Abstract: A switch control unit and optical control unit, including: a digital-to-analog converter, being switchable between being coupled to a first sensing unit and being coupled to a drive unit, through a common contact pad; a sensing contact pad, coupled to a second sensing unit; an analog-to-digital converter, for sensing voltages at the contact pads when coupled to the sensing units, wherein each of the sensing units has a minimum working voltage level; and a loop switching unit, coupled between the common contact pad, the analog-to-digital converter, and the sensing contact pad, wherein when the voltage at the common contact pad is substantially higher than the minimum working voltage level, the loop switching unit conducts the common contact pad to the analog-to-digital converter to sense the voltage at the common contact pad, and the digital-to-analog converter enters a high-impedance state such that the digital-to-analog converter does not sense the voltage at the common contact pad.

Abstract: A semiconductor device examination method includes a step of acquiring a first interference waveform based on signals from a plurality of drive elements according to light from a first light beam spot including the plurality of drive elements in a semiconductor device, a step of acquiring a second interference waveform based on signals from the plurality of drive elements according to light from a second light beam spot having a region configured to partially overlap the first spot and including the plurality of drive elements, and a step of separating a waveform signal for each of the drive elements in the first and second spots based on the first and second interference waveforms.

Abstract: A system of monitoring vibration of a blasting model test for a jointed rock mass and a method are provided. The system includes: a loading subsystem for three-way load, a model-surface blasting-vibration acquisition subsystem, and a model-interior dynamic stress-strain acquisition subsystem. The system and the method are provided, and a blasting model for a transparent jointed rock mass and a monitoring method that are obtained can analyze the influence of a joint inclination angle on propagation and attenuation laws of blasting stress waves in the jointed rock mass, and can analyze the influence of different millisecond blasting modes on the stability of an existing tunnel in the jointed rock mass, and can capture a real-time dynamic evolution process of cracks. The stress and strain measurement technologies used can perform omnibearing monitoring and recording for large deformations of surrounding rock under blasting load, and can resist the electromagnetic interference.

Abstract: A method for estimating intrinsic parameters of an encapsulated capacitor having three capacitors is provided, comprising: inputting received first sampled current value, second sampled current value and third sampled current value, first sampled voltage value, second sampled voltage value, and third sampled voltage value corresponding to the three capacitors into a capacitor current estimating model to obtain a first capacitor current error corresponding to a first capacitor among the three capacitors, a second capacitor current error corresponding to a second capacitor among the three capacitors and a third capacitor current error corresponding to a third capacitor among the three capacitors; and inputting the first capacitor current error, the second capacitor current error and the third capacitor current error into a particle swarm optimization model to obtain a plurality of optimized parameters corresponding to the three capacitors as a plurality of intrinsic parameters of the encapsulated capacitor.

Abstract: An apparatus may include an upper transparent plate to hold a wafer of bottom-emitting or bottom-detecting optical devices, wherein the upper transparent plate comprises a set of holes in an area of the upper transparent plate for holding the wafer. The apparatus may include a lower transparent plate and a structure supporting the upper transparent plate and the lower transparent plate to form a cavity bounded by the upper transparent plate, the lower transparent plate, and the structure, wherein the structure comprises an opening in fluid communication with the cavity, wherein applying suction through the opening, via the cavity and the set of holes, holds the wafer flat on the upper transparent plate, and wherein an optical path, between a bottom-emitting or bottom-detecting optical device of the bottom-emitting or bottom-detecting optical devices of the wafer and a testing device, passes through the upper transparent plate, the cavity, and the lower transparent plate.

Abstract: Techniques for determining a potential electrical threat by a utility meter are described herein. A metrology unit of the meter is configured to receive electrical data associated with electrical usage at a location The meter is configured to determine, based on the electrical usage at the location and/or previous electrical data, abnormalities indicative of an unstable connection, such as a loose wire connecting a load to a power supply. The meter may employ a machine learned model or other algorithm to identify the loose wire or unstable connection and is configured to disconnect power to the location and/or send a message to an alarm device at the location and/or to a computing device remote from the location. In this way, the metrology unit can be used to mitigate potential electrical threats, such as fire, due to an unstable connection such as a loose connection.

Abstract: A system and method for testing the bandwidth of an amplifier by forcing the amplifier into an oscillation with a feedback signal. The oscillation frequency reveals the amplifier bandwidth. The system comprises an amplifier an input and an output, the amplifier output providing an amplifier output signal. A feedback system is configured to receive the amplifier output signal, process an amplifier output signal to create a feedback signal, provide the feedback signal to the amplifier input. Also part of this system is a frequency divider having an input connected to the amplifier output. The frequency divider is configured to reduce the frequency of the amplifier output signal to create a reduced frequency signal and provide the reduced frequency signal to test equipment which is configured to measure the frequency of the reduced frequency signal.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a first conductive path over a substrate, a coil structure over the substrate, and a ferromagnetic structure. The first conductive path is configured to carry a first time-varying current and to generate a first time-varying magnetic field based on the first time-varying current. The coil structure is magnetically coupled with the first conductive path, and is configured to generate an induced electrical potential responsive to the first time-varying magnetic field. The ferromagnetic structure includes an open portion. The first conductive path extends through the open portion of the ferromagnetic structure. The first conductive path includes a first conductive line below the ferromagnetic structure, a second conductive line above the ferromagnetic structure, and a first via plug coplanar with the ferromagnetic structure. The first via plug electrically coupling the first conductive line and the second conductive line.

