Patents by Inventor Victor A. Twaddell

Victor A. Twaddell 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).

  • Patent number: 4355456
    Abstract: A platinum-cadmium sulfide Schottky barrier photovoltaic detector which is capable of sensing near ultraviolet and short wavelength visible radiation with extremely small response to wavelengths longer than about 5200 angstroms. The detector is fabricated with both the ohmic and barrier contacts located on the same side of the cadmium sulfide substrate to facilitate wire attachment by high-speed bonding techniques. A titanium-gold-titanium infrared shield structure is deposited directly on the substrate and is utilized to provide a connection between the ohmic contact and the substrate. An insulating layer of silicon dioxide covers the shield structure. A thin layer of platinum is deposited directly on the substrate in a small central optically active area surrounded by the insulated shield structure. A metal boundary layer overlies the periphery of the platinum layer and prevents the barrier contact metalization from affecting the properties of the Schottky barrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1982
    Assignee: General Dynamics, Pomona Division
    Inventors: Gary L. Harnagel, Gerry T. Laga, Joseph M. Harrison, Victor A. Twaddell
  • Patent number: 4319258
    Abstract: A platinum-cadmium sulfide Schottky barrier photovoltaic detector which is capable of sensing near ultraviolet and short wavelength visible radiation with extremely small response to wavelengths longer than about 5200 angstroms. The detector is fabricated with both the ohmic and barrier contacts located on the same side of the cadmium sulfide substrate to facilitate wire attachment by high-speed bonding techniques. A titanium-gold-titanium infrared shield structure is deposited directly on the substrate and is utilized to provide a connection between the ohmic contact and the substrate. An insulating layer of silicon dioxide covers the shield structure. A thin layer of platinum is deposited directly on the substrate in a small central optically active area surrounded by the insulated shield structure. A metal boundary layer overlies the periphery of the platinum layer and prevents the barrier contact metalization from affecting the properties of the Schottky barrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1982
    Assignee: General Dynamics, Pomona Division
    Inventors: Gary L. Harnagel, Gerry T. Laga, Joseph M. Harrison, Victor A. Twaddell
  • Patent number: 4303480
    Abstract: The improved circuit composite of the present invention is of the thick film type, but is readily solderable, weldable and bondable to wire without oxidizing. The composite comprises a refractory substrate such as alumina, beryllia or zirconia, a thick printed film pattern of oxidizable electrically conductive metal such as copper, nickel, or silver bonded to the substrate, and a thin electroplated film of non-oxidizable electrically conductive metal, such as gold or platinum, enclosing and adhering to the thick film pattern. The then-electroplated film allows wires and contacts to be soldered, welded or bonded to the pattern, as by ultrasonic or thermocompression bonding, without degrading the quality of the contact area and while permitting removal and subsequent reattachment of such wires and contacts. The method is simple, inexpensive and efficient. It calls for forming the thick film on the substrate and then electroplating the thin film thereover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1977
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1981
    Assignee: General Dynamics, Pomona Division
    Inventors: John H. Wood, Victor A. Twaddell