Patents Assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
  • Patent number: 11398551
    Abstract: Methods of forming a self-aligned gate (SAG) and self-aligned source (SAD) device for high Ecrit semiconductors are presented. A dielectric layer is deposited on a high Ecrit substrate. The dielectric layer is etched to form a drift region. A refractory material is deposited on the substrate and dielectric layer. The refractory material is etched to form a gate length. Implant ionization is applied to form high-conductivity and high-critical field strength source with SAG and SAD features. The device is annealed to activate the contact regions. Alternately, a refractory material may be deposited on a high Ecrit substrate. The refractory material is etched to form a channel region. Implant ionization is applied to form high-conductivity and high Ecrit source and drain contact regions with SAG and SAD features. The refractory material is selectively removed to form the gate length and drift regions. The device is annealed to activate the contact regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Kelson D Chabak, Andrew J Green, Gregg H Jessen
  • Patent number: 11392529
    Abstract: An apparatus for a microprocessor computer system and method for configuring the same where said microprocessor computer system comprises a processor core and at least one hardware buffer FIFO with memory-mapped head and tail that handles data movement among the processor cores, networks, raw data input and outputs, and memory. The method for configuring said microprocessor computer system comprises utilizing a FIFO auxiliary processor to process said data traversing said hardware FIFO; utilizing said hardware FIFOs to efficiently pipe data through functional blocks; and utilizing a FIFO controller to perform DMA operations that include non-unit-stride access patterns and transfers among processor cores, networks, raw data input and outputs, memory, and other memory-mapped hardware FIFOs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Mark H Linderman, Qing Wu, Dennis Fitzgerald
  • Patent number: 11390963
    Abstract: A method of performing heteroepitaxy comprises exposing a substrate to a carrier gas, a first precursor gas, a Group II/III element, and a second precursor gas, to form a heteroepitaxial growth of one of GaAs, AlAs, InAs, GaP, InP, ZnSe, GaSe, CdSe, InSe, ZnTe, CdTe, GaTe, HgTe, GaSb, InSb, AlSb, CdS, GaN, and AlN on the substrate; wherein the substrate comprises one of GaAs, AlAs, InAs, GaP, InP, ZnSe, GaSe, CdSe, InSe, ZnTe, CdTe, GaTe, HgTe, GaSb, InSb, AlSb, CdS, GaN, and AlN; wherein the carrier gas is H2, wherein the first precursor is HCl, the Group II/III element comprises at least one of Zn, Cd, Hg, Al, Ga, and In; and wherein the second precursor is one of AsH3 (arsine), PH3 (phosphine), H2Se (hydrogen selenide), H2Te (hydrogen telluride), SbH3 (hydrogen antimonide), H2S (hydrogen sulfide), and NH3 (ammonia). The process may be an HVPE (hydride vapor phase epitaxy) process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Vladimir Tassev
  • Patent number: 11390382
    Abstract: A system for deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle in a target region. The system includes a pod configured to be deployed from an air craft in a first region remote from the target region. The pod includes a capsule housing portion and a capsule ejection system in operative communication with the capsule housing portion. A capsule is dimensioned and configured to be disposed in the capsule housing portion as the pod is deployed from the aircraft and is ejected from the capsule housing portion by the capsule ejection system in a second region remote from the first region and the target region. The capsule includes a UAV housing portion dimensioned and configured to encase the unmanned aerial vehicle and a UAV ejection system in operative communication with the UAV housing portion for deploying the unmanned aerial vehicle in the target region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Michael Anderson, Benjamin Stark, Jeffrey Burnett, Tyler Copien, Candice Roberts
  • Patent number: 11383298
    Abstract: A method for preparing an anhydrous nanoparticle dispersion, comprising providing an aqueous medium comprising a surfactant and a quantity of surfactant-coated nanoparticles suspended in the aqueous medium; (i.) estimating an average particle length and an average particle diameter of the surfactant-coated nanoparticles suspended in the aqueous medium, and estimating a quantity of the surfactant-coated nanoparticles in the aqueous medium; estimating a surface area (SA) of the surfactant-coated nanoparticles in the aqueous medium based on the average particle length and the average particle diameter and the quantity of the surfactant-coated nanoparticles; adjusting a ratio of the quantity of the surfactant-coated nanoparticles to a quantity of the surfactant to a desired value to form a precursor aqueous solution; diluting the precursor aqueous solution with an organic solvent to provide a suspension of surfactant-coated nanoparticles in the solvent, and heating the suspension at about 100° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Richard A. Vaia, Kyoungweon Park
  • Patent number: 11384448
