Crossed Field Device
3189 – Although crossed field devices, such as magnetrons and crossed field amplifiers, have been used in a variety of different applications ranging from microwave ovens to military radar equipment, certain technical challenges still exist. For example, some crossed field devices are unable to produce high frequency electromagnetic (EM) emissions at elevated power levels. Generally, very small... Read More
Friction Driven Stitch Welding Process and Tool
3005 – The friction stir welding (FSW) process has emerged as a viable welding process for aluminum alloys, after the predecessor “friction welding” process (a rubbing process) was found to be restricted. In FSW, metal is physically moved from one side of the interface to the other through shear displacements induced in the workpiece by the rotating tool. Incremental advances in improving the... Read More
Radiolabeled Neuronal Nuclear Medicine Imaging and Radiotherapeutic Agents
2984 – The autonomic nervous system plays a critical role in the regulation of cardiac function. Abnormalities of cardiac innervation have been implicated in the pathophysiology of many heart diseases, including sudden cardiac death and congestive heart failure. In an effort to provide clinicians with the ability to regionally map cardiac innervation, several radiotracers for imaging cardiac... Read More
Stretching and Compression of Laser Pulses
3035 – Chirped gratings with variable period, or spatial frequency, are well known in optical science and are widely used for spectral filtering and analysis. However, the main part of the chirped gratings is made in fiber geometry. The use of volume chirped gratings is restricted by the lack of available photosensitive materials which provide high sensitivity, low losses, and stability of... Read More
Wireless Communication Scheme
3030 – Despite the advances made to support wireless sensor communications in biohazardous or harsh conditions, the transmitter electronics required for each sensor device can act as an application limiting factor in a number of ways, including cost, size, power consumption and, thus, operational lifetime. The transmitter, antenna, and other components necessary for wireless communication may... Read More
Crosslinked Porous Material
2930 – Porous materials are widely used, including in biomedical, industrial and household applications. Specific examples of these materials span from scaffolding for tissue engineering and regeneration, wound dressings, drug release matrices, to insulating or package material, impact absorbers, and membranes and filters. One of the limiting factors of such porous materials is their... Read More
High Frequency Ultrasound Detection
2925 – Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging is a powerful tool for cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment guidance, and if often used as an adjunct to several cardiovascular procedures. IVUS can reduce potential complications for procedures such as stent deployment, and has been investigated as a diagnostic tool for vulnerable plaque identification. Accumulated clinical experience, however,... Read More
High Performance Anomoly Detection
2972 – In the current paradigm of product development, the quality of a product, its production, and service is mainly designed, tested, and implemented during its development. As such, once a product is released, any quality problems may be difficult to identify. Particularly in the automotive industry, engineering is often at the root cause of problems, which lead to warranty repairs,... Read More
Two-photon Flow Cytometry
2923 – Conventional flow cytometry generally uses single-photon excitation of fluorescence from cells or other particles. By labeling cells with multiple dyes, and by using size measurements via the elastically scattered excitation light, multiple-parameter measurements can be made. The tremendous power of this technique has made it the standard technique to quantify fluorescence in cells. For... Read More
Frequency Tuning of Vibrating Micro Mechanical Resonators
2887 – The progress of the wireless transceiver industry has been shaped by both cost and size consideration, with RF/IF bandpass filters competing for space and function at the board-level. Methods to appease these restriction have focused on removing the IF filter and placing more of the load on the circuit complexity and performance, which could be detrimental in future expansive endeavors.... Read More
Electro-Magnetic Cuff Flow Sensor
2850 – Chronic measurement of fluid flow is essential in the long-term monitoring of many diseases such as those related to the heart and kidney. For instance, balloon angioplasty procedures, which implant a stent within blood vessels are commonly used in coronary artery disease. Monitoring of blood flow within those vessels is crucial to monitor for potential recoiling of blood vessels or... Read More
Protein Patterning on SiO2 and Glass via Nano Imprint Lithography
2847 – Current micro/nanofluidic technologies have limitations of planar fabrication, lithographic resolution limits, and sub-optimal materials for rapid prototyping. This technology relates to imprint lithography to pattern a substrate for immobilizing target molecules comprises a substrate having a plurality of binding regions for binding select target molecules, with... Read More
Q-Control at RF Frequency in Micromechanical Mixer-Filters
2841 – The uses of handheld wireless instruments have grown considerably in recent year, with demands for voice, image, and data all on one device. This increasing demand has been the catalyst for miniature technology development and the MEMS research field has responded strongly. Both highly selective filtering and low-loss low-noise mixing are important for the function of communication... Read More
