Abstract: A 3D microwave switch having a plurality of waveguide transmission lines configured in a polyhedron and with I/O microwave ports at the corners. An actuator selectively moves respective reeds in the waveguide transmission lines between a signal-attenuating position abutting the interior surface of the waveguide transmission line and a signal-conducting position substantially coaxial with the waveguide transmission line and abutting the signal lines of the I/O microwave ports coupled to opposite ends of the waveguide transmission line. Preferably, the transmission lines and ports are formed in a tetrahedral-shaped conductive cavity with a single 4-pole magnet at its center for actuating the reeds or in an octahedral-shape with different actuators for each reed.

Abstract: A system for simultaneously measuring strains in a test member includes spatial-position members which are coupled to different portions of the test member and first and second displacement sensors which are spaced apart by a sensor space and coupled to the spatial-position members. Linear and bending deformations of the test member are calculated as functions of the responses of the displacement sensors and of the sensor space.

Abstract: A scalable parallel processing method and apparatus for performing fast multipole method (FMM) scattering calculations. The processing method is preferably implemented on a parallel multi-processor wherein a plurality of processors communicate with each other via a data communications network. The multiple processors work in tandem to solve a particular problem, which in the disclosed embodiment involves simulating an object (or scatterer) mathematically by using the fast multipole method (FMM) to calculate scattering amplitudes. The present invention provides a method and apparatus that organizes and carries out FMM operations in a manner that minimizes or eliminates the effect of time spent on sharing information between processors. According to the present invention, the method, essentially masks certain FMM information sharing tasks by performing them concurrently with other FMM computational tasks.

Abstract: A low profile receiving and/or transmitting antenna includes an array of lenses that focuses millimeter wave or other radiation onto a plurality of conventional patch antenna elements. The lenses and antenna elements are physically configured so that radiation at a tuning wavelength impinging on the antenna at a particular angle of incidence is collected by the lenses and focused onto the antenna elements in-phase. Two rotatable prisms may be disposed above the lenses to alter the angle of incidence of incoming or outgoing radiation to match the particular angle of incidence.

Abstract: An integrated digital circuit is protected from reverse engineering by fabricating all transistors of like conductivity with a common size and geometric layout, providing a common layout for different logic cells, connecting doped circuit elements of like conductivity with electrically conductive doped implants in the substrate rather than metalized interconnections, and providing non-functional apparent interconnections that are interrupted by non-discernable channel stops so that all cells falsely appear to have a common interconnection scheme. The camouflage is enhanced by providing a uniform pattern of metal leads over the transistor array, with a uniform pattern of heavily doped implant taps from the transistors for connection to the leads; undesired tap-lead connections are blocked by channel stops.

Abstract: A digital spacecraft antenna tracking system and method are provided which utilize an array of antenna feed elements oriented relative to a shaped spacecraft reflector antenna system each of which generates an output signal corresponding to a received incident signal. The outputs can be processed by a mixer/multiplexer (M/MUX) before processing by a digital tracking control receiver. The direction of a beacon signal incident on the spacecraft reflector antenna system is obtained by the TCR by comparing the beacon response of the M/MUX to a set of premeasured responses to incident signals having a known direction or orientation relative to a reference tracking grid. The premeasured responses are stored in a memory as a set of reference responses. Once the direction of the signal is obtained, the TCR assigns control voltages which are used by the spacecraft to steer the spacecraft antenna to a desired pointing direction relative to the beacon signal.

Abstract: A system and a method of pumping a gain medium element in one or more stages of a laser amplifier or oscillator with a spatially inhomogeneous optical pump beam, to minimize the potential for parasitic oscillation modes and amplified spontaneous emissions. The method is preferably accomplished by generating a spatially modulated optical pump beam, and pumping the gain medium element with the spatially modulated optical pump beam, to optically fragment the gain medium element into discontinuous amplifying gain regions, thereby creating a very lossy configuration for undesirable lateral modes, while maintaining a high-gain path for the desired longitudinal mode of operation. If there is more then one amplifier stage, the substantially identical optical pump beams are used in each stage and the gain regions of one gain medium element are spatially mapped onto the gain regions of the subsequent gain medium element.

Abstract: The disclosure describes a switchable optical delay device which is small, inexpensive, lightweight, has high cross-talk isolation, and is capable of sub-microsecond switching times. The delay device uses low-reflection terminations, a single input, and a single output to minimize cross-talk. The device is preferably integrated onto a substrate in either a trombone-shaped configuration or a more compact nested configuration.

Abstract: Ion erosion of grids is reduced in an ion thruster with a multiple-grid ion-optics system. The thruster has an array of aperture sets in which aperture areas change in a perimeter region of the array. In one ion-optics system embodiment, a screen aperture area is reduced and a decelerator aperture area is increased in aperture sets that are proximate to the perimeter of the array. Prototype tests of this embodiment have illustrated significant reduction of ion erosion.

Abstract: Transponder systems are disclosed for routing signals from a plurality of input frequency channels at each of a plurality of receive antennas to a plurality of output frequency channels at each of a plurality of transmit antennas. The routing is preferably processed at an intermediate frequency. A plurality of bandpass filters are coupled to each receive antenna to define input signal paths. First and second mixers are positioned in series with each bandpass filter. A mixing signal at the first mixer adjusts the frequency of a selected one of the input signals to pass it through the bandpass filter and onto the respective input signal path. A mixing signal on the second mixer translates the frequency of that input signal to have a frequency order in the intermediate frequency band that corresponds with the frequency order of a selected one of the output frequency channels at its respective transmit antenna. Each of the transmit antennas is coupled to a common signal path of an adder.

