Abstract: An optical imaging assembly for imaging light from a display. The optical assembly is constructed from first and second linear polarization filters, first and second lenses that are preferably concave-convex lenses, and first and second ¼ wave plates. The first linear polarization filter passes light polarized in a first direction, and second linear polarization filter passes light polarized in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction. A folded imaging assembly is constructed from the first and second lenses and the first ¼ wave plate. The first and second lenses have partially reflecting coatings on one surface of each lens. The folded imaging assembly and the second ¼ wave plate are located between the first and second linear polarization filters.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a driver circuit for a high speed transceiver. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the driver circuit includes a first driver segment disposed to receive a control signal and configured to drive the control signal from a logic zero state to a logic one state and place the driven signal on a first driver segment output. Similarly, the driver circuit includes a second driver segment disposed to receive the control signal and configured to drive the control signal from a logic one state to a logic zero state and place the driven signal on a second driver segment output. In this regard, the control signal is a signal generated internally (i.e., within the chip) to be driven across a bus to another chip. The strength of the control signal must be increased before driving the control signal onto the bus.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for transferring one or more liquid samples from a depot member uses a receiving member that supports at least one receptacle and has a plurality of orifices in fluid communication with the receptacle. The depot member has a plurality of wells. Each well has an opening at one surface of a depot member, through which the liquid sample is displaced. The liquid sample takes the form of a droplet having a convex meniscus at the surface of the depot member over the opening when displaced. The receiving member is lowered to a height above the surface such that the receiving member compresses the droplet until the droplet contacts the orifices of the receptacle. Thereafter, back pressure is activated to load the compressed droplet through the contacted orifices. The apparatus and method reduce the sensitivity to positioning errors since the compressed droplet contacts all of the orifices of the receptacle prior to loading into the receiving member.

Abstract: An integrated trigger function display system and methodology for trigger definition development in a signal measurement system having a graphical user interface. The system contemporaneously displays one or more trigger function names and an associated trigger function descriptor describing a trigger function identified by the associated trigger function name. The trigger name is displayed in a trigger name display region of a display window that concurrently displays a plurality of trigger function names. The descriptor is displayed in a trigger descriptor region of the display window so as to be visually-associated by the operator. A trigger definition is comprised of one or more trigger functions. Each trigger function is a graphical representation of an one or more underlying trigger primitives. A trigger primitive is a computer program statement that is translated into a form suitable for controlling the signal measurement system.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for picking up an integrated circuit and for facilitating the optical testing thereof. The apparatus comprises a pick-up mechanism that includes a vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber is defined by an upper portion, an expandable member, and a lower portion. The lower portion defines a suction orifice that is moveable with a movement of the expandable member. An optical pathway is defined by the vacuum chamber, the optical pathway passing through the suction orifice and onto an integrated circuit that is held against the suction orifice via a vacuum pressure applied to the vacuum chamber.

Abstract: An array of active pixel sensors includes a substrate. An interconnect structure is formed adjacent to the substrate. The interconnect structure includes a plurality of conductive vias. A plurality of photo sensors are formed adjacent to the interconnect structure. Each photo sensor includes a pixel electrode. Each pixel electrode is electrically connected to the substrate through a corresponding conductive yet. A I-layer is formed over each of the pixel electrodes. The array of active pixel sensors further includes a conductive mesh formed adjacent to the photo sensors. An inner surface of the conductive mesh is electrically and physically connected to the photo sensors, and electrically connected to the substrate through a conductive via. The conductive mesh providing light shielding between photo sensors thereby reducing cross-talk between the photo sensors. The conductive mesh includes apertures that align with at least one of the pixel electrodes of the photo sensors.

Abstract: An ergonomic mouse that alleviates mouse RSI is obtained by gripping the mouse with a pinching action between the thumb and opposing fingers while the mouse is in the U-shaped opening formed in the hand when in a neutral and unflexed condition with the little finger and the heel of the palm opposite the thumb resting upon a work surface. The mouse has two gripping surfaces; one receives the thumb and the other the opposing fingers. Indentations in the gripping surfaces help locate the finger tips. Mouse buttons are located in the indentations. The gripping surfaces are inclined toward each other, so that the pinching action to actuate the mouse buttons produces a slight downward force toward a base surface that rests upon and slides over the work surface. The little finger is allowed to drag on the work surface to assist in fine positioning. Preferably, the mouse utilizes an optical motion sensing technique instead of the conventional rubber coated steel ball.

Abstract: An optical switching arrangement, preferably an add/drop switch, provides a high degree of flexibility in manipulating optical signals by utilizing switching units that are mirror images of each other. The switching units are toggled between transmissive states and reflective states by the manipulation of index-matching fluid within trenches. In a first set of switching units, the trenches are offset in one direction relative to crosspoints of waveguides through which optical signals are propagated. In the second set of switching units, the trenches are offset in the opposite direction. As a result, the reflection characteristics of the first set of switching units are the mirror image of the reflection characteristics of the second set of switching units. In the preferred add/drop switching application, any one of a number of input ports can be optically coupled to any one of a number of drop ports and any one of a number of add ports can be optically coupled to any one of a number of output ports.

Abstract: A means to minimize physical distortion and modifications in the electrical properties of ferroelectric films incorporated into semiconductor devices is proposed. By introducing crystallographic texture into these ferroelectric films, the piezoelectric coefficient of the material can be minimized, reducing the interaction between a voltage across and mechanical stress on the film. In addition to having low piezoelectric coefficients, rhombohedral lead zirconate titanate films oriented along (111) exhibit low coercive fields and high remnant polarization, increasing their usefulness in layered semiconductor devices.

Abstract: An optical device packaging technique involves an optical sensor that is formed on a first substrate and flip chip bonded to a second substrate. The second substrate includes a through hole or a transparent section that is aligned with the optical sensor in order to allow light to contact the optical sensor. An embodiment of an optical device structure includes an optical sensor, a first substrate, a second substrate, and a circuit board. The optical sensor is formed on or within the first substrate and the individual sensors or pixels of the optical sensor are electrically connected to contact pads that are exposed on the first substrate. The first substrate is flip chip bonded to the second substrate. The second substrate is flip chip bonded to a circuit board. Another embodiment of an optical device structure includes an optical sensor, a first substrate, and a circuit board as the second substrate.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for performing an assay on chemical, biochemical, or biological fluids. The apparatus includes an assay chamber for fluid reactions and a centrifugal force activated-valve for controlling fluid movement through the assay chamber. An active surface can be positioned in the assay chamber to react with fluids passed through the assay chamber. The active surface may contain biomolecular probes. The biomolecular probes can be DNA, DNA fragments, RNA, RNA fragments, reagents, protein, protein fragments, lipids, and lipid fragments. The apparatus is particularly useful when multiple reactions, dilutions, or washing steps are required to determine a final answer. The centrifugal force activated-valve provides positive control over fluid in the assay chamber and allows for repeated use of the same chamber for multiple reaction steps. The apparatus can be disposed of after an assay to eliminate potential contamination from reuse of the same apparatus.

Abstract: A gate transition counter. A ring oscillator provides a plurality outputs, each delayed from the adjacent output by a gate delay. The outputs of the ring oscillator are captured by an array of latches upon receipt of a halt signal. The last latch drives a ripple counter. The preferred implementation uses five inverters in the ring oscillator so that each complete cycle of the ring oscillator represents ten gate delays. A ripple counter counts the number of gate delays by ten. The latch outputs and the ripple counter outputs can be converted to a binary representation of the number of gate delays to provide a count with the smallest time increment that can be produced by the circuit.

