Abstract:
A resist structure used in fabricating microelectronic devices on a substrate by lithography includes three layers, a thick planarizing layer (20) of a polymer material in contact with the substrate (12) and having a generally planar upper surface, a separating layer (26) overlying the planarizing layer (20), and an imaging layer (28) of a resist material overlying the separating layer (26). The separating layer (26) is a light transparent and electrically conductive material, preferably a mixture of indium oxide and tin oxide. An etched resist structure is formed on the substrate (12) by defining and developing a pattern in the imaging layer (28), transferring the pattern to the separating layer (26), and transferring the pattern to the planarizing layer (20).
Abstract:
An electron beam addressed crystal light valve (LCLV) produces an AC voltage across a liquid crystal layer from a single polarity electron beam, and exhibits very high resolution. A mirror (20) and a thin layer of partially conductive material (24) are deposited on a support membrane (22) on the electron beam side of the liquid crystal (8). The partially conductive layer (24) is divided into a series of pixel elements by a conductive matrix (26) which faces the electron beam. Electrons from the beam are absorbed by the partially conductive layer (24) to establish a negative voltage across the liquid crystal, and then flow out to the conductive matrix (26) to produce an AC voltage (30) prior to the next electron beam scan. The conductive matrix (26) is connected in circuit with a transparent electrode (18) which provides a voltage reference on the readout side of the liquid crystal. The elements of the device are designed with electrical parameters that produce a discharge rate from the partially conductive layer (24) fast enough to complete an AC cycle between successive electron beam scans, but slow enough for the liquid crystal to respond and produce an image.
Abstract:
A waveguide slotted array, employing compound slots in a waveguide broad wall. The phase of the voltage excited in the slot is controlled by the slot offset and angle of inclination relative to the axis. Utilization of the additional phase control provided by the compound slots allows the beam of a travelling wave slot array to be placed far from broadside, without the need to operate the array at frequencies so close to the waveguide cutoff frequency that there is unacceptable frequency sensitivity. The beam may be placed at any angle independently of which end of the array contains the input and which end the load.
Abstract:
A process for preparing a T-gate (26) structure for use in applying a gate voltage in a field effect transistor, wherein the gate has a short foot (42) portion in contact with the semiconductor substrate (12) for a short gate length and consequent low capacitance, and a large amount of metal in a contact head portion (30) for gate low resistance. An electron beam resist technique is used to define the foot (28) and head profiles (30), and a dry etch technique is used to transfer the foot profile (28) to a dielectric layer (32) overlying the substrate (12). Metal is deposited into the profile pattern thus defined to form the head (30) and the foot (28), and excess metal is removed by lifting off the electron beam resist layer (34). The remaining elements of the field effect transistor are fabricated either before, in steps intermixed with, or after the T-gate is deposited.
Abstract:
An apparatus (10) for producing a beam (14) of ionized clusters, having a cluster source (12) and an ionizer (18), includes an electrostatic mass separator (26) which permits only those clusters having a mass greater than a selected value to pass. Unclustered ions and clusters of smaller size are reflected and do not reach the substrate target. The mass separator (26) has a retarding field electrode (30) and an entrance electrode (28), both in the form of grids (32) with the grid openings aligned. Use of a second electrostatic mass separator (26) allows selection of a narrow range of cluster masses for acceleration against the substrate.
Abstract:
A multiple cavity waveguide laser is formed of a pair of face to face contiguous dielectric blocks (70, 72), in the facing surfaces of which are formed pairs of mating waveguide grooves (78, 80, 82, 84), having an electrode partition (92) sealed to and between the adjacent mating blocks to separate one pair of waveguide cavities from another, thereby forming four closely spaced waveguide cavities. In another embodiment, the partition (26) between the two dielectric blocks (10, 12) is thin conductive material, and dielectric partitions (36, 38) are provided between cavities of each pair in a single dielectric block. The internal surfaces (40, 42, 44, 47) of each cavity opposite the common electrode (26) are plated with an electrically conductive material, and suitable electrical connections (56, 58, 18) are made from the internal electrodes to the exterior of the blocks. The two blocks (10, 12) are fixed to one another by a brazing and sealing compound (18) on their surfaces, which brazing compound may form part of the electrical connection from the internal electrodes. Mirrors common to all four cavities are mounted to the ends (62, 64) of the blocks, and radio frequency energy is coupled to the internal electrodes for excitation of the lasing gas within the cavities.
Abstract:
A system using a ray-tracing algorithm and a hierarchy of volume elements (called voxels) to process only the visible surfaces in a field of view. In this arrangement, a dense, three-dimensional voxel data base is developed from the objects, their shadows and other features recorded, for example, in two-dimensional aerial photography. The rays are grouped into subimages and the subimages are executed as parallel tasks on a multiple instruction stream and multiple data stream computer (MIMD).
Abstract:
Imagery data of a scene in the form of data for pixels of a display screen, by the use of a voxel data base. A host simulation system provides data as to the viewer's eye position relative to the display screen, which determines the simulated field of view (FOV) and the voxel data base is organized into a two dimensional grid, for each of a plurality of resolution levels representing ground coordinate positions. The display screen comprises rows and columns of pixels and a plane projected through the eyepoint and a given pixel column intercepts the data base grid in a line which defines a given linear scanning path. In accordance with the invention the voxel data base is effectively scanned along the linear path at a data base resolution proportional to the projected pixel size on the data base and the scanned voxel data is processed into data for successive pixels, the respective boundaries of which are projected onto the data base surface encountered in the linear scan of the data base. Compensation for effects such as elevation (vertical) perspective and roll are performed following the computation of the pixel data.
Abstract:
A satellite communications system employs separate subsystems for providing broadcast and point-to-point two-way communications using the same assigned frequency band. The broadcast and point-to-point subsystems employ an integrated satellite antenna system which uses a common reflector (12). The point-to-point subsystem achieves increased communication capacity through the reuse of the assigned frequency band over multiple, contiguous zones (32, 34, 36, 38) covering the area of the earth to be serviced. Small aperture terminals in the zones are serviced by a plurality of high gain downlink fan beams (29) steered in the east-west direction by frequency address. A special beam-forming network (98) provides in conjunction with an array antenna (20) the multiple zone frequency address function. The satellite (10) employs a filter interconnection matrix (90) for connecting earth terminals in different zones in a manner which permits multiple reuse of the entire band of assigned frequencies. A single pool of solid state transmitters allows rain disadvantaged users to be assigned higher than normal power at minimum cost. The intermodulation products of the transmitters are geographically dispersed.
Abstract:
A nickel-hydrogen storage cell (12) having means within the pressure vessel (40) of the cell (12) for shorting the cell when the cell fails because of an open circuit condition, so that a battery (10) containing the failed cell continues to provide electrical storage capability at a voltage diminished only by that of the failed cell. A shorting plate set (50) within the pressure vessel (40) and in parallel with the active plate sets (18) includes a silver electrode (54) that is normally inert, but which dissolves in the electrolyte of the cell (12) when the discharge voltage across the cell increases to a large negative value, indicating open circuit failure of the cell. The silver then plates out onto the normally positive nickel electrodes (20) so that the silver eventually bridges the gap between the nickel electrode (20) and the silver electrode (54), and shorts them, thereby also shorting the cell.