Abstract: A microfluidic device comprising a monolithic superstructure, wherein the superstructure contains fluid channels, and in at least one of the fluid channels, in an area where the channel changes direction or intersects another channel, the channel is greater in cross-section than in other areas of said channel. A microfluidic device superstructure comprising fluid channels wherein said channels comprise projections into at least part of the channel to aid in laminar flow of fluid.

Abstract: A device vaporizes organic materials onto a substrate surface to form a film.

Abstract: A continuous drop emitter includes a liquid supply chamber containing a liquid held at a positive pressure. First and second nozzles are in fluid communication with the liquid supply chamber and emit first and second continuous streams of a liquid. First and second stream break-up transducers independently synchronize the break up of the first and second continuous streams of the liquid into first and second streams of drops. An acoustic damping material is located adjacent to or within the liquid supply chamber for damping sound waves generated within the liquid chamber by the first and second stream break-up transducer. The continuous drop emitter can be configured with a Helmholtz resonant chamber tuned to a critical stimulation frequency having an acoustic damping material located therein.

Abstract: Provided herein are linear solar reflectors and collectors, and methods of efficiently constructing such reflectors and collectors. The reflectors are made using reflective laminate sheets, which can be reinforced by tension-bearing strips. Methods and apparatuses for installing the sheets from a roll dispensing the sheets carried on a deployment vehicle are disclosed, as well as methods and apparatuses for assembling and constructing various collector components, methods and apparatuses for tensioning the reflective laminate sheets, methods and apparatus for passively changing the focal length of the reflectors while controlling their movement to track the sun, and methods and apparatuses for compensating for temperature changes in system components for moving the collectors, are provided.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for forming a liquid pattern including forming non-print drops by applying non-print drop forming energy pulses during a unit time period, ?0, and forming print drops by applying print drop forming energy pulses during a large drop time period, ?m, wherein the large drop time period is a multiple, m, of the unit time period, ?m=m?0, and m?2; and a corresponding plurality of drop forming energy pulses sequences are formed so as to form non-print drops and print drops according to the liquid pattern data. The corresponding drop forming energy pulse sequences applied to adjacent drop forming transducers are substantially shifted in time so that the print drops formed in adjacent streams of drops are not aligned along the nozzle array direction.

Abstract: A method for vaporizing organic materials onto a substrate surface to form a film including providing a quantity of organic material into a vaporization apparatus and actively maintaining the organic material in a first heating region in the vaporization apparatus to be below the vaporization temperature. The method also includes heating a second heating region of the vaporization apparatus above the vaporization temperature of the organic material and metering, at a controlled rate, organic material from the first heating region into the second heating region so that a thin cross section of the organic material is heated at a desired rate-dependent vaporization temperature, whereby organic material vaporizes and forms a film on the substrate surface.

Abstract: A drop generator operable to selectively form a drop having a first size and a drop having a second size from liquid emitted through a nozzle associated with the drop generator. The drop having the first size and the drop having the second size travel along a drop trajectory with the first size being larger than the second size when compared to each other. Each of the drops has a drop velocity. A gas flow deflection system includes a gas flow that is directed at a deflection zone that comprises at least a portion of the drop trajectory. The gas flow in the deflection zone includes a velocity vector having a parallel velocity component and a perpendicular velocity component with the parallel velocity component and the perpendicular velocity component being defined relative to the drop trajectory.

Abstract: A method for registering patterns on a web to provide independent scale control in both the lateral and longitudinal directions is provided. The method includes routing the web over a first roller; routing the web over a second roller and stabilizing the web; applying a pattern to the web using process hardware; measuring registration of the pattern and providing an error signal; controlling lateral position error using the error signal; controlling longitudinal position error using the error signal; controlling lateral scale error using the error signal; and controlling longitudinal scale error using the error signal. The method provides independent scale control in both the lateral and longitudinal directions. Independent scale control avoids non-linear distortions otherwise imposed by attempting to accomplish both corrections by stretching the web in both directions.

Abstract: A method for registering patterns on a web to provide independent scale control in both the lateral and longitudinal directions is provided. The method includes routing the web over a first roller; routing the web over a second roller and stabilizing the web; applying a pattern to the web using process hardware; measuring registration of the pattern and providing an error signal; controlling lateral position error using the error signal; controlling longitudinal position error using the error signal; controlling lateral scale error using the error signal; and controlling longitudinal scale error using the error signal. The method provides independent scale control in both the lateral and longitudinal directions. Independent scale control avoids non-linear distortions otherwise imposed by attempting to accomplish both corrections by stretching the web in both directions.

Abstract: A microfluidic device comprising a monolithic superstructure, wherein the superstructure contains fluid channels, and in at least one of the fluid channels, in an area where the channel changes direction or intersects another channel, the channel is greater in cross-section than in other areas of said channel. A microfluidic device superstructure comprising fluid channels wherein said channels comprise projections into at least part of the channel to aid in laminar flow of fluid.

Abstract: A camera adjusts the aspect ratio of a viewfinder image. The camera has a body and a capture unit mounted in the body. The capture unit has an imager and storage media operatively connected to the imager. The capture unit selectively captures an electronic image of a scene. A viewfinder of the camera displays a light image of the scene. A cropper is disposed in the body. The cropper is switchable among a plurality of settings. Each setting defines a different rectangular cross-sectioned window in the viewfinder. A cropping control is operatively connected to the capture unit and cropper. The cropping control has a cropping input element that is accessible external to the body. The cropping input element is movable between first and second opposed cropping control positions to change the settings. The cropping control positions define a cropping control axis perpendicular to an optical axis of the capture unit.

