Abstract: A flexible optical coupler for coupling light signals from an optical waveguide on a circuit board or substrate to an optical waveguide on another circuit board or substrate, or to an optical port on an electronic, opto-electronic or photonic integrated circuit. The coupler is self-aligning by virtue of the design of the alignment stops fabricated in close proximity to the optical waveguide or optical port. The coupler may consist of an array of optical waveguides between an array of optical ports and another array of optical ports. The coupler may be used with any substrates appropriate for polymeric waveguide fabrication, including many circuit board materials. The optical waveguide of the coupler is on a flexible and transparent substrate. The coupler is effective for optical connections between devices situated on noncoincident surfaces. Alignment stops are utilized for the case of aligning the ports of the optical coupler to other ports.

Abstract: A passively mode-locked laser gyro having a saturable absorber in constant motion. The saturable absorber is mechanically vibrated or rotated in a direction transverse to the longitudinal pulses passing through the absorber. The vibrational or rotational motion of the absorber dithers the effective scattering error source. The saturable absorber may be a multiple quantum well device. The multiple quantum well device may be attached to two dither drives to provide continuous circular motion of the multiple quantum well device. The motion generator can generate both linear and non-linear motion. The passively mode-locked laser qyro may be constructed from fiber optics with a bias modulator and gain medium.

Abstract: A ring laser gyro that minimizes and avoids the effects of lock-in and backscatter. A ring laser is pumped in a lasing cavity with a mode-locked laser. Dual counterrotating pumped pulses are precisely positioned to avoid overlay in optical elements that contribute to lock-in and backscatter. The position of the stimulated counter rotating laser beams is controlled by two methods. In the first method the pumped pulses are synchronized with a wave propagation delay line. In the second method the pumped pulses are chopped by an acousto-optic modulator shutter to precisely time the location of the pumped pulses. Both methods are can be combined to achieve a hybrid synchronized and acousto-optic modulated approach.

Abstract: A gate having a complementary input stage (12) and an N-channel push-pull output stage (14). This circuit is faster than a circuit with a single complementary stage because the N-channel transistors can pull-up or pull down the load capacitance more quickly than P-channel transistors can. A fundamental aspect of the invention is the replacement of the input P-channel input transistors (182) of standard logic circuits, particularly CMOS, with a two N-channel and one P-channel transistor input circuit (184). The circuit may use field effect transistors exclusively as elements.

Abstract: A broadband optical modulator having a light waveguide and modulating electrodes incorporated into an output or drain transmission line of a distributed amplifier driver. The modulator has a distributed gain mechanism which overcomes the electrical losses in the modulating electrodes and provides broadband velocity matching between the driving electrical signal and the modulated lightwave signal.

Abstract: An improved method for providing extended electro static discharge protection of an active matrix liquid crystal display, at the external lead contact areas by using a shorting conductor or bar to short out all row and column contacts or leads on the display, and to protect the electronics during active matrix processing, fabrication, polarizer attachment, and connecting of display leads. The display connection leads and the shorting bar on those leads, are on the front side of the active glass layer of the display. A saw is used to provide an accurate and relatively deep cut on the back side of the active glass layer thereby forming a border within the perimeter of the shorting bar on the front side of the active glass layer. The cut on the back side does not go through the active glass layer but stops several mils from the front side of the active glass layer.

Abstract: An axis alignment detector for aligning axes of two birefringent components or fibers at forty-five degrees relative to each other. Polarized light is put into one axis of one of the two components or fibers to be aligned. The light goes from the one fiber through a junction where the two components or fibers are to be aligned at forty-five degrees, into the axes of the other component or fiber. The other component or fiber is temporarily connected to a third birefringent component or fiber wherein light moves on into the third component or fiber. The light from the third component or fiber goes on through a polarizer on to a mirror or integrated optic interferometer. The interferometer provides an interference output that reveals when the two components or fibers have a forty-five degree axis alignment. Also, the interferometer output may be used to measure other angles of axis alignment.

Abstract: A switched-magnetization closed-loop magnetometer having a magnetoresistive bridge for sensing external magnetic fields. The output signal from the bridge to an amplifier, is magnetically nulled by a feedback coil. Each of the bridge elements have a magnetic easy axis that is periodically and magnetically flipped by a reset coil. The output of the amplifier goes to an analog switch and an integrator in one or the other order. The output of the analog switch or the integrator may go on to a sample and hold circuit, or other sampling device, that alternately samples the output to it in synchronism with the reset coil. The output is processed by a low pass amplifier. A clock provides signals to the reset coil, the analog switch and the sample and hold switch.

