Abstract: Body armor for ballistic protection of a user's extremities preferably comprising right and left arm protection units and/or right and left leg protection units. The units include a ballistic protection material which preferably covers most of the user's upper arm, elbow region, lower arm, shoulder, upper leg, knee region, and lower leg except for ventilation zones preferably located on the inner portion of the upper arm and the inner part of the upper leg. The back of the knee is preferably covered by a protective flap.

Abstract: A body cooling system is provided for utilization with a protective suit worn by a person. The cooling system includes an external air flow source that produces an air flow and blows it in free atmosphere towards an evaporative cooling apparatus. A fluid volume flows from the cooling apparatus to a conduit contained in an undersuit worn under the protective overcoat. A pump circulates fluid through the conduit. The undersuit includes both an envelope, surrounding an outer surface of the conduit, and a cloth layer, situated closest to the skin, to aid in a transfer of heat from a body to the fluid flowing in the conduit. The evaporative cooling apparatus can include a radiator body having finger-like projections extending therefrom. A fluid channel is formed within the evaporative cooling apparatus for egress of the heated fluid carried away from the undersuit.

Abstract: An armor plate transforms projectile energy into solid-state lattice waves and facilitates absorption of these waves at different wavelengths. For high frequency lattice waves, dopants are used for absorbing the lattice waves and converting them to thermal energy. Heavy dopants and layered materials can also be use for reflecting lattice waves to facilitate attenuation through absorption. A spreading layer can also be used for dispersing non-absorbed lattice waves.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a method for non-contact or stand off chemical detection that may be eye-safe by selectively exciting one ore more analytes of interest using an IR source tuned to at least one specific absorption band without significantly decomposing the analyte and determining if the analyte is present by comparing emitted photons with an IR detector signal made before and during or shortly after exciting the analyte. Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for non-contact or stand off chemical detection that may be eye-safe by selectively exciting one or more analytes of interest using an IR source tuned to at least one specific absorption band without significantly decomposing the analyte, wherein the analyte is excited sufficiently to generate a vapor plume, and wherein the plume is examined to detect the presence of the analyte.

Abstract: Body armor for ballistic protection of a user's extremities preferably comprising right and left arm protection units and/or right and left leg protection units. The units include a ballistic protection material which preferably covers most of the user's upper arm, elbow region, lower arm, shoulder, upper leg, knee region, and lower leg except for ventilation zones preferably located on the inner portion of the upper arm and the inner part of the upper leg. The back of the knee is preferably covered by a protective flap.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for producing films of silicon nitride whose index of refraction varies continuously with film depth by preselected amounts between n=3.9 and n=1.99. This is done by producing an amorphous film of silicon nitride, Si.sub.1-x N.sub.x, of pre-selected stoichiometry between x=0 and x=0.57. In a vacuum-chamber, a target substrate is exposed to vaporized silicon while being simultaneously bombarded with an ion beam of relatively high kinetic energy, ionized, nitrogen particles. The nitrogen embeds in the silicon film deposited on the substrate to form amorphous silicon nitride, the stoichiometry of which depends on the intensity of the ion beam. Instruments measure during the deposition the relative rate of arrival at the target for silicon and nitrogen, and, with pre-generated calibration data for the apparatus, enable an operator to selectively control the film's stoichiometry by controlling the ion beam's intensity response to the measured rate of silicon deposition.

Abstract: A single or multilayer optical interference filter and method of forming filter by ion implantation. One or more layers of nitrogen ions are implanted into a single crystal silicon with the crystal at a temperature of from about 600.degree. C. to about 1000.degree. C. The implanted ions create a buried layer(s) of silicon nitride (Si.sub.3 N.sub.4) whose refractive index is substantially different from that of silicon (Si) such that appreciable multiple reflection of incident light occurs between the buried layer(s) and the front surface. The resulting interference maxima and minima in transmitted or reflected light which occur at well-defined positions in wavelength may be controlled both in amplitude and wavelength position. The ions may be implanted in layers at different depths to produce a "thin film" interference filter.