Abstract: A wafer handling technique allows for picking up a wafer from its front side. One or more vacuum ports pull the periphery of the wafer into contact with a ledge raised from a broad surface, providing a friction force that prevents lateral movement of the wafer. A port in the broad surface of the handler flows pressurized gas onto the wafer, thereby preventing contact between the handler and the interior of the wafer. The handler may be sized to be relatively thin, and to cover less than half of the surface of the wafer, thereby allowing for readily loading wafers back-to-back in a furnace boat.

Abstract: An apparatus coupled to an electroless copper plating bath for analyzing controlling, on-line, the primary constituents of the bath is described. The apparatus detects and controls not only the copper concentration of the bath by optical means, but the concentrations of hydroxyl ion, formaldehyde reducing agent and cyanide ion as well.

Abstract: A four surface point type drill has its primary clearance faces configured so that their circumferential width decreases as the longitudinal axis of the drill is approached. The trailing edge and cutting edge of the primary clearance face surfaces substantially intersect each other at a point where they both intersect the opposite ends of the chisel edge of the drill point. The chisel edge itself is totally defined by a line formed by the intersection of the two secondary clearance face surfaces of the drill point. This new improved drill point geometry permits the use of reduced primary and secondary clearance face relief angles at the drill point which improves the structural integrity of the cutting edge of the drill and hence reduces chipping at the cutting edge.

Abstract: An extrusion apparatus for providing a plastic jacket (32) about an advang cable core (23) which has been wrapped with a laminated metallic foil (76) includes dual core tubes. An inner one (86) of the core tubes extends into an extrusion chamber and has a free end portion (89) spaced from and disposed concentrically within an end portion (94) of an outer core tube (93). The foil, which is relatively cool and which functions as a shield (26), engages an inner wall of the inner core tube. This causes an overlapped longitudinal seam (78) of the shield to be maintained during the passage of the shielded cable core through the inner core tube. As a result, molten plastic material which is to form the jacket (32) is isolated thermally from the relatively cool shield and is prevented from being cooled prematurely prior to its being tubed about the advancing cable core.

Abstract: A system for transmitting traces of an oscilloscope (16) to a remote locan. A transmitter circuit (18) digitizes and transmits the traces to the remote location. A receiver circuit (24) at the remote location receives the transmitted signals and delivers these signals to a destination oscilloscope (26). At the transmitting location, the vertical output signal of the oscilloscope is amplified and fed to an analog-to-digital converter. The digitized output signal of the converter and the oscilloscope's timebase gate signal are stored in a memory circuit and subsequently transmitted to the remote location via a first modem (20). At the remote location, the receiver circuit (24) comprises a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) interfacing with a second modem (22), a memory circuit for storing the transmitted signals, and associated circuitry for restoring the oscilloscope signal's amplitude.

Abstract: In order to connect two optical fibers (26-26), each of two plugs (40-40) each having a passageway (41) in which is received an optical fiber is mounted in a connector body (42). Each optical fiber comprises a core (25) and a cladding (27). The plugs are destined to be received in a sleeve (75) of a coupler (60) such that their longitudinal axes are coaxial. Alignment of the fiber cores, at least radially of the longitudinal axes, is accomplished by locating for each plug the intersection of a radial line which extends through the centroid of the optical fiber core with the periphery of the plug. An orienting pin is mounted in each connector body in intentional radial alignment with the intersection. The connector bodies are inserted into opposite ends of the coupler sleeve to cause each pin of each connector body to be received in a slot in the coupler.

Abstract: In order to connect two optical fibers (26--26), each of two plugs (40--40) each having a passageway (41) in which is received an optical fiber are mounted in a connector body (42). The plugs are destined to be received in a sleeve (75) of a coupler (60) such that their longitudinal axes are coaxial. Alignment of the passageways, at least radially of the longitudinal axes, is accomplished by locating for each plug the intersection of a radial line which extends through the centroid of an opening of the passageway with the periphery of the plug. Each plug is mounted in its connector body such that the intersection is aligned radially with a pin extending from the connector body. The connector bodies are inserted into opposite ends of the coupler sleeve to cause each pin of each connector body to be received in a slot in the coupler.

Abstract: A security system for cordless telephones prevents unauthorized telephone lls over telephone lines. The system includes a base unit and a cordless handset unit which must share common information for proper operation. To prevent an unauthorized user in possession of a handset unit from easily matching a security code stored in the base unit and thereby obtain dial tone therefrom, the security code in the base unit is transferred to the handset unit while the handset unit is in a mating cradle in the base unit. Transfer circuits in the base unit and the handset unit respectively transmit and receive the security code and also an operating frequency channel over a direct-current charging path provided for charging of a battery in the handset unit whenever the handset unit is returned to the cradle.

Abstract: A protector module (30) for protecting the conductors of a telephone loop cludes a pair of protector assemblies (40-40') which are supported within a common housing (32). A gas tube voltage protection subassembly (42) of each protector assembly is connected electrically to a grounding subassembly (44) for causing current associated with excessive voltage surges to be conducted to ground. A first electrode includes a portion which extends through annular dielectric and metallic members and an opening of an open-ended metallic container (93) to engage a shunting element (62) of a current protection subassembly (41). The superimposed annular members are held in engagement with the first electrode at a substantially constant pressure by axial forces applied by turned-in portions (109--109) of a side wall of the metallic container. The shunting element is supported at one end of the line pin in an initial position by a fusible material.

