Abstract: Capacitive angle sensor that changes capacitance as a function of angular rotation by employing a vertical cantilever beam capacitor.

Abstract: An easy to assemble transformer for use in an electronics module of an electric vehicle. The transformer can be assembled from the "top down," thus alleviating the need to build the transformer as a subassembly unit. During manufacture of the transformer, windings are wound onto a thermally conductive coil form. Next upper and lower E-shaped core members are inserted into openings in the top and bottom of the form so that the side legs and the center legs of the E's touch and are in alignment. The thermally conductive coil form has a portion that touches a cold plate when the transformer is mounted on the cold plate. The transformer is further secured to the cold plate by a mounting bracket.

Abstract: A pump is provided for use in a solid state mass-spectrograph for analyzing a sample gas. The spectrograph is formed from a semiconductor substrate having a cavity with an inlet, gas ionizing section adjacent the inlet, a mass filter section adjacent the gas ionizing section and a detector section adjacent the mass filter section. The pump is connected to each of the sections of said cavity and evacuates the cavity and draws the sample gas into the cavity. The pump includes at least one piezoelectrically-actuated diaphragm. Upon piezoelectrical actuation, the diaphragm accomplishes a suction stroke which evacuates the cavity and draws the sample gas into the cavity. Preferably, the diaphragm is formed from a pair of electrodes sandwiching a piezoelectric layer.

Abstract: A solid state circuit breaker utilizing fast acting solid state relays which are made up of individual switching circuit modules using silicon metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors or silicon carbide metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors. Depending on the power requirements, the individual modules may be arranged to provide heat dissipation while at the same time minimizing the total overall space occupied in the circuit breaker.

Abstract: A package for power semiconductor components permitting high thermal dissipation and current conductance and including a frame assembly bonded to a substrate on which a power semiconductor chip is mounted. The frame assembly has a wirebonding grid for connecting short, uniform length wirebonds to the surface of the chip. The grid is configured so as to have a portion overlaying and spaced from the chip a distance less than a distance required to connect a wirebond of optimal length to each anode cell of the chip. The package allows a high power semiconductor device to be used as a surface mount device or as a hockey puck.

Abstract: A motor controller for a vehicle including an electric motor that drives the vehicle, a plurality of sensors and a vehicle power controller. The vehicle power controller receives signals from an accelerator sensor and a brake sensor, converts the signals for the accelerator sensor and the brake sensor into a torque value. The motor controller comprises three components. A first component receives the torque value from the vehicle power controller. A second component converts the torque value into a torque output; and a third component controls the motor in accordance with the torque output.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is described for activating implants in gallium arsenide incorporating crushed gallium arsenide and hydrogen to form a gas mixture to provide an atmosphere for the gallium arsenide to be activated and a furnace for heating the crushed gallium arsenide to a first temperature and the gallium arsenide to be activated to a second temperature. The invention overcomes the problem of wafer loss at the surface by evaporation during anneal and activation of gallium arsenide.

Abstract: A wire storage and feed system for a robotic welding system in which the wire storage and feed system is mounted on the movable robot arm which has the welding gun disposed at the extending end of the robot arm. The wire storage and feed system includes a wire storage reel and wire feed drive which are movably mounted on the robot arm. A constant force spring is attached to the movable portion of the wire storage and feed system to maintain a constant tension on the welding gun, with counterweight connected to the movable portion, with the counterweight moving opposite to the movable portion of the wire storage and feed system to permit accurate positioning of the welding gun irrespective of robot arm movement and position.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for calibrating the output signal of a receiver having amplification over a predetermined input signal amplitude range has been described incorporating means for generating a sequence of reference signals each having a predetermined amplitude, means for coupling the sequence of reference signals to the input of the receiver, means for sensing the output reference signals of the receiver, means for storing output reference signals indicative of the amplitude along with corresponding input reference signals to provide a table of receiver input and output signals over the dynamic range such as 70 dB of the receiver. Unknown input signals are calibrated by looking up and comparing the amplitude of the output received signals of the receiver with stored output reference signals in the table and selecting the corresponding known input signals previously provided by the calibration signals.

Abstract: A semiconductor device structure incorporating the edge of silicon island as a surface for diffusing impurities is described to form the drain and source of an MOS transistor and interconnections therebetween to form semiconductor devices such as MOS transistors, variable threshold MNOS transistors, row decoders for use in memories, memory arrays, interconnect crossovers, and high-voltage transistors. A semiconductor process is described for fabricating the above devices utilizing four or five masks.The invention overcomes the problem of high-density integrated circuits by utilizing the edges of silicon islands on an insulating substrate as well as the upper surface of the islands. In addition, contact metallizations are non-critical because of the Schottky barrier diode formed between aluminum and n-type silicon. Both n and p-type semiconductor devices are described.

Abstract: A method of fabrication of an electrical connection between two vertically spaced conducting layers in an integrated circuit structure. The first conducting layer is a selected area of the semiconductive substrate which is otherwise covered with a dielectric layer. The exposed selected area of the semiconductive substrate is treated with an activation agent and a selected conductor is chemically vapor deposited upon the activated selected area of the semiconductive substrate. The selected conductor interconnect is built up in successive chemical vapor deposition steps preceded by activation treatment of the exposed top surface until the conductor interconnect is approximately equal to the thickness of the dielectric layer and has a highly planar surface upon which can be readily deposited the second conductive layer which is thus interconnected to the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: A non-volatile semiconductor memory is described incorporating a fixed threshold transistor and a variable threshold transistor in each memory cell. The fixed threshold transistor is used for row selection while the variable threshold transistor stores the data. A common memory gate line throughout the memory permits block erase to one logic state with opposite data being written in on a row-by-row basis. Information is read out from a selected row by a ramp voltage on the memory gate line which is capacitively coupled through variable threshold transistors having a channel in the body below the gate region.