Patents Assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Director of National Security Agency
  • Patent number: 10976344
    Abstract: A scanning tunneling microscopy based potentiometry system and method for the measurements of the local surface electric potential is presented. A voltage compensation circuit based on this potentiometry system and method is developed and employed to maintain a desired tunneling voltage independent of the bias current flow through the film. The application of this potentiometry system and method to the local sensing of the spin Hall effect is outlined herein, along with the experimental results obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignees: University of Maryland, College Park, Government of the United States of America as Represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Ting Xie, Michael Dreyer, Isaak D. Mayergoyz, Robert E. Butera, Charles S. Krafft
  • Patent number: 10755191
    Abstract: An always-on, exchange-only (AEON) qubit is comprised of three two-level systems (e.g., semiconductor quantum dot or other spin encoded qubit) and can be operated at a “sweet spot” during both single qubit and two-qubit gate operations. The “sweet spot” operation is immune to variations in noise with respect to nontrivial detuning parameters defining the AEON. By operating at the “sweet spot,” both single and two-qubit gate operations can be performed using only exchange pulses (e.g., DC voltage pulses applied to tunneling gates).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignees: University of Maryland, College Park, The United States of America, as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Yun-Pil Shim, Charles George Tahan
  • Publication number: 20200027017
    Abstract: An always-on, exchange-only (AEON) qubit is comprised of three two-level systems (e.g., semiconductor quantum dot or other spin encoded qubit) and can be operated at a “sweet spot” during both single qubit and two-qubit gate operations. The “sweet spot” operation is immune to variations in noise with respect to nontrivial detuning parameters defining the AEON. By operating at the “sweet spot,” both single and two-qubit gate operations can be performed using only exchange pulses (e.g., DC voltage pulses applied to tunneling gates).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Applicants: University of Maryland, College Park, The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Yun-Pil SHIM, Charles George TAHAN
  • Patent number: 10367133
    Abstract: Superconducting regions formed with a crystal provide highly doped regions of acceptor atoms. These superconducting regions are used to provide superconducting devices wherein non-epitaxial interfaces have been eliminated. A method is provided to highly doped regions of a crystal to form the superconducting regions and devices. By forming the superconducting regions within the crystal non-epitaxial interfaces are eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by Director National Security Agency
    Inventor: Charles George Tahan
  • Patent number: 10322545
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for calibrating a deposition rate in an aerosol jet printer. The method includes providing a substrate defining an array of wells, each defining a volume. The method also includes defining a toolpath such that a dispensing nozzle passes over the wells. The method also includes defining a dwell time such that the nozzle remains centered above each well for an amount of time equal to the dwell time, after which the nozzle follows the toolpath to be centered over the following well. The dwell time defines a deposition rate based on the volume of the wells. The method also includes causing the nozzle to move along the toolpath, depositing material into the wells. The method also includes observing one of overfilling and underfilling and adjusting dispensing parameters to effect a modified deposition rate, until the wells are being filled to within a tolerance of exactly full.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventor: Daniel R. Hines
  • Patent number: 10282119
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for pairwise combination of data elements of an input data stream. Steps are performed for each data element. A master controller reads the data from the stream and increments a counter. A register is instantiated, holding at least two words of memory and corresponding to the counter, by updating a register map and sending a message to a target processor via a logical pathway. The message instructs the target processor to create the register in local memory, including first and second memory locations, and an index corresponding to a value i. The target processor copies the data into the first memory location. For every other register corresponding to a value less than i, the other register copies the data into the second memory location and outputs a unique pair, constructed from the data elements stored at the first and second memory locations, to a database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventor: Paul Burkhardt
  • Patent number: 10242090
    Abstract: A method is presented for ranking documents identified in a search relative to a keyword. The method utilizes a set of training documents to provide a co-occurrence matrix and a transition matrix. A word pair relevancy measure is calculated for each word of the document to be ranked. These word pair relevancy measures are based upon the co-occurrence and transition matrices obtained from the training set and are utilized to calculate a document relevance measure. Documents identified in a search are ranked utilizing the document relevance measure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Jon T. Kosloski, John W. Thompson
  • Patent number: 10235765
