Abstract: An array of photon counting phototoreceivers is constructed as an imager with micro-digitized pixels. Each photoreciever comprises a vertical cavity optical amplifier (VCSOA) as an optical amplifier, an avalanche photodiode as detector and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in an integrated structure. The ADC serves as a 1-bit digitizer and uses a resonant tunneling bipolar transistor RTBT. While the preferred embodiment of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Such modifications are all within the scope of the present invention.

Abstract: A submount is used to mount a diode between two metal areas on the upper surface of a substrate. One of the areas is connected to a metal plate at the lower surface of the substrate through a via. The submount is clamped between two metal sheets. The top metal sheet has a through-hole for anchoring and self-aligning the diode. The electrodes of the diode are each coupled to one of the clamping metal sheets. Clamping metals provide pressure contact without soldering to the contact. But soldering can be alternatively used to enhance product reliability. Either the top metal sheet or the bottom metal sheet can be fully or selectively coating of solder for batch soldering at the contact point upon heating. The large metal plates and the large metal clamping sheets provide good heat sink and speedy soldering.

Abstract: A LED chip is bonded on a large submount serving as a heat sink. The submount is punched out from a thin metal sheet together with two other sections of lead frames for the LED and held together with insulating material. The planar structure makes the package thin. A transparent lens may be mounted over the submount. More than one LED of same or different color can be mounted on the submount.

Abstract: A vertical cavity semiconductor optical photoamplifer (VCSOA) is used as a modulating retro-reflector (MRR) as a pixel in an array. The boundary of the cavity in the VCSOA forms a mirror for reflecting an incident light as an amplified output.

Abstract: A light emitting device with a top electrode and a bottom electrode is pushed by a plug to make contacts with either an upper metal plate or a lower metal plate each serving as one of the leads for an electrode of the light emitting devices. The plug is inserted through an opening larger than the light emitting device in the metal plate not in contact with the light emitting device but serving as another lead for the light emitting device. The plug is locked in place by means of threaded screw heads, snug-fit, snap-on buttons or an elastic sleeve. Thus, the light emitting device can be easily replaced without any wire bonding. A plurality of the light unit can be sandwiched between the upper metal plate and the lower metal plate.

Abstract: A light emitting diode (LED) includes a LED chip, which can transfer electrical power to electric-magnetic wave. A set of lead frame is enclosed by electrical isolator material to form a cavity. An optics lens seats on top of the cavity and is bonded to said electrical isolator material. A submount to carry said LED chip is soldered or adhered to the lead frame and forms the electrical contact from said LED chip to lead frame. A high transparency material is utilized to enclosed the LED chip.

Abstract: A control pad is split into two sections for output one of three signals selected from the group consisted of 00, 01, and 11 on an integrated circuit. Each section is internally connected to different voltage sources, say Vdd which represents logical “1”, or Vss which represents logical “0”, so that a default output is 1,0. When the split control pad is bonded with outside Vdd or Vss, both sections output “1,1” or “0,0” respectively. One of three possible logic word combinations can be selected to use for an IC.

Abstract: A supporting frame is used to solidly bridge to the two metallic contacts of a surface mount diode chip. Any bending or twisting stress between the two contacts is borne by the supporting frame instead of the diode chip. Otherwise the stress may damage the diode chip. wherein said supporting forms a cantilever over said first metallic contact and the overhanging end of the cantilever is glued to said second metallic contact.

Abstract: Two memory areas on a wafer are coupled through pass transistors to double the memory capacity of each area and can be sawed to yield two memory chips each with single memory area. A pair of pass transistors are used to couple each dedicated functional pad in both memory areas, when the pass transistors are turned on. The connection between the pass transistor pair can be sawed through to yield single capacity memory dice. The memory capacity can be further increased by coupling more memory areas together with pass transistors.

Abstract: The electrodes of a light emitting diode (LED) is coupled to the terminals of a package with solderless pressure contacts. Each package is housed in a module with a bed on which the bottom electrode of the LED rests, and a pressure plate which is coupled to the top electrode of the LED. The pressure plate slides along four vertical posts to exert pressure to an LED package against a bed to form solderless pressure contacts. A plurality of LED packages can be lined up in a row to form a light strip, with the top pressure plate extended to form the bed of an adjacent module. A plurality of LED packages can also be arranged a matrix array display panel, where a plurality of lower terminals rests on one row of common bed of a number of parallel horizontal common beds, and where a plurality of upper terminals are pressed under a column of parallel vertical common pressure plates, so that any individual LED at the cross-point of a common bed and a common pressure can be randomly accessed.

Abstract: Scanning localized evaporation and deposition of an evaporant on a substrate utilizes a mask assembly comprised of a series of mask elements with openings thereon and spaced apart in a stack. The openings are aligned so as to direct the evaporant therethrough onto the substrate. The mask elements are heated and the stack may include a movable shutter element to block openings in adjacent mask elements. The evaporant streams are usually vertical but some may be oblique to the substrate, and they may be of different materials.