Abstract: A drop generator operable to selectively form a drop having a first size and a drop having a second size from liquid emitted through a nozzle associated with the drop generator. The drop having the first size and the drop having the second size travel along a drop trajectory with the first size being larger than the second size when compared to each other. Each of the drops has a drop velocity. A gas flow deflection system includes a gas flow that is directed at a deflection zone that comprises at least a portion of the drop trajectory. The gas flow in the deflection zone includes a velocity vector having a parallel velocity component and a perpendicular velocity component with the parallel velocity component and the perpendicular velocity component being defined relative to the drop trajectory.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for forming a liquid pattern of print drops impinging a receiving medium according to liquid pattern data using a liquid drop emitter that emits a plurality of continuous streams of liquid at a stream velocity, vd, from a plurality of nozzles having effective diameters, Dn, arrayed at a nozzle spacing, Sn, along a nozzle array direction that are broken into a plurality of streams of print and non-print drops by a corresponding plurality of drop forming transducers to which a corresponding plurality of drop forming energy pulse sequences are applied.

Abstract: A continuous drop emitter comprising a liquid supply chamber containing a liquid held at a positive pressure; first and second nozzles in fluid communication with the liquid supply chamber nozzles emitting first and second continuous streams of a liquid; first and second stream break-up transducers adapted to independently synchronize the break up of the first and second continuous streams of the liquid into first and second streams of drops of predetermined volumes, respectively; and an acoustic damping material located adjacent to or within the liquid supply chamber for damping sound waves generated within the liquid chamber by the first and second stream break-up transducer. The continuous drop emitter may also configured with a Helmholtz resonant chamber tuned to a critical stimulation frequency having an acoustic damping material therein for absorbing acoustic stimulation energy.

Abstract: A method for vaporizing organic materials onto a substrate surface to form a film including providing a quantity of organic material into a vaporization apparatus and actively maintaining the organic material in a first heating region in the vaporization apparatus to be below the vaporization temperature. The method also includes heating a second heating region of the vaporization apparatus above the vaporization temperature of the organic material and metering, at a controlled rate, organic material from the first heating region into the second heating region so that a thin cross section of the organic material is heated at a desired rate-dependent vaporization temperature, whereby organic material vaporizes and forms a film on the substrate surface.

Abstract: A method for registering patterns on a web to provide independent scale control in both the lateral and longitudinal directions is provided. The method includes routing the web over a first roller; routing the web over a second roller and stabilizing the web; applying a pattern to the web using process hardware; measuring registration of the pattern and providing an error signal; controlling lateral position error using the error signal; controlling longitudinal position error using the error signal; controlling lateral scale error using the error signal; and controlling longitudinal scale error using the error signal. The method provides independent scale control in both the lateral and longitudinal directions. Independent scale control avoids non-linear distortions otherwise imposed by attempting to accomplish both corrections by stretching the web in both directions.

Abstract: A camera adjusts the aspect ratio of a viewfinder image. The camera has a body and a capture unit mounted in the body. The capture unit has an imager and storage media operatively connected to the imager. The capture unit selectively captures an electronic image of a scene. A viewfinder of the camera displays a light image of the scene. A cropper is disposed in the body. The cropper is switchable among a plurality of settings. Each setting defines a different rectangular cross-sectioned window in the viewfinder. A cropping control is operatively connected to the capture unit and cropper. The cropping control has a cropping input element that is accessible external to the body. The cropping input element is movable between first and second opposed cropping control positions to change the settings. The cropping control positions define a cropping control axis perpendicular to an optical axis of the capture unit.

Abstract: A method for registering machine tool and profilometer coordinates, wherein the machine tool defines a C-axis having a zero position, C=0, comprises loading a sacrificial workpiece into the machine tool; cutting several first features in a surface of the sacrificial workpiece and producing a linear machine tool motion across the workpiece; determining the centroid of each first cut feature; fitting a line to the centroids of the first cut features; and measuring angle ?0 of the line relative to the C-axis zero position. The angle ?0 is the departure in profilometer coordinates from the C=0 line. The method includes moving the machine tool to a fixed radius; cutting several second features in a surface of the sacrificial workpiece and producing a circular machine tool motion across the workpiece; determining the centroid of each second cut feature; fitting a circle to the centroids of the second cut features; and determining a center of the circle.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of measuring an article is provided. The method includes providing an article having a feature to be measured, the article having a surface; measuring the surface of the article with a measuring instrument to obtain article surface data; and analyzing the article surface feature data such that data on the feature to be measured is developed. Measuring the surface of the article can include scanning the measuring instrument over the article surface. Analyzing the article surface feature data can include associating portions of the article surface data with individual features thereby producing associated feature surface data; and analyzing the associated feature surface data. The measuring instrument can be, for example, a contact measuring instrument or an interference measuring instrument. A computer storage medium having instructions stored therein for causing a computer to perform the method described above is also provided.

Abstract: A camera and method provide image cropping. The camera has a body and a capture unit mounted in the body. The capture unit has an imager and storage media operatively connected to the imager. The capture unit selectively captures an electronic image of a scene. A viewfinder optical system is aligned with the capture unit. The viewfinder optical system defines a viewfinder light path. A cropper is disposed in the body. The cropper has a pair of vanes. The vanes are selectively movable, relative to each other, between first and second positions and through a continuous sequence of intermediate positions between the first and second positions. The vanes, in each of the positions, delimits a rectangular cross-sectioned window in the viewfinder light path. A control unit is operatively connected to the capture unit and cropper. The control unit crops the electronic image to match the window.