Imprinting of Supported and Free-standing 3-D Micro or Nano Structures
2815 – Nanoimprint lithography is a technique used to create nanoscale patterns, and has been explored in a wide variety of applications. Unlike some of the current photolithography techniques which can achieve small patterns but are cost-inhibitive for mass production, imprinting techniques are simpler, faster, and are less expensive for processing. In addition, imprinting can lend itself to... Read More
High Early Strength Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites with Strain Hardening Behavior
2870 – As silicon technologies move into the nanometer regime, there is growing concern for the reliability of transistor devices. Device scaling may aggravate a number of long standing silicon failure mechanisms, and it may introduce a number of new non-trivial failure modes. Unless these reliability concerns are addressed, component yield and lifetime may soon be compromised. ... Read More
Microelectromechanical High Voltage Generator
2795 – The need for high voltage has limited the adoption of many micromachined devices into integrated microsystems. Miniaturized high voltage sources have been proposed but their adoption would require complicated power management and distribution maneuvers. This invention describes a DC powered high voltage generator that neither uses transistors nor requires a clock signal for its... Read More
Process for Preparing Single Enantiomers of Fluoroleucine Compounds
2931 – Fluorocarbons have long been known for their chemical inertness, and their unique properties have found industrial and medical uses as fire retardants, refrigerants, anesthetics and biologically inert polymers. Recently, there has been much interest in whether fluorocarbon polymers can be exploited in the design of biological macromolecules, given their strong self-association and an... Read More
Method of Improving Fiber Composite Ductility
2824 – Fiber reinforced brittle matrix composites are widely used in aerospace, automobile, and construction industries. Fiber reinforced cementitious composites (FRC), in particular, have drawn great attention in the past decade due to their enormous potential in civil engineering applications. University of Michigan researchers have created a new method for increasing the tensile strain... Read More
Micromachined Geiger Counter
2798 – Environmental monitoring is one of modern day drivers of microsystems technology. For example, radiation sensors can be potentially used to detect the presence of radioactive contamination either from an accident of from a terrorist attack involving a “dirty” bomb (conventional explosive devices used to disperse radioactive material). Since only a few radioactive materials emit X-rays,... Read More
Micromachined Arrays of Thermal Probes - this technology is a CIP of patent 6692145 assigned to WARF
2757 – Scanning thermal microscopy is a high resolution scanning microscopy technique, which can map material topography, thermal conductivity and capacity, and temperature. As with other scanning microscopy techniques such as atomic force microscopy, the contact force is measured via deflection of the tip at the end of the cantilever. While powerful, the scanning microscopy techniques suffer... Read More
Compact X-ray Source
2758 – In order to satisfy the needs of basic research as well as industry, there is currently great interest in coherent, ultrashort-pulse-duration and high-power light sources. In basic research, large (kilometer) x-ray synchrotrons have met some of these needs, but they are extremely expensive, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. Thus, there is a need for an affordable and compact... Read More
An Electromagnetic MicroPower Generator for Low-Frequency Environmental Vibrations by Using Mechanical Frequency Up-Conversion
2714 – Self-powered remote-controlled systems are frequently powered via batteries or fuel cells, or by drawing energy from ambient sources such as heat or light. Energy scavenging has recently become popular owing to its ability to produce clean power for sustained period of time. Among various energy scavenging sources, vibration has gained attention due to its abundance and several suitable... Read More
Antenna Stent
2688 – In recent years, stents have come to play an essential role in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. A stent typically has mesh-like walls in a tubular shape, and once positioned by a catheter, is expanded radially by the inflation of an angioplasty balloon. However, re-closures often occur due to recoil of the blood vessels, further plaque deposition, or spasms. Despite advances in... Read More
Vibrating Capacitor Kelvin Probe for pH Measurement in Microfluidic Channels
2619 – Kelvin probes provide non-contact measurements of variations of surface potential. This tool can be used to map either of the two components contributing to surface potentials – one due to work function and another due to trapped charge. Charge distribution on the wall acquired during manufacturing or in routine operation, can impact the function and behavior of the fluid in the channel.... Read More
A Latching Thermopneumatic Microvalve for Ultra-low Power Applications
2598 – Microvalves control fluid flow in fluidics systems, and have improved control in applications where the significant power demands of a macro-scale valve would not be suitable. While microvalves offer unique advantages over their larger counterparts, such as decreased dead volume that allow faster response times, there is room for improvement in both power consumption and response time, as... Read More
