Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Versatile Transparent-Melt Crystal-Growth Systems for Organic Nonlinear Optical Materials Using Bridgman-Stockbarger Technique
Single crystals of benzil, benzil aniline, and salicylidene-aniline have been successfully grown using a modified...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Active-Pixel Sensors With "Winner-Take-All" Mode
Circuits to generate the intensity reading and the coordinates of the brightest pixel in each image would be added to imaging photodetector arrays of the active-pixel-sensor (APS) type,...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Monolithic GaAs FET Power Amplifiers for Kₐ Band
A program to demonstrate the feasibility of GaAs-based Kₐ-band power amplifiers has generated a number of technological advances. The goals of the program included (1) capability of...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Active-Pixel-Sensor Digital Camera on a Single Chip
The figure shows a complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit that contains all of the electronic circuitry of a programmable active-pixel-sensor digital camera....
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Sorption Compressor for Collecting Atmospheric CO₂ on Mars
A report describes a small, lightweight sorption compressor that is now undergoing development for use in collecting CO2 from the atmosphere on Mars. This compressor would be part of a system that would use the CO2 to generate oxygen and a carbon-based fuel for a...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Augmented Active-Pixel Sensors Would Compute Centers of Mass
Circuits to generate analog or digital representations of the coordinates of the centers of mass of images would be added to imaging photodetector arrays of the active-pixel-sensor...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Computers for Research on Flight Control in F/A-18 Airplanes
The Production Support Flight Control Computers (PSFCCs) are flight-control computers that are being developed by NASA in conjunction with the United States Navy. These computers...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Microfabricated Ice Sensors
Microfabricated, silicon-based capacitive actuator/sensor devices have been developed as prototypes of compact, low-power transducers that would be used to detect the presence (and perhaps eventually measure the...
Briefs: Materials
Improved Process for Scrubbing and Treating NOₓ Liquor
A new process and equipment have been developed for reducing the emissions of hazardous nitrogen oxides (NOx), and eliminating a hazardous waste stream. In this process, a...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Fabricating Refractory-Metal Solar-Engine Components by VPS
Vacuum plasma spraying (VPS) has been demonstrated to be an effective technique for the fabrication of refractory-metal components of solar-thermal engines. Heretofore, such...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
GPS-Based System Tracks Relative Position of Two Airplanes
A developmental electronic system that includes Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers is designed to track the relative position and velocity to two airplanes in real time. In...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Optimized Two-Wavelength Focal-Plane Arrays of QWIPs
A concept for optimizing the designs of two-wavelength GaAs-based quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) could make it practical to use focal-plane arrays of QWIPs as image sensors...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Vacuum Three-Ball Tribometer for Testing Liquid Lubricants
A three-ball tribometer has been developed for use in evaluating the performances of oils and greases as lubricants in a vacuum at room temperature. This apparatus differs from the...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Methanol-Fuel-Cell Biplate Improved for Removal of Water
An improved design for a biplate in a methanol fuel cell provides increased efficiency in the removal of water, relative to older designs. For reasons explained below, this design both improves the performance of the fuel cell and increases the overall energy efficiency of the...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Study of DLS Monitoring of the Growth of Protein Crystals
A report describes an experimental study of whether an advanced fiber-optic dynamic-light-scattering (DLS) probe affords a capability for noncontact detection of particles of various sizes associated with the stages of growth of protein crystals in automated hanging-drop protein-growth...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
System-Level Integrated Circuits for Phased-Array Antennas
Modules of electronic circuitry that perform the amplitude- and phase-control and the status-monitoring functions for eight-element (2 ×4) subarrays of K-band phased-array antennas...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Penetrator Projectile Tolerates Some Misalignment
A two-body design has enabled an instrumented penetrator projectile to function with increased tolerance to initial misalignment among (a) the longitudinal axis of the penetrator, (b) the...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Mars Lander
A brief report presents drawings for the conceptual design of a spacecraft that would land on Mars or another remote planet. The spacecraft would have a tetrahedral shape, would include airbags to cushion impact, and would have a self-righting capability. The drawings show the general appearance of the spacecraft and show the...
Briefs: Materials
Rapid Densification of Ceramic Monoliths and Composites
A rapid densification technology uses nanostructured powders to produce ceramic devices and components. This technology provides ceramic monoliths and composites that can be used in the...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Delta-Doped Hybrid Advanced Detector
The delta-doped hybrid advanced detector is a developmental integrated electronic imaging and detecting circuit designed to be sensitive to (1) charged particles with kinetic energies ranging from...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Improved Packaging of Silica Optical Fibers in Sensor Heads
A process for the fabrication of improved high-temperature fiber-optic sensor heads has been proposed. Fiber-optic sensor heads that can withstand hot, dirty, noisy environments are...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Vapor Drying for Preparing InGaAsP for Epitaxial Regrowth
A vapor drying treatment removes traces of water and other contaminant residues that remain on the surface of a patterned semiconductor substrate after chemical cleaning in...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Information-Reduced Carrier Synchronization for Coded PSK Operation at Low-SNR
An information-reduced carrier-synchronization (IRCS) system has been proposed for use in a coded binary-phase-shift-keying (BPSK) radio-communication receiver...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Fabrication of Diffractive GaAs Microlenses
A planar array of microscopic diffractive optical elements that resemble macroscopic Fresnel lenses can be fabricated as an array of continuous relief patterns on a GaAs substrate by a procedure that includes the transfer of a corresponding array of patterns formed on a surface layer of poly(methyl...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Micromachined Magnetostatic Switches
Magnetostatic switches — switches that open or close in response to magnetic fields — are being developed and fabricated using micromachining (MEMS) technology. These switches operate similarly to...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Robot Hands With Electroactive-Polymer Fingers
Multifinger electroactive-polymer grippers (MEPGs) are simple, compact, lightweight robotic end effectors with fingers that bend and function similarly to human fingers. The fingers are made...
Briefs: Materials
Metal- and Oxide-Containing Carbons Made From Graphite Oxide
Carbon-based materials containing, variously, metals and metal oxides can be synthesized according to a method that involves reactions of metal chlorides with materials of general...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Methodology for Optimizing Designs of Rotating Turbine Disks
A methodology for optimizing the fundamental structural designs of rotating turbine disks has been developed to aid in preliminary evaluations of various gas-turbine-engine...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Rib Valve as Shutter for Air Swirler in Combustor Nozzle
A rib valve is under consideration for use as a shutter in an air swirler in the fuel nozzle of a variable-geometry combustor. In the original application, the variable-geometry...
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