Abstract: Apparatus is provided including a light source, a transducer and a detector, which is capable of detecting applied acoustic signals. The transducer employs first and second ridged members which have parallel rippled surfaces which contact opposite sides of a fiber optic waveguide. Each rippled surface has a different predetermined ripple pitch which provides for variable sensitivity along one dimension of the transducer. Modulation of the position of the ridged members relative to one another by means of applied acoustic signals causes microbend attenuation of light transmitted through the waveguide. The modulation of the light provides an indication of the presence of the acoustic signals. The variation in dimensional sensitivity provided by the transducer allows for a determination of the direction of arrival of the acoustic signals. Appropriate selection of pitch and pitch ratio of the two rippled surfaces provides any desired spatial sensitivity distribution of the hydrophone.

Abstract: A transistorized monolithic focal plane array is formed on a semiconductive substrate and comprises a plurality of detectors associated with a corresponding plurality of source follower or inverter transistors. The array is row addressable. The gate of the source follower transistor comprises a floating node which is charged by the corresponding detector in proportion to the incident photon flux, the gate being periodically reset. The invention combines the advantages of compactness and low capacitance of charge coupled device imagers and low noise characteristics of prior art imagers comprising discrete transistors.

Abstract: Metal-coated optical fibers are often employed in high temperature optical communications applications. However, such optical fibers have been found to evidence a substantial decrease in optical transmission as a function of increased temperature. Optical fibers having a temperature-insensitive optical transmission are obtained by annealing a metal-coated optical fiber at a temperature at which optical transmission is substantially the same as that observed at room temperature. Aluminum-coated optical fibers annealed at 560.degree. C. evidence an optical transmission independent of temperature between about -200.degree. C. and at least about 560.degree. C.

Abstract: A full color high contrast image projection system with oil coupled dichroics and a single projection lens is disclosed. The invention includes a unitary optical tank in which a prepolarizer and dichroic separators are mounted in fixed alignment relative to a main polarizing prism. The prepolarizer acts on the incident light from a source to polarize the green light and reflect the S component out of the system. The red and blue components are transmitted unchanged. The main polarizer is mounted at a 90.degree. twist relative to the prepolarizer so that it reflects the green light to a first light valve via a first dichroic separator. The polarized red and blue components are transmitted to second and third light valves via a second dichroic separator. The light valves modulate the polarization state of incident light before returning it to the second beamsplitter. The second beamsplitter then recombines the individual beams into a single output beam.

Abstract: Apparatus useful in the surgical correction of strabismus comprises a clip (10) attachable to the sclera (52) of an eye, and a dynamometer gauge (12) coupled to the clip to measure torques exerted on the muscle of the eye.

Abstract: Printed wiring board assemblies (12) and the like encapsulated in foam (28) may be removed by use of a pair of sandwich structures (30) placed about the assembly. Each sandwich structure includes a pair of perforated sheets (36) with a sinuously extending filament (40) sandwiched between the sheets. Defoaming is effected by pulling the filament from the foam through the intermediary of a tool grasping ends (52) of the filament.

Abstract: Apparatus useful in the surgical correction of strabismus comprises a clip (10) attachable to the sclera (52) of an eye, and a dynamometer gauge (12) coupled to the clip to measure torques exerted on the muscle of the eye.

Abstract: A tri-mode spherical cavity microwave filter comprising two tandemly disposed generally spherical bodies each of which defines a spherical cavity which supports three identical, mutually orthogonal modes of electromagnetic energy, a cavity coupling aperture connecting the cavities, a plurality of cavity tuning holes, and a plurality of coupling tuning holes. One of the spherical cavities has an input aperture, and another has an output aperture. The cavity tuning holes and coupling tuning holes are adapted to receive cavity tuners and coupling tuners, respectively.

Abstract: Deflection of an electron beam from axis 28 is controlled by electromagnetic deflection saddle coils 24, 26. Interference with deflection by surrounding mass of lens 22 is overcome by compensation coils 42, 44. The deflection coils and compensation coils are shaped and sized so that their own conductive properties do not distort the deflection magnetic fields. This is accomplished by equalizing between the deflection and compensation coils, the change in magnetic field during coil current penetration and by equalizing the penetration time constants for both sets of windings.

Abstract: Non-volatile bistable semiconductor latches having a pair of cross-coupled branches, each branch having a complementary driver or load and a driver connected in series at a respective node; at least one of the complementary drivers or loads, or drivers, includes a non-volatile IGFET having a variable threshold voltage (e.g. a FATMOS), said latch additionally including one or more buffer transistors (e.g. P-channel IGFETS) connected between one or both nodes and a latch output line. The buffer transistors increase the predictability of the state of the latch during power-on in a non-volatile mode of operation. Preferably the complementary drivers or loads, and the drivers, are constructed in CMOS or N-channel MOS. The buffers can drive a single DATA output line of twin DATA, DATA lines in a push-pull configuration.