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for comparing a camera fingerprint to a query fingerprint. An estimate of a camera fingerprint is obtained from a set of one or more images, and the query fingerprint is obtained from one or more images. Using these values, normalized cross-correlations values are determined for each possible alignment of the two fingerprints. Prior to calculating the noise floor, a set including the highest normalized cross-correlation values is identified. A universal noise floor is then calculated excluding this set from the noise floor calculation. The universal noise floor is utilized in calculating a correlation energy for each possible shift. The correlation energy values are then examined to determine whether the camera fingerprint and the query fingerprint match. A visualization tool may also be used to compare the camera fingerprint and the query fingerprint and determine whether the camera fingerprint and the query fingerprint match.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by Director National Security Agency
    Inventors: Sarah T. Charlton, Katelyn J. Meixner
  • Patent number: 10224392
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor capacitor is disclosed. The method includes forming a first trench in a semiconductor substrate, forming a dielectric lining layer in the first trench, and depositing a first capacitor conductor plate layer on the dielectric lining layer. The method also includes forming a second trench such that the dielectric lining layer is exposed. The method also includes forming a third trench such that the dielectric lining layer is exposed within the third trench. The method also includes depositing a second capacitor conductor plate layer in the second trench and depositing a third capacitor conductor plate layer in the third trench. The method also includes forming a first electrical contact between the first capacitor conductor plate layer and the second capacitor conductor plate layer and forming a second electrical contact between the first capacitor conductor plate layer and the third capacitor conductor plate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventor: Peter A. DiFonzo
  • Patent number: 10191998
    Abstract: A method includes receiving, at a master controller, a matrix representing a graph and a first vector, and initializing a counter variable and an array to track dimensionality reduction for the matrix. The method also includes multiplying a subset of the matrix based on the counter variable, by a subset of the first binary vector based on the counter variable. Multiplying includes providing, the vector and a matrix portion to a first processor, and the vector and another portion of the matrix to a second processor. The method also includes, at the processors, multiplying the vectors by the portions of the matrix and returning the results. The method also includes combining the results at the master controller. The method also includes incrementing the counter variable and updating the tracking array for larger dimensionality reduction of the matrix. The method also includes constructing the logical pathway based on the tracking array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventor: Paul Burkhardt
  • Patent number: 10176431
    Abstract: A dissipative device has a planar configuration with one or more resistor elements formed on an insulating substrate. Conductors are formed on the insulating substrate and are coupled to the resistor element(s) to transmit signals to/from the resistor element(s). The geometry of and materials for the dissipative device allow the conductors to act as heat sinks, which conduct heat generated in the resistor element(s) to the substrate (and on to a coupled housing) and cool hot electrons generated by the resistor element(s) via electron-phonon coupling. The dissipative device can be used in cooling a signal to a qubit, a cavity system of a quantum superconducting qubit, or any other cryogenic device sensitive to thermal noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignees: University of Maryland, College Park, The United States of America, as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Jen-Hao Yeh, Benjamin S. Palmer, Frederick C. Wellstood, Jay LeFebvre
  • Patent number: 9996801
    Abstract: Physical superconducting qubits are controlled according to an “encoded” qubit scheme, where a pair of physical superconducting qubits constitute an encoded qubit that can be controlled without the use of a microwave signal. For example, a quantum computing system has at least one encoded qubit and a controller. Each encoded qubit has a pair of physical superconducting qubits capable of being selectively coupled together. Each physical qubit has a respective tunable frequency. The controller controls a state of each of the pair of physical qubits to perform a quantum computation without using microwave control signals. Rather, the controller uses DC-based voltage or flux pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignees: University of Maryland, College Park, The United States of America, as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Yun-Pil Shim, Charles George Tahan
  • Patent number: 9812836
    Abstract: A reversible superconducting circuit includes a plurality of Josephson transmission lines. A first line is configured to transmit a control fluxon when a first input is active. A second line is configured to transmit a target fluxon to one of a third and a fourth line. The circuit is configured to transmit the fluxons at substantially the same time. The second line is configured to transmit the target fluxon to the third line, due to an interaction between the control fluxon and the target fluxon, only if the control fluxon is transmitted at substantially the same time as the target fluxon. The second line is configured to transmit the target fluxon to the fourth line, due to following an adiabatic trajectory, only if no control fluxon is transmitted at substantially the same time as the target fluxon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventor: Kevin D. Osborn
  • Publication number: 20170257074
