Patents by Inventor Nicholas J. Kirchner

Nicholas J. Kirchner 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).

  • Publication number: 20240157642
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides apparatuses and methods for manufacturing three-dimensional objects. Each additive manufacturing apparatus (1000, 2000, 3000) includes: a) a reservoir (1100, 2100, 3100) for receiving hardenable material; b) a first movable light engine (1200, 2200, 3200) providing a first light radiation configuration; a second light engine (1300, 2300, 3300) providing a second light radiation configuration that is different than the first light radiation configuration; and d) a light altering structure (1400, 2400, 3400). The light altering structure is located between the reservoir and light radiated from at least one of the first movable light engine or the second light engine. The first movable light engine is configured to radiate light onto a first focal plane (2220) within the reservoir containing the hardenable material and the second light engine is configured to radiate light onto a second focal plane (2320) within the reservoir containing the hardenable material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Publication date: May 16, 2024
    Inventors: Malte KORTEN, Nicholas S. WREN, Gareth A. HUGHES, Benjamin C. MAC MURRAY, Kyle C. PICHA, Jesse J. GILLES, Leif J. ERICKSON, Eric H. TSAI, Matthew T. LINGSCHEIT, Gioacchino RAIA, Bastian P. KIRCHNER, Christian A. RICHTER, Jeffrey N. BARTOW
  • Patent number: 11552438
    Abstract: An apparatus for generation of tunable terahertz radiation is provided. The apparatus comprises: a plurality of terahertz magnon laser generators, whereas at least one such terahertz magnon laser generator comprises a multilayer column, and a terahertz transparent medium separating at least two such terahertz magnon laser generators. At least one such multilayer column further comprises: a substrate, a bottom electrode coupled with the substrate, a bottom layer coupled with the bottom electrode, a tunnel junction coupled with the bottom layer, a top layer coupled with the tunnel junction, a pinning layer coupled with the spin injector, and a top electrode coupled with the pinning layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Magtera, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas J. Kirchner, Charles Thomas Thurman, Boris G. Tankhilevich
  • Patent number: 11515687
    Abstract: A method for tuning the frequency of THz radiation is provided. The method utilizes an apparatus comprising a spin injector, a tunnel junction coupled to the spin injector, and a ferromagnetic material coupled to the tunnel junction. The ferromagnetic material comprises a Magnon Gain Medium (MGM). The method comprises the step of applying a bias voltage to shift a Fermi level of the spin injector with respect to the Fermi level of the ferromagnetic material to initiate generation of non-equilibrium magnons by injecting minority electrons into the Magnon Gain Medium. The method further comprises the step of tuning a frequency of the generated THz radiation by changing the value of the bias voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Magtera, Inc.
    Inventors: Boris G. Tankhilevich, Nicholas J. Kirchner, Charles Thomas Thurman
  • Patent number: 10892602
    Abstract: A method for tuning the frequency of THz radiation is provided. The method utilizes an apparatus comprising a spin injector, a tunnel junction coupled to the spin injector, and a ferromagnetic material coupled to the tunnel junction. The ferromagnetic material comprises a Magnon Gain Medium (MGM). The method comprises the step of applying a bias voltage to shift a Fermi level of the spin injector with respect to the Fermi level of the ferromagnetic material to initiate generation of non-equilibrium magnons by injecting minority electrons into the Magnon Gain Medium. The method further comprises the step of tuning a frequency of the generated THz radiation by changing the value of the bias voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: MAGTERA, INC.