    Abstract: A method of performing heteroepitaxy comprises exposing a substrate to a carrier gas, a first precursor gas, a Group II/III element, and a second precursor gas, to form a heteroepitaxial growth of one of GaAs, AlAs, InAs, GaP, InP, ZnSe, GaSe, CdSe, InSe, ZnTe, CdTe, GaTe, HgTe, GaSb, InSb, AlSb, CdS, GaN, and AlN on the substrate; wherein the substrate comprises one of GaAs, AlAs, InAs, GaP, InP, ZnSe, GaSe, CdSe, InSe, ZnTe, CdTe, GaTe, HgTe, GaSb, InSb, AlSb, CdS, GaN, and AlN; wherein the carrier gas is H2, wherein the first precursor is HCl, the Group II/III element comprises at least one of Zn, Cd, Hg, Al, Ga, and In; and wherein the second precursor is one of AsH3 (arsine), PH3 (phosphine), H2Se (hydrogen selenide), H2Te (hydrogen telluride), SbH3 (hydrogen antimonide), H2S (hydrogen sulfide), and NH3 (ammonia). The process may be an HVPE (hydride vapor phase epitaxy) process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Vladimir Tassev
  • Patent number: 11382976
    Abstract: A method comprising: providing aqueous antibodies; cationizing the aqueous antibodies by the addition of stoichiometric amounts of an excess of a positively-charged crosslinker in the presence of a coupling reagent; titrating the cationized antibodies with a counter anionic polymer until the antibody cation/anion pair solution becomes negative by zeta potential measurement, to create at least one antibody cation/anion pair in aqueous solution. The antibodies are one of anti-hemoglobin antibodies, anti-horse spleen ferritin IgG antibodies, or blood-typing IgM Anti-A antibodies, single-chain antibodies from camelids, monoclonal Anti-Flag antibodies, monoclonal Anti-HRP2 to Plasmodium falciparum, polyclonal Anti-neuropeptide Y, and polyclonal Anti-human troponin. The antibody cation/anion pair solution may be lyophilized to remove all of the water, forming a lyophilized solid, and the lyophilized solid may be heated to generate an antibody ionic liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Joseph M Slocik, Rajesh R. Naik, Patrick B Dennis
  • Patent number: 11383860
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide systems, methods, architectures, mechanisms, apparatus, computer implemented method and/or frameworks configured for tracking Earth orbiting objects and adapting SSN tracking operations to improve tracking accuracy while reducing computational complexity and resource consumption associated with such tracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Christopher Tyler Diggans
  • Patent number: 11385201
    Abstract: A method of forming a stable protein complex comprising: providing aqueous protein complexes, wherein the protein complexes are one or more of photosystem I complex from spinach, photosystem II complex from spinach, chlorophyll antennae, thylakoids, bacteriochlorophylls, chlorosomes, and photosystems from green algae, cyanobacteria, and plants; cationizing the aqueous protein complexes by the addition of stoichiometric amounts of a crosslinker in the presence of a coupling reagent; titrating the cationized protein complexes with a counter anionic polymer until the protein cation/anion pair solution becomes negative by zeta potential measurement, to create at least one antibody cation/anion pair in aqueous solution. The protein complexes cation/anion pair solution may be lyophilized to remove all of the water, forming a lyophilized solid. The lyophilized solid may be heated until a protein complex ionic liquid is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Joseph M Slocik, Rajesh R. Naik, Patrick B Dennis
  • Patent number: 11387013
    Abstract: A deformable yet mechanically resilient microcapsule having electrical properties, a method of making the microcapsules, and a circuit component including the microcapsules. The microcapsule containing a gallium liquid metal alloy core having from about 60 to about 100 wt. % gallium and at least one alloying metal, and a polymeric shell encapsulating the liquid core, said polymeric shell having conductive properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Brad L Cumby, Christopher Tabor
  • Patent number: 11378562
    Abstract: A self-timing, passive, chemical dosimeter. The dosimeter includes a sampling media and electronics supported by a cassette. The sampling media is configured to absorb volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, or both, while the electronics are configured to record a time of exposure. The dosimeter further includes an actuator having a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the actuator resists exposure of the sampling media to volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, or both, and in the open position, the actuator permits exposure of the sampling media to volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, or both. The actuator is configured to operate the electronics for recording time of exposure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: H Mitchell Rubeinstein, Christin M Duran, Daniel O Reilly, Steven D Fisher, Anthony V Qualley
  • Patent number: 11378476
    Abstract: An Instrumented Spherical Blast Impulse Recording Device (ISBIRD) provides for survivable test measurement of an explosive blast impulse. The ISBIRD includes a spherical housing formed of a metal having a thickness sufficient to survive the explosive blast wave from a test weapon. A test data module of the ISBIRD includes: (i) a three-axis acceleration sensor; (ii) a memory; and (iii) a controller communicatively coupled to the three-axis acceleration sensor and the memory. The controller executes a data acquisition utility to record acceleration data in three-dimensions from the three-axis acceleration sensor during exposure of the spherical housing to the explosive blast wave. An internal support structure of the ISBIRD is attached inside of the spherical housing and attached to the test data module. The internal support structure centrally locates the test data module within the spherical housing during exposure to the explosive blast wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Charles M. Jenkins, Alain L. Beliveau
  • Patent number: 11380457