Abstract: A magnetic field sensor configured to sense an angle of a magnetic field associated with a rotatable target includes a first magnetic field sensing structure configured to generate a first signal indicative of the magnetic field and a second magnetic field sensing structure configured to generate a second signal indicative of the magnetic field, wherein the first and second magnetic field sensing structures are configured to detect quadrature components of the magnetic field. A controller responsive to the first and second signals includes an angle tracking observer having a sine block and a cosine block operatively coupled to compute the angular position of the target using a control loop based in part on a non-orthogonality error term and a magnitude calculator that uses the sine block and the cosine block to compute a magnitude of the magnetic field.

Abstract: A tester apparatus is provided. Slot assemblies are removably mounted to a frame. Each slot assembly allows for individual heating and temperature control of a respective cartridge that is inserted into the slot assembly. A closed loop air path is defined by the frame and a heater and cooler are located in the closed loop air path to cool or heat the cartridge with air. Individual cartridges can be inserted or be removed while other cartridges are in various stages of being tested or in various stages of temperature ramps.

Abstract: Systems and methods for locating buried utilities in conjunction with associated electro-magnetic marker devices are disclosed. A marker device may include a marker device antenna and an electronic circuit operatively coupled to the marker device antenna. The electronic circuit may include at least two resonant circuits, including a first resonant circuit formed in combination with the marker device antenna for receiving an excitation signal at a first frequency from a marker excitation device. The received excitation signal may be converted into a power supply by a power circuit for powering the electronic circuit. Responsive to the received excitation signal, a processing element provided in the electronic circuit may generate an output signal at a second frequency, which is substantially different from the first frequency. The generated output signal may be tuned by a second resonant circuit and provided to the marker device antenna.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods of the present disclosure integrate a non-intrusive current sensor in the form of a current mismatch sensor into a power module having paralleled semiconductor structures or components. The current mismatch can be detected by the current sensor by monitoring a magnetic flux density between the paralleled components or devices.

Abstract: A magnetic sensor (1) includes: a nonmagnetic substrate (10); and a sensitive element (31) including a plurality of soft magnetic layers (105) (lower soft magnetic layer (105a) and upper soft magnetic layer (105b)) laminated on or above the substrate (10) and a conductor layer (106) laminated between the plurality of soft magnetic layers (105) and having higher conductivity than the plurality of soft magnetic layers (105). The sensitive element (31) has a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction and has uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction. The sensitive element (31) is configured to sense a magnetic field by a magnetic impedance effect.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include a method of calibrating a processing chamber. In an embodiment, the method comprises placing a sensor wafer onto a support surface in the processing chamber, wherein a process kit displaceable in the Z-direction is positioned around the support surface. In an embodiment, the method further comprises measuring a first gap distance between the sensor wafer and the process kit with a sensor on an edge surface of the sensor wafer. In an embodiment, the method further comprises displacing the process kit in the Z-direction. In an embodiment, the method further comprises measuring an additional gap distance between the sensor wafer and the process kit.

Abstract: A grid voltage phase detector includes: a d-q transformation unit for receiving a three-phase signal and producing a signal on d axis and a signal on q axis; a phase signal producing unit for producing a signal for phase synchronization of grid voltage from the signal on d axis and the signal on q axis; and a PR filtering unit, with a first filter having no change in magnitude and phase at a rated frequency, a second filter introducing 90° phase lead at a rated frequency, a third filter introducing 90° phase lag, and a fourth filter having no change in magnitude and phase at a rated frequency, for removing unbalanced components and harmonic components from the signal on d axis and the signal on q axis produced by the d-q transformation unit and providing the signals to the phase signal producing unit.

Abstract: Various means for improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a magnetic field sensor are disclosed for low power and high resolution magnetic sensing. The improvements may be done by reducing parasitic effects, increasing sense element packing density, interleaving a Z-axis layout to reduce a subtractive effect, and optimizing an alignment between a Z-axis sense element and a flux guide, etc.

Abstract: System and method for characterizing material condition. The system includes a sensor, impedance instrument and processing unit to collect measurements and assess material properties. A model of the system may be used to enable accurate measurements of multiple material properties. A cylindrical model for an electromagnetic field sensor is disclosed for modeling substantially cylindrically symmetric material systems. Sensor designs and data processing approaches are provided to focus the sensitivity of the sensor to localize material conditions. Improved calibration methods are shown. Sizing algorithms are provided to estimate the size of defects such as cracks and corrosion. Corrective measures are provided where the actual material configuration differs from the data processing assumptions. Methods are provided for use of the system to characterize material condition, and detailed illustration is given for corrosion, stress, weld, heat treat, and mechanical damage assessment.

Abstract: An analog front-end (AFE) circuit, configured to be coupled to a sensor having a plurality of sensing units, includes a plurality of sensing circuits and a plurality of multiplexers. Each of the plurality of multiplexers is coupled between one of the plurality of sensing units and at least two of the plurality of sensing circuits.

Abstract: A network including a sensory assembly having a first wire coil coupled to a stationary component, and a spaced apart second wire coil coupled to a movable component. An interstice is formed between the wire coils. The stationary first wire coil is employed in a primary electrical circuit and the movable second wire coil is employed in a second electrical circuit. A magnet flux field permits at least a portion of an electrical current varied as a function of a parameter of the movable component to be transmitted between the electrical circuits.

Abstract: An electromagnetic field sensor includes a conductor plate, a signal output terminal to output a potential difference between the conductor plate and the signal output terminal, and a linear conductor including a first end electrically connected to a plate face of the conductor plate and a second end opposite to the first end and provided with a signal output terminal. The electromagnetic field sensor includes a loop plane that is formed by the conductor plate and the linear conductor and orthogonal to a plate face of the conductor plate when viewed from the side.