    Inventors: Boris G. Tankhilevich, Nicholas J. Kirchner, Charles Thomas Thurman
  • Publication number: 20200388976
    Abstract: An apparatus for generation of tunable terahertz radiation is provided. The apparatus comprises: a plurality of terahertz magnon laser generators, whereas at least one such terahertz magnon laser generator comprises a multilayer column, and a terahertz transparent medium separating at least two such terahertz magnon laser generators. At least one such multilayer column further comprises: a substrate, a bottom electrode coupled with the substrate, a bottom layer coupled with the bottom electrode, a tunnel junction coupled with the bottom layer, a top layer coupled with the tunnel junction, a pinning layer coupled with the spin injector, and a top electrode coupled with the pinning layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Inventors: Nicholas J. Kirchner, Charles Thomas Thurman, Boris G. Tankhilevich
  • Publication number: 20200343693
    Abstract: A method for tuning the frequency of THz radiation is provided. The method utilizes an apparatus comprising a spin injector, a tunnel junction coupled to the spin injector, and a ferromagnetic material coupled to the tunnel junction. The ferromagnetic material comprises a Magnon Gain Medium (MGM). The method comprises the step of applying a bias voltage to shift a Fermi level of the spin injector with respect to the Fermi level of the ferromagnetic material to initiate generation of non-equilibrium magnons by injecting minority electrons into the Magnon Gain Medium. The method further comprises the step of tuning a frequency of the generated THz radiation by changing the value of the bias voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2020
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Inventors: Boris G. Tankhilevich, Nicholas J. Kirchner, Charles Thomas Thurman
  • Patent number: 10804671
    Abstract: An apparatus for generation of tunable terahertz radiation is provided. The apparatus comprises: a plurality of terahertz magnon laser generators, whereas at least one such terahertz magnon laser generator comprises a multilayer column, and a terahertz transparent medium separating at least two such terahertz magnon laser generators. At least one such multilayer column further comprises: a substrate, a bottom electrode coupled with the substrate, a bottom layer coupled with the bottom electrode, a tunnel junction coupled with the bottom layer, a top layer coupled with the tunnel junction, a pinning layer coupled with the spin injector, and a top electrode coupled with the pinning layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Magtera, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas J. Kirchner, Boris G. Tankhilevich, Charles Thomas Thurman
  • Patent number: 5811820
    Abstract: A device for the parallel processing of ions is provided. The device may be utilized for thin film deposition or ion implantation and may include the following: an ion source, ion capture and storage ion optics, mass selection ion optics, neutral trapping elements, extraction ion optics, beam neutralization mechanisms, and a substrate on which deposition and thin film growth occurs is provided. Ions are captured and stored within a closely packed array of parallel ion conducting channels. The ion conducting channels transport high current low energy ions from the ion source to irradiate the substrate target. During transport, ion species can be mass selected, merged with ions from multiple sources, and undergo gas phase charge exchange ion molecule reactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Massively Parallel Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas J. Kirchner, Felix G. Gutman, Oleg V. Alexandrov, Efim A. Dynin
  • Patent number: 5464975
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing mass-selected particles. A mass filter adapted to receive a flux of particles at its entry emits a mass-selected subset of the received flux of particles at its exit, and an electrode configuration provides electric fields for deflecting at least some of the mass-selected subset of particles thus emitted across a substantially open spatial region through substantially 180 degrees of arc. The deflected particles can be collected, converted, fragmented, or detected. The apparatus and method are suitable for use with a multipole (e.g., quadrupole) mass filter, and the electrode configuration can easily be retrofitted to existing installed multipole mass spectrometers as well as adapted to newly manufactured designs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1995
    Inventors: Nicholas J. Kirchner, Michael Weber-Grafau
  • Patent number: 5206506
    Abstract: An ion processing unit (10) comprising a series of M perforated electrode sheets (12), driving electronics (14,16) and a central processing unit (18), allow formation, shaping and translation of multiple effective potential wells (42). Ions, trapped within a given effective potential well (42), can be isolated, transferred, cooled or heated, separated, and combined. Measurement of induced image currents allows measurement and typing of ion species by their respective mass-to-charge ratios. The combination of many electrode sheets (12), each having N multiple perforations (22), creates any number of parallel ion processing channels (26). The ion processing unit (10) provides an N by M massively parallel ion processing system, furnishing means for processing large numbers of ions in parallel in the same manner, but with different ion processes deployed at different sections of each ion processing channel (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1993
    Inventor: Nicholas J. Kirchner