    Abstract: A deformable yet mechanically resilient microcapsule having electrical properties, a method of making the microcapsules, and a circuit component including the microcapsules. The microcapsule containing a gallium liquid metal alloy core having from about 60 to about 100 wt. % gallium and at least one alloying metal, and a polymeric shell encapsulating the liquid core, said polymeric shell having conductive properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Brad L Cumby, Christopher Tabor
  • Patent number: 11381051
    Abstract: A fiber laser system includes a high power pump laser, an optical fiber that is aligned to receive output from the high power pump laser. The fiber laser system includes a first pair of orthogonally opposed, periodic electrode structures longitudinally aligned on opposite first and second sides of the optical fiber. The fiber laser system includes a controller that is communicatively coupled to the first pair of periodic electrode structures. The controller performs variable period poling of the first pair of periodic electrode structures to achieve quasi-phase matching (QPM).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Christian Keyser
  • Patent number: 11372134
    Abstract: A film includes a substrate having a planar surface attachable to a surface that transmits electromagnetic energy; and a photonic crystal structure formed in the planar substrate that alters the transmitted electromagnetic energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Joshua Lentz
  • Patent number: 11374376
    Abstract: A cylindrical electrode module of a fiber optic laser system includes an inner cylinder having an inner repeating pattern of longitudinally-aligned positive and negative electrodes on an outer surface of the inner cylinder. The cylindrical electrode mode includes an outer cylinder that encloses the inner cylinder. The outer cylinder that has an outer repeating pattern of longitudinally-aligned negative and positive electrodes on an inner surface of the inner cylinder that are in corresponding and complementary, parallel alignment with the positive and negative electrodes of the inner repeating pattern on the outer surface of the inner cylinder. The cylindrical electrode module includes an optical fiber having an input end configured to align with and be optically coupled to a high power pump laser. The optical fiber is wrapped around the inner cylinder within the outer cylinder to form a cylindrical fiber assembly. The electrodes are activated to achieve quasi-phase matching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Christian Keyser, Trevor Courtney
  • Patent number: 11366054
    Abstract: An optoacoustic sensor includes a liquid crystal (LC) cell formed between top and bottom plates of transparent material. A transverse grating formed across the LC cell that forms an optical transmission bandgap. A CL is aligned to form a spring-like, tunable Bragg grating that is naturally responsive to external agitations providing a spectral transition regime, or edge, in the optical transmission bandgap of the transverse grating that respond to broadband acoustic waves. The optoacoustic sensor includes a narrowband light source that is oriented to transmit light through the top plate, the LC cell, and the bottom plate. The optoacoustic sensor includes an optoacoustic spectrometer that is oriented below the bottom plate to receive the transmitted light and to record a time-domain modulation of transmission intensity at a selected one of a falling and rising edge of the transmission bandgap for detecting analog acoustic vibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Hengky Chandrahalim, Michael Dela Cruz
  • Patent number: 11359613
    Abstract: The present invention relates to electrospray thrusters, processes of making electrospray thrusters, and methods of using such electrospray thrusters. Applicant's thruster incorporates a unique geometry for the emitters and extractor grid that effectively eliminates ion interception on the grid, which is the primary failure mechanism of current devices, yet maintains the electric field conditions necessary for ion emission to occur. Without grid impingement, the thrust produced by the thruster is increased and thruster operational lifetime is increased substantially. Additionally, this non-traditional geometry also allows for higher electric fields at the emitter tip for a given applied voltage, thus enabling lower operational voltage of the thruster as compared to conventional designs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Michael Ryan Natisin, Zachary Andrew Holley
  • Patent number: 11361999
    Abstract: A method for making a selective-area lift-off thin film comprises depositing a van der Waals (vdW) buffer on a substrate; depositing a thin film material (or device structure) on the van der Waals buffer; depositing an adhesion layer on the thin film material; forming a stressor layer on top of the thin film layer; and bonding a handle layer to the stressor layer. Force may be applied to the layered structure by one or more of rolling, bending, and shearing. The area selected for lift-off may be defined by one of laser cutting and mechanical scribing. The vdW buffer includes one or more of hBN, graphite, and graphene. The handle layer is a one of a polyimide tape, thermal release tape, UV release tape, water- or solvent-soluble tape, Kapton tape, and Scotch tape. The stressor layer is a metal film, e.g. Ni, Cr, Ti.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Michael R. Snure, Eric W. Blanton, Jeff L. Brown, Albert M. Hilton
  • Patent number: D958619
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Caleb B. Jones, Jonathan Rajski, Eleuterio Flores, Bryan D. Hunt, Logan Wisnoski