739 results about "Constant waveform" patented technology

A method of forming a barrier layer for a thin film structure on a semiconductor substrate includes forming high aspect ratio openings in a base layer having vertical side walls, depositing a dielectric barrier layer comprising a dielectric compound of a barrier metal on the surfaces of the high aspect ratio openings including the vertical side walls and depositing a metal barrier layer comprising the barrier metal on the first barrier layer. The method further includes reflowing the metal barrier layer by (a) directing light from an array of continuous wave lasers into a line of light extending at least partially across the thin film structure, and (b) translating the line of light relative to the thin film structure in a direction transverse to the line of light.

To provide a semiconductor device having a circuit with high operating performance and high reliability, and improve the reliability of the semiconductor device, thereby improving the reliability of an electronic device having the same. The aforementioned object is achieved by combining a step of crystallizing a semiconductor layer by irradiation with continuous wave laser beams or pulsed laser beams with a repetition rate of 10 MHz or more, while scanning in one direction; a step of photolithography with the use of a photomask or a leticle including an auxiliary pattern which is formed of a diffraction grating pattern or a semi-transmissive film having a function of reducing the light intensity; and a step of performing oxidation, nitridation, or surface-modification to the surface of the semiconductor film, an insulating film, or a conductive film, with high-density plasma with a low electron temperature.

The present invention generally provides a terahertz (THz) imaging system that includes a source for generating radiation (e.g., a quantum cascade laser) having one or more frequencies in a range of about 0.1 THz to about 10 THz, and a two-dimensional detector array comprising a plurality of radiation detecting elements that are capable of detecting radiation in that frequency range. An optical system directs radiation from the source to an object to be imaged. The detector array detects at least a portion of the radiation transmitted through the object (or reflected by the object) so as to form a THz image of that object.

An objective is to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a semiconductor device manufactured by using the manufacturing method, in which a laser crystallization method is used that is capable of preventing the formation of grain boundaries in TFT channel formation regions, and is capable of preventing conspicuous drops in TFT mobility, reduction in the ON current, and increases in the OFF current, all due to grain boundaries. Stripe shape or rectangular shape unevenness or opening is formed. Continuous wave laser light is then irradiated to a semiconductor film formed on an insulating film. Note that although it is most preferable to use continuous wave laser light at this point, pulse wave oscillation laser light may also be used.

A continuous wave laser excites a biological particle. Detection channels are created to detect light scattered by the biological particle, and to detect any auto-fluorescence emitted by the biological particle. Additional channels can also detect light emitted by auto-fluorescence of the biological particle when simultaneously excited by light at harmonics of the laser's fundamental wavelength. The biological particle is identified using Mie scattering and auto-fluorescence. Ratio-metric calculations generated by calculating ratios of detected peak heights or integrated pulse values in the channels provides additional information for identifying and classifying the biological particle. A warning or alert can be provided if the identified biological particle is a particle of interest.

A short-range inter-vehicle communication and warning apparatus comprises a forward radar and a backward radar. The apparatus uses the radars to generate Frequency Modulation / Continuous Wave (FMCW) signals, uses amplitude shift keying for data modulation and arranges a special packet format, to realize such a low cost and fast response device of collision avoidance for vehicles. The invention has the dual capabilities of detecting and communicating simultaneously. It can also measure the relative speed of a preceding / rear vehicles and the relative inter-vehicle distance. The invention also exchanges the real-time traffic information with the preceding / rear vehicles at the same time. It is applicable to a one-to-one or one-to-many inter-vehicle channel model.

A method for analyzing gas concentration using doubly resonant photoacoustic spectroscopy, and a doubly resonant photaoacoustic gas detector comprising: i) a continuous wave light beam whose wavelength coincides with an absorption wavelength of a gaseous analyte; ii) a closed path optical cavity having at least two reflective surfaces; iii) an acoustic resonator chamber contained within said optical cavity, and comprising an acoustic sensor for detecting sound waves generated by a gaseous analyte present within said chamber, the light beam passing sequentially into, through and out of said chamber, and being repeatedly reflected back and forth through said chamber, and being modulated at a frequency which is equal to or equal to one-half of an acoustic resonance frequency of said acoustic resonator chamber.

