Method and apparatus for electrospray augmented high field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry   
Patent # 6,972,407 Date Issued:  December 6, 2005

A field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometer apparatus and system including a sample preparation and introduction section, a head for delivery of ions from a sample, an ion filtering section, an output part, and an electronics part wherein the filter section includes surfaces defining a flow path, further including ion filter electrodes facing each other over the flow path that enables the flow of ions derived from the sample between the electrodes and wherein the electronics part applies controlling signals to the electrodes for generating a filter field for filtering the flow of ions in the flow path while being compensated to pass desired ion species out of the filter.

Sensor readout circuit  
Patent # 6,972,553 Date Issued:  December 6, 2005

A sensor readout circuit which provides a frequency signal output including a phase detector circuit responsive to an output signal from a sensor and an input signal to the sensor and configured to detect the phase difference between the input signal and the output signal, and a drive circuit responsive to the phase detector circuit and configured to maintain a fixed phase difference between the input signal and the output signal.

Achromatic fiber-optic powersplitter and related methods
Patent # 6,959,131 B2  Date Issued:  October 25, 2005

An achromatic power splitter is formed from multiple optical fibers. The achromatic power splitter operates single mode, which permits the power splitter to operate substantially insensitive to changes in wavelength of the input light, to changes in the polarization of the input light, to changes in the temperature of the device, and to exposure to ionizing radiation.

Method for microfabricating structures using silicon-on-insulator material
Patent # 6,946,314 Date Issued:  September 20, 2005

The invention provides a general fabrication method for producing MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) and related devices using Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafer. The method includes providing an SOI wafer that has (i) a handle layer, (ii) a dielectric layer, and (iii) a device layer, wherein a mesa etch has been made on the device layer of the SOI wafer, providing a substrate, wherein a pattern has been etched onto the substrate, bonding the SOI wafer and the substrate together, removing the handle layer of the SOI wafer, removing the dielectric layer of the SOI wafer, then performing a structural etch on the device layer of the SOI wafer to define the device.

Sensor isolation system
Patent #6,937,479 Date Issued:  August 30, 2005

A sensor isolation system including a sensor, a package for the sensor, and a compliant interposer disposed between the sensor and the package and interconnecting the sensor to the package to isolate the sensor from thermal and mechanical stresses and yet at the same time providing a physical interconnect between the sensor and the package.

Thermo-optical switch using coated microsphere resonators
Patent # 6,934,436 Date Issued:  August 23, 2005

An all-optical switch includes a microsphere optical resonator coated with a conjugated polymer. A signal light beam propagating along a first SPARROW waveguide defining a throughput channel is evanescently coupled into the resonant whispering gallery modes (WGM) of the microsphere, and out of the microsphere onto a second SPARROW waveguide defining a drop channel. A secondary switching light beam is used to heat the microsphere resonator, thereby shifting its resonant frequency so that it no longer overlaps with the signal beam frequency. Light coupling into the microsphere and onto the drop channel is thus eliminated, and the signal beam is switched from the drop channel to the throughput channel. The time constant for the WGM resonant frequency shifting was about 165 ms, indicating thermo-optic switching capabilities at speeds on the order of 100 microseconds for high-Q modes. Multiple frequencies or channels can be routed using a switch configuration with multiple microspheres and drop channels. 

Low-cost, low-power geolocation system   
Patent # 6,934,626 Date Issued:  August 23, 2005

A system and method for determining the location of a transmission source by processing the magnitude of the transmitted signal received at a plurality of receivers with a statistical model of the signal propagation characteristics associated with the signal space between the source and each of the receivers. The system and method also are capable of determining a route of travel between the transmission source and a receiver and/or alternate location.  

Dual microwave cavity accelerometer
Patent # 6,928,875 Date Issued:  August 16, 2005

A system and method for compensating for gradients in a dual cavity device such as but not limited to an accelerometer. A first source drives a first cavity at least two different modes, at least one mode varying with changes in cavity length. A second source drives a second cavity at least two different modes, at least one mode varying with changes in cavity length. A processor determines changes in cavity length as a function of both modes in both cavities to compensate for non-uniform behavior between the cavities.

Compact navigation system and method
Patent # 6,918,186 Date Issued:  July 7, 2005

A compact navigation system for a rover is provided. The navigation system includes a housing configured to be transported by the rover; a gimbal system having two or more gimbals that includes at least an outer gimbal connected to the housing and an inner gimbal nested in and connected to the outer gimbal; a solid state three-axis gyro assembly mounted on the inner gimbal; a solid state three-axis accelerometer assembly mounted on the inner gimbal; a gyro logic circuit responsive to the three-axis gyro assembly for producing an inertial angular rate about each gyro input axis; an accelerometer logic circuit responsive to the three-axis accelerometer assembly for producing a non-gravitational acceleration along each accelerometer input axis; and a processor responsive to the gyro logic circuits and the accelerometer logic circuits for determining the attitude and the position of the housing to provide for long term accuracy of the attitude and the position for navigation of the rover.

