Abstract: A calibration system is provided for calibrating frequency domain reflectometers in the field by using both the scattering parameters of the multi-port junction determined at the factory and changing the offset and gain terms used in generating a complex reflection coefficient by using internal calibrated loads so that heavy, cumbersome external calibrated transmission lines are not required. In one embodiment the internal calibrated loads include RLC circuits and in another embodiment the internal calibrated loads include attenuators. Further, retesting or recalibration does not necessitate reconnecting the cable under test, which may remain connected to the reflectometer's test port throughout the procedure.

Abstract: A power combiner/divider is disclosed that employs triaxial transmission line structures operatively coupled to provide a desired number of input/output ports. A balun is operatively coupled to the triaxial transmission line structures, and is adapted to couple out unbalanced currents flowing therebetween.

Abstract: An assembly for effecting a variable volume chamber for use in a cannon having a breech assembly operably coupled to a chamber, and includes the chamber having a certain size being partially defined by a constant diameter for a known depth dimension and having a known volume and a breech plug assembly disposable in the chamber to a selectively variable depth, the depth being less than the known depth of the chamber such that the plug fills a first selectively variable portion of the known volume of the chamber, thereby leaving a second variable portion of the known volume of the chamber free and defining a chamber variable volume. A Cannon including the variable volume chamber and a method of effecting a variable volume chamber are further included.

Abstract: Windowed multiuser detection techniques are disclosed. A window of data is established, and certain central bits within the window are selected as reliable, while other side bits are ignored. The selected bits are demodulated. The windowed multiuser detector moves along to the next window in such a manner that the next group of central bit decisions lay contiguous with the previous set, and eventually every bit to be demodulated has at some point been a central bit decision. Most any type of MUD algorithm (e.g., MMSE algorithm MUD or M-algorithm MUD) can be used to compute estimates in the windowed data. Unreliable windowed data are distinguished from reliable data (e.g., weighting or other de-emphasis scheme).

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and process for producing a thin organic film on a substrate using an ultrasonic nozzle to produce a cloud of micro-droplets in a vacuum chamber. The micro-droplets move turbulently within the vacuum chamber, isotropically impacting and adhering to the surface of the substrate. The resulting product has a smooth, continuous, conformal, and uniform organic thin film, when the critical process parameters of micro-droplet size, shot size, vacuum chamber pressure, and timing are well-controlled, and defects such as “orange peel” effect and webbing are avoided. The apparatus includes an improved ultrasonic nozzle assembly that comprises vacuum sealing and a separate, independent passageway for introducing a directed purging gas.

Abstract: A method for reducing bias error in a Vibrating Structure Gyroscope having a vibrating structure, a primary drive for putting the vibrating structure into carrier mode resonance, a primary pick-off device for sensing carrier mode motion, a secondary pick-off for sensing response mode vibration of the vibrating structure in response to applied rotation rate, a secondary drive for applying a force to control the response mode motion, closed loop primary control loops for maintaining a fixed amplitude of motion at the primary pick-off device, for maintaining the drive frequency at the resonance maximum, and secondary control loops for maintaining a null at the secondary pick-off device.

Abstract: A system is provided to aid in laying out circuits on a semiconductor wafer, in which a wafer map is automatically generated when entering chip sizes, arrangements and other enterable factors, with a goal to maximize yield probability. The subject system accommodates different chip types and arrangements within a wafer map and addresses edge exclusion, utilization of chiplets and accommodation of different centering techniques, including a variety of ways of measuring offsets, while outputting a display of replicated circuits on the wafer as well as chip count and density, utilizing a portable, tailorable, extendable PC-based program featuring an easy-to-use graphical interface. The software application provides a user with different graphical views customized for different process areas, such as lithography and dicing, with the application being useful for any semiconductor manufacturing facility, foundry or similar industry that needs to generate wafer maps automatically to maximize yield probability.

Abstract: A narrow line width optical parametric oscillator (OPO) (10) is used a pump for a tunable optical parametric oscillator to enable it to produce a mid and long wavelength IR output over a wide 5–20 micron bandwidth. The pumping OPO (10) is then set up to be non-colinearly phase matched. To enable the pumping OPO (10) to exhibit the narrow line width, it is seeded with a narrow line width seeding source. The result is output energy having an extremely narrow 4 nanometer line width. The narrowness of the pumping OPO (10) output is derived first by using non-colinear phase matching in the pumping OPO (10) and secondly by using seeding in the pumping of the pumping OPO (10).

Abstract: A recirculating optical delay line 30 has a laser 32 controlled by wavelength control 33 so as to vary the wavelength of radiation over time to provide a first input 34 to an optical modulator 35. The modulator 35 modulates the intensity of the first input 34 with a pulsed electromagnetic frequency signal 36 to produce a pulsed modulated optical signal 39. The signal 39 passes through an optical coupler 40 into a delay loop 41 having a delay fibre 44 arranged to delay the signal 39 for a predetermined duration. The wavelength control 33 is arranged to vary the first input 35 so as to ensure that overlapping pulses of the signal 39 in the delay loop 41 are at different wavelengths, thereby inhibiting optical mixing effects between the overlapping pulses.