Fiber lasers and methods for constructing and using fiber lasers for micro- / nano-machining with output beams including stacked pulses and combinations of continuous wave, pseudo-continuous wave and pulse sequence components.

A passively mode-locked solid-state laser for emitting a continuous-wave train of electromagnetic-radiation pulses, the fundamental repetition rate of the emitted pulses exceeding 1 GHz, without Q-switching has an optical resonator, a solid-state laser gain element placed inside the optical resonator, an exciter for exciting said laser gain element to emit electromagnetic radiation having the effective wavelength, and a saturable absorber for passive mode locking. The laser gain element preferably consists of a laser material with a stimulated emission cross section exceeding 0.8x10-18 cm-2 at the effective wavelength. Typically, the laser gain element is made of Nd:vanadate. The saturable absorber is preferably a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror device. The laser is simple, robust, compact, efficient, and low-cost. It generates a relatively large average power of 100 mW and higher, which is useful for a number of optical probing and detection applications, in a beam which is substantially a fundamental spatial mode.

A laser system capable of efficient production of high energy sub-nanosecond pulses in the 2-15 μm spectral region is disclosed. Diode pumped solid state lasers are used as pump sources. The system design is simple, reliable and compact allowing for easy integration. The laser system includes a combination of compact solid-state ˜1 micron laser sources, producing high power picosecond pulses, with optical parametric amplification and a quasi-continuous wave laser for seeding the amplification process that enables the efficient conversion of the high power ˜1 micron laser radiation to tuneable mid-infrared sub-ns pulses. New parametric processes are presented for achieving high gains in bulk nonlinear crystals. Furthermore, a method of exceeding the fundamental conversion efficiency limit of direct three wave mixing is presented. The compact and robust nature of this novel laser system opens up the use of high power and high peak power mid-infrared laser pulses to a wide variety of important medical and dental applications.

Methods and systems for a photonic interposer are disclosed and may include receiving one or more continuous wave (CW) optical signals in a silicon photonic interposer from an external optical source, either from an optical source assembly or from optical fibers coupled to the silicon photonic interposer. The received CW optical signals may be processed based on electrical signals received from the electronics die. The modulated optical signals may be received in the silicon photonic interposer from optical fibers coupled to the silicon photonic interposer. Electrical signals may be generated in the silicon photonic interposer based on the received modulated optical signals, and may then be communicated to the electronics die via copper pillars. Optical signals may be communicated into and / or out of the silicon photonic interposer utilizing grating couplers. The electronics die may comprise one or more of: a processor core, a switch core, or router.

This disclosure teaches a method of filling deep vias or capping deep conducting paste filled vias in silicon or glass substrate using laser assisted chemical vapor deposition of metals. This method uses a continuous wave or pulsed laser to heat the via bottom and the growing metal fill selectively by selecting the laser wavelength such that silicon and / or glass do not absorb the energy of the laser in any appreciable manner to cause deposition in the field. Alternatively holographic mask or an array of micro lenses may be used to focus the laser beams to the vias to fill them with metal. The substrate is moved in a controlled manner in the z-direction away from the laser at about the rate of deposition thus causing the laser heating to be focused on the surface region of the growing metal fill.

A radio frequency identification system having a passive backscatter transponder employing phase modulation. The transponder selectively couples its antenna to one of two or more impedances, wherein the impedances each produce a reflected signal when coupled to the antenna in the presence of a continuous RF wave from the reader. The reflected signals produced by the impedances are out-of-phase with each other. The transponder switches between impedances to encode transponder information into a reflected signal through phase shifts in the reflected signal. The reader detects the phase shifts in the reflected signal received at the reader to obtain the transponder information. The impedances are selected so as to produce reflected signals having a desired phase relationship or difference and having sufficient amplitude.

Methods and systems for an optical coupler for photonics devices are disclosed and may include a photonics transceiver comprising a silicon photonics die, an optical source module, and a fiber connector for receiving optical fibers and including a die coupler and an optical coupling element. The die coupler may be bonded to a top surface of the photonics die and aligned above an array of grating couplers. The optical coupling element may be attached to the die coupler and the electronics die and the source module may be bonded to the top surface of the photonics die. A continuous wave (CW) optical signal may be received in the photonics die from the optical source module. Modulated optical signals may be received in the photonics die from optical fibers coupled to the fiber connector.