Borehole navigation system
Patent # 6,895,678 Date Issued:  May 24, 2005 

An omnidirectional borehole navigation system is provided which features a housing for traversing a borehole; a gimbal system including at least one outer gimbal connected to the housing and at least one inner gimbal nested in and connected to the outer gimbal; a solid state three-axis gyro assembly mounted on the inner gimbal; a solid state three-axis accelerometer assembly mounted on the inner gimbal; gyro logic circuits on the inner gimbal responsive to the three-axis gyro assembly to produce the inertial angular rate about each gyro input axis; accelerometer logic circuits on the inner gimbal to produce the non-gravitational acceleration along each accelerometer input axis; and a microprocessor responsive to the gyro logic circuits and the accelerometer logic circuits for determining the attitude and the position and velocity of the housing in its borehole.

Integrated sensor and electronics package
Patent # 6,891,239 Date Issued:  May 10, 2005

An integrated sensor and electronics package wherein a micro-electromechanical sensor die is bonded to one side of the package substrate, one or more electronic chips are bonded to an opposite side of the package substrate, internal electrical connections run from the sensor die, through the package substrate, and to the one or more electronic chips, and input/output connections on the package substrate are electrically connected to one or more of the electronic chips.

Charge amplifier device having fully integrated DC stabilization
Patent # 6,873,206 Date Issued:  March 29, 2005 

A fully integrated charge amplifier with DC stabilization includes a first amplifier having an input terminal and an output terminal, a first capacitor coupled between the input terminal and the output terminal of the first amplifier, a transimpedance amplifier having an input terminal coupled to the output terminal of the first amplifier and an output terminal, and an impedance device coupled between the input terminal of the first amplifier and the output terminal of the second amplifier. The impedance device has a resistance of at least 1 M OMEGA.

Optically rebalanced accelerometer
Patent # 6,867,411  Date Issued:  March 15, 2005 

An optical accelerometer for detecting an acceleration of a proof mass includes a source of optical radiation for generating a pair of beams of output radiation. The pair of beams of optical radiation exerts radiation pressure on the proof mass, so as to maintain the proof mass in an equilibrium position along a sensing axis. A position detecting system detects a displacement from the equilibrium position of the proof mass along the sensing axis in response to an inertial force acting on the proof mass. A modulator adjusts the intensity of each one of the pair of beams, so as to restore the proof mass to the equilibrium position along the sensing axis. The difference in the adjusted intensities of each one of the pair of beams is representative of the acceleration, resulting from the inertial force, of the proof mass along the sensing axis.

Tuning fork gyroscope
Patent # 6,862,934  Date Issued:  March 8, 2005 

A tuning fork gyroscope typically including at least one proof mass with an upper sense plate disposed above the proof mass and a lower sense plate disposed below the proof mass and means for sensing changes in the nominal gaps between the sense plate and the proof mass and for outputting a signal indicative of the gyroscope angular rate.

Flexural plate wave sensor and array
Patent # 6,851,297 Date Issued:  February 8, 2005

A method for manufacturing a flexural plate wave sensor includes the steps of depositing an etch-stop layer over a substrate, depositing a membrane layer over the etch stop layer, depositing a piezoelectric layer over the membrane layer, forming a first transducer on the piezoelectric layer and forming a second transducer on the piezoelectric layer, spaced from the first transducer. The method further includes the steps of etching a cavity through the substrate, the cavity having substantially parallel interior walls, removing the portion of the etch stop layer between the cavity and the membrane layer to expose a portion of the membrane layer, and depositing an absorptive coating on the exposed portion of the membrane layer.

Flexural plate wave sensor and array
Patent # 6,837,097  Date Issued:  January 4, 2005 

A method for manufacturing a flexural plate wave sensor includes the steps of depositing an etch-stop layer over a substrate, depositing a membrane layer over the etch stop layer, depositing a piezoelectric layer over the membrane layer, forming a first transducer on the piezoelectric layer and forming a second transducer on the piezoelectric layer, spaced from the first transducer. The method further includes the steps of etching a cavity through the substrate, the cavity having substantially parallel interior walls, removing the portion of the etch stop layer between the cavity and the membrane layer to expose a portion of the membrane layer, and depositing an absorptive coating on the exposed portion of the membrane layer.