Implantable RF-coiled chip packaging

In this paper, we present an embedded chip integration technology that utilizes silicon housings and flexible parylene radio frequency (RF) coils. As a demonstration of this technology, a flexible parylene RF coil has been integrated with an RF identification (RFID) chip. The coil has an inductance of 16 μH, with two layers of metal completely encapsulated in parylene-C. The functionality of the embedded chip is verified using an RFID reader module. Accelerated-lifetime soak testing has been performed in saline, and the results show that the silicon chip is well protected and the lifetime of our parylene-encapsulated RF coil at 37 °C is more than 20 years

Plasmon geometric phase and plasmon Hall shift

The collective plasmonic modes of a metal comprise a pattern of charge density and tightly-bound electric fields that oscillate in lock-step to yield enhanced light-matter interaction. Here we show that metals with non-zero Hall conductivity host plasmons with a fine internal structure: they are characterized by a current density configuration that sharply departs from that of ordinary zero Hall conductivity metals. This non-trivial internal structure dramatically enriches the dynamics of plasmon propagation, enabling plasmon wavepackets to acquire geometric phases as they scatter. Strikingly, at boundaries these phases accumulate allowing plasmon waves that reflect off to experience a non-reciprocal parallel shift along the boundary displacing the incident and reflected plasmon trajectories. This plasmon Hall shift, tunable by Hall conductivity as well as plasmon wavelength, displays the chirality of the plasmon's current distribution and can be probed by near-field photonics techniques. Anomalous plasmon dynamics provide a real-space window into the inner structure of plasmon bands, as well as new means for directing plasmonic beams

Instrumentation of a high-sensitivity microwave vector detection system for low-temperature applications

We present the design and the circuit details of a high-sensitivity microwave vector detection system, which is aiming for studying the low-dimensional electron system embedded in the slots of a coplanar waveguide at low temperatures. The coplanar waveguide sample is placed inside a phase-locked loop; the phase change of the sample may cause a corresponding change in the operation frequency, which can be measured precisely. We also employ a double-pulse modulation on the microwave signals, which comprises a fast pulse modulation for gated averaging and a slow pulse modulation for lock-in detection. In measurements on real samples at low temperatures, this system provides much better resolutions in both amplitude and phase than most of the conventional vector analyzers at power levels below -65 dBm.Comment: 7 pages, 11 figures, 1 table, lette

Method and apparatus for positioning a robotic end effector

A robotic end effector and operation protocol for a reliable grasp of a target object irrespective of the target's contours is disclosed. A robotic hand includes a plurality of jointed fingers, one of which, like a thumb, is in opposed relation to the other. Each finger is comprised of at least two jointed sections, and provided with reflective proximity sensors, one on the inner surface of each finger section. Each proximity sensor comprises a transmitter of a beam of radiant energy and means for receiving reflections of the transmitted energy when reflected by a target object and for generating electrical signals responsive thereto. On the fingers opposed to the thumb, the proximity sensors on the outermost finger sections are aligned in an outer sensor array and the sensors on the intermediate finger sections and sensors on the innermost finger sections are similarly arranged to form an intermediate sensor array and an inner sensor array, respectively. The invention includes a computer system with software and/or circuitry for a protocol comprising the steps in sequence of: (1) approach axis alignment to maximize the number of outer layer sensors which detect the target; (2) non-contact contour following the target by the robot fingers to minimize target escape potential; and (3) closing to rigidize the target including dynamically re-adjusting the end effector finger alignment to compensate for target motion. A signal conditioning circuit and gain adjustment means are included to maintain the dynamic range of low power reflection signals

A cusp electron gun for millimeter wave gyrodevices

The experimental results of a thermionic cusp electron gun, to drive millimeter and submillimeter wave harmonic gyrodevices, are reported in this paper. Using a "smooth" magnetic field reversal formed by two coils this gun generated an annular-shaped, axis-encircling electron beam with 1.5 A current, and an adjustable velocity ratio alpha of up to 1.56 at a beam voltage of 40 kV. The beam cross-sectional shape and transported beam current were measured by a witness plate technique and Faraday cup, respectively. These measured results were found to be in excellent agreement with the simulated results using the three-dimensional code MAGIC

Localization of Relative-Position of Two Atoms Induced by Spontaneous Emission

We revisit the back-action of emitted photons on the motion of the relative position of two cold atoms. We show that photon recoil resulting from the spontaneous emission can induce the localization of the relative position of the two atoms through the entanglement between the spatial motion of individual atoms and their emitted photons. The result provides a more realistic model for the analysis of the environment-induced localization of a macroscopic object.Comment: 8 pages and 4 figure

Dissipative Binding of Lattice Bosons through Distance-Selective Pair Loss

We show that in a gas of ultra cold atoms distance selective two-body loss can be engineered via the resonant laser excitation of atom pairs to interacting electronic states. In an optical lattice this leads to a dissipative Master equation dynamics with Lindblad jump operators that annihilate atom pairs with a specific interparticle distance. In conjunction with coherent hopping between lattice sites this unusual dissipation mechanism leads to the formation of coherent long-lived complexes that can even exhibit an internal level structure which is strongly coupled to their external motion. We analyze this counterintuitive phenomenon in detail in a system of hard-core bosons. While current research has established that dissipation in general can lead to the emergence of coherent features in many-body systems our work shows that strong non-local dissipation can effectuate a binding mechanism for particles

Smart hands for the EVA retriever

Dexterous, robotic hands are required for the extravehicular activity retriever (EVAR) system being developed by the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). These hands, as part of the EVAR system, must be able to grasp objects autonomously and securely which inadvertently separate from the Space Station. Development of the required hands was initiated in 1987. Outlined here are the hand development activities, including design considerations, progress to date, and future plans. Several types of dexterous hands that were evaluated, along with a proximity-sensing capability that was developed to initiate a reflexive, adaptive grasp, are described. The evaluations resulted in the design and fabrication of a 6-degree-of-freedom (DOF) hand that has two fingers and a thumb arranged in an anthropomorphic configuration. Finger joint force and position sensors are included in the design, as well as infrared proximity sensors which allow initiation of the grasp sequence when an object is detected within the grasp envelope