Abstract: For measuring a capacitance with high accuracy, a capacitance measuring apparatus includes a voltage source with a current limiting function for applying different voltage values to the capacitance, and an integrator capable of continuous integrating operation for repeatedly integrating a current flowing through the capacitance at given periodic intervals. There is also disclosed a capacitance measuring method that is carried out by the capacitance measuring apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for molding light emitting diode (LED) lamps. A mold frame is provided around each LED chip in an array. A first mold insert is placed in the mold frame and light converting material comprising a carrier and light converting particles is injected into the first mold insert to form a light converting molding around each LED chip. The first mold insert is removed. A second mold insert is placed in the mold frame and lens material is injected into the first mold insert to form a lens molding around the light converting molding for each LED chip.

Abstract: A heat sink comprises a core member comprising at least one first surface adapted to contact at least a portion of the heat source. An one outer peripheral surface is located on the core member. At least one cooling fin device comprising an inner peripheral surface and at least one cooling fin is adjacent the core member. In one embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the cooling fin device is adjacent the outer peripheral surface of the core member. At least a portion of the outer peripheral surface is tapered, wherein the circumference of the outer peripheral surface in the proximity of the first surface is greater than the circumference of the outer peripheral surface not in the proximity of the first surface.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for simultaneously conducting multiple chemical reactions combine a test sample with a chemical reactant in a plurality of closed reaction chambers to produce reaction products. The method comprises assembling a plate having the test sample in a plurality of spatially arranged wells with a microarray of similarly spatially arranged surface bound chemical reactants to form the sealed apparatus having the plurality of closed reaction chambers. The apparatus is sealed such that it is gas, liquid and/or fluid tight. The seal may be accomplished with a flexible array substrate or a flexible gasket, and one or more of mechanical clamps, external fluid pressure, radiation, heat, vacuum and an adhesive. The sealed apparatus can be subjected to various reaction conditions, such as intense mechanical agitation and a controlled temperature environment. A kit comprises one or more of the elements of the apparatus.

Abstract: Systems and methods of passivating planar index-guided oxide vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) are described. These systems and methods address the unique susceptibility of these devices to damage that otherwise might be caused by moisture intrusion into the etch holes that are used to form the index-guiding confinement regions. In one aspect, a VCSEL includes a vertical stack structure having a substantially planar top surface. The vertical stack structure includes a top mirror, a bottom mirror, and a cavity region disposed between the top mirror and the bottom mirror and including an active light generation region. At least one of the top mirror and the bottom mirror has a layer with a peripheral region that is oxidized into an electrical insulator as a result of exposure to an oxidizing agent. The vertical stack structure defines two or more etched holes each extending from the substantially planar top surface to the oxidized peripheral region.

Abstract: A printer having a power bus for delivery of power to a print carriage is disclosed. The power from the power bus is picked up by a charge pickup system mounted on the print carriage. The charge pickup system can include a conductor contact and a spring to pressure the conductor to maintain contact with the power bus. The power bus can be implemented on the slide bar or on a separate bus bar. A ground return bus can be used to provide ground lines to the print carriage.

Abstract: Solder compositions, solder pastes and methods of manufacturing thereof having a solder material coated with a coating material by an immersion coating process or an electroless plating process. The solder composition and solder pastes are substantially lead-free and have melting temperatures approaching those of traditional tin-lead solders.

Abstract: A summed TOFMS having a filter for identifying detector outputs that are likely the result of noise rather than ions striking the ion detector. The TOFMS stores a plurality of data values at locations specified by a register that counts clock pulses. The filter receives the ion measurements from the ion detector and generates an output measurement value corresponding to each ion measurement. The filter sets the output measurement value to a predetermined baseline value if the filter determines that the ion measurement is noise, otherwise the filter sets the output measurement value to the ion measurement. An adder, responsive to the clock signal, forms the sum of the data value specified by the register value and the output measurement value and stores the sum in the memory at the location corresponding to the register value.

Abstract: An amplifier and bypass switch circuit includes a circuit input, a circuit output, an amplifier and a switching circuit. The amplifier has an amplifier control input, and a first amplifier output. The amplifier control input is connected to the circuit input. The amplifier output is connected to the circuit output. The switching circuit includes a control input, a switch input, a switch output and a phase matching network. The switch output is connected to the circuit output. The switch input is connected to the circuit input. The phase matching network preserves phase information when the amplifier and bypass switch circuit switches between an amplifier mode and a bypass mode.

Abstract: A solder reflow system is disclosed that includes a substrate, a solder pad disposed upon the substrate, an optical component disposed upon the solder pad, and a laser positioned above the substrate with laser output focused sufficiently close to the solder pad to reflow the solder when the laser is powered. Also disclosed is a method for reflowing a solder joint, including: providing an optical component assembly including a substrate, a solder pad disposed upon the substrate, solder disposed upon the solder pad, and an optical component disposed upon the solder pad; providing a laser; positioning the laser above the substrate with laser output focused sufficiently close to the solder pad, instead of directly over the solder pad; and powering the laser, thereby transferring energy through the substrate into the solder pad, and reflowing the solder.

Abstract: Guard columns for high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) apparatuses. These guard columns can be removable and/or metallic guard columns. Further, all of the outlet of the guard column can substantially engage the inlet of an HPLC column in the HPLC apparatus. Also, an HPLC apparatus that includes a guard column, a hand-tightened top end fitting at a first end of the HPLC apparatus and a hand-tightened bottom end fitting at a second end of the HPLC apparatus.

Abstract: An OLED for emitting light at a predetermined peak wavelength, &lgr;. The OLED includes an anode layer, a cathode layer and an electroluminescent layer constructed from an organic light emitting compound that generates light, including light having a wavelength equal to &lgr;, by the recombination of holes and electrons. The electroluminescent layer is electrically connected to the anode layer and the cathode layer and is located between the anode and cathode layers. The OLED includes a first reflector and a second reflector, displaced from one another. The anode layer or cathode layer can serve as one of the reflectors. A spacer layer constructed from a material that is transparent at &lgr; is included between the reflectors and has a thickness that is adjusted such that the optical path length between the first and second reflectors is equal to N &lgr;/2, where N is a positive integer.

Abstract: This invention relates to a sled-guide-assembly (1), in particular for an optical attenuating device, comprising a straight guidance (2) and a sled (3), which is movable within the guidance (2), wherein

Abstract: A cassette containing cartridges for sampling blood from a patient. The cassette includes a container for storing a plurality of cartridges and at least one cartridge in the container. The cartridge includes a cartridge case and a lancet. The lancet has a tip and is housed in the cartridge case. The lancet can be driven to extend the tip outside the cartridge case for lancing the skin of the patient to yield blood. The container has a compartment that contains at least one cartridge. A cartridge from the compartment can be loaded onto a glucometer that drives the lancet in the cartridge to lance the skin of a patient.

Abstract: An electronic circuit consists of a voltage regulator and an electrostatic discharge (ESD) shunt. The voltage regulator maintains a prescribed voltage for the voltage supply of the chip. The ESD shunt protects the chip circuitry from undesirable levels of current or voltage. The voltage regulator and the ESD shunt share the functionality of a single, very large transistor. This combination results in a circuit with a smaller area, much smaller than if the two circuits had been built separately. With the reduction in area, both circuits can be manufactured on a single chip.

Abstract: A planar array of lenses are configured and independently translatable along in-plane X and Y axes by corresponding MEMS actuators such that a light beam emanating from the facet of a first selected optical fiber in an adjacent bundle of fibers can be deflected in a first predetermined manner by a first one of the lenses, reflected off of an adjacent co-planar mirror back to the array of lenses, and deflected in a second predetermined manner by a second one of the lenses and focused on the facet of a selected second optical fiber in the bundle. In an alternate embodiment, the planar mirror is replaced with a second array of MEMS actuated lenses so that light pulses from a selected optical fiber in an input bundle can be steered to a selected optical fiber in an output bundle.

Abstract: A device for stabilizing the operating wavelength (&lgr;) of an electro-optical component having a nominal operating wavelength (&lgr;0) by a wavelength influencing circuit adapted to be driven by a control signal. The device comprises a semiconductor photodiode adapted to be impinged upon by the radiation generated and/or processed by the component and to generate an output signal which is indicative of a difference of the wavelength of the radiation ((&lgr;) with respect to the nominal operating wavelength (&lgr;0, &lgr;i). The semiconductor photodiode includes a plurality of layers jointly defining two opposite diodes generating opposite photocurrents as a result of radiation impinging onto the photodiode. The opposite photocurrents are adapted to generate the control signal to effect the stabilization action.

Abstract: An optical switch having an insulator under a heater element is disclosed. The insulator reduces the heat loss thereby making the switch more efficient. The insulator is fabricated embedded in the underlying substrate on which the heater and the optical intersection are fabricated. A method of fabricating the optical switch having an insulator is disclosed. A trench is etched on the substrate and filled with oxide or other suitable insulating material. Then, the heater and the optical intersection are fabricated above the insulator.

Abstract: An optical fingertip tracker, which may be a pseudo trackball, responds to the motion of the texture on one of the user's digits pressed against an image input aperture to produce motion signals processed within an appliance to be controlled. The appliance may have a minimal GUI, such as an LCD display having only a modest number of low resolution pixel locations and/or preestablished characters or icons. An appliance control parameter is set or adjusted in response to translation of the fingertip along a particular axis. E.g., to enter a parameter value (volume) a changing bar graph can be displayed. The display might even be omitted; to set the tone control of an audio appliance it can be sufficient to simply adjust the tone until the result is as desired. A numeric display of control parameter digits may be desirable, as when moving the fingertip tunes a receiver. There can be several particular axes along which fingertip movement changes an associated appliance control parameter.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus (3) is coupled to receive messages from a telecommunications network (1), in order to collate messages relating to the same transaction into a transaction record for further analysis. The apparatus (3) receives messages from the networks having different formats (protocols). For each input message, a data packet processing module (7) including a data packet routing module (8) and a memory 9, in which is stored a predetermined set of routing rules, compares the contents of one or more fields or subfields in the message with the routing rules in order to determine a destination for each message. The data packet routing module 8 thus routes the messages according to the routing rules to different subsequent processing modules (10), such as transaction builders, or to none of them, if the routing rules are not met.