Abstract: An optical fiber cable suitable for drop cable applications has a dual jacket, dual reinforcement layers, a round cross section, and a tight buffered construction. The optical fiber cable is a compact unitary coupled fiber assembly that has a small profile, and is light in weight, while still sufficiently robust for many indoor/outdoor drop cable installations. The small profile and round construction make the cable easy to connectorize.

Abstract: Described are new cable designs for indoor installations wherein the cable comprises a dual-layer optical fiber buffer encasement of acrylate resin. The buffer encasement has an acrylate compliant inner layer that protects the fiber and minimizes stress transfer to the fiber; and a hard, tough acrylate outer layer that provides crush resistance. The dual-layer optical fiber buffer encasement is wrapped with reinforcing yarn and encased in an outer protective jacket.

Abstract: Described is a method for designing individual stages of a multiple cascaded etalon TDC device to allow continuous thermo-optic tuning over a desired range without inducing incremental signal distortion due to uncontrolled and unpredictable dispersion of the TDC during tuning. This allows the signal to transmit without encountering periods of incremental distortion or dark spots. The method includes prior knowledge of each etalon stage, after full assembly, for spectral group delay profile as a function of temperature through modeling and/or characterization. Characterization can account for performance variations that are due to allowed manufacturing tolerances.

Abstract: The specification describes an optical wavelength monitor/analyzer that uses a cost effective wavelength reference source. The wavelength reference source is a nominally fixed wavelength laser with inherent tunability over a very limited wavelength range, i.e. a few nanometers. Tuning is effected by changing the temperature of the laser. The limited range is useful for making multiple wavelength measurements in the context of analyzing wavelength drift in tunable optical filters.

Abstract: Balun transformers are described wherein multiple transformer loops are implemented in a stacked design with the primary and secondary loops overlying one another. By aligning the loops in a vertical direction, instead of offsetting the loops, the area of the device is reduced. Multiple transformer loops are nested on each level, and the transformer loops on a given level are connected together using a crossover located on a different level.

Abstract: A package design for electro-optic devices has been developed in which the substrate supporting the electro-optic element serves also as the base of the device housing. The electro-optic element is flip-chip bonded to the substrate. In a preferred embodiment the substrate is a multi-level wiring board.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a universal channel dispersion compensating fiber (CDCF) for WDM channel compensation that provides essentially zero dispersion slope over the wide wavelength band used in state-of-the-art transmission systems. It allows compensation of a large number of channels using a single fiber design. The improved optical fiber of the invention exhibits a dispersion slope at 1550 nm: <0.02 ps/nm2-km, preferably <0.01 ps/nm2-km, and a maximum variation of dispersion per km over the S-, C-, and L- bands of preferably less than 2.0 ps. In a preferred embodiment, the index profile of these fibers comprises a simple three layer design, which includes an up-doped central core, surrounded by a down-doped trench region, further surrounded by an up-doped ring region.

Abstract: The specification describes an improved mechanical electrode structure for MOS transistor devices with elongated runners. It recognizes that shrinking the geometry increases the likelihood of mechanical failure of comb electrode geometries. The mechanical integrity of a comb electrode is improved by interconnecting the electrode fingers in a cross-connected grid. In one embodiment, the transistor device is interconnected with gate fingers on a lower metaliization level, typically the first level metal, with the drain interconnected at a higher metal level. That allows the drain fingers to be cross-connected with a vertical separation between drain and gate comb electrodes. The cross-connect members may be further stabilized by adding beam extensions to the cross-connect members. The beam extensions may be anchored in an interlevel dielectric layer for additional support.

Abstract: Described are optical fibers having a relatively large effective area, large negative dispersion coefficient, and relatively low attenuation. These optical fibers are advantageously paired with positive dispersion coefficient optical fibers for blockless undersea cables.

Abstract: A method and system that reduces the impact of packet loss on video data quality. Packet selection is performed by the method and system to selectively drop low priority packets so that the overall quality of the received video data may be improved. In one exemplary embodiment, the probability of higher priority layers being delivered on time is computed and a packet is transmitted only if this probability is greater than a given threshold h. In another exemplary embodiment, the system and method have the capability of backing up the process to transmit previously skipped packets, if time allows.

