Abstract: The construction of the dielectric layer of a panel used in making a gas panel display by an E-gun evaporation process in the same evacuated chamber that deposits an electron-emissive layer on the panel so as to obtain increased efficiency in the fabrication and improved operating characteristics of the gas panel. Stress free dielectric layers are obtained by E-gun evaporating borosilicate glass from a molten pool of borosilicate having an area of at least 2cm.sup.2 up to about 10cm.sup.2 with the substrate for the layers being maintained at from 200.degree. C to 300.degree. C and the evaporation rate being 40 to 80 A/sec. at approximately 10 inches from the molten pool.

Abstract: Improved writing and erasing in AC gas discharge display panels is obtained by applying a special normalizing voltage waveform to cause the cells to be in a more standardized state, so that the applied writing and erasing pulses act to cause wall voltage changes which are less sensitive to the cell's recent history. The special normalizing waveform is applied adjacent to the erase pulse and/or to the write pulse and acts to fire the cells in a manner such that there is no loss in the memory state of the cells.

Abstract: An electrochromic display device having first and second electrodes, and a plurality of display electrodes, all immersed in a liquid electrolyte. Drive means act to first generate a potential difference between said first and second electrodes to cause a color species to be deposited on said first electrode and, thereafter, act to generate a potential difference between said first electrode and selected ones of said plurality of display electrodes to cause the color species to be transferred to the selected ones of said plurality of display electrodes. Heptyl viologen dibromide is suggested as one possible electrolyte.

Abstract: A method of growing superlattice crystals containing alternating layers of two semiconductor materials in which misfit and threading dislocations are eliminated by growing the layers of superlattice crystal to some thickness less than that which will generate new dislocations, and matching the average lattice parameter of the superlattice with that of substrate so misfit dislocations between the superlattice and the substrate are not formed.

Abstract: This disclosure provides a polycrystalline semiconductor material which has a high luminous efficiency because of an especial profile of impurity concentration within each grain thereof. The regions immediately adjacent to the grain surfaces or grain boundaries are preferentially and selectively doped with impurity atoms to achieve a relatively high concentration of majority carriers of the same conductivity type as is in the grain center. As a result of the noted doping profile in the material, minority carriers which are excited within each grain by externally originated radiation are confined to the central portion of the grain where they emit electromagnetic radiation by efficient luminescent recombination. The material of this disclosure in polycrystalline thin film form obtains a high resolution screen for an electron beam optical display device.

Abstract: The practice of this invention provides display of information which utilizes the inherent characteristic of the displacement by an applied electric field intensity distribution of the interface between two fluid dielectric media which are operationally immiscible in each other and have different total dielectric properties at the interface. In particular, the information handling and display in the practice of this invention are with an optical display device in which the two dielectric media are immiscible liquids, e.g., oil and water. The local displacement of the interface therebetween is accomplished by the local application of an electric field which effects movement of the interface by electrohydrodynamic interaction with the dielectric media at the interface.

Abstract: Information storage is achieved in powdered magnetoelastic materials. Such powdered magnetoelastic materials have the capability of achieving long storage times of information and also allow information to be stored at relatively high temperatures.

Abstract: The practice of this disclosure obtains a relatively high efficiency operation for a crystalline semiconductor solar cell containing various defects of the linear and planar types. Linear defects include screw dislocations as well as full and partial dislocations. Planar defects include twins, stacking faults, grain boundaries and surfaces. Such defects normally contain recombination centers at which electrons and holes generated in the semiconductor region recombine with loss to the external current of the charge carried thereby. Through application of the principles of this invention, especial dopant concentrations and conductivity regions are established in a finite region around the linear and planar defects so that electrons and holes which are generated in the semiconductor region by incident radiation are substantially collected for external current as consequence thereof.

Abstract: This disclosure provides an optical scanner for transforming an optical image into electrical signals.Through practice of this disclosure an optical image is projected onto a surface of a photosensitive semiconductor body wherein there is established a charge distribution or perturbation or pattern which reflects the variations in optical intensity of the optical image. Through the parametric interaction of simultaneously applied electric field and acoustic wave to each respective portion of the electrical charge pattern on the photosensitive semiconductor surface, there is obtained a backward acoustic wave which is directed toward the source of the initiating acoustic wave. In particular, the acoustic wave in the acoustic medium may be either a surface acoustic wave (SAW) or a bulk acoustic wave. Where the surface acoustic wave is utilized, the acoustic medium may be commensurately thin.

