifier that has digitally modulated inputs and an output containing more than one signal stream. A preferred method of the invention creates a test signal by forming the products of several pseudorandom noise sequences from the digitally modulated inputs to the power amplifier. Nonlinear contributions of the power amplifier output are determined by cross-correlating the test signal and the total output signal of the power amplifier. In preferred embodiments, the determined nonlinear contributions of the power amplifier are used to introduce corrective predistortion in the power amplifier.

Abstract: A substrate driven field effect transistor (FET) and a method of forming the same. In one embodiment, the substrate driven FET includes a substrate having a source contact covering a substantial portion of a bottom surface thereof and a lateral channel above the substrate. The substrate driven FET also includes a drain contact above the lateral channel. The substrate driven FET still further includes a source interconnect that connects the lateral channel to the substrate operable to provide a low resistance coupling between the source contact and the lateral channel.

Abstract: In one disclosed embodiment, a collector is deposited and a base is grown on the collector, for example, by epitaxially depositing either silicon or silicon-germanium. An emitter is fabricated on the base followed by implant doping an extrinsic base region. For example, the extrinsic base region can be implant doped using boron. The extrinsic base region doping diffuses out during subsequent thermal processing steps in chip fabrication, creating an out diffusion region in the device, which can adversely affect various operating characteristics, such as parasitic capacitance and linearity. The out diffusion is controlled by counter doping the out diffusion region. For example, the counter doped region can be implant doped using arsenic or phosphorous. Also, for example, the counter doped region can be formed using tilt implanting or, alternatively, by implant doping the counter doped region and forming a spacer on the base prior to implanting the extrinsic base region.

Abstract: In a reduced-distortion bandpass filtering circuit, and method, a small portion, normally −20 db, of an input signal, normally narrowband rf, is fed forward while a major signal portion is filtered in a first bandpass filter, inducing distortion. The small portion fed forward is itself bandpass filtered in a second bandpass filter, preferably identical to the first. Because the signal level is lower, less distortion is produced. The second-bandpass-filtered small portion is subtracted from yet another small, −20 db, portion now fed forward from the first-bandpass-filtered signal, distortion and all. Undistorted parts of the two signals cancel, isolating the signal distortion. This distortion is amplified and adjusted in phase, and then subtracted from the first-bandpass-filtered signal, producing a signal in which substantially all distortion induced by filtering in the first bandpass filter is canceled.

Abstract: In a bandpass filter circuit usable at the front end of a cellular microwave radio receiver, and particularly suitable for implementation with high temperature superconductor transmission lines, an rf input signal is split in a first coupler into a major first portion and a minor second portion. A first bandpass filter of inevitable non-linearity receives the first signal portion and produces therefrom a first-bandpass-filtered signal having distortion products collectively of a first power. A second bandpass filter having substantially identical passband and noise characteristics to, but with a non-linearity much greater than, the first bandpass filter receives the second signal portion of the input signal and produces therefrom a second-bandpass-filtered signal which has distortion products substantially collectively equal to the first power.

Abstract: A hybrid power transistor (40) includes a vertical PNP bipolar transistor (42) having a floating base (46). A junction-gate type field-effect transistor (FET) (62) has a lateral N-type channel (64,66) and a vertical electron injection path (54) from the channel (64,66) into the base (46) of the bipolar transistor (42). The FET channel current and thereby the electron injection current are controlled by the FET gate voltage. The injection current conductivity modulates the base (46) and thereby controls the collector current of the bipolar transistor (42). The FET (62) may have a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), junction-gate field-effect transistor (JFET) or metal-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MESFET) structure. The FET (62) does not require a gate insulating layer, enabling fabrication of the hybrid transistor (40) in the group III-V material system.