Sensors, Devices and Components

Reversible adhesion can be used to transfer or to manipulate objects. Especially if the objects are small and/or fragile their manipulation become very challenging. Intermolecular forces such as Van-der-Waals can be used to achieve a strong adhesion between the objects. Moreover, surface functionalization and the creation of nano- and microstructures can be used to improve these adhesion properties. Unfortunately, the adhesion becomes insufficient if the surfaces are wet or rough. Another problems ...

This invention includes two alternative advanced methods to achieve a homogenous collector power distribution, which improves the collector capability of high power vacuum-tubes by a factor of two as compared to conventional methods. Furthermore the applied method has a high flexibility to vary the power distribution over a wide range of profiles and match the deposition profiles to different designs of collectors in existing or future electron tubes.

The dynamics of complex flows and turbulences are dominated by vortices of many different scales. In general, the vortex describes the group motion of fluid elements in a circular fashion, whereas the vorticity quantizes this spinning moment of a fluid element confined to a small neighborhood.

For diagnosis of flows, conventional techniques track the movements of small particles added into the flow (e.g., Lagrangian particle tracking, LPT, and particle image velocimetry, PIV). However, ...

The invention relates to an apparatus for generating random numbers, using an optical parametric oscillator.

The generation of random numbers is important in information science as well as in modelling and simulation. In cryptography, for instance, random numbers are needed for encryption algorithms. Preferably, the generated numbers are true (i.e. non-predictable) and have an equal distribution.

The apparatus according to the invention is based on the bi-stable outcome of an optical ...

When developing applications such as robots, sensing of forces applied on a robot hand or another part of a robot such as a leg or a manipulation device is crucial in giving robots increased capabilities to move around and manipulate objects. We offer a complete low-cost sensor solution with the sensor arrangement, production method, the neural network and its training method.

A lightweighted,  long-life, long-range and low-cost Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)-based tracking system with monitoring app.

Evaporation cells for thin film deposition often operate under ultrahigh vacuum or special gas atmosphere, requiring long growth campaigns and short maintenance openings to preserve the best possible vacuum environment. The deposition leads to coating of the inner chamber walls, the removal of which is difficult and very time consuming. Growth control and interruptions during material deposition may require frequent operation of the closure device or shutter. The commonly used shutter (Fig. 1) ...

The connector apparatus incorporates a unique design that allows two or more conductor devices to contact directly, ensuring zero-resistance connections under superconducting conditions. This is facilitated by a pivoting pressing clamp mechanism, which when engaged, applies precise contact pressure to overlapping conductor sections housed within a specially designed connector receptacle. This innovative configuration is critical for applications requiring minimal electrical resistance and high ...

The invention relates to an innovative detector concept for the identification of analytes in a gas that is extremely versatile and yet easy to construct and to operate. The superior properties were reached by an optical readout system for electrical signal of multiple detector cells.

Detecting and quantifying concentrations of analytes of interest is usually achieved using materials that change their electrical properties upon exposure. As different materials combined in one sensor need ...

The invention relates to a new and durable system, which brings the possibility of accurate size measuring and simultaneous counting of airborne particles with an aerodynamic diameter of up to 2.5 microns.

Measuring the particulate matter contamination in a gas in the range of PM_2.5 is advantageous or crucial for various applications. Monitoring the concentration of the corresponding particles, for example in air, reveals information about pollution. The possibility of aerosol ...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is nowadays a leading mo¬dality for diagnostic imaging with about 100 million examinations per year worldwide. However, when invented by Paul Christian Lauterbur in 1973, MRI was too slow to allow for routine medical applications. A breakthrough was achieved in 1985 by the FLASH (Fast Low Angle Shot) technique developed by Jens Frahm and his team at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany. With FLASH the measuring time for a cross-sectional ...

An accurate dispensing device for powders and irregularly shaped particles

In mass spectroscopy, many ion sources that transform the specimen to be tested into gas phase ions operate at ambient or elevated pressure. The generated ions have to be transferred into vacuum for further characterization, for instance in a mass analyzer.
The ion transfer into vacuum represents a major bottleneck. Because the pumping power increases rapidly with the size of an opening, long capillaries or small pinholes have to be used. Their transmission is commonly as low as 1%, in optimal ...

The Differential Temperature Anemometry (DTA) is a cutting-edge technique that enhances the temporal resolution of flow velocity measurements in thermal anemometry. By leveraging the in-stantaneous temperature gradient of the sensor, DTA provides rapid and continuous data without the need for thermal equilibrium. This innovation represents a significant leap forward, offering high-speed, accurate flow detection for dynamic applications.

The invention relates to a new and easy to use device for real-time monitoring of the thermal power of a nuclear reactor. It is based on the easy to access ¹⁶N decay rate in the cooling water. The robust and easy to implement method significantly improves the safety of nuclear facilities.

