Abstract: Applicants have discovered that the speed of fiber manufacture can be substantially increased by employing a two-step curing process in which the fiber is drawn, coated and exposed to ultraviolet light on-line at high line speeds to effect a partial cure of the coating. After further cooling, the partially cured coating is fully cured by an on-reel exposure to ultraviolet light. The on-reel exposure can take place on the draw tower take-up reel as it is filing with fiber or it can take place off-line after the take-up reel has been filled and removed from the line. The on-reel exposure advantageously takes place either during filling the take-up reel, or during emptying the reel, so that each layer of fiber on the reel is exposed equally to the ultraviolet light. This method of UV illumination improves the energy efficiency in the second exposure by at least a factor of 10 to as much as a factor of 1000. The fiber primary coating pullout strength and mechanical modulus are enhanced.

Abstract: A silicon-on-silicon dual MCM apparatus comprising a printed circuit board having a voltage isolation boundary contained therein supporting a pair of multi-chip modules on either side of the voltage isolation boundary. The MCMs safely convey signals across the isolation boundary via discrete optical coupling means or the like. The optical coupling means allow safe and efficient conveyance of signals across the voltage isolation boundary enabling a designer to group high voltage components on one side of the boundary and low voltage components on the other side of the boundary. This obviates to a degree the need for multi-layered PCBs. A relatively large number of passive components (resistors and capacitors) are integrated into a silicon substrate with flip-chip analog integrated circuits (ICs). Operational characteristics of the controller are verified after integration and are compared to the discrete version.

Abstract: Applicants have discovered methods for making, treating and using diamonds which substantially enhance their capability for low voltage emission. Specifically, applicants have discovered that defect-rich diamonds--diamonds grown or treated to increase the concentration of defects--have enhanced properties of low voltage emission. Defect-rich diamonds are characterized in Raman spectroscopy by a diamond peak at 1332 cm.sup.-1 broadened by a full width at half maximum .DELTA.K in the range 5-15 cm.sup.-1 (and preferably 7-11 cm.sup.-1). Such defect-rich diamonds can emit electron current densities of 0.1 mA/mm.sup.2 or more at a low applied field of 25 V/.mu.m or less. Particularly advantageous structures use such diamonds in an array of islands or particles each less than 10 .mu.m in diameter at fields of 15 V/.mu.m or less.

Abstract: The present invention provides improved techniques for metallizing ceramic substrates. The method comprises providing a ceramic substrate and depositing a layer of reducible material on the ceramic substrate. The layer of reducible material includes a reducible ceramic such as copper oxide. The ceramic substrate having the layer of reducible material disposed thereon is heated and the reducible material is contacted with a reducing agent to create a conductive region. The conductive region is either a metallized region formed by reduction, or it is a conductive ceramic formed through surface reduction. The present invention further provides a metallized ceramic substrate. The metallized layer comprises ceramic regions having at least one constituent in common with the ceramic substrate. The ceramic substrate and the ceramic regions of the metallized layer are sintered to each other such that the metallized region is interspersed between the sintered ceramic regions.

Abstract: An optical transmission system having a transmission waveguide, an optical amplifier, a pump radiation source for supplying pump radiation to the optical amplifier, and a Bragg grating for reflecting pump radiation to the amplifier. The Bragg grating is produced using two collimated, non-collinear beams of actinic radiation to form an interference pattern in a medium. While changing the product .lambda..times.0.5 csc .phi./2, the interference pattern is advanced relative to the medium such that the interference pattern has a spatially varying period. The resulting Bragg grating has a sufficiently wide bandwidth in reflection, sufficiently high extinction in transmission, and sufficiently low intrinsic loss that the pump radiation source may be located at least one kilometer from the optical amplifier.