Patents by Inventor Alan Francis Lyon
Alan Francis Lyon has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 10653376Abstract: An x-ray imaging system includes an x-ray source, a beam-splitting grating having a plurality of structures arranged in a two-dimensional periodic array, a stage configured to hold an object to be imaged, and an x-ray detector having a two-dimensional array of x-ray detecting elements and positioned to detect x-rays diffracted by the beam-splitting grating and perturbed by the object to be imaged.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2019Date of Patent: May 19, 2020Assignee: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon
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Patent number: 10416099Abstract: A method for performing x-ray absorption spectroscopy and an x-ray absorption spectrometer system to be used with a compact laboratory x-ray source to measure x-ray absorption of the element of interest in an object with both high spatial and high spectral resolution. The spectrometer system comprises a compact high brightness laboratory x-ray source, an optical train to focus the x-rays through an object to be examined, and a spectrometer comprising a single crystal analyzer (and, in some embodiments, also a mosaic crystal) to disperse the transmitted beam onto a spatially resolving x-ray detector. The high brightness/high flux x-ray source may have a take-off angle between 0 and 105 mrad. and be coupled to an optical train that collects and focuses the high flux x-rays to spots less than 500 micrometers, leading to high flux density.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2018Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Assignee: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Srivatsan Seshadri, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon, Benjamin Donald Stripe
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Publication number: 20190254616Abstract: An x-ray interferometric imaging system in which the x-ray source comprises a target having a plurality of structured coherent sub-sources of x-rays embedded in a thermally conducting substrate. The structures may be microstructures with lateral dimensions measured on the order of microns, and in some embodiments, the structures are arranged in a regular array. The system additionally comprises a beam-splitting grating G1 that establishes a Talbot interference pattern, which may be a ? or ?/2 phase-shifting grating, an x-ray detector to convert two-dimensional x-ray intensities into electronic signals, and in some embodiments, also comprises an additional analyzer grating G2 that may be placed in front of the detector to form additional interference fringes. Systems may also include a means to translate and/or rotate the relative positions of the x-ray source and the object under investigation relative to the beam splitting grating and/or the analyzer grating for tomography applications.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 3, 2019Publication date: August 22, 2019Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon
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Patent number: 10352880Abstract: This disclosure presents systems for x-ray microscopy using an array of micro-beams having a micro- or nano-scale beam intensity profile to provide selective illumination of micro- or nano-scale regions of an object. An array detector is positioned such that each pixel of the detector only detects x-rays corresponding to a single micro- or nano-beam. This allows the signal arising from each x-ray detector pixel to be identified with the specific, limited micro- or nano-scale region illuminated, allowing sampled transmission image of the object at a micro- or nano-scale to be generated while using a detector with pixels having a larger size and scale. Detectors with higher quantum efficiency may therefore be used, since the lateral resolution is provided solely by the dimensions of the micro- or nano-beams. The micro- or nano-scale beams may be generated using an arrayed x-ray source or a set of Talbot interference fringes.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2017Date of Patent: July 16, 2019Assignee: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Srivatsan Seshadri, Alan Francis Lyon, David Vine
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Patent number: 10349908Abstract: An x-ray interferometric imaging system includes an x-ray source with a target having a plurality of discrete structures arranged in a periodic pattern. The system further includes a beam-splitting x-ray grating, a stage configured to hold an object to be imaged, and an x-ray detector having a two-dimensional array of x-ray detecting elements. The object is positioned between the beam-splitting x-ray grating and the x-ray detector, the x-ray detector is positioned to detect the x-rays diffracted by the beam-splitting x-ray grating and perturbed by the object to be imaged.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 2015Date of Patent: July 16, 2019Assignee: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon
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Patent number: 10297359Abstract: An x-ray illumination beam system includes an electron emitter and a target having one or more target microstructures. The one or more microstructures may be the same or different material, and may be embedded or placed atop a substrate formed of a heat-conducting material. The x-ray source may emit x-rays towards an optic system, which can include one or more optics that are matched to one or more target microstructures. The matching can be achieved by selecting optics with the geometric shape, size, and surface coating that collects as many x-rays as possible from the source and at an angle that satisfies the critical reflection angle of the x-ray energies of interest from the target. The x-ray illumination beam system allows for an x-ray source that generates x-rays having different spectra and can be used in a variety of applications.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2017Date of Patent: May 21, 2019Assignee: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, David Charles Reynolds, Alan Francis Lyon
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Patent number: 10269528Abstract: A compact source for high brightness x-ray generation is disclosed. The higher brightness is achieved through electron beam bombardment of multiple regions aligned with each other to achieve a linear accumulation of x-rays. This may be achieved through the use of x-ray targets that comprise microstructures of x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate with high thermal conductivity. This allows heat to be more efficiently drawn out of the x-ray generating material, and allows bombardment of the x-ray generating material with higher electron density and/or higher energy electrons, leading to greater x-ray brightness. The orientation of the microstructures allows the use of a take-off angle at or near 0°, allowing the accumulation of x-rays from several microstructures to be aligned and be used to form a beam in the shape of an annular cone.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2016Date of Patent: April 23, 2019Assignee: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon, David Charles Reynolds
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Publication number: 20190088438Abstract: An x-ray illumination beam system includes an electron emitter and a target having one or more target microstructures. The one or more microstructures may be the same or different material, and may be embedded or placed atop a substrate formed of a heat-conducting material. The x-ray source may emit x-rays towards an optic system, which can include one or more optics that are matched to one or more target microstructures. The matching can be achieved by selecting optics with the geometric shape, size, and surface coating that collects as many x-rays as possible from the source and at an angle that satisfies the critical reflection angle of the x-ray energies of interest from the target. The x-ray illumination beam system allows for an x-ray source that generates x-rays having different spectra and can be used in a variety of applications.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 13, 2017Publication date: March 21, 2019Applicant: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, David Charles Reynolds, Alan Francis Lyon
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Publication number: 20190011379Abstract: A method for performing x-ray absorption spectroscopy and an x-ray absorption spectrometer system to be used with a compact laboratory x-ray source to measure x-ray absorption of the element of interest in an object with both high spatial and high spectral resolution. The spectrometer system comprises a compact high brightness laboratory x-ray source, an optical train to focus the x-rays through an object to be examined, and a spectrometer comprising a single crystal analyzer (and, in some embodiments, also a mosaic crystal) to disperse the transmitted beam onto a spatially resolving x-ray detector. The high brightness/high flux x-ray source may have a take-off angle between 0 and 105 mrad. and be coupled to an optical train that collects and focuses the high flux x-rays to spots less than 500 micrometers, leading to high flux density.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 21, 2018Publication date: January 10, 2019Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Srivatsan Seshadri, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon, Benjamin Donald Stripe
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Publication number: 20180144901Abstract: An x-ray illumination beam system includes an electron emitter and a target having one or more target microstructures. The one or more microstructures may be the same or different material, and may be embedded or placed atop a substrate formed of a heat-conducting material. The x-ray source may emit x-rays towards an optic system, which can include one or more optics that are matched to one or more target microstructures. The matching can be achieved by selecting optics with the geometric shape, size, and surface coating that collects as many x-rays as possible from the source and at an angle that satisfies the critical reflection angle of the x-ray energies of interest from the target. The x-ray illumination beam system allows for an x-ray source that generates x-rays having different spectra and can be used in a variety of applications.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 13, 2017Publication date: May 24, 2018Applicant: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, David Charles Reynolds, Alan Francis Lyon