Abstract: Method and apparatus to determine scattering coefficients for a device under test (DUT) using a vector network analyzer (VNA) is disclosed. Traditionally, for a DUT having P ports, all combinations of reflective and transmission coefficients are measured and calculated. This is true even for reciprocal devices where SijA=SjiA because, during the measurement, the source and load matches vary. However, the present invention teaches that, for reciprocal devices, only one of the two transmission coefficients between a first port and a second port need be measured. Under the inventive technique, error terms are removed from the measured scattering coefficients. Then, the source and the load matches may be normalized to a normalization match value. The normalization process removes the differences of the source and the load matches.

Abstract: A module retention adapter for attaching enabled heat sinks to the user target system while validating a processor with an LAI tool. In a preferred embodiment, the invention comprises an adapter and a clip. A user attaches an adapter to each retention module on a target system. Once a processor is loaded into the LAI tool and a heat sink solution is loaded onto the processor between the adapters. The heat sink clips are then clipped onto the adapters. The clips retain the heat sink to the adapters while also retaining the heat sink to the motherboard retention modules.

Abstract: Optical vehicle display having a set of LEDs arranged in a matrix and having a control circuit which acts as a controllable current source and as controllable voltage source, so that a constant current can be applied for each LED and the respective voltage is established accordingly. An optical vehicle display designed in this way permits a design as a taillight, brake light, flashing indicator and the like in a motor vehicle with favorable production at the same time due to reduced faulty assembly and simple adjustment of the light values.

Abstract: An apparatus having a shaft that can sense the depth of penetration, for penetrating into an object (the substrate). The substrate being penetrated has impedance that varies according to the depth under a surface of the substrate. The shaft has a tip for penetration and has conductive ends near to the tip of the shaft. A change of impedance of material of the object between the conductive ends can be sensed to provide information on the depth of penetration. A processor can be provided external to the object being penetrated by the shaft to gather and process the impedance information to determine whether the desired depth has been achieved.

Abstract: An inverse assembler and converter acquire binary code during inverse assembly of compiled programming code for a software application. A memory image file is generated during compiling of the programming code and a converter is used to trigger a physical address in a memory bus via a logic analyzer. A triggered logical address in the compiled programming code is determined. The triggered logical address is input into the converter. Trigger commands are provided to the logic analyzer that are used to trigger a physical address where binary code is stored in memory. The trigger commands are supplied to the logic analyzer and the memory bus is triggered. The physical address is acquired and converted into a logical address. The memory image file is searched for the logical address. The binary code is acquired from the memory image file at the logical address. The binary code corresponds to only machine code instructions performed during execution of the software application.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for testing integrated circuit package devices using automatic testing equipment. The automatic testing equipment may be provided with a light source to enable the testing of image capture type integrated circuit devices. Alternatively, the automatic testing equipment may be provided with an imaging device, e.g., a camera, or both an imaging device and a light source to additionally enable the testing of display type integrated circuit devices.

Abstract: An active matrix pixel within an active matrix display includes a photodiode that is optically connected to a light emitting diode within the pixel in order to detect a portion of the luminous flux that is generated by the light emitting diode. The photodiode discharges excess charge within the pixel in response to the detected portion of luminous flux. Once the excess charge is discharged, the light emitting diode stops emitting light. In an embodiment, the gate of a drive transistor is controlled by the charge on a storage node. If the charge on the storage node sets a voltage that exceeds the threshold voltage of the drive transistor then the drive transistor conducts. The amount of charge on the storage node above that which is needed to set the threshold voltage is referred to as the excess charge.

Abstract: An optical fiber is provided with a plurality of reflecting events spatially allocated along the optical fiber for localizing possible faults in the optical fiber. Possible faults are localized by emitting a signal into the optical fiber, measuring the reflected signals, and comparing the measured reflected signals with expected signals representing the optical fiber without faults. In case that there are one or more faults in the optical fiber, the measured reflected signals in a distance behind each one of the one or more faults will show at least a different amplitude, or even disappear, with respect to the expected signals. The expected signals can be received or determined, e.g., from a previous measurement, such as an acceptance measurement, or can be calculated or otherwise received from theoretical analysis (e.g. simulation or modeling) and/or from information about the fiber (such as physical properties).