Abstract: A protector module (30) for protecting tip and ring conductors of a telepe loop includes a pair of protector assemblies (40--40') which are supported within a common housing (32). A voltage protection subassembly (42) of each protector assembly is connected electrically to a grounding subassembly (44) for causing current associated with excessive voltage surges to be conducted to ground. Each protector assembly also includes a current protection subassembly (41) which comprises a dielectric base, as well as a tubular line pin (61) and a central office pin (57) which are connected together electrically. A shunting element (62) is disposed concentrially about and is supported at one end of the line pin in an initial position by a pellet (70) of a fusible material which extends between a closed end of the shunting element and an edge surface (68) of an open end of the line pin.

Abstract: A method for automatically determining the refractive index profile of a lightguide preform.

Abstract: A transfer pin (40) simultaneously transfers a die (10) to an adhesively ted, electrically conductive cup (23) while depositing adhesive on the upper surface of the die for subsequent bonding.

Abstract: A biconic connector includes two plugs (44--44) each of which terminates a single fiber optical cable (55) and each of which includes a conically shaped end portion (50). The connector also includes an alignment sleeve having back-to-back conically shaped cavities each of which is adapted to receive an end portion of a plug. In order to minimize loss through a connection, it becomes important for the axis of the end portion of the core of the optical fiber in the conically shaped end portion of the plug to be coincident with the axis of revolution of the conically shaped end portion. This is accomplished by holding the plug in a fixture such that its conically shaped end portion is exposed and the fixture adapted to be turned about an axis of rotation. Images of light launched into the optical fiber are acquired in two planes at a plurality of positions spaced apart along a reference axis.

Abstract: The addition of a low viscosity (2 to 100 centipoise) polysiloxane such as olydimethylsiloxane to a two-part heat curable polysiloxane system substantially eliminates the formation of bubbles when such system is employed as a potting compound for encapsulating devices such as electronic devices.

Abstract: In an electronic device assembly comprising at least one circuit element an encapsulant therefor, wherein the encapsulant comprises a silicone resin characterized in that subsequent to the curing of said encapsulant, the resin is coated with a fine inorganic powder such as fumed or fused silica which essentially eliminates static charge and tackiness of the surface.

Abstract: A method for preventing unwanted continued polymerization with aging of a lymer, e.g., a silicone gel, which was catalytically cured comprises treating the cured polymer with a catalytic deactivating agent or stabilization of cured resin.

Abstract: A modular adapter (30) includes a housing (33) having a plug end portion ) and a jack end portion (35). The jack end includes two stacked jack cavities (54-54'). Each of the jack cavities has a stepped portion (75) depending from the ceiling on each side of the centerline of the cavity. The stepped portions in each cavity are spaced apart a sufficient distance to receive a locking tab (41) of a modular plug (31) which is inserted into the cavity. The plug may be a six or an eight conductor plug. A first group of contact elements (36--36) extend from retroflexed end portions in one of the jack cavities into cells formed in the plug end portion. An additional two contact elements (37--37) comprising a second group have retroflexed end portions on one side of one jack cavity and extend to center positions in the other jack cavity.

Abstract: An off-line regulating power supply utilizes a regulating transistor which perates in a dissipative mode for only a portion of each half cycle of an input AC voltage in order to regulate an output voltage by truncating the input AC sinewave. This AC input signal is full wave rectified and coupled to a primary winding of a power transformer through the regulating transistor. One of a plurality of secondary windings is coupled to a voltage threshold detector which responds instantaneously to attainment of the threshold in each half cycle of operation to bias the regulating transistor from a saturated condition to an active dissipative impedance state which limits the output voltage to the threshold level. As the input AC sinewave peaks and declines in value, the regulating transistor is again biased into saturation when the voltage applied to the threshold detector drops below the threshold level.

Abstract: A control circuit for a lightpen of a random scanning computer graphics sem (10) enabling the detection of lightpen interrupts or hits on contiguous vectors having drawing periods shorter than the response time of the lightpen (13). The lightpen interrupts are temporarily held in a peripheral circuit (31,32,34,36) and are selectively released to the computer system (via 29,21) at the end of its INTERPRET phase, i.e., at the end of a period during which the display processor decides how to handle the next display instruction. The present arrangement, which prevents the arrival of the lightpen interrupt signal during the INTERPRET phase, achieves a computer graphics system exhibiting maximum use of the information furnished by lightpen hits.

Abstract: A spool (20) which is used in the taking up and the paying out of a relatively long length of optical fiber includes two flanges (24, 26) and a hub (22) with each flange being tapered. The spool includes a collector (30) which is formed adjacent to one of the two tapered flanges of the spool and which provides access to the initial or leading end portion of the length of optical fiber which is wound on the spool. A groove (32) of the collector communicates with the hub of the spool through each of the two diametrically opposed slots (28--28) in the adjacent tapered flange (24). This allows the optical fiber to be wound on one of two coaxially mounted spools and to be transferred to the other spool with the first few convolutions being received in the groove and then passed through one of the slots in the adjacent tapered flange onto the hub.