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Publication number: 20170261442Abstract: This disclosure presents systems for x-ray microscopy using an array of micro-beams having a micro- or nano-scale beam intensity profile to provide selective illumination of micro- or nano-scale regions of an object. An array detector is positioned such that each pixel of the detector only detects x-rays corresponding to a single micro- or nano-beam. This allows the signal arising from each x-ray detector pixel to be identified with the specific, limited micro- or nano-scale region illuminated, allowing sampled transmission image of the object at a micro- or nano-scale to be generated while using a detector with pixels having a larger size and scale. Detectors with higher quantum efficiency may therefore be used, since the lateral resolution is provided solely by the dimensions of the micro- or nano-beams. The micro- or nano-scale beams may be generated using an arrayed x-ray source or a set of Talbot interference fringes.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 26, 2017Publication date: September 14, 2017Applicant: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Srivatsan Seshadri, Alan Francis Lyon, David Charles Reynolds
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Patent number: 9640291Abstract: A compound x-ray lens and method of fabricating these lenses are disclosed. These compound lenses use multiple zone plate stacking to achieve a pitch frequency increase for the resulting combined zone plate. The compound equivalent zone plate includes a first zone plate having an initial pitch frequency stacked onto a second zone plate to form an equivalent compound zone plate. The equivalent zone plate has a pitch frequency that is at least twice the initial pitch frequency. Also, in one example, the equivalent zone plate has a mark-to-space ratio of 1:1.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2013Date of Patent: May 2, 2017Assignee: Carl Zeiss X-Ray Microscopy, Inc.Inventors: Michael Feser, Alan Francis Lyon
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Patent number: 9543109Abstract: A compact source for high brightness x-ray generation is disclosed. The higher brightness is achieved through electron beam bombardment of multiple regions aligned with each other to achieve a linear accumulation of x-rays. This may be achieved by aligning discrete x-ray sub-sources, or through the use of x-ray targets that comprise microstructures of x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate with high thermal conductivity. This allows heat to be more efficiently drawn out of the x-ray generating material, and in turn allows bombardment of the x-ray generating material with higher electron density and/or higher energy electrons, leading to greater x-ray brightness. The orientation of the microstructures allows the use of an on-axis collection angle, allowing the accumulation of x-rays from several microstructures to be aligned to appear to have a single origin, also known as “zero-angle” x-ray radiation.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2016Date of Patent: January 10, 2017Assignee: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon
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Publication number: 20160351370Abstract: A compact source for high brightness x-ray generation is disclosed. The higher brightness is achieved through electron beam bombardment of multiple regions aligned with each other to achieve a linear accumulation of x-rays. This may be achieved through the use of x-ray targets that comprise microstructures of x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate with high thermal conductivity. This allows heat to be more efficiently drawn out of the x-ray generating material, and allows bombardment of the x-ray generating material with higher electron density and/or higher energy electrons, leading to greater x-ray brightness. The orientation of the microstructures allows the use of a take-off angle at or near 0°, allowing the accumulation of x-rays from several microstructures to be aligned and be used to form a beam in the shape of an annular cone.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 27, 2016Publication date: December 1, 2016Applicant: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon, David Charles Reynolds
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Publication number: 20160268094Abstract: A compact source for high brightness x-ray generation is disclosed. The higher brightness is achieved through electron beam bombardment of multiple regions aligned with each other to achieve a linear accumulation of x-rays. This may be achieved by aligning discrete x-ray sub-sources, or through the use of x-ray targets that comprise microstructures of x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate with high thermal conductivity. This allows heat to be more efficiently drawn out of the x-ray generating material, and in turn allows bombardment of the x-ray generating material with higher electron density and/or higher energy electrons, leading to greater x-ray brightness. The orientation of the microstructures allows the use of an on-axis collection angle, allowing the accumulation of x-rays from several microstructures to be aligned to appear to have a single origin, also known as “zero-angle” x-ray radiation.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2016Publication date: September 15, 2016Applicant: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon
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Patent number: 9390881Abstract: A compact source for high brightness x-ray generation is disclosed. The higher brightness is achieved through electron beam bombardment of multiple regions aligned with each other to achieve a linear accumulation of x-rays. This may be achieved by aligning discrete x-ray sub-sources, or through the use of x-ray targets that comprise microstructures of x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate with high thermal conductivity. This allows heat to be more efficiently drawn out of the x-ray generating material, and in turn allows bombardment of the x-ray generating material with higher electron density and/or higher energy electrons, leading to greater x-ray brightness. Some embodiments of the invention comprise x-ray optical elements placed between sub-sources of x-rays. These x-ray optical elements may form images of one or more x-ray sub-sources in alignment with other x-ray sub-sources, and may enhance the linear accumulation that can be achieved.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2014Date of Patent: July 12, 2016Assignee: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon
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Patent number: 9293635Abstract: The present invention relates to cost effective production methods of high efficiency silicon based back-contacted back-junction solar panels and solar panels thereof having a multiplicity of alternating rectangular emitter- and base regions on the back-side of each cell, each with rectangular metallic electric finger conductor above and running in parallel with the corresponding emitter- and base region, a first insulation layer in-between the wafer and finger conductors, and a second insulation layer in between the finger conductors and cell interconnections.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2012Date of Patent: March 22, 2016Assignee: REC SOLAR PTE. LTD.Inventors: Richard Hamilton Sewell, Andreas Bentzen, Lawrence Frederick Schloss, Young Seen Lee, Hiroaki Hayashigatani, Toshio Itoh, Alan Francis Lyon, Roger Thompson, Nemia Grubisich
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Publication number: 20160066870Abstract: An x-ray interferometric imaging system in which the x-ray source comprises a target having a plurality of structured coherent sub-sources of x-rays embedded in a thermally conducting substrate. The structures may be microstructures with lateral dimensions measured on the order of microns, and in some embodiments, the structures are arranged in a regular array. The system additionally comprises a beam-splitting grating G1 that establishes a Talbot interference pattern, which may be a ? or ?/2 phase-shifting grating, an x-ray detector to convert two-dimensional x-ray intensities into electronic signals, and in some embodiments, also comprises an additional analyzer grating G2 that may be placed in front of the detector to form additional interference fringes. Systems may also include a means to translate and/or rotate the relative positions of the x-ray source and the object under investigation relative to the beam splitting grating and/or the analyzer grating for tomography applications.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2015Publication date: March 10, 2016Applicant: Sigray, Inc.Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon
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Publication number: 20150117599Abstract: We disclose an x-ray interferometric imaging system in which the x-ray source comprises a target having a plurality of structured coherent sub-sources of x-rays embedded in a thermally conducting substrate. The system additionally comprises a beam-splitting grating G1 that establishes a Talbot interference pattern, which may be a ? phase-shifting grating, and an x-ray detector to convert two-dimensional x-ray intensities into electronic signals. The system may also comprise a second analyzer grating G2 that may be placed in front of the detector to form additional interference fringes, and a means to translate the second grating G2 relative to the detector. In some embodiments, the structures are microstructures with lateral dimensions measured on the order of microns, and with a thickness on the order of one half of the electron penetration depth within the substrate. In some embodiments, the structures are formed within a regular array.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2014Publication date: April 30, 2015Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon
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Publication number: 20150110252Abstract: We disclose a compact source for high brightness x-ray generation. The higher brightness is achieved through electron beam bombardment of multiple regions aligned with each other to achieve a linear accumulation of x-rays. This may be achieved by aligning discrete x-ray sources, or through the use of novel x-ray targets that comprise a number of microstructures of x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate with high thermal conductivity. This allows heat to be more efficiently drawn out of the x-ray generating material, and in turn allows bombardment of the x-ray generating material with higher electron density and/or higher energy electrons, leading to greater x-ray brightness. The orientation of the microstructures allows the use of an on-axis collection angle, allowing the accumulation of x-rays from several microstructures to be aligned to appear to have a single origin, also known as “zero-angle” x-ray emission.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 19, 2014Publication date: April 23, 2015Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon