Patents Assigned to Paul Scherrer Institute
  • Patent number: 8415086
    Abstract: A method is provided for achieving low energy states for the study of chirality kagome spin ice structures, the method having the steps of providing a silicon substrate; spin coating a polymethyl acrylate resist on said silicon substrate; providing an electron beam writer; exposing said coated substrate to an electron beam from said electron beam writer; positioning more than one thin island ferromagnetic island structure along a honeycomb lattice of said kagome spin ice component, wherein said positioning being along a determined magnetization direction of said lattice and wherein said island structures providing a mechanism in which chirality is controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventors: Laura Heyderman, Elena Mengotti, Danilo Zanin, Rajesh Chopdekar, Hans-Benjamin Braun, Remo Hügli, Gerard Duff
  • Patent number: 8397576
    Abstract: A pressure of a fluid is determined in a vacuum-tight welded housing containing a first membrane enclosing a part of a first inner volume and having a first contact area associated with a first temperature sensor and a heater. A second membrane opposite the first contact area also encloses part of the first inner volume and has a second contact area associated with a second temperature sensor. The first or second membrane is elastic around the contact area. The membranes hermetically seal a second inner volume at a reference pressure. The contact areas determine the mechanical and thermal contact due to the elasticity of one of the membranes when the first inner volume is connected to the fluid. When the volume is connected to the fluid F, the intensity and/or the time gradient of the heat transfer from the first to the second contact area is measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventor: Knud Thomsen
  • Patent number: 8383575
    Abstract: A complex comprising barnase bound with high affinity to barstar, and comprising a therapeutic and/or diagnostic agent bound to barnase and/or barstar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventors: Sergey Deyev, Robert Waibel, Andreas Plueckthun
  • Patent number: 8374309
    Abstract: An arrangement and a method are disclosed for projective and/or tomographic phase-contrast imaging using X-ray radiation. In at least one embodiment, one or more phase grids is/are arranged in the beam path such that during a rotation of the at least one X-ray source, the examination object is scanned with different spatial orientations of the grid lines relative to the examination object such that the complete refraction angle, and hence the complete phase shift gradient, can be determined for each X-ray beam from the two scans with differently oriented phase grids in order to be able to show the phase shift of an examination object in terms of projections or in a tomographic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignees: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventors: Tilman Donath, Martin Hoheisel, Christian David, Eckhard Hempel, Franz Pfeiffer, Stefan Popescu
  • Publication number: 20120298877
    Abstract: A single photon counting pixel detector chip has a negligible dead time and consequentially high frame rates. The detector chip contains: a) a layer of photosensitive material; b) an N×M array of photo-detector diodes arranged in the layer of photosensitive material; and c) a N×M array of readout unit cells. The readout unit cell contains an input interface connected to a diode output interface, a high-gain charge to voltage amplifying device and a pixel counter being connected to an output of the high-gain voltage amplifying device. The pixel counter is split into a first number of nibble counters. The basic counter cell contains a counting element, a switch, a temporary storage element and an output stage. Additionally, the detector chip has a side shift register to read out the nibble counters row-wise with a predetermined number of nibble row selections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
    Inventors: Roberto Dinapoli, Beat Henrich, Roland Horisberger
  • Patent number: 8313544
    Abstract: In a process for the synthetic generation of methane from a feed gas mixture, a feed gas mixture including carbon monoxide, hydrogen, water vapor, CO2, volatile hydrocarbons comprising C2 and higher, unsaturated C2 components and aromatic hydrocarbons in the range of 1 to 10 vol % is provided. The feed gas mixture is contacted with a fluidized bed catalyst having catalyst particles having a catalytic active component selected from the group consisting of a metal, a metal compound and combinations thereof. The contacting occurs at an elevated temperature in the range of 250 to 450° C., a feed gas pressure in the range of 0.8 to 70 bar, a gas hourly space velocity of 1000 to 50000 h?1, and a concentration of H2/CO in the gas mixture in the range of 0.25 to 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventors: Martin Seemann, Serge Biollaz, Samuel Stucki
  • Patent number: 8309275
    Abstract: A method for preparing a membrane to be assembled in a membrane, electrode assembly includes the step of swelling an ion-conducting membrane in a liquid containing at least one solvent or to an atmosphere containing the vapor phase of at least one solvent by controlling the content of the solvent in the ion-conducting membrane. A method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly using an ion conducting membrane includes the steps of: providing an ion-conducting membrane in a pre-swollen state; coating the ion-conducting membrane on both sides with an electrode layer to form a sandwich; and hot-pressing the sandwich to form an ion-conducting bonding of the layers of the sandwich. Furthermore, a membrane electrode assembly is disclosed including a hot pressed sandwich having an electrode layer, a ion-conducting membrane and again an electrode layer, thereby using the ion-conducting membrane in its pre-swollen status prior to the hot-pressing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventors: Hans-Peter Brack, Günther Scherer, Lorenz Gubler
  • Publication number: 20120189964
    Abstract: A method is provided for achieving specific magnetic states with a given vortex chirality in artificial kagome spin ice building block structures containing one or more hexagonal rings of ferromagnetic islands created with electron beam lithography, where a subgroup of the ferromagnetic islands have a smaller width and therefore higher switching field than the other normal (wider) islands and are placed at specific positions in each of the rings. The positioning of the islands determines the magnetic state of the building block structure during magnetization reversal, and determines the chirality of the magnetic vortices that occur in each ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
    Inventors: Laura Heyderman, Elena Mengotti, Danilo Zanin, Rajesh Chopdekar, Hans-Benjamin Braun, Remo Huegli, Gerard Duff
  • Patent number: 8228044
    Abstract: A supercapacitors voltage balancing device (2) to be connected to a supercapacitor module (1) having N individual supercapacitors (10) connected in series, for optimizing the voltage of the individual supercapacitors in the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignees: Conception et Developpement Michelin S.A., Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventors: Rüdiger Kötz, Jean-Claude Sauter
  • Publication number: 20120171619
    Abstract: A method is provided for achieving low energy states for the study of chirality kagome spin ice structures, the method having the steps of providing a silicon substrate; spin coating a polymethyl acrylate resist on said silicon substrate; providing an electron beam writer; exposing said coated substrate to an electron beam from said electron beam writer; positioning more than one thin island ferromagnetic island structure along a honeycomb lattice of said kagome spin ice component, wherein said positioning being along a determined magnetization direction of said lattice and wherein said island structures providing a mechanism in which chirality is controlled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
    Inventors: Laura Heyderman, Elena Mengotti, Danilo Zanin, Rajesh Chopdekar, Hans-Benjamin Braun, Remo Hügli, Gerard Duff
  • Publication number: 20120161016
    Abstract: An X-ray detector contains a layer of photosensitive material and an N×M array of photo-detector diodes disposed in the photosensitive material. Each of the diodes has a bias potential interface and a diode output interface. The bias potential interface is connected to a bias potential. The X-ray detector further has an N×M array of high gain, low noise readout unit cells, one readout unit cell for each diode. Each cell contains an input interface connected to the diode output interface, a high-gain voltage amplifying device having an integration capacitor, a first switch in parallel to the integration capacitor and a sample/hold capacitor disposed between a second switch and third switch. The sample/hold capacitor is connectable to the voltage amplifying device via the second switch and is connectable to a signal output line. A multiplexer contains a row select and a column select circuit allowing access to each readout cell unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
    Inventor: Bernd Schmitt
  • Patent number: 8202639
    Abstract: A fuel cell (FC) comprising a stack (A) of bipolar plates and ion exchange membranes arranged alternately, the stack (A) being clamped between two endplates (B and C), the stack (A) comprising feed and return ducts for the fluids required for the operation of the cell, said fluids comprising at least one fuel gas, the ducts communicating with a fluid management system comprising elements for controlling certain operating parameters, elements for recycling gases not consumed by the cell and elements for eliminating the water produced by the cell, said installation comprising connections for feeding gases to the cell, in which the fluid management system is at least partly integrated inside one of the endplates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignees: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A., Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventors: David Olsommer, Daniel Laurent, Cédric Leroy
  • Patent number: 8165270
    Abstract: In a method for the production of x-ray-optical gratings composed of a first material forming of periodically arranged grating webs and grating openings, a second material is applied by electroplating to fill the grid openings. The electroplating is continued until a cohesive layer of the second material with uniform height is created over the grating webs with this layer having a large absorption coefficient, the absorption properties of the grating structure of the grating are homogenized, so an improvement of the measurement signals that are generated with this grating is improved. Moreover, the mechanical stability of gratings produced in such a manner is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignees: Paul Scherrer Institut, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Christian David, Tilman Donath, Eckhard Hempel, Martin Hoheisel, Barbara Matthis, Franz Pfeiffer, Stefan Popescu
  • Patent number: 8159379
    Abstract: A method relates to a technique for reducing the readout time of switched capacitor array circuitries. An implementation is a SCA chip capable of sampling 12 differential input channels at a sampling speed of 10 MSPS to 5 GSPS. The analog waveform can be stored in 1024 sampling cells per channel, and can be read out after sampling via a shift register. The write signal for the sampling cells is generated by a chain of inverters. The domino wave runs continuously until stopped. A read shift register clocks the contents of the sampling cells to outputs, where it can be digitized. It is possible to read out only a part of the waveform for reducing the digitization time. The high channel density, high analog bandwidth of 450 MHz, and low noise of 0.35 mV makes this chip suited for low power, high speed, high precision waveform digitizing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventors: Stefan Ritt, Roberto Dinapoli
