Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7928386 | Ultra-sensitive optical detector with high time resolution An ultra-sensitive optical detector with large time resolution, using a surface plasmon. The optical detector is configured to detect at least one photon, and including a dielectric substrate, and on the substrate, at least one bolometric detection component, that g... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7910888 | X-ray analyzer Provided is an X-ray analyzer capable of significantly suppressing an influence of an external magnetic field on a transition edge sensor (TES). The X-ray analyzer includes: a TES (7) for detecting energy of a received X-ray as a temperature change and output... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7767965 | Neutron detector and neutron imaging sensor A neutron detector includes a plurality of neutron detecting element sections, each of the neutron detecting element sections having; a superconducting element including a substrate having at least one of surfaces thereof formed of a dielectric material, a strip lin... | 08/03/2010 |
| 7763854 | High time-resolution ultrasensitive optical detector, using grating coupling This detector is intended to detect at least one photon and comprises a dielectric substrate (30), of index nO; a detecting element (32) forming a serpentine, placed on the substrate and generating a signal using the energy of the photon(s);... | 07/27/2010 |
| 7718964 | High time-resolution ultrasensitive optical sensor using a planar waveguide leakage mode, and methods for making same A high time-resolution ultrasensitive optical detector, using a planar waveguide leakage mode, and methods for making the detector. The detector includes a stacking with a dielectric substrate, a detection element, first and second dielectric layers, and a dielectri... | 05/18/2010 |
| 7446314 | Superconducting gamma and fast-neutron spectrometers with high energy resolution Superconducting Gamma-ray and fast-neutron spectrometers with very high energy resolution operated at very low temperatures are provided. The sensor consists of a bulk absorber and a superconducting thermometer weakly coupled to a cold reservoir, and determines the ... | 11/04/2008 |
| 7319227 | Cryogenic detector device A cryogenic detector device includes a sensor based on a low-temperature effect and measures the temperature increase produced by the introduction of energy, such as an X-ray quantum. The smaller the thermal capacity of the sensor, the greater the temperature increa... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7315025 | Radiation detector and radiation apparatus A practical semiconductor radiation detector capable of collecting electrons rapidly with a large volume is disclosed. A multiple layers of grid electrodes around an anode formed on a semiconductor element limits the generation of the induced charge signal for the a... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7274019 | Method for detection and imaging over a broad spectral range A method of controlling the coordinate sensitivity in a superconducting microbolometer employs localized light, heating or magnetic field effects to form normal or mixed state regions on a superconducting film and to control the spatial location. Electron beam litho... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7262404 | Photodetector manufacturable by semiconductor processes A photodetector includes a semiconductor substrate having photo-cells (1a, 1b, 1c). Each photo-cell is provided with a filter layer 20 that transmits light in a wavelength range predetermined for the photo-cell, and a... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7241997 | Superconducting X-ray detection apparatus and superconducting X-ray analyzer using the apparatus A superconducting X-ray detection apparatus has a refrigerator, a cooling head cooled by the refrigerator, and a stacked structure connected to an end portion of the cooling head. The stacked structure comprises a sensor holder, a low-temperature first-stage amplifi... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7242775 | Optical pulse calibration for quantum key distribution Methods and systems for generating calibrated optical pulses in a QKD system. The method includes calibrating a variable optical attenuator (VOA) by first passing radiation pulses of a given intensity and pulse width through the VOA for a variety of VOA settings. Th... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7220965 | Warm AC biasing in TES microcalorimeter readout via transformer Prospective readout architecture with Transition Edge Sensor (TES) electrical biasing from the warm readout is introduced. The architecture allows building of large imaging detector arrays with TES. The invention allows an unprecedented combination of imaging and sp... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7202511 | Near-infrared visible light photon counter Electromagnetic energy is detected with high efficiency in the spectral range having wavelengths of about 1–2 microns by coupling an absorber layer having high quantum efficiency in the spectral range having wavelengths of about 1–2 microns to an intrinsic semic... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7180281 | Electrical component and method of manufacturing the same An electrode is made by turning a harness such that the electrode has a predetermined are for detecting capacitance. A method of manufacturing of an electrode includes step so turning a wire, and shaping the electrode with the wire. The electrode has a predetermined... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7132655 | Passive millimeter wave sensor using high temperature superconducting leads A radiation sensor (20) has a substrate (34); an antenna (24) coupled to the substrate (34), a thermal detector unit TDU (22) spaced from the antenna (24) and the substrate (34); and a multi-layered conductive lead ( | 11/07/2006 |
| 7078695 | Superconducting antenna-coupled hot-spot microbolometer, methods for its manufacture and use, and a bolometric imaging arrangement An antenna-coupled microbolometer structure comprises a substrate (301), an antenna (102, 103) supported by the substrate, and a thermally sensitive element (101, 305) connected to the antenna and arranged to dissipate electric currents induced ... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7078694 | System and method for spatial, temporal, energy-resolving detection of single photons A system and method for providing spatial, temporal, energy-resolving detection of single photons using superconducting transmission lines. ... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7057172 | Particle detector assembly A particle detector assembly includes a substrate on which are mounted at least two superconducting quasiparticle detectors. A processing system is connected to the detectors and distinguishes between events detected simultaneously in each detector and non-simultane... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7049593 | Superconducting single photon detector A single-photon detector includes a superconductor strip biased near its critical current. The superconductor strip provides a discernible output signal upon absorption of a single incident photon. In one example, the superconductor is a strip of NbN (niobium nitrid... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7030379 | Methods for detecting photons, radiations or neutrons using superconductors and methods for obtaining two-dimensional images thereof In the improved neutron image detector, MgB2 enriched in a constituent element 10B of wide energy gap is used as a neutron detection plate, which is provided at the center and the four corners with a phonon sensor comprising an insulation layer... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7019333 | Photon source A photon source comprising: a quantum dot (21) having a first confined energy level capable of being populated with an electron and a second confined energy level capable of being populated by a hole; and su... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7019372 | Particle detector assembly A particle detector assembly includes a superconducting absorber to which is coupled superconducting tunnel junction detectors for detecting particles incident on the absorber. Each superconducting tunnel junction detector includes superconducting tunnel junction de... | 03/28/2006 |
| 6992295 | PET scanner with structured optical element A PET scanner includes a scintillator block and a plurality of photodetectors, each of which has a field of view that includes a portion of the scintillator block. An optical element is disposed between the scintillator block and the plurality of photodetectors. The... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6974952 | Radiation detector A radiation detector comprises an energy/electricity converter having a detection area for detecting incident radiation, and electrodes connecting the converter to an external driving circuit for driving the converter to convert energy of the incident radiation dete... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6914253 | System for measurement of absorbed doses of electron beams in an irradiated object A method and apparatus for measuring doses of electron beams that are absorbed by an object subjected to e-beam irradiation. The absorbed dose can be continuously measured during an irradiation process, and adjustment can be made to system parameters in accordance w... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6907359 | Calorimeter A superconducting radiation detector relies upon the abruptness of a superconducting transition edge to converts a slight heat generated by an X-ray into a high signal current and uses an electrothermal self-feedback mechanism to provide a high energy resolution and... | 06/14/2005 |
| 6849850 | Methods for detecting photons, radiations or neutrons using superconductors and methods for obtaining two-dimensional images thereof In the improved neutron image detector, MgB2 enriched in a constituent element 10B of wide energy gap is used as a neutron detection plate, which is provided at the center and the four corners with a phonon sensor comprising an insulation layer... | 02/01/2005 |
| 6836677 | Bolometer and method for producing bolometer A bolometer thin film having a high temperature coefficient of resistance (|TCR|) is produced in a simple and easy production process to provide a highly sensitive infrared sensing element. The invention provides a bolometer using a thin film of an oxide represented... | 12/28/2004 |
| 6815708 | Optical superconducting device An optic superconducting circuit element (10) is disclosed that is operable to transmit and receive on an identical chip an electromagnetic wave having frequencies in an extended frequency band ranging from microwave to THz frequency bands and with high sensi... | 11/09/2004 |
| 6812464 | Superconducting single photon detector A single photon detector includes a superconductor strip biased near its critical current. The superconductor strip provides a discernible output signal upon absorption of a single incident photon. In one example, the superconductor is a strip of NbN (niobium nitrid... | 11/02/2004 |
| 6800877 | Semi-conductor interconnect using free space electron switch An apparatus and method for electrically connecting semi-conductor devices is disclosed. The apparatus and method employs a vacuum chamber and first and second semi-conductor components. The first and second semi-conductor components are coupled to a vacuum chamber ... | 10/05/2004 |
| 6765207 | Method for producing a transition edge sensor A method of producing a transition edge sensor comprises depositing a sensing material upon a substrate to form a sensing layer having an associated transition temperature. The transition temperature for the sensing layer is selected as desired. The desired transiti... | 07/20/2004 |
| 6617596 | On-line measurement of absorbed electron beam dosage in irradiated product An accelerator (10) generates an electron beam (22) of selected energy that is swept (16) up and down. A conveyor (32) moves items (30) through the electron beam for irradiation treatment. An array (40a) of inductive electron beam strength detectors is di... | 09/09/2003 |
| 6455849 | Normal metal boundary conditions for multi-layer TES detectors Multi-layer transition-edge sensors (TES) having improved performance, a method for preparing them and methods of using them. Specifically, the improvement lies in providing normal metal strips along the edges of the superconducting and normal metal layer... | 09/24/2002 |
| 6337488 | Defect inspection apparatus and defect inspection method A defect inspection apparatus enabling more reliable and quicker detection of a defect present in the surface of a stacked film formed on a wafer and enabling reliable and quicker detection of a minute defect even if there is unevenness in the surface of ... | 01/08/2002 |
| 6281497 | Radioactive ray detecting device A radioactive ray detecting device comprises a superconductor element formed without an underlying substrate, an oxide film formed on a surface of the superconductor element, and a superconductor thin film formed on the oxide film. The oxide film and the ... | 08/28/2001 |
| 6239431 | Superconducting transition-edge sensor with weak links A system and method for using one or more localized weak-link structures, and damping on the electrical bias circuit, to improve the performance of superconducting transition-edge sensors (TES). The weak links generally consist of an area or areas having ... | 05/29/2001 |
| 6211519 | Transition-edge sensor with enhanced electrothermal feedback for cryogenic particle detection A superconducting transition-edge sensor with an electrothermal-feedback circuit, a heat sink thermally coupled thereto, a bias-feedback circuit electrically coupled with the electrothermal feedback circuit, and a current sensor electrically coupled with ... | 04/03/2001 |
| 6153884 | Radioisotope proximity sensor A radioisotope proximity sensor is provided for detecting proximity or distance to a nearby object containing a small radiation source complementary to the sensor. The output of the sensor is amplified or compared to determine the distance or proximity. T... | 11/28/2000 |