Abstract: A three-dimensional surface shape is produced from input numerical data. The shape of an elastic surface is determined by the positions of a first matrix of memory rods. The position of each of the memory rods is determined by a flexible sheet which is contoured by a second matrix of control rods and is computer-controlled. After control rods transfer the contour data to the memory rods, the control rods are reset to receive new contour data. Both the memory rod and control rod are fitted with two pneumatically controlled locking mechanisms, one for the X-coordinate and one for the Y-coordinate. When both locks on a particular rod are released the rod is free to move to a new position determined by an elevator. Once all of the rods have been adjusted, they are locked in position and the surface has been configured.

Abstract: Heat from a heat generating device such as CPU is dissipated by a heat sink device containing a recycled two-phase vaporizable coolant. The coolant recycles inside a closed metal chamber, which has an upper section and a lower section connected by a conveying conduit, and a wick evaporator placed in connection with the lower section. The liquid coolant in the evaporator is vaporized by the heat from the heat generating device. The coolant vapor enters the upper section and condenses therein, with the liberated latent heat dissipated out through the inner top chamber wall. The condensed coolant is then collected and flows into the lower section, and further flows back to the wick evaporator by capillary action of the evaporator, thereby recycling the coolant. Space or a piece of element with parallel grooves is used to at least one of the sections to reduce friction in the liquid flow path.

Abstract: This invention discloses novel device structures for full color flat panel displays utilizing pseudomorphically cladded quantum dot nanocrystals. Different colors are obtained by changing the core size and composition of the quantum dots while maintaining a nearly defect-free lattice at the core-cladding interface. Light emission from the quantum dot core is obtained either by injection or by avalanche electroluminescence. A nanotip emitter device is also presented. These generic devices can be addressed using a variety of conventional display drivers, including active and passive matrix configurations.

Abstract: Alternate layers of wide band gap and narrow band gaps of different kinds of semiconductors are used to form multiple channels of a FET. The channels are doped or formed as 2-DEG/2-DHG in narrow band semiconductor by charge supply layer in the wide band gap semiconductor. The different kinds of semiconductors form heterojunctions to confine the electrons/holes in separate thin spikes layers. A number of spikes (3–10 nm thick) of different doped or 2-DEG/2-DHG concentrations in various channels can result in overall electron concentration gradient such as a 1/x3 electron/hole concentrations profile. Such an electron/hole concentration gradient can result in a linear variation of drain current with voltage to obtain a wide dynamic range.

Abstract: This invention describes an approach for monolithically integrating all the components of a photoreceiver—optical amplifier, optical band-pass filter, and photodiode module—on a single chip. The photoreceiver array employs unique optical amplifier and conversion technologies that provides the ultra-sensitivity required for free space optical communications networks. As an example, by monolithically integrating a vertical cavity surface emitting laser-diode (VCSEL) optical preamplifier with a photodiode receiver and related amplifiers and filters on the same chip, sensitivities as low as ?47 dBm (62 photons/bit at 2.5 Gb/s), along with an order of magnitude reduction in size, weight, and power consumption over comparable commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components can be demonstrated.

Abstract: A non-contacting sensor based on inductive coupling for detecting failure initiation, and crack propagation in composite materials is disclosed. A very low cost crack sensing transducer or test pattern that can be imbedded into a structural material, interrogated, and powered wirelessly is described. A detection method for interrogating the crack sensor utilizing RF inductive coupling is disclosed. The proposed sensor consists of minimal components resulting in maximum reliability.

Abstract: When both the sourcing command and the sinking command to the phase comparator are high, the charge pump phase detector creates a high impedance output dead period, which is undesirable. The dead zone can be minimized by resetting the phase comparator when both sourcing command and sinking command are high. Accurate timing of the reset signal is crucial to good PLL phase noise performance and also to the elimination of the dead zone problem. In our invention, accurate reset timing is achieved by including the charge pump delay time caused by the input gate capacitance of the output complementary MOSFETs in the reset signal path.

Abstract: The electrodes of a light emitting diode (LED) is coupled to the terminals of a package with solderless pressure contacts. Each package is housed in a module with a bed on which the bottom electrode of the LED rests, and a pressure plate which is coupled to the top electrode of the LED. The pressure plate slides along four vertical posts to exert pressure to an LED package against a bed to form solderless pressure contacts. A plurality of LED packages can be lined up in a row to form a light strip, with the top pressure plate extended to form the bed of an adjacent module. A plurality of LED packages can also be arranged a matrix array display panel, where a plurality of lower terminals rests on one row of common bed of a number of parallel horizontal common beds, and where a plurality of upper terminals are pressed under a column of parallel vertical common pressure plates, so that any individual LED at the cross-point of a common bed and a common pressure can be randomly accessed.

Abstract: A three-dimensional surface shape is produced from input numerical data. The shape of a sheet elastic material is determined by the positions of a matrix of control rods. The position of each of the rods is determined by a computer-controlled system. Each rod is fitted with two pneumatically controlled locking mechanisms, one for the X coordinate and one for the Y coordinate. When both locks on a particular rod are released the rod is free to move to a new position determined by an elevator. Once all of the rods have been adjusted they are locked in position and the surface has been configured. In one application, the surface can be used as a mold for casting a replica or in another application can be used as the screen in an image projection system.