Abstract: An error compensator for a resonator fiber optic gyroscope extracting characteristics from the output signal of a photodetector, receiving electromagnetic waves from the resonator, and combining them to result in a determination of substantially the rotation rate error that is due to the effect of a nonlinear refractive index occurring in the resonator. This determination can be used to compensate the system output signal to eliminate rotation rate errors of such a nature therefrom.

Abstract: A back-etch silicon-on-insulator SOI process that has a silicon handle wafer with an oxide layer bonded at room temperature to a silicon device wafer with an etch stop and silicon device layer. The surfaces that are bonded at room temperature are first conditioned to be hydrophilic. After bonding, the edges of the layers are sealed. The silicon device wafer, the etch-stop layer and the device layer are boron doped. Most of the silicon device wafer is ground away. Then, the remaining portion of the silicon device wafer and the etch stop layer are chemically etched away, thereby leaving a uniform layer of silicon device layer on the oxide layer of the silicon handle wafer.

Abstract: A varactor diode having a stepped capacitance-voltage profile, formed in heterostructural integrated circuit technology. Several layers in the diode structure have pulse doping to confine conduction in the diode to a sheet of charge that provides the stepped capacitance-voltage profile. The structural design of the diode may be modified to attain desired capacitance-voltage characteristics.

Abstract: An optical fiber rotation sensor having configurations thereof chosen with respect to the source autocorrelation. Both amplitude related and intensity related phase errors due to polarization mode coupling can be eliminated or reduced economically.

Abstract: A solid-block homodyne Doppler interferometer utilizing continuous-wave or pulse-wave light beam technology. A pulse-wave light beam version of the homodyne interferometer compares the pulse-wave return signal with a continuous-wave local oscillator signal, thereby permitting the interferometer to be utilized over a wide range of distances.

Abstract: A flow control device includes a housing with separate main flow and flow control (servo) passages between an inlet port and an exit port. A control chamber in the housing is in fluid communication with the servo passage. A flexible membrane forms a partition between the main flow passage and the control chamber. The servo passage includes a variable servo orifice upstream of the control chamber and a fixed orifice downstream of the chamber. When the servo valve is open to permit passage of fluid into the control chamber, the resultant pressure on the membrane maintains the main valve closed. The main valve opens in response to closing the servo valve. The fixed orifice has a profile sufficiently small to provide for an acceptable leak or continuous fluid flow through the device when the servo valve is open, and further provides for a soft start when the servo valve is closed to open the main valve.

Abstract: An optical source emits a source optical signal having a source optical signal power and a wavelength. A splitter or other similar device splits the source optical signal into a first optical signal having a first optical signal power and into a second optical signal having a second optical signal power such that the source optical signal power is split between the first optical signal power and the second optical signal power. This split is dependent upon the wavelength of the source optical signal. A first detector detects the first optical signal power and a second detector detects the second optical signal power. A controller responds to the first and second detectors in order to control the wavelength of the source optical signal.

Abstract: Low temperature wafer bonding process enhancement makes a wafer surface hydrophobic, preparing it with a buffered oxide etchant and then exposing it to H.sub.2 O.sub.2 before thermoelectric bonding. Has particular application to diaphragm-based pressure sensor construction.

Abstract: An array of unit oscillators interconnected with one another in that the transistors of the oscillators are connected to common lines. Separate lines in proximity provide coupling capacitance for feedback to sustain the oscillation of the unit oscillators. The separate lines also form a grid which results in an antenna for emanation of the oscillators, radiation The array can effectively function at extremely high frequencies (i.e., greater than 30 GHz). The array is specially designed to accommodate monolithic implementation.

Abstract: High mobility thin film transistors for fabricating integrated drivers for active matrix displays and a special method of fabrication for obtaining the thin film transistors having mobility sufficiently high enough as drivers operable in the several megahertz frequency range needed for driving high resolution active matrix displays.

Abstract: The efficient allocation and deallocation of computer processors interconnected in a binary hypercube topology facilitated by the use of address masks or cube identifiers. The method and system allows individual processors to be coalesced into larger cubes, each having a plurality of processors.

Abstract: A two-level IR detector imaging array of high fill-factor design. The upper microbridge detector level is spaced above and overlies the integrated circuit and bus lines on the substrate surface below.