Abstract: An optical fiber is joined, preferably with an ultraviolet curable adhesive, to a strip of a flexible support material such as a plastic tape to form an optical fiber assembly. The assembly is wound onto a bobbin to form an optical fiber canister, which is then paid out upon demand. The optical fiber assembly requires little or no adhesive to hold it in place on the bobbin, as the support material of each turn aids in holding the adjacent turns in place, with the result that the bend radius during payout is increased.

Abstract: An optical fiber is proof tested by bending it relative to the fiber axis by a preselected amount, in all directions and at all locations along the length of the fiber. In one approach, the optical fiber is wrapped around a cylindrical mandrel in a helical pattern and drawn over the mandrel through its entire length. With the preferred helical angle of about 45 degrees, two wraps of the optical fiber around the mandrel ensure that all of the fiber will be bent in all directions. If a flaw exists in the optical fiber that would cause failure at any amount of bending below that of the preselected amount, this proof test will cause the fiber to fail so that the weak point may be eliminated.

Abstract: Two optical fibers are spliced together to form a single spliced optical fiber. The spliced region is uncontaminated by impurities, and has substantially no loss of optical transmission or mechanical strength as compared to the other regions of the fibers. Splicing is accomplished by removal of the buffer coating, if any, cleaving of the fibers to be spliced to form facing splicing surfaces, careful precleaning of the cleaved fibers in the region adjacent the splicing surfaces, aligning the fibers using optical transmission as the alignment criterion, fusing the fibers together by preheating the region to be spliced, fusing the region, postannealing the spliced region, carefully postcleaning the spliced region, and recoating the spliced region with a UV curable polymer buffer material, if desired. The heating of the fibers to accomplish the fusion is desirably accomplished by a laser such as a carbon dioxide laser.

Abstract: An improved direct, two-way data link is disclosed. The improved data link is used with an electronically steerable active array 10. The uplink comprises a transmitter radar means 60 mounted in a first vehicle for providing a first data signal and transmitting this first data signal as a first radar data signal to a second vehicle and radar receiver means 130 mounted in this second vehicle for extracting the first data signal from the first radar data signal. The downlink comprises transmitter radar means 150 mounted in the second vehicle for providing a second data signal and transmitting this second data signal as a second radar data signal and radar receiver means 80 mounted in the first vehicle for extracting the second data signal from the second radar data signal.

Abstract: A compound angle limiting device is disclosed herein. The invention provides for control of the angular excursion of a pivotal mass within first and second angles about first and second axes without the necessity for external stops. The invention includes a first coupling mechanism for sensing movement of the mass about the first axis, a second coupling mechanism for sensing movement of the mass about the second axis; a first cam coupled to the mass via the first coupling mechanism and movable in response thereto; and a second cam coupled to the mass via the second coupling mechanism and movable in response thereto. The first and second cams are mounted for physical contact at at least one point to limit the compound angular excursion of the mass via the first and second coupling mechanisms.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for payout testing of an optical fiber. The invention involves the attachment of a pod to a high speed aircraft with a parachute released during flight to initiate payout. The apparatus of the invention includes a bobbin mounted on a craft for retaining a coil of optical fiber and a parachute for using the air or fluid flow past the craft when the craft is in motion to pull the fiber from the coil. In a specific embodiment, the invention includes an electrooptical circuit for sending and receiving an optical signal along the fiber. Further, more specific, embodiments contemplate the use of load cells on the craft and parachute ends of the fiber to measure tension. This information is then transmitted to a receiver for analysis and/or storage. Other specific embodiments include a brake for inhibiting the payout of fiber during aborted test runs and a turns counter for providing a measure of the rate and amount of fiber payout.

Abstract: Chemical reactions are accomplished at a surface of a substrate by supplying both a chemical reactant and energy by means of a cluster beam of a volatile material. Discrete units containing a volatile reactant are formed into clusters, ionized, accelerated to high energy, and impacted against the surface. The clusters disintegrate, and the reactant species reacts at the surface, under the influence of the energy transferred by the accelerated cluster. The clustered species may be the only reactant, as in a decomposition reaction, or additional reactants may be supplied from the surface or from other external sources, as in a film deposition, etching reaction, or catalysis reaction.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a beam of ionized clusters, having a cluster source and an ionizer, includes an electrostatic mass separator which permits only those clusters having a mass greater than a selected value to pass. Unclustered ions and clusters of smaller size are reflected and do not reach the substrate target. The mass separator has a retarding field electrode and an entrance electrode, both in the form of grids with the grid openings aligned. Use of a second electrostatic mass separator allows selection of a narrow range of cluster masses for acceleration against the substrate.

Abstract: A particle beam etching system and method are disclosed in which ion and substantially ion-free chemical radical beams are generated separately and directed onto the same portion of a semiconductor wafer to be etched, preferably perpendicular to the wafer. The beam diameters are substantially smaller than the etching area, and the wafer is moved in an x,y plane to expose the entire etching area to the beams. The redical beam is preferably supersonic, with a flux in the approximate range of 10.sup.19 -10.sup.21 particles per steradian per second, while the ion beam preferably has a density of approximately 10.sup.14 ions per cm.sup.2 per second. The progress of the etching and the location of etching end points are continuously monitored and used to control the etching rate and wafer movement, yielding etching that is both anisotropic and selective, with an accurate and uniform etch depth.