Abstract: Through the practice of this invention there is achieved control of the vibrational frequency of an electromechanical oscillator. This is achieved by utilizing the change in Young's modulus of elasticity which occurs for certain materials with applied magnetic field, known as the .DELTA.E-effect. By selective annealing in the presence of specially directed magnetic field, the .DELTA.E-effect is selectively altered along specific directions in the vibrational member. Additionally, by control of the .DELTA.E-effect of a sonic delay line, there is achieved control of the delay time for an acoustic pulse propagating therein.

Abstract: .beta."-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 is a highly desirable material for serving the double function of solid electrolyte and separator in a rechargeable battery that employs sodium, Na, as the anode and sulfur, S, as the cathode. But conventional means for manufacturing the .beta."-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 require temperatures between 1400.degree. and 1600.degree. C. By reacting .theta.-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 with Na.sub.2 O, or a compound that yields Na.sub.2 O on decomposition, the desired .beta."-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 is obtained at temperatures as low as 950.degree. C.

Abstract: In accordance with the disclosure, certain impurities, e.g., alloying additions, are introduced in thin metal film to negate the driving force or the effect of the driving force which causes the hillock formation. Such thin metallic films are usually fabricated on the substrates which have different thermal coefficients of expansion than the film itself, and during thermal cycling stresses can be introduced into the film. This stress may serve as a driving force for atom movement and, therefore, to the formation of hillocks. The vehicle by which the induced stress in a film effects the requisite atom movement is via defect movement, and when the force is compressive this gives rise to hillocks. In the practice of this disclosure, impurity additions introduced into a film affect hillock growth by their interaction with the defects which give rise to the requisite atom movement.

Abstract: It has been discovered for the practice of this disclosure that a particular ion radiation treatment of amorphous SiO.sub.2 thin film, with a subsequent annealing procedure, improves the dielectric breakdown property of the film. The treated SiO.sub.2 film is found to be substantially more dense than a comparable untreated SiO.sub.2 film. It is theorized for the practice of this disclosure that the physical mechanism which produces the densification of the SiO.sub.2 film may be responsible for the enhanced dielectric properties of the film. Such an improved film is especially useful as the gate insulator layer in an insulated-gate electrode field-effect transistor device, and as an insulating layer for electrically separating two metallic films in a thin film integrated circuit. Such SiO.sub.2 thin films are useful in integrated circuit technology because the electrical insulation property thereof is considerably improved, e.g.

Abstract: A dielectric diode is provided in accordance with the principles of this invention. The dielectric diode is in the form of a capacitor wherein one of the electrodes has a high contact barrier, e.g., 4 electron-volts, and the other has a low contact barrier, e.g., 1 electron-volt, giving the resulting structure a diode behavior. Illustratively, the electrode at the low contact barrier comprises a valve metal or a very reactive metal which has been anodized or oxidized to provide a layer region with a given concentration of positive ions. The resulting metal oxide is covered with a wide band gap insulator such as SiO.sub.2. The composite contact barrier from the conductor to the insulator is typically less than 1 eV and results from the transition layer region between the conductor electrode and the insulator layer. The wide gap insulator layer is covered on the opposite surface with another electrode which has a high contact barrier.

Abstract: The practice of this disclosure obtains a monolithic structure useful for electrohydrodynamically synchronizing the formation of droplets in a jet stream exiting from a jet nozzle. The monolithic structure is primarily adaptable for ink jet printing. The jet nozzle structure provided by the practice of this disclosure includes a jet nozzle design in a crystalline semiconductor block, e.g., of silicon (Si), germanium (Ge) or gallium arsenide (GaAs), with an electrode structure which is integrally incorporated therewith whereby a variable electric field is established proximate to the orifice of the jet nozzle structure. The electric field electrohydrodynamically perturbs the jet stream emitting from the jet nozzle structure so that formation of drops in the jet stream is controllably achieved, e.g., synchronously when the variable electric field is oscillating with a given periodicity.