Abstract: Thinned, contiguous imager chips, are arranged end-to-end, and accurately positioned relative to one another, that is, are positioned so that the proper spacing period between adjacent imager pixel detectors is maintained, by using a lap joint between contiguous chips. The use of a lap joint rather than a butt joint permits operation without any significant phase difference occurring and without any pixel detector gap occurring at the lap joint seam. Further, such a lap joint permits proper operation to be obtained even with relatively coarse chip-edge tolerances.

Abstract: A predistortion circuit for a radio frequency power amplifier which has gain and phase shift characteristics that are non-linear as a function of power level of an RF input signal. The circuit includes a dual gate FET, with a drain coupled to the power amplifier. A modulated RF input signal is applied to an inductive matching network which is coupled to the signal gate of the FET. A modulating envelope detected version of the input signal is applied to a video amplifier which is coupled to the FET control gate. The signal applied to the control gate varies the gain of the FET as a function of input signal to compensate for the non-linear gain characteristic of the power amplifier and in conjunction with the matching network causes a phase change of the signal through the predistortion circuit to compensate for the non-linear phase characteristic of the power amplifier.

Abstract: A commercial X-Y positioning table is modified, to limit its dynamic X-positioning error to less than .+-.0.05 micrometer at rates of speed in the Y direction of up to 20 millimeters per second, by mounting an X direction translation stage having fast inertial response characteristics on the Y direction stage of the positioning table and employing an interferometer controlled X position feedback circuit to provide X error compensating movement of the translation stage with respect to dynamic X position errors of the Y direction stage. This permits the generation of sub-micrometer geometry exposure patterns in photoresist for the fabrication of fine relief structures.

Abstract: An improvement in a digital frequency synthesizer comprising a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) for producing a signal S.sub.VCO having a frequency f.sub.VCO, a first signal generator for generating a plurality of signals S.sub.AS having a spectrum of frequencies f.sub.AS, all exceeding a given minimum frequency f.sub.M, a mixer responsive to S.sub.VCO and to S.sub.AS to produce an output signal having a frequency (f.sub.VCO .+-.f.sub.AS), a divide-by-N divider responsive to (f.sub.VCO .+-.f.sub.AS) to produce a signal S.sub.N having a frequency f.sub.N, a second signal generator for generating a first reference signal S.sub.R1 having a frequency f.sub.R1, a phase detector responsive to S.sub.N and S.sub.R1 to produce a d.c. control signal E.sub.c whose amplitude varies with the phase relation of S.sub.N and S.sub.R1, and a filter for supplying E.sub.c back to said VCO, the VCO being responsive to E.sub.c to produce an output signal S.sub.VCO of frequency f.sub.VCO where (f.sub.VCO .+-.f.sub.AS )=Nf.sub.

Abstract: An improvement in a phase locked loop comprising a VCO for generating a signal S.sub.VCO of frequency f.sub.VCO, a divider for dividing f.sub.VCO to produce a signal S.sub.N of frequency f.sub.N, a reference signal generator for generating a reference signal S.sub.R of frequency f.sub.R, and with said VCO responsive to a particular value E.sub.c of a variable control signal e.sub.c to cause f.sub.N =f.sub.R for a given value of N, the improvement consisting of a phase/frequency detector for detecting and correcting frequency and phase differences between S.sub.N and S.sub.R to cause f.sub.N =f.sub.R and comprising a three stage left/right shift register responsive to one of signals S.sub.N or S.sub.R to shift binary O's into the first stage thereof in the right direction and responsive to the other of signals S.sub.N or S.sub.R to shift binary 1's into the third stage thereof in the left direction.

Abstract: A length of conventional hollow waveguide having an interior rectangular cavity has openings in the broad walls along a common axis. A diode support structure positions a negative resistance diode in the waveguide through one opening. A DC bias conductor structure positions a bias conductor through the other opening and into contact with the diode to provide a DC bias thereto. These two structures are secured together and to the conventional waveguide structure.