Abstract: A QWIP structure is disclosed that is configured with enhanced optical coupling to improve absorption capability and efficiency. A waffle-type light-coupling grating having a pattern of etched wells operates to improve absorption by preventing photons from bouncing out of the detector sensing areas. A post-type light coupling grating can also be used. Parameters of the grating, including its orientation, pitch, and etch depth, can be adjusted to optimize specific color detection. The grating can include a hybrid metal layer including both ohmic and reflective qualities to further improve quantum and conversion efficiency. A “photon-in-a-box” configuration is also disclosed, where sides of the QWIP sensing areas are coated with reflective metal to further inhibit the escaping of photons. The material design and number of quantum wells per QWIP can be selected so as to exploit the avalanche effect, thereby increasing device responsivity.

Abstract: An off chip driver circuit includes a pre-driver circuit and a driver circuit. Driver data and enable inputs are decoded in the pre-driver circuit to provide independent inputs to pull up and pull down transistors in the driver circuit. The enable input keeps the driver circuit in the active or high impedance modes. A feedback signal generated by the driver output and the driver enable signals controls an inverter circuit within the driver circuit to provide proper biasing conditions at the gate of the pull up transistor. This feed back provides fast switching times for the driver circuit and prevents gate oxide of all the transistors from being overstressed by the external high voltage signal.

Abstract: Polymer antenna structures having low reflectivity and high efficiency are disclosed. Wire antennas can be configured from coaxial cable having center conductors and outer conductors made from conductive polymer. Fabrics can also be configured with conductive polymer antenna elements formed in or on the fabric. The conductive polymer antenna elements can be configured with a graded conductivity to facilitate capture (as opposed to reflection) of electromagnetic energy.

Abstract: A periscopic beam director is disclosed. The periscopic beam director can be configured with a hemispheric field of regard, in a volume that minimizes external structure or dome size when mounted on a host vehicle (e.g., airplane or UAV). One embodiment combines a Risley Prism refractive beam steering arrangement with an angled azimuthal mount. By using refraction in combination with reflection for changing the beam direction within an optical unit, a substantially more compact periscopic beam director can be realized.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device and method that digitally replicates the analog processing that is normally associated with an instantaneous frequency measurement device. Specifically, the present relates to a digital frequency measurement device comprising: a filter, where the filter receives an input RF signal and transmits an output signal centered around a desired frequency; a limiting amplifier downstream of the filter, where the amplifier receives and amplifies the output signal; a deserializer downstream of the amplifier that continuously samples the output signal from the limiting amplifier; and a digital frequency measurement processor (DFM), where the DFM receives data at a rate of 1/16 of the deserializer sample rate. The DFM transforms the data into multiples stages that are combined in order to produce an estimate of the input signal, where the DFM is implemented through a digital processing device.

Abstract: A multiple access processing system for a plurality of users employing a multiuser detector processing partial blocks of data within a window. The multiuser detector processes the data for all users within a processing window and is interrupted at successive frame boundaries. Once an entire block is processed by the MUD, the blocks for that user are decoded and the processing continues.

Abstract: Wireless communication network dynamically assigning communicators to allocated channels by considering the interference and noise environment to maximize the number of communicators and effective bandwidth of the channel. The present invention provides a digital wireless modem capable of measuring interference and noise in a channel, signaling the information on a control channel, accepting dynamic channel assignments from a controlling element and demodulating signals in the presence of interference and noise. The modem uses a demodulator capable of recovering information from data signals in the presence of noise and interference stronger than the primary signal, and there is a controlling element for transmitting noise and interference measurements to a central network controller and a controlling element for determining channel assignments with the central network controller and setting the modem to the correct transmission and reception channel.

Abstract: The invention relates to an arrangement (18) for retrieving large-calibre ammunition (10), such as shells, from an ammunition magazine and transferring these to a loading and ramming position, in which the respective ammunition unit (10) is located directly behind and coaxially aligned with a barrel (20) of a large-calibre weapon which is mounted in such a way that it can pivot around a horizontal axis (22) to assume different elevation positions. The transferring arrangement comprises a swing arm (26) which is mounted in such a way that it can pivot around the said horizontal axis (22) between a retrieving position and a delivery position for each ammunition unit, and an ammunition pickup unit (30) which is mounted on the swing arm (26) in such a way that it can pivot.

Abstract: Correlation Interferometer Geo Location (CIGL) uses DF antenna array movement on an aircraft while taking a Plurality of sets of transmitted signal Measurements. Each measurement set is stored as data in a covariance matrix, and the matrices are each decomposed to yield measured array vectors. Using an array manifold table developed during calibration of the CIGI. system, and containing testing array vectors, the measured array vectors are each correlated to testing array vectors to develop a correlation Surface that includes compensation for perturbations Such as aircraft induced electromagnetic scattering, All the correlation surfaces are summed and normalized, with the resultant summation undergoing conjugate gradient processing to more accurately geo-locate the transmitter. Improved accuracy with fewer antennas and polarization independence are also achieved.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of generating intensity measurement correction coefficients for a pixel in a focal plane array of an optical sensor, wherein the correction coefficients are used to correct an intensity measurement generated by the pixel responsive to illumination. The method includes the steps of accessing past values of the correction coefficients, receiving a pixel intensity measurement indicative of illumination characterized by a reference energy density function, generating a modeled noise signal, and generating present values of the correction coefficients. The present values of the correction coefficients are generated based on the past values of the correction coefficients, the pixel intensity measurement, the modeled noise signal, and the reference energy density function.

Abstract: Multilayer resist systems and techniques used for liftoff or planarizing topography wherein the dimensions and thicknesses of the layers are independently controlled. The undercut may also be independently controlled for precision structures.