Abstract: The specification describes optical fiber cables designed for microduct installations. The microduct cables are coated with a sheath having particulates added to modify the drag of the outer surface of the cable to air, and thereby facilitate air blown installation. The particulates are nanoclay, silica, alumina, or other suitable solid particles of less than 5 microns. The coating comprises a prepolymer containing the filler, and is UV cured.

Abstract: The specification describes a lidded MCM IC plastic overmolded package with chimney-type heat sink. The lid is mechanically decoupled from the chimneys by a compliant conductive polymer plug.

Abstract: The number of nodes in a private network-to-network interface may be very large. These nodes can be organized in two or more hierarchical levels. Network performance parameters, for example, call set-up time, may be used to determine the optimum number of hierarchical levels for a given PNNI network. A multi-step algorithm is presented for calculating the optimum number of levels in the network for a given number of nodes.

Abstract: A distributed features system is disclosed which permits a telecommunication network to accommodate the creation of open multimedia services. It is an object of the present invention to create an architecture that facilitates modularity and compositional service creation. It is another object of the present invention to support multimedia services, e.g. services that include voice, graphics, video and text components. It is another object of the present invention to provide an architecture that is general, flexible, permits third party feature development, and can interact with other networks.

Abstract: The specification describes a multi-chip module (MCM) that contains an integrated passive device (IPD) as the carrier substrate (IPD MCM). Parasitic electrical interactions are controlled at one or both interfaces of the IPD either by eliminating metal from the interfaces, or by selective use of metal in parts of the MCM that are remote from the sensitive device components. The sensitive device components are primarily analog circuit components, especially RF inductor elements. In the IPD layout, the sensitive components are segregated from other components. This allows implementation of the selective metal approach. It also allows parasitic interactions on top of the IPD substrate to be reduced by selective placement of IC semiconductor chips and IC chip ground planes. In preferred embodiments of the IPD MCM of the invention, the IPD substrate is polysilicon, to further minimize RF interactions. The various methods of assembling the module may be adapted to keep the overall thickness within 1.0 mm.

Abstract: The specification describes optical fiber designs that overcome the problem of self-induced damage to optical fibers due to excessive self-focusing. The refractive index of these fiber designs is grossly non-uniform in the center core of the optical fiber. In one embodiment, the optical fiber is designed with a deliberate and steep core trench. In addition, the nominal core region of these optical fibers has a very large area. The combination of these two properties restricts a large portion of the optical power envelope to a core ring, with reduced optical power inside the core ring. These designs substantially reduce self-focusing in the optical fiber. Photonic systems employing optical fibers having these modified core designs are expected to be especially effective for transmitting high power, e.g., greater than 1 MW, with short pulse duration.

Abstract: The specification describes flip bonded dual substrate inductors wherein a portion of the inductor is constructed on a base IPD substrate, a mating portion of the inductor is constructed on a cover (second) substrate. The cover substrate is then flip bonded to the base substrate, thus mating the two portions of the inductor. Using this approach, a two level inductor can be constructed without using a multilevel substrate. Using two two-level substrates yields a four-level flip bonded dual substrate inductor.

Abstract: Multi-media Memory Card (MMC) devices, Secure Digital (SD) devices, and Secure Digital Input Output (SDIO) devices connected to a single host controller with signals multiplexed to allow simultaneous activation of more than one device at a time.

Abstract: The specification describes an integrated passive device (IPD) that is formed on a polysilicon substrate. A method for making the IPD is disclosed wherein the polysilicon substrate is produced starting with a single crystal handle wafer, depositing a thick substrate layer of polysilicon on one or both sides of the starting wafer, forming the IPD on one of the polysilicon substrate layers, and removing the handle wafer. In a preferred embodiment the single crystal silicon handle wafer is a silicon wafer rejected from a single crystal silicon wafer production line.

Abstract: A method of measuring echo path delay in a circuit having echo cancellers after enabling an echo signal to pass through the echo cancellers. The known time for a given echo canceller to disable is subtracted from the overall test signal duration. This quantity can be subtracted from the overall echo duration to compute the echo path delay.