A high capacity optical transmitter implemented on a photonic integrated circuit chip comprises a single light source which supplies a continuous wave having a particular wavelength to a plurality of modulators to form modulated optical information signals. A phase shifter is coupled to at least one of the modulators and is used to shift the phase of the corresponding modulated optical information signal associated with a particular modulator. A polarization beam combiner receives each of the modulated optical information signals from the modulators and the modulated optical information signal from the phase shifter and combines each of these signals to form a polarization multiplexed differential quadrature phase-shift keying signal. The light source, the plurality of modulators, the phase shifter and the polarization beam combiner are all integrated on the chip.

A single crystal CVD synthetic diamond material comprising: a total as-grown nitrogen concentration equal to or greater than 5 ppm, and a uniform distribution of defects, wherein said uniform distribution of defects is defined by one or more of the following characteristics: (i) the total nitrogen concentration, when mapped by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) over an area equal to or greater than 50×50 μm using an analysis area of 10 μm or less, possesses a point-to-point variation of less than 30% of an average total nitrogen concentration value, or when mapped by SIMS over an area equal to or greater than 200×200 μm using an analysis area of 60 μm or less, possesses a point-to-point variation of less than 30% of an average total nitrogen concentration value; (ii) an as-grown nitrogen-vacancy defect (NV) concentration equal to or greater than 50 ppb as measured using 77K UV-visible absorption measurements, wherein the nitrogen-vacancy defects are uniformly distributed through the synthetic single crystal CVD diamond material such that, when excited using a 514 nm laser excitation source of spot size equal to or less than 10 μm at room temperature using a 50 mW 46 continuous wave laser, and mapped over an area equal to or greater than 50×50 μm with a data interval less than 10 μm there is a low point-to-point variation wherein the intensity area ratio of nitrogen vacancy photoluminescence peaks between regions of high photoluminescent intensity and regions of low photolominescent intensity is <2× for either the 575 nm photoluminescent peak (NV0) or the 637 nm photoluminescent peak (NV); (iii) a variation in Raman intensity such that, when excited using a 514 nm laser excitation source (resulting in a Raman peak at 552.4 nm) of spot size equal to or less than 10 μm at room temperature using a 50 mW continuous wave laser, and mapped over an area equal to or greater than 50×50 μm with a data interval less than 10 μm, there is a low point-to-point variation wherein the ratio of Raman peak areas between regions of low Raman intensity and high Raman intensity is <1.25×; (iv) an as-grown nitrogen-vacancy defect (NV) concentration equal to or greater than 50 ppb as measured using 77K UV-visible absorption measurements, wherein, when excited using a 514 nm excitation source of spot size equal to or less than 10 μm at 77K using a 50 mW continuous wave laser, gives an intensity at 575 nm corresponding to NV0 greater than 120 times a Raman intensity at 552.4 nm, and / or an intensity at 637 nm corresponding to NV− greater than 200 times the Raman intensity at 552.4 nm; (v) a single substitutional nitrogen defect (Ns) concentration equal to or greater than 5 ppm, wherein the single substitutional nitrogen defects are uniformly distributed through the synthetic single crystal CVD diamond material such that by using a 1344 cm−1 infrared absorption feature and sampling an area greater than an area of 0.5 mm2, the variation is lower than 80%, as deduced by dividing the standard deviation by the mean value; (vi) a variation in red luminescence intensity, as defined by a standard deviation divided by a mean value, is less than 15%; (vii) a mean standard deviation in neutral single substitutional nitrogen concentration of less than 80%; and (viii) a colour intensity as measured using a histogram from a microscopy image with a mean gray value of greater than 50, wherein the colour intensity is uniform through the single crystal CVD synthetic diamond material such that the variation in gray colour, as characterised by the gray value standard deviation divided by the gray value mean, is less than 40%.