Nuclear reactors require high standards of safety and detailed information about changes are needed in order to control them in a safe manner. Besides detailed real-time simulations, direct ...

The invention relates to a new method of using magnetic forces in order to mechanically couple the worm of a worm gear with its corresponding worm wheel. According to the invented arrangement, a (permanent) magnet, i.e., a relatively hard magnetic material, magnetizes the worm, which is made from a relatively soft magnetic material. Thus, the magnetized worm develops attraction forces concerning the (also magnetically soft) tooth system of the worm wheel. In this way, it is sufficient to use comparably ...

This disclosure presents a method and device for precisely measuring the frequency of a scanning diode laser. Applications include LIDAR, gas sensing and spectroscopy of integrated photonic devices like microresonators. The method involves a tunable laser, modulated at two distinct frequencies to generate side band resonances while it is being scanned across a reference cavity (e.g. a fiber loop resonator). This setup enables precise and instantaneous measurement of the optical frequency and tuning ...

The invention relates to a new method for an improved production of random numbers and verification of their randomness. In order to do so, it uses the quantum mechanical properties of microscopic particles and structures. A number sequence is generated by means of a repetitive quantum mechanical random process. The measurement of this process is performed by a homodyndetection of an optical input signal, where the signal interferes with a local oscillator, e.g. a laser, at a central beam splitter ...

A scalable and easy to handle method for the creation of larger (up to square meters) low light level detectors is disclosed. While the fast read-out times of a single detector is kept, the area covered by the detector ensemble (dramatically) increases. The large area is enabled by transversal connection of hybrid “base cells”. These “base cells” consist of vertically stacked tiers of (i) a detector array, (ii) a first level electronic read-out, and (iii) and a second level read-out which ...

An efficient system to monitor and control animal behavior in wildlife as well as in laboratory settings

A classical spin valve (SV) is a device in which the electrical resistance depends on the relative position of the magnetic moments of two ferromagnetic (FM) layers: with parallel (P) and antiparallel (AP) ordering, the SV resistance is minimum and maximum, respectively. Nowadays SVs are actively used in magnetic sensors, hard disk read heads and magnetic random-access memory. Thus, the SV, analogous to a transistor in conventional electronics, is a binary (digital) device. Here we offer a new ...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) requires optimal radio-frequency (RF) coil performance that ensures the highest RF magnetic field per unit power delivered to the coil, while maintaining the highest achievable RF field homogeneity. For MRI at high magnetic field level, it is important to use a multi-channel transmit coil for producing the desired RF field. However, it is impossible to design a multi-channel coil without considerable coupling between its coil elements. The major challenge in multi-channel ...

Speckle interferometry is an established metrology technique for the characterization of rough objects. Deformations of rough objects under a load can be determined, as well as – with the help of an additional second wavelength – the surface shape of the object under test. As an illustration, Figure 1 (left) shows the so called raw phase as a result of a deformation measurement on a metal plate. The shape and the density of the fringes indicate the response of the metal plate to the load.
Owing ...

The invention describes an easy and cheap to produce, compact coupling part, manufactured out of one workpiece. This part, scalable for shaft diameters as low as 1 mm upwards, enables a quick and secure, backlash-free one- or two-sided engagement of shafts without the need for working space or additional tools (like a screwdriver). If requested, torque limited coupling (in one or both rotation directions) is possible. The production methods comprise a variety of materials and manufacturing processes. ...

Objects with different shapes can dissolve in significantly different ways inside a solution. Predicting different shapes’ dissolution dynamics is an important problem especially in pharmaceutics. More important and challenging, however, is controlling the dissolution via shape, i.e., designing shapes that lead to a desired release behavior of materials in a solvent over a specific time. Here, we tackle this challenge by introducing a computational inverse design pipeline.

The invention relates to a new detection method for small periodic signals in Scanning Near Field Optical Microscopy (s-SNOM). Solving the problem of the rapid sampling rates necessary for lock-in amplification, the method is a powerful new readout system for various other applications as well.

Lock-in detection is a widespread technique, which enables the detection of very small periodic signals. However, it imposes constraints between the lock-in modulation frequency and the sampling ...

The invention relates to a new precise sensing device for gas and vapor that is based on a 2D nanosheet material. A remarkably high sensitivity allows for the application in smart touchless interfaces to operate future digital devices.

Sensors for environmental changes are one of the most promising approaches for touchless interface devices but state-of-the-art technologies are not satisfactory. They typically exhibit too long response times.

With its capability to resolve sub-centimeter ...

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) facilitates efficient production of thin films using a laser ablation technique. Targets are selected according to the coating desired. Multiple targets are either moved mechanically to the incidence area, or they are fixed so that the laser beam is alternatively focused on each of them. Multiple targets are, however, known to cause discontinuities, whereas single multicomponent target usually doesn’t ensure compositional homogeneity. The technology presented here ...