Abstract: A nickel electrode (14) for use in a storage cell (10) includes a porous nickel substrate (50, 52) and a cobalt oxide passivation layer (56) on the nickel substrate (50, 52). A mass of nickel hydroxide/oxide (54) is impregnated within the pores of the substrate (50, 52). The cobalt oxide layer (56) is preferably deposited on the nickel substrate (50, 52) by contacting the substrate (50, 52) with an aqueous solution of cobalt nitrate, removing the excess solution, and heating the substrate in an oxygen-containing environment to form cobalt oxide. The cobalt oxide layer (56) at the surface of the substrate (50, 52) acts as a passivation layer to prevent corrosion of the nickel substrate (50, 52).

Abstract: An integrated circuit chip (26, 34) is connected to a circuit trace by providing a raised feature on a circuit trace (17, 28) which is coated with a material capable of forming an electrical connection (23, 32), as well as an attachment when the pad (25, 33) of an integrated circuit chip (26, 34) is brought into engagement with it. This material may be solder (23) or it may be a Z-axis adhesive (32) which becomes conductive at areas where it is compressed. The raised feature or bump (18, 31) on the circuit trace (17, 28) may be produced by providing a mandrel (10) having a recess (12) complementary to the raised feature (18, 31) to be provided, and suitably plating the circuit trace (17, 28) on the mandrel (10) including the recessed area (12). Upon subsequent lamination of a dielectric layer (19, 30) and removal from the mandrel (10), there is produced a circuit trace (17, 28) on a dielectric with a raised feature (18, 31) which can be used to attach to an integrated circuit chip (26, 34).

Abstract: A high density of interconnection sites on a dielectric substrate is provided by producing a laminated assembly with multiple layers of conductors (11, 21) positioned one above the other within the substrate (8). Each conductor (11, 21) terminates at a raised feature (12, 22) projecting beyond the surface of the substrate (8) for connection in an electrical circuit. This permits the conductors (11, 21) to be positioned in the same plane perpendicular to the substrate (8) so that two rows of termination pads (12, 22) may be provided without leaving space between the pads of one for the conductors of the other. Efficient, high speed impedance matching may be accomplished by the addition of a grounding conductor (26) between two signal layers of circuitry within the substrate, also provided with raised features (27) extending to the exterior of the substrate (8).

Abstract: An evanescent wave liquid level sensor for measuring the density-compensated level of a liquid in a container. The sensor employs an eccentric core optical fiber fully immersed in the liquid to be measured. Light is injected into one end of the fiber. Some of the light will be lost due to evanescent wave losses. Changes in the ratio of the intensity of the input light and the reflected light are due solely to changes in the density of the liquid. Changes in the liquid density can then be used to compensate a liquid level measurement. Since the liquid temperature is related to its density, the sensor can also be used to measure changes in the liquid temperature.

Abstract: Optical phased arrays employing a large number of light emitters and optical phase delays between adjacent emitters to steer and focus an optical beam from the contributions of all the light emitters. The array can include a laser oscillator (22) as the light source, with the laser light being conducted via optical waveguides (26, 30 and 32) into optical fibers (34), with phase delays being effected by piezoelectric or electro-optic effects on the optical waveguides. The array can be used in a low cost display device for generating optical images or in an optical memory.

Abstract: A fine line electrical circuit having precise rectangular conductor cross-sections (70) is electroformed on a patterned laser ablated mandrel (32,34). The mandrel comprises a stainless steel substrate (32) coated with a layer of Teflon (34). An eximer laser (44,56) is caused to project a fine spot (54) upon the Teflon (34) with a power sufficient to ablate the Teflon (34) entirely through to the stainless steel substrate (32). A software program drives the coated mandrel beneath the laser beam in an X-Y pattern that defines the pattern of a circuit to be produced, thereby exposing the conductive surface of the mandrel in the selected pattern. A pattern of conductors (70) is then plated upon the mandrel, a dielectric substrate (76) is laminated upon the mandrel and upon the pattern of conductors and then the dielectric substrate (76), together with the conductors (70) adhering thereto, is separated from the mandrel.

Abstract: A circuit board comprising a dielectric composite (20,22,24) clad with electrical circuitry (16,38) is provided with an improved electrical interconnection between alternate conductive circuitry planes of the substrate. Connecting features (18,40) integral with the conductive circuitry on each conductive plane of the substrate extend into a through hole (30) of the substrate toward each other and are fused (46) to one another by irradiation from a laser beam. In another embodiment a connecting feature (52) from only one of the circuit layers (50) extends into the through hole (66) of the dielectric (60,62,64) and is electrically connected and physically bonded to the circuitry layer on the other side of the substrate by means of fusion or a drop (68) of electrically conductive resin interposed between the raised connector feature and the opposed circuit layer (74).

Abstract: An electrical connector is provided for connecting a flexible circuit (45) to a printed circuit board (14). The connector includes a housing (10) within which is a slide (26) beneath which is a pressure bar (34) and a pad (42). The housing (10) is attachable to a circuit board (14) and a flexible circuit end can be inserted into the housing (10) beneath the pad (42). The slide (26) is moved longitudinally, causing cam surfaces (29, 30, 31, 32, 38, 39) on the slide (26) and pressure bar (34) to force the pressure bar (34) against the flexible circuit (45). This causes contacts (47) on the flexible circuit (45) to firmly engage contacts (46) on the circuit board (14) to effect an electrical connection.

Abstract: This invention discloses a method and apparatus for shortening the length of a pulse of light. Generally, the method entails altering the index of refraction of an optical medium (14) through which the pulse of light is traveling at an area of the medium (14) where the front end of the pulse of light is located, such that the front end of the pulse of light travels slower than the back end, thus enabling the back end to catch up with the front end in order to shorten the length of the pulse. To accomplish this, it is proposed to generate an electric field across the optical medium (14) by a charge carrying medium (12) positioned relative to the optical medium (14), such that the index of refraction is altered by the electro-optic effect.

Abstract: Boards of a first group of mutually parallel circuit boards (200,206) are directly connected to boards (27a,22b) of a second group of mutually parallel circuit boards by interfitting hermaphroditic connectors (24,26,28,30) mounted on edges of the boards. The boards of one group are all perpendicular to the boards of the other group and are positioned in edge-to-edge relation. Each board has a plurality of hermaphroditic connectors secured to its edge, with each connector adapted to mate with an identical hermaphroditic connector secured at an edge of a board of the second group. The hermaphroditic connectors are each substantially U-shaped (24,26,28,30) in one embodiment and J-shaped (126,128,130) in another embodiment.