Active Filtration of Airborne Biological and Chemical Agents and Diesel Particulates Using Heated Porous Foam Filters
2580 – Air filtration is a well-developed technology, frequently used in homes to remove dust, microorganisms, and other particulates. In more stringent environments, such as laboratories and hospitals, filters not only need to remove particulates but also render any pathogenic microorganisms non-viable. Although heating of the air by use of external heat sources or disposal of the filter at... Read More
Power Divider-Phase Shifter Circuit
2559 – A phased array is a group of antennas in which the relative phases of the respective signals feeding the antennas are varied in such a way that the effective radiation pattern of the array is reinforced in a desired direction and suppressed in undesired directions. Phased arrays are extensively used in satellite communications, multipoint communications, radar systems, early warning and... Read More
Frequency Shift Keying Demodulation Methods for Wireless Biomedical Implants
2525 – Wireless transfer of power and data is often achieved via inductive link between two magnetically-coupled coils. One application which requires transfer of large amounts of data to interface with many conduits include biomedical implants such as for cochlear implants and visual prostheses. For such applications, increased rate of data transfer and minimal power consumption are paramount... Read More
Double-Clad Fiber Scanning Microscope
2554 – Laser scanning confocal microscope was developed into a practical instrument in the late 1980s, where beam scanning was controlled by two galvanometer mirrors that are imaged onto the entrance pupil of an objective lens. Thus, only the direction of the incident excitation light rays is deviated at the entrance plane, while the pupil remains fully illuminated throughout the scanning.... Read More
Low Noise Magnetron and Crossed-field Amplifier by Azimuthally Varying Axial Magnetic Field
2512 – The noise generation mechanisms of linear electron beam devices are well-known. Generally, fluctuations of cathode electron emission excite space charge waves, which propagate along the electron beam. Calculations and computations of noise figures in linear devices agree with experiments. Methods of noise suppression in linear tubes are at a very advanced stage. On the other hand, noise... Read More
A Micromachined Pump for On-Chip Vacuum
2503 – There is growing interest in relying on micromachined systems for gas-handling applications. Current limitations to the adoption of this technology stem from device operation at high temperatures, thus requiring thermal isolation in addition to vacuum-sealed lead transfer and low parasitic capacitance. Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed improved micromachined... Read More
Combined Nanoimprinting and Photolithography for Micro and Nano Devices Fabrication
2481 – Nano-patterning is an essential part of nanotechnology research. However, in order for nano-device and nanostructure fabrication to have significant practical value, a low-cost and high-throughput nano-patterning technique is needed. Among many new emerging lithography techniques that are aimed at addressing this issue, nanoimprinting techniques are regarded as one of the most promising.... Read More
A System for Clotting Time Blood Tests
2467 – Blood coagulation analysis is useful for determining proper medication for medical conditions such as hemophilia, liver disease, and cardiac surgeries and has many uses in laboratories, hospitals, and even at home. Many diseases affect the in vivo coagulation of blood, including Hemophilia A and B, thrombocythmia, Christmas disease, and prothrombin deficiency. Treatment requires... Read More
Method of Performing Biochemical Reactions in a Convective Flow Field
2425 – Heating and cooling of sample materials is often required in some biological and other chemical reactions. For example, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a commonly used method in molecular biology to amplify DNA. The PCR takes advantage of multiple heating and cooling cycles to denature, anneal, and elongate the DNA. These changes in temperatures are typically accomplished by a... Read More
Enhancing Fiber-Optic Sensing Technique Using a Dual-Core Fiber
2432 – Optical fiber-based sensing technology has been rapidly developed and widely used in biological and biomedical studies introducing optical fibers and fiber-optical components into conventional imaging systems. Excitation laser beams can be delivered deep into a targeted biological sample through an optical fiber, which otherwise is subject to strong scattering and absorption by biological... Read More
Ion-Cut Synthesis
2414 – Gallium alloys have been shown to exhibit a reduced energy band gap that fluctuates as a function of the amount of arsenide and nitride added thereto. For example, 1% atomic nitrogen added to gallium arsenide (GaAs) to form gallium arsenide nitride (GaAsN) has been shown to reduce the energy band gap by as much as 200 meV. Likewise, the introduction of 1% arsenic into gallium nitride... Read More
Targeted Nanoparticles for Laser Induced Breakdown
2393 – Much effort has been devoted to research on laser-induced breakdown (LIB) since the advent of powerful lasers, because of the importance of LIB in diverse fields including laser surgery and micromachining. So far, much less attention has been paid to altering the breakdown threshold of the materials themselves and achieving a controllable breakdown by modifying the material. LIB in... Read More
Carbon Nanotubes for Microanalytical Systems