Abstract: A signal pickup cartridge is formed in two sections to facilitate assembly of a leaf spring to a stylus therein. The two sections are dimensioned to permit suspension of the stylus to the first section but protruding therefrom and connection of one end of the leaf spring to the second section with the second end of the leaf spring also protruding therefrom. The leaf spring is connected to the stylus after which the two cartridge sections are joined to form a contiguous enclosure to house the stylus assembly.

Abstract: A two phase waveform generator for producing nonoverlapping pulses is designed with a CMOS inverter modified to include a resistor between the drain electrodes of the complementary inverter transistors and three conventional CMOS inverter circuits. The resistor n-type transistor interconnection exhibits a fast negative signal transition but a slower positive transition due to the resistor. This effect tends to shorten the duration of pulses applied to the inverter input. The shortened pulses are applied to a cascade connected pair of inverters to sharpen the waveform and produce a first phase output signal. The resistor-p-type transistor interconnection of the modified inverter exhibits a fast positive signal transition but a slower negative transition. This effect tends to widen pulses applied to the input. The widened pulses are applied to another inverter which complements the widened pulses ultimately generating narrower pulses which comprise a second phase signal.

Abstract: In a record playback system which includes a substantially enclosed conductive arm carriage to support and translate a stylus/stylus arm assembly and an oscillator in the carriage to provide a signal at a given frequency, a symmetrical choke is formed in conjunction with the bottom of the carriage. The symmetrical choke is dimensioned to place an open circuit at a given radial distance from the stylus opening in the carriage bottom to reduce the radiation of energy from the playback system in a band of frequencies including the given frequency, and/or reduce the playback system's susceptibility to radiation from outside sources.

Abstract: An electromechanical cutting stylus is used in a system for mastering video disc recordings in a metal substrate. The cutting stylus introduces signal distortions and errors into the mastering process such that the quality of the reproduced signal displayed on a television receiver is affected. A non-linear optical system, i.e., a Michelson interferometer, is incorporated to measure the non-linearities introduced by the recording process. The non-linear effects of the optical measuring system may be eliminated or reduced by choosing cardinal operating points for measuring the recording non-linearities.

Abstract: A decoder for reconstructing a standard composite video signal with standard synchronizing pulses from a video signal V with only gray sync encoding E.sub.GS, of a repetition rate f.sub.GS, and comprising a first generator for generating a signal E.sub.VCO having a controllable frequency f.sub.VCO which, in the absence of frequency control, is slightly different from f.sub.GS, a second generator responsive to E.sub.VCO to form a composite blanking signal E.sub.B having a repetition rate equal to f.sub.VCO so that E.sub.B will slew with respect to E.sub.GS until E.sub.B and E.sub.GS become synchronized and a summer for summing E.sub.B and V to produce a reconstructed standard composite video signal when E.sub.B and E.sub.GS become synchronized. There is further provided a phase lock circuit for phase locking E.sub.VCO with the standard synchronizing pulses of said reconstructed video signal to maintain E.sub.B and E.sub.GS in a synchronized relationship.

Abstract: A video disc player has a record extraction mechanism to facilitate record loading and unloading while the record remains enclosed in its caddy. The caddy comprises a record retaining spine releasably secured to an outer sleeve by means of a pair of spine locking fingers extending from the opposite edges thereof. A pair of spine releasing members engage and deflect the spine locking fingers to release the spine from its sleeve when a caddy is inserted into the player. Simultaneously, a pair of spine latching members hookingly engage the spine to hold it in place so that the record/spine assembly is retained inside the player when the sleeve is withdrawn. When the sleeve is reinserted into the player to recapture the record/spine assembly, it engages and drives the spine releasing members against the spine latching members in a manner freeing the spine. The caddy is then extracted.

Abstract: A stylus, having a conductive electrode, is arranged to follow a spiral groove on a disc in a video disc player. Video and audio information are recorded in the bottom of the groove as relief variations. When relative motion is established between the stylus and the groove, the spacing between the stylus electrode and relief variations provide capacitance variations representative of the recorded video and audio. A dual-gate field-effect transistor is used in a pickup circuit to detect signals related to these capacitance variations. One gate of the transistor is coupled to the stylus electrode to detect capacitance variations while the other gate is coupled to a local oscillator to modulate the detected capacitance variations.