Abstract: An integrated circuit technology combines heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and other components along with interconnect metallization on a single substrate. In a preferred embodiment a flat substrate is patterned, using dry etching, to provide one or more mesas in locations which will eventually support HEMTs. A device stack including HEMT and HBT layers is built up over the substrate by molecular beam epitaxy, with the active HEMT devices located on the mesas within openings in the HBT layer. In this way the active HEMT is aligned with the HBT layer to planarize the finished integrated circuit.

Abstract: A structure protected by a sunshield film includes an article, for example a spacecraft radio-frequency antenna, and a sunshield film protecting the article surface. The sunshield film is formed as a sheet substrate made of a material that is transparent to radio frequency energy, a white coating on one side of the sheet substrate, and a black coating on the other side of the sheet substrate. The white coating and the black coating each have a surface resistivity of from about 10.sup.8 to about 10.sup.9 ohms per square.

Abstract: In order to control the deployment of secondary deployment structures in a deployment system that includes both a primary and a secondary deployment, an improved deployment sequencer utilizes the rotational motion of primary deployment structures. In particular, the rotational motion serves to control the retention and release of the secondary deployment structures during the primary deployment. Still more specifically, the deployment sequencer restrains the deployment of the secondary deployment structures until the primary deployment structures have deployed or rotated far enough so that collisions between the secondary deployment structures are avoided.

Abstract: A dual time delay interferometer (TDI) enables remote sensing of phase modulated information, such as the detection of ultrasonic vibrations from highly diffuse surfaces, preferably in the range from about 10 kHz to 100 MHZ or more. The system can also be configured in a transceive mode with a dual pass through a single TDI, which is well suited to optical communications. A non-steady-state photo-electromotive-force detector tracks the movement of interference fringes (whose position shifts as the surface vibrates), rather than their absolute position. A phased array of the sensors can be used for enhanced imaging applications requiring better signal/noise ratios, or alternatively, when lower power optical sources are employed.

Abstract: A composite particulate material for use in anodes of lithium-ion batteries. The particles of the material include a graphite core that has been provided with a surface layer including a non-graphitizable carbonaceous material. The graphite core having an interplanar spacing of at least about 0.346 nm. The method of producing the composite is also disclosed.

Abstract: A pollutant destruction apparatus has a corona discharge reactor attached to conductive end plates at the ends of the reactor. The reactor has inner and outer electrodes deposited respectively on the inner and outer surfaces of a hollow dielectric cylinder, the interior of which defines the reactor chamber. The inner electrode is electrically connected to the end plates, which are grounded, while the outer electrode is connected to a high-voltage power supply to establish a corona discharge. The outer electrode is tapered near the ends of the reactor to reduce the possibility of arcing. A hole in each end plate is aligned with the reactor chamber to allow gas flow into and out of the reactor.

Abstract: A circuit for canceling cross polarization interference has a first signal input and a second signal input. An adjustable cancellation network circuit is coupled to the first input and the second input. The adjustable cancellation network circuit has a first programmable vector modulator having a first weight and a second programmable vector modulator having a second weight. The first weight is correlated to the first input signal to obtain a first output signal. The second weight is correlated with the second input signal to obtain a second output signal. A performance measurement circuit is coupled to the cancellation network circuit and receives the first output signal and the second output signal. The performance measurement circuit generates a first correlated signal corresponding to the amount of interference in the first correlated signal and a second correlated signal corresponding to the amount of interference in the second correlation signal.

Abstract: Various structures for cantilever beam tunneling rate gyro devices formed on a single substrate are disclosed. A cantilever electrode having a plurality of portions extending from the substrate with one end of the cantilever is suspended above the substrate at a distance from a tunneling electrode so that a tunneling current flows through the cantilever and tunneling electrode in response to an applied bias voltage. The cantilever and tunneling electrodes form a circuit that produces an output signal. A force applied to the sensor urges the cantilever electrode to deflect relative to the tunneling electrode to modulate the output signal. The output signal is a control voltage that is applied between the cantilever electrode and a control electrode to maintain a constant tunneling current. In the preferred embodiment, two cantilever portions extend from the wafer surface forming a Y-shape. In a further embodiment, a strap is fabricated on the cantilever electrode.

Abstract: A photovoltaic device uses a spectrally selective photon partitioner such as a reflector to partition incoming sunlight which is directed towards different solar cells, depending upon its energy. Solar cells having low and high energy band gaps are used, in which low energy photons are imaged towards that cell having the lower energy band gap, whereas high energy photons are imaged towards the higher energy band gap cell. By more directly imaging photons towards those cells in which they are converted to electricity, absorption losses due to free carriers in the semiconductor layers are reduced. The spectrally selective photon partitioner allows semiconductor layers having different lattice spacings to be optically coupled.

Abstract: A fully regulated multiple source power bus subsystem for a satellite having at least a solar panel array and a battery providing unregulated sources of electrical power. The battery and solar panel array are connected to one or more multiple source bus regulators to produce a fully regulated bus output at one or more preselected voltages. Each multiple source bus regulator automatically switches between the battery and solar panel array and may produce either a positive or a negative bus voltage. A battery charge controller controls the charging of the battery when the output voltage of the solar panel array is greater than the output voltage of the battery.