Abstract: An electrophoretic medium has walls defining a microcavity containing an internal phase. This internal phase comprises electrophoretic particles suspended in a suspending fluid and capable of moving therethrough upon application of an electric field to the electrophoretic medium. The average height of the microcavity differs by not more than about 5 ?m from the saturated particle thickness of the electrophoretic particle divided by the volume fraction of the electrophoretic particles in the internal phase.

Abstract: A process for creating an electronically addressable display includes multiple printing operations, similar to a multi-color process in conventional screen printing. In some of the process steps, electrically non-active inks are printed onto areas of the receiving substrate, and in other steps, electrically active inks are printed onto different areas of the substrate. The printed display can be used in a variety of applications. This display can be used as an indicator by changing state of the display after a certain time has elapsed, or when a certain pressure, thermal, radiative, moisture, acoustic, inclination, pH, or other threshold is passed. In one embodiment, the display is incorporated into a battery indicator. A sticker display is described. The sticker is adhesive backed and may then be applied to a surface to create a functional information display unit. This invention also features a display that is both powered and controlled using radio frequencies.

Abstract: An electrophoretic display having a protective electrode that reduces the degradation of the display caused by mechanical or electrochemical action. The electrode can include a protective layer that reduces the mechanical or electrochemical damage to a transparent conductive electrode. The protective electrode can be a vapor permeable electrode that is a reticulated electrically conductive structure, such as a metal screen or wire mesh, or a reticulated structure coated or impregnated with a conductive material. The protective electrode can include a layer that protects the display media from physical abrasion or removal by mechanical action, while allowing the application of an electric field to cause the display to be addressed.

Abstract: Techniques for optically evaluating phase masks for fabricating waveguide Bragg gratings by measuring diffraction orders.

Abstract: The invention writes a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) onto a fiber. The invention uses a phase mask to separate an input beam into two beams, and possibly encode each of the two beams with phase information. The invention then uses one or more modulators to possibly encode phase information onto the two beams. An image relay telescope collects the two beams and causes the two beams to interfere with each other to form the FBG on the fiber according to the phase information encoded on the two beams. The image that is incident onto the input surface of the telescope is re-imaged at the output surface of the telescope. Thus, either the phase mask or the modulators, or a combination of both can encode phase information onto the two beams.

Abstract: Optical interferometric techniques and systems for fabricating fiber Bragg gratings in photosensitive optical fibers by using an acousto-optic element to generate and control the radiation pattern with a high resolution. The radiation pattern may be programmable in that different radiation patterns may be produced by controlling the acousto-optic element.