An apparatus and method applicable for generating ultraviolet laser light having a wavelength in the 200-nm range and / or 250-nm range; in some embodiments, using a single fiber laser pump source (in some embodiments, a pulsed source). In some embodiments, the invention provides methods of generating 250-nm or 200-nm photons using a mode-locked 1000-nm fiber laser and efficient 4th / 5th harmonic frequency up-conversion. In other embodiments, the invention uses continuous wave (cw) single-frequency fiber lasers and external resonant frequency conversion. In still other embodiments, the invention uses cw single-frequency optically-pumped semiconductor lasers (OPSLs) and electrically driven vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and externally resonant frequency conversion. All of these produce both of the ultraviolet wavelengths of interest

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for inspecting defects of patterns of a sample at high speed and with high sensitivity while damage of the sample arising from high-power pulsed light is reduced. Light emitted from a pulsed laser light source is transmitted through a pseudo continuous-wave forming optical system having an optical system capable of reducing energy per pulse and yet maintaining the entire amount of light of the pulsed light, a beam formation optical system, and a coherence reduction optical system, and a beam deflected by a deformation illumination optical system is made to reflect on a PBS to be irradiated on a wafer. The apparatus is configured so that the diffracted light from the wafer is focused by an objective lens, transmitted through light modulation units, focused to form a plurality of images on a plurality of image sensors in a visual-field divided parallel detection unit 12, and then defects are detected by a signal processing unit.

A method for analyzing gas concentration using doubly resonant photoacoustic spectroscopy, and a doubly resonant photaoacoustic gas detector comprising:i) a continuous wave light beam whose wavelength coincides with an absorption wavelength of a gaseous analyte;ii) a closed path optical cavity having at least two reflective surfaces;iii) an acoustic resonator chamber contained within said optical cavity, and comprising an acoustic sensor for detecting sound waves generated by a gaseous analyte present within said chamber, the light beam passing sequentially into, through and out of said chamber, and being repeatedly reflected back and forth through said chamber, and being modulated at a frequency which is equal to or equal to one-half of an acoustic resonance frequency of said acoustic resonator chamber.

A method and apparatus for combining therapeutic pulsed or continuous-wave ultrasound with diagnostic pulsed ultrasound are described. In both a therapeutic mode and in a diagnostic mode, the ultrasound is administered from a single probe to a patient suffering from thrombosis. The ultrasound can have the same or different frequency ranges in the diagnostic and therapeutic modes. The pulsed or continuous-wave ultrasound in the therapeutic mode enhances a lysing effect of a thrombolytic agent. The pulsed ultrasound in the diagnostic mode allows monitoring of blood flow to locate a thrombus, to determine an optimal window to administer the therapeutic pulsed ultrasound, and to detect when recanalization has occurred. If an operator attends the device, a graphical display operates during the diagnostic mode to display an image representative of the blood flow.

A passively mode-locked solid-state laser is designed to emit a continuous-wave train (51, 52) of electromagnetic-radiation pulses, the fundamental repetition rate of the emitted pulses exceeding 1 GHz, without Q-switching instabilities. The laser includes an optical resonator (3.1), a solid-state laser gain element (2) placed inside the optical resonator (3.1), a device (1) for exciting said laser gain element (2) to emit electromagnetic radiation having the effective wavelength, and a device (4) for passive mode locking including a saturable absorber. The laser gain element (2) is a laser material with a stimulated emission cross section exceeding 0.8×10−18 cm2 at the effective wavelength, and is made of Nd:vanadate. The saturable absorber (4) is preferably a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) device. Even higher repetition rates are achieved by operating the laser in the soliton regime. For use in fiber-optical telecommunication, the laser wavelength is preferably shifted to 1.5 μm by use of an optical parametric oscillator. The laser is simple, robust, compact, efficient, and low-cost. It generates a relatively large average power of 100 mW and higher, which is useful for a number of optical probing and detection applications, in a beam (51, 52) that is substantially a fundamental spatial mode.

A system and method for using terahertz radiation to detect and monitor a substance undergoing a change in phase from a liquid phase to a solid phase or vice-versa is disclosed. By employing terahertz radiation in either the pulsed mode or in the continuous-wave (CW) mode, the system can non-invasively monitor these changes. The system uses the principle that matter in a liquid state will absorb and attenuate terahertz radiation to a larger degree than matter in a semisolid or solid state. Most terahertz radiation absorption occurs due to the rotational motions of molecules, i.e. either whole molecules or groups of atoms rotating about molecular bonds.