Abstract: An optic receiver capable of detecting the angle of incidence of optical energy in a plurality of fields of view relative to an airborne frame of reference. Incoming rays are reflected by surfaces arranged at predetermined angles relative to an input aperture so as to reflect rays in predetermined fields of view into parallelism with the receiver axis and ultimately to a line image at an output aperture. Power distribution along the line image varies with the azimuth of the target reflection. Computation of target azimuth from the power distribution along the line image is facilitated by photodetectors mounted on the element and associated electronic circuitry.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal imaging display comprising a liquid crystal layer formed over the top surface of a MOS integrated circuit, the reflectivity of the pixel control electrodes is enhanced by means of a polycrystalline silicon layer formed over the MOS integrated circuit and polished to have an optically smooth surface over which the pixel control electrodes and the liquid crystal may be placed. Contrast ratios on the order of 100 to 1 are achieved.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method by which a three-dimensional horn structure at the end of a channel waveguide in a dielectric chip is produced to facilitate coupling of a fiber optic waveguide by butt coupling techniques. The three-dimensional horn structure is fabricated by localized surface diffusion resulting from superposing a CO.sub.2 laser heating beam on the desired enlarged area while diffusion of the waveguide is taking place or after it has taken place in a controlled ambient furnace atmosphere.

Abstract: Demand flow cryostat 10 has an expansion nozzle 24 from which flow is controlled by valve needle 32. Bellows 34 regulates flow to maintain substantially constant temperature in the cooled space adjacent interior surface 26. Guide tube 38 and felt 44 control flow of the mixed liquid-vapor cryogen to stabilize temperature at the electronic device 30 which is cooled by the cryostat.

Abstract: In a CMOS FATMOS EEPROM, in which a floating gate and its associated tunneling region overlies the source to drain channel, device density is dramatically improved by sharing a source diffusion between adjacent FATMOS transistors and by reversing the function of the source and drain diffusions between reading and writing operations. During writing of a logic "one" into an individual memory cell, the shared diffusion and the control gate are held at +18 volts while the well region is grounded and the other diffusion is selectively grounded.

Abstract: Method of and apparatus for operating an image display system using a hybrid field effect liquid crystal light valve of the type wherein the molecules of the nematic liquid crystal layer are helically twisted through an acute angle. A polarized projection beam is oriented with its polarization direction within the acute twist angle and applied to a reflective face of the light valve. A writing light input image is applied to a photoresponsive opposite face in order to modulate the reflected projection beam. An electric field applied across the light valve is adjusted between two levels to produce either a simultaneous display of multicolor symbology and achromatic (black-white) gray scale images or a separate display of either one of them.

Abstract: A meander channel charge couple device having a pair of parallel colinear elongate electrodes extending longitudinally along the length of the register disposed over a meander channel and formed in the same conductive layer so that they both reside at the same height above the semiconductor substrate, thereby providing a symmetrical surface potential distribution. Charge transfer instabilities beneath a gap separating the electrodes are eliminated by providing an additional set of electrodes, each extending transversely to the meander channel and to the first pair of parallel electrodes and spanning the gap. Contact is made by each of the longitudinal electrode pairs to alternate ones of the transverse electrodes and a two-phase clock system is applied to the longitudinal electrode pair.

Abstract: The specification discloses a low temperature process for depositing oxide layers on a substrate by photochemical vapor deposition, by exposing the substrate to a selected vapor phase reactant in the presence of photochemically generated neutral (un-ionized) oxygen atoms. The oxygen atoms react with the vapor phase reactant to form the desired oxide, which deposits as a layer on the substrate. The use of photochemically generated neutral oxygen atoms avoids damage to the substrate due to charge bombardment or radiation bombardment of the substrate. The deposited oxide layer may optionally incorporate a selected dopant material in order to modify the physical, electrical, or optical characteristics of the oxide layer.

Abstract: The specification describes a process for masking a collimated ion beam for either forming resist patterns on selected substrates or for other selective ion implantation purposes. This process includes the steps of forming an ion absorption mask on the surface of a hyper thin supporting membrane and thereafter aligning the mask with a substrate having a layer of resist thereon. Next, the ion absorption mask is exposed to a beam of ions which pass through certain areas of the absorption mask and into the resist layer to thereby expose selected regions in the resist layer (i.e., to increase or decrease the solubility of the resist to a chosen developer). In a specific embodiment of the invention, the ion absorption mask is formed by initially anodizing an aluminum substrate to form a thin coating of aluminum oxide thereon, and thereafter depositing a gold mask on one surface of the aluminum oxide coating.

Abstract: A very high speed video imaging system wherein the video image from each video frame of M.sub.1 columns and M.sub.2 rows of video pixels is multiplexed serially by row, each image pixel corresponding to an address in said video frame; image enhancement processing is performed in real time, using r programmable processors operating on successive kernels comprising L.sub.1 rows and L.sub.2 columns of the image pixels. Real time image processing is made possible by multiple image copying means which furnishes multiple copies of the image pixels to the r processors, wherein each one of the processors receives a copy of only those image pixels having an address lying within an assigned range, which limits the amount of data handled by each processor for each video frame.