    Abstract: A dissipative device has a planar configuration with one or more resistor elements formed on an insulating substrate. Conductors are formed on the insulating substrate and are coupled to the resistor element(s) to transmit signals to/from the resistor element(s). The geometry of and materials for the dissipative device allow the conductors to act as heat sinks, which conduct heat generated in the resistor element(s) to the substrate (and on to a coupled housing) and cool hot electrons generated by the resistor element(s) via electron-phonon coupling. The dissipative device can be used in cooling a signal to a qubit, a cavity system of a quantum superconducting qubit, or any other cryogenic device sensitive to thermal noise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2017
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Applicants: University of Maryland, College Park, The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Jen-Hao Yeh, Benjamin S. Palmer, Frederick C. Wellstood, Jay LeFebvre
  • Publication number: 20170116542
    Abstract: Physical superconducting qubits are controlled according to an “encoded” qubit scheme, where a pair of physical superconducting qubits constitute an encoded qubit that can be controlled without the use of a microwave signal. For example, a quantum computing system has at least one encoded qubit and a controller. Each encoded qubit has a pair of physical superconducting qubits capable of being selectively coupled together. Each physical qubit has a respective tunable frequency. The controller controls a state of each of the pair of physical qubits to perform a quantum computation without using microwave control signals. Rather, the controller uses DC-based voltage or flux pulses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Publication date: April 27, 2017
    Applicants: University of Maryland, College Park, The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Yun-Pil SHIM, Charles George TAHAN
  • Patent number: 9525866
    Abstract: A method of identifying a digital camera is disclosed. First and second digital images generated by the camera have dimensions that are not equal. The method includes calculating noise residuals and normalized cross-correlations (NCCs) between the noise residuals corresponding to candidate translations. The method further includes calculating a noise floor and identifying first and second peak values corresponding to translations. The method further includes calculating a peak ratio, determining that the peak ratio exceeds an alignment threshold and calculating a digital camera fingerprint for the digital camera based on the noise residuals and the first translation. The method further includes receiving a digital image, calculating a noise residual of the digital image, and determining that the image was generated by the digital camera based on the noise residual and the fingerprint and generating a record associating the image with the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Sarah T. Charlton, Carla D. Martin
  • Patent number: 9401774
    Abstract: A network configuration provides arbitration-free all-to-all connection between the nodes of the network utilizing wavelength routing devices and utilizing a limited number of wavelengths for routing optical signals to the nodes of the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Christopher A. Mineo, Sung-Joo Ben Yoo, Ke Wen
  • Patent number: 9397293
    Abstract: An artificial composite object combines a quantum of sound with a matter excitation. A phonon in a confinement structure containing the matter excites it from an initial state to an excited state corresponding to a frequency of the phonon. Relaxation of the matter back to the initial state emits a phonon of the same frequency into the confinement structure. The phonon confinement structure, for example, a cavity, traps the emitted phonon thereby allowing further excitation of the matter. The coupling between the phonon and the matter results in a quantum quasi-particle referred to as a phoniton. The phoniton can find application in a wide variety of quantum systems such as signal processing and communications devices, imaging and sensing, and information processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignees: University of Maryland, College Park, The United States of America, as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Charles George Tahan, Rousko Todorov Hristov, Oney O. Soykal
  • Patent number: 9383080
    Abstract: The present invention is a system that offers a capability to concentrate light from a large focal point onto a small spot on a detector. The system also offers off-axis capability should the system be moved, poorly pointed, off axis or jostled while in use. As designed, the present invention includes a half-ball lens having a front end and a back end, a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) having a front end and a back end, wherein the front end of said CPC is adjacent to the back end of the half-ball lens such that the CPC is centered against the back end of the half-ball lens, and a detector, wherein the detector is adjacent to the back end of the CPC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventors: Brian S. McGarvey, David J. Ortiz, Mario A. Serna
  • Patent number: 9297884
    Abstract: A method includes computing a cross-spectral surface of a signal. The method further includes determining initial frequency estimates to be points on the cross-spectral surface. The method further includes performing a polynomial interpolation to generate an initial frequency polynomial. The method further includes integrating the initial frequency polynomial to generate an initial phase polynomial. The method further includes processing the signal to generate a basebanded signal. The method further includes determining unwrapped phase values of the basebanded signal. The method further includes performing a second polynomial interpolation to generate a residual phase polynomial. The method further includes generating an updated phase polynomial based on the initial phase polynomial and the residual phase polynomial. The method further includes differentiating the updated phase polynomial to generate a polynomial approximation of the time-varying carrier frequency of the received signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Director, National Security Agency
    Inventor: Douglas J. Nelson