A multi-modal ground penetrating radar includes a radar set configured to launch predistorted double-sideband (DSB) suppressed-carrier modulated continuous waves (CW) to illuminate and penetrate a ground surface. A variable frequency modulator is connected to modulate a continuous wave (CW) carrier frequency generator within the radar set to yield a double-sideband suppressed carrier output. A lateral single-file array of antennas is configured to be flown closely over the surface of the ground. A multiplexing switch is connected to the array of antennas and configured to selectively switch individual ones of the antennas to the radar set. Any early arriving signals returned from geologic clutter and surface reflections are suppressed in synchronous detection in relation to signals received by the array of antennas from less shallow depths. Interesting objects below the ground surface are detected and located by the late arriving signal reflections.

The present disclosure provides for methods, systems and apparatus for monochromatic UV light sterilization of container systems and / or container-packaged products. More particularly, the present disclosure provides for improved methods, systems and apparatus for monochromatic UV light sterilization of liquid and / or solid products / solutions and / or packaging / container systems for liquid and / or solid products / solutions (e.g., parenteral pharmaceutical products / solutions and / or packaging / container systems for parenteral pharmaceutical products / solutions). In exemplary embodiments, the present disclosure provides for improved systems and methods for the sterilization of container systems and / or container-packaged products using monochromatic, continuous wave, high-intensity, incoherent light in multiple light source configurations, wherein such sterilization regimen achieves a desired sterilization level without negatively affecting the physical properties of the package / container systems and / or the efficacy of the underlying products / systems.

A battery-powered RFID tag capable of reducing power consumption and a method of waking up the RFID tag are provided. The battery-powered RFID tag has an activated mode where a general command is detected by decoding a signal received from an RFID tag reader and the general command is executed and a standby mode where the general command is not detected. If a voltage of a continuous wave detected from the signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage or if a wake-up command is detected from the signal, the state of the RFID tag is changed from the standby mode to the activated mode. In addition, the RFID tag is driven by a higher one between the voltage of the continuous wave and a voltage of a built-in battery.

An objective is to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a semiconductor device manufactured by using the manufacturing method, in which a laser crystallization method is used that is capable of preventing the formation of grain boundaries in TFT channel formation regions, and is capable of preventing conspicuous drops in TFT mobility, reduction in the ON current, and increases in the OFF current, all due to grain boundaries. Depressions and projections with stripe shape or rectangular shape are formed. Continuous wave laser light is then irradiated to a semiconductor film formed on an insulating film along the depressions and projections with stripe shape of the insulating film, or along a longitudinal axis direction or a transverse axis direction of the rectangular shape. Note that although it is most preferable to use continuous wave laser light at this point, pulse wave laser light may also be used.

Following exposure to an external light source, determining: 1) the fertility of an avian egg by measuring the photon intensity (photons per second) of the egg's biophoton and luminescence; and 2) the gender of an avian egg by measuring the photon spectrum of the egg's biophoton emission and luminescence. The external light source is either an incandescent, fluorescent, LED, (pulsed or continuous wave) monochromatic or dichromatic laser light source. The detector of the photon intensity is either a low light sensing photomultiplier tube (PMT), silicon based photon counting sensor, or Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode detector. The detector of the photon spectrum is a spectrometer. Following exposure to the referenced light sources, fertile avian eggs will exhibit a higher intensity of photons than that of unfertilized avian eggs, and avian eggs of the female gender will emit a different spectrum of photons than will avian eggs of the male gender.

A sense-and-avoid system, for an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), configured to detect and estimate the relative position and velocity of a nearby object and to enable determination whether the nearby object poses a collision threat to the UAV. In one embodiment, the sense-and-avoid system is provided with a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) synthesizer adapted to generate at least one swept-frequency waveform. The sense-and-avoid system may also be included with an RF subassembly. In some embodiments, the RF subassembly may include at least one transmit antenna adapted to transmit the at least one swept-frequency waveform. The at last one swept-frequency waveform may illuminate the nearby object. The sense-and-avoid system may be further provided with a plurality of receive antennas adapted to receive an echo signal from the nearby object. In some embodiments, the echo signal results from the illumination of the nearby object by the swept-frequency waveform. Additionally, the sense-and-avoid system may be provided with a signal processor configured to analyze the received echo signal and to derive object data for the nearby object. The object data may include at least range, radial velocity, and two-dimensional angle of arrival.