2390 – Gas chromatography (GC) systems are chemical instruments by which the components of a gaseous mixture can be separated, identified, and the constituent concentrations quantified. Conventional GC systems are large and relatively expensive table-top instruments. Central to the miniaturization of GC systems is microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, especially for the development... Read More
Online Monitoring System and Method for a Short-Circuiting Gas Metal Welding Process
2426 – Gas metal arc welding (hereinafter “GMAW”) of automotive thin sheets involves the use of low currents, preferably less than 150 amps, for causing transfer of metal to occur when the welding apparatus is in a short-circuiting mode. GMAW is commonly operated in automatic or semiautomatic modes and utilized in high production welding operations. However, the practice of short-circuiting GMAW... Read More
Reversel Imprint Technique
2374 – The demand to rapidly and economically fabricate nanoscale structures is a major driving force in the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Nanoimprint lithography (NIL), also known as hot embossing lithography, in which a thickness relief is created by deforming a polymer resist through embossing with a patterned hard mold, offers several decisive technical advantages, in... Read More
Micro Gas Chromatograph
2344 – Gas chromatography systems (GC) are chemical instruments that enable the separation of a gaseous mixture. GC have applications beyond the traditional analytical lab and are commonly used in other industries such as food quality monitoring and environmental monitoring. Conventional GC systems are fragile and bulky and have limited their application in other fields. The prospect of a... Read More
MEMS Micropump
2342 – Micropumps are used in microfluidics systems to accurately deliver small volumes of fluid. For gas pumping applications, actuation is commonly accomplished by piezoelectrically- or electrostatically-driven membranes, which is often limited in their membrane displacement volume and requirement of high drive voltages. Recently, curved electrodes have been proposed to achieve larger... Read More
An Imaging System Using Combined Mechanical and Electronic Collimation
2334 – Image of the radiation density of a source of photons located in an object in real-time may be used in various medical imaging techniques. In this regard, various collimation methods for nuclear medicine applications have been explored, including mechanical collimators involving certain degrees of multiplexing. Unfortunately, this improvement is usually achieved at the expense of the... Read More
Highly Efficient Miniaturized Slot Antenna
2271 – Antennas have found numerous applications, especially as transmit and receive modules combined with miniaturized sensors and transducers in wireless systems. While recent advances in solid state devices and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology have led to the realization of miniaturized, high performance antennas, efficiency and configurability of these antennas are less... Read More
Acoustic Tweezers
2289 – Optical tweezers have been successfully used to manipulate both subcellular structures and individual biological macromolecules. While optical tweezers are widely used in research, they are restricted to isolated preparations because they require an optically refractive bead. Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a method and system to create and acoustically... Read More
Field-assisted Bonding of Insulator to Eutectic Solder
2288 – One of the essential processes shared by many microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is packaging. Packaging is a less-explored aspect of a microsystem, but can significantly affect overall device performance and cost. To minimize damage to the final microdevice, new packaging technologies that can be applied at the wafer level, before the device is separated from the host wafer, have... Read More
Combined Radiation Detector for Neutron Detection and Discrimination
2250 – The material requirements for a room temperature-operated, high resolution semiconductor gamma ray spectrometer include large free charge carrier mobilities or alternatively, high achievable free charge carrier velocities, long mean free drift times, a relatively large energy band gap, high representative values of atomic number, and availability in large volumes. Presently, no... Read More
High Speed Drilling Machine Based on PKM Module
2208 – Recent developments in manufacturing have been directed to agile, reconfigurable systems to enhance production, including robots, manipulators or machines that are designed to operate with closed-loop mechanisms, such as parallel mechanisms. Parallel mechanisms incorporate several independent kinematic chains that include an assemblage of links and joints interconnected such that the... Read More
Porous Materials with High Surface Area
2150 – Membranes have been typically used for filtration, reverse osmosis (hyperfiltration), dialysis, pervaporation, and gas separation applications. A solid membrane can be made of synthetic polymers, natural macromolecules, inorganic compounds, ceramic or metallic materials, and are generally fabricated through sintering, stretching, extrusion, phase inversion and etching, or casting. Porous... Read More
A Method for the Generation of Crystalline Polymorphs
2134 – Most pharmaceuticals are distributed as solid doseages. In order to take action, they must dissolve in the gut and be absorbed into the blood stream. In many cases, the rate at which the drug dissolves can limit its effectiveness. Pharmaceutical compounds can be packed into more than one arrangement in the solid states known as polymorphs. Rapid and efficient methods of polymorph... Read More