  • Patent number: 8142665
    Abstract: In a method of fast reduction of all iodine species, exclusively, including all volatile iodine species, into non-volatile iodide ions in an aqueous solution, a reducing agent and a co-agent with phase transfer catalyst—ion-exchanger property are simultaneously added to the aqueous solution and concurrently, thermal and radiolytic oxidation of iodide ions, otherwise yielding to revolatilzation, is suppressed producing an efficient retention of all iodide species in the aqueous solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventors: Horst Bruchertseifer, Salih Guentay
  • Publication number: 20120056109
    Abstract: A method for evaluating radiation model data in particle beam radiation applications, in particular in proton beam therapy of a determined target volume of malignant tissue within a patient, includes the following steps: a) gaining diagnostic data for a determined target volume to be irradiated; b) calculating a particle range in the predetermined target volume based on the diagnostic data for the determined target volume; c) designing a radiation model with particle beam characteristics based on the calculated particle range and optionally on a calculated dose depth distribution; d) applying a single pencil beam shot to the determined target volume at an elevated beam energy as compared to the particle beam characteristics of the radiation model; e) measuring the beam range of the single pencil beam shot downstream of the determined target volume; and f) comparing the measured beam range to a reference beam range calculated on the basis of the radiation model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2010
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
    Inventor: Antony Lomax
  • Publication number: 20120041679
    Abstract: Phase sensitive X-ray imaging methods provide substantially increased contrast over conventional absorption based imaging, and therefore new and otherwise inaccessible information. The use of gratings as optical elements in hard X-ray phase imaging overcomes some of the problems impairing the wider use of phase contrast in X-ray radiography and tomography. To separate the phase information from other contributions detected with a grating interferometer, a phase-stepping approach has been considered, which implies the acquisition of multiple radiographic projections. Here, an innovative, highly sensitive X-ray tomographic phase contrast imaging approach is presented based on grating interferometry, which extracts the phase contrast signal without the need of phase stepping. Compared to the existing phase step approach, the main advantage of this new method dubbed “reverse projection” is the significantly reduced delivered dose, without degradation of the image quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
    Inventors: Marco Stampanoni, Ziyu Wu, Peiping Zhu
  • Patent number: 8105820
    Abstract: An assay chip for investigation the functionality of membrane proteins and their interactions with molecules includes a nanopore array having a plurality of nanopores in a suitable support layer deposited on the nanopore substrate and being a substantially planar support layer having a plurality of nanopores corresponding to the nanopores of the nanopore substrate. The chip includes further a biologically effective layer capable to host at least a non-lipid molecule or functional molecule, deposited on the support layer and covering the plurality of nanopores, resulting in accesible nanopores from both sides of the biologically effective layer for measurement or imaging. The structured support allows generating a biologically effective membrane, such as a lipid bilayer membrane, having high and reliable stability in a manner that its fluidity is sustained in order to keep integrated membrane proteins in the lipid bilayer in its full biological functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignees: Paul Scherrer Institut, Leister Process Technologies
    Inventors: Karl Brander, Louis Tiefenauer
  • Publication number: 20120019217
    Abstract: A method and a device control a magnetic supply device. The method includes the steps of executing a base structure of a control as a two-loop control having a voltage control loop for a magnetic voltage and a current control loop for the magnetic current, wherein the two control loops or circuits are preferably combined into one controller. The voltage control loop is executed as a status controller, wherein the return parameters for the status controller are adaptively adjusted as necessary to the behavior of a current converter, an output filter and a load. The behavior of the current converter, the output filter and the load are modeled by an observer (e.g. Luenberger observer, Kaiman filter) and the observer adapted to the effective behavior of the current converter, the output filter and the load is tracked. Finally, the current control loop is implemented as an adaptive PI controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
    Inventor: Felix Jenni
  • Patent number: 8085578
    Abstract: A method and a system for coding and reading out information in a microscopic cluster formed with coupled functional islands includes: generating the cluster by forming a regular microscopic pattern for locating the functional islands; making use of a physical or chemical property of each individual island and making use of the coupling between the functional islands; assigning different information to different energy levels of the cluster; effecting a change of the physical or chemical property of at least one functional island in order to change the energy level of the cluster to the energy level equivalent to the information content to be coded; and reading out the information. These measures allow forming a cluster having distinct energy levels, each being assigned to a distinct information content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Paul Scherrer Institut
    Inventors: Laura J. Heyderman, Thomas Jung, Elena Mengotti, André Bisig, Arantxa Fraile Rodríguez, Frithjof Nolting, Hans-Benjamin Braun, Thomas Schrefl