Abstract: A simplified drive circuit for applying bipolar drive current to a stepper motor includes a switch for alternately connecting a first end of the stator winding between supply potential and ground. The second end of the winding is coupled to supply potential by a resistor and coupled to ground by the parallel combination of a second resistor and a capacitor. The capacitor alternately operates as a short circuit when supply potential is applied to the first end of the winding and as a battery when the first end of the winding is grounded.

Abstract: A data processor system having a total memory capacity, an integrated circuit chip having thereon a central processing unit (CPU), a ROM, a RAM, a first decoder responsive to addresses supplied thereto for determining the location of the RAM in the total memory capacity, and logic for disabling the ROM from the CPU and for relocating the RAM in the total memory capacity. Also provided are a generator for generating a first control signal having first and second states, first gating logic responsive to the first state of the control signal to disable the ROM and to disconnect the output of the first decoder from the RAM.

Abstract: A velocity control system for a rotating disc having a spiralling track thereon and comprising an arm rotatable about a fixed axis, a stylus attached to such arm and positioned to follow the spiralling track, and logic responsive to the position of the arm to produce a control signal indicative of the position of the arm. Also provided is a prime mover responsive to the control signal to rotate the disc at an angular velocity to produce a velocity at the point of contact between the stylus and the disc which is a predetermined function of the position of the stylus.

Abstract: A Dove prism is provided in a multiple beam optical disc record and playback system. In a multi-track optical system, the multiple spots formed in a multi-channel modulator are imaged on the record medium. The track-to-track spacing between adjacent tracks may be adjusted by rotating the Dove prism such that the angle formed between a line which passes through the center of the spots and the velocity vector of the disc is varied.

Abstract: A flash type A/D converter has a plurality of transistor switch means for alternately connecting respective ones of a plurality of reference potentials or input signal to a plurality of summing capacitors each serially connected to a self biased inverter (comparator) circuit. Certain ones of the switches are configured to operate in the source follower mode to preclude excessive capacitor discharging when extremes of input signal are applied. This reduces the current required to recharge the capacitors by the reference potential source and tends to limit loading affects on the reference source. In addition certain ones of the switch transistors have their turn on or threshold potentials tailored to effectively reduce feedthrough between the respective switch control electrodes and the capacitor-switch interconnection.

Abstract: In a data processing system having a memory and employing N-bit bytes and two byte addresses, a branch instruction which can cross one page boundary is executed without having to use calculations to effect a change in the contents of the program counter (PC). It is determined whether the value V1 of the (N-1) least significant bits (LSB's ) of the lower order byte of the two byte branch address is greater or less than the value V2 of the (N-1) least significant bits (LSB's) of the lower order byte of the address to which the PC is pointing and also whether PC N.noteq.BR N where PC N and BR N are the most significant bits of the lower order bytes of the PC address and the branch address, respectively. If V1<V2, PC N=1, and PC N.noteq.BR N, the upper order byte of the PC address is incremented by 1 and if V1>V2, PC N=0, and PC N.noteq.BR 7, the upper order byte of the PC address is decremented by 1.

Abstract: A caddy-type player has a pair of spring-loaded lockout members disposed at the opposite ends of the caddy input slot. The lockout members are positioned inside and outside the caddy insertion path, respectively, in response to the presence of and the absence of a record/spine assembly inside the player. The lockout members have square edges and sloping edges which are, respectively, disposed perpendicularly and non-perpendicularly to the caddy insertion path when the lockout members are positioned in the caddy insertion path. When an empty caddy sleeve is inserted into the player to retrieve a retained record/spine assembly, its leading edges engage the respective sloping edges of the lockout members to position the lockout members outside the caddy insertion path. If a full caddy is inserted into the player, while it already has another record/spine assembly inside, the square edges of the lockout members engage the leading edge of the full caddy to prevent it from going in.