Patents by Inventor Thomas M. Essinger-Hileman

Thomas M. Essinger-Hileman 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).

  • Optical filter having polyimide aerogel substrate and infrared radiation scattering particles
    Patent number: 11803001
    Abstract: The present invention relates to broadband and tunable infrared (IR)-blocking optical filters for millimeter and sub-millimeter astronomy composed of small diffusely scattered particles embedded in an aerogel substrate. The size of the scattering particles included in the aerogel filters can be tuned to give variable cutoff frequencies. In one embodiment, the aerogel scattering optical filters of the present invention have ultra-low density and index of refraction (typically n<1.15), removing the need for anti-reflection coatings that limit bandwidth and increase filter complexity, and allowing for high transmission across an ultra-broad band from zero frequency to above 1 THz, and as much as 10 THz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA
    Inventors: Thomas M. Essinger-Hileman, Mary Ann Meador, Haiquan Guo, Tobias Marriage, Charles L. Bennett