92 results about "Electric field gradient" patented technology

A microfluidics device and method for sample loading, concentrating, mixing, and / or reacting is disclosed. The device has a microchannel network that includes a channel segment communicating with first and second reservoirs. A projection formed on a wall portion of the channel segment terminates therein at a point or edge. When a voltage potential is applied across the two reservoirs, the projection functions to create an electric field gradient within the channel segment that causes charged components in the channel segment to concentrate in the region of the projection. The device is useful, for example, in loading a sample of dilute charged components for electrophoretic separation in the device.

An example flexoelectric piezoelectric material has a piezoelectric response, which may be a direct piezoelectric effect, a converse piezoelectric effect, both effects, or only one effect. A flexoelectric piezoelectric material comprises shaped elements of a material, which may be a substantially isotropic and centrosymmetric material. The shaped elements, such as cones, pyramids, wedges, or other tapered elements, may provide an electrical response in response to stress or strain gradients due to a flexoelectric effect in the material, and may provide a mechanical response in response to electric field gradients. Examples of the present invention include improved methods of fabricating devices comprising such shaped elements, and multi-layer devices having improved properties.

A neutron generator includes a sealed envelope providing a low pressure environment for a gas. One end of the envelope defines an ion source chamber. A target electrode is disposed at the other end of the envelope. An extracting electrode is spaced apart from the target electrode by an accelerating gap. The extracting electrode bounds the ion source chamber. A dispenser cathode electrode and grid electrode are disposed in the ion source chamber for inducing ionization in the ion source chamber. The dispenser cathode electrode, the grid electrode and the extracting electrode operate at a positive high voltage potential and the target electrode operates at or near ground potential. This configuration provides an electric field gradient that accelerates ions towards the target electrode to induce collisions of ions with target material, thereby causing fusion reactions that generate neutrons. High voltage power supply circuit means supplies a positive high voltage signal to the electrodes of the ion source. The positive high voltage signal has a low voltage signal component floating on a positive high voltage signal component. For the dispensing cathode electrode, the low voltage signal component can be a DC or AC signal suitable for emitting electrons from the dispensing cathode electrode. For the grid electrode, the low voltage signal component can be a positive pulsed-mode signal (preferably with magnitude in the range between 100 to 300 volts). High voltage insulation surrounds and electrically insulates the high voltage power supply circuit means. Other ion source electrode configurations, such as cold cathode (Penning) ion source and RF-driven ion source, can also be used.

An airborne exploration system used with an aircraft for shallow and deep exploration for oil and gas, mineral deposits and aquifers. The survey system uses natural electromagnetic EM fields as an energy source. The exploration system includes a pair of aerodynamic housing pods adapted for mounting on wing tips of the aircraft. The housing pods include electric field sensors with three orthogonal electric dipoles oriented along an X, Y and Z axis. An optional third set of orthogonal electric dipoles can be mounted in the tail of the aircraft. The field sensors are electrically attached to angular motion detectors mounted inside housing pods. The motion detectors are used for compensating for errors caused by angular motion of the aircraft when in the presence of strong electric field gradients. The system also includes a total field magnetometer mounted in the aircraft. The various filtered outputs of the magnetometer are used to provide phase and amplitude references for the similarly filtered and angular motion corrected outputs of the electric field sensors. The electric field data when normalized and phase referenced against the magnetic field data provides valuable geological and geophysical information related to the subsurface flow of telluric currents.

A reflectron lens and method are provided. The reflectron lens comprises a tube having a continuous conductive surface along the length of the tube for providing an electric field interior to the tube that varies in strength along the length of the tube. The tube may comprise glass, and in particular, a glass comprising metal ions, such as lead, which may be reduced to form the conductive surface. The method includes a step of introducing a beam of ions into a first end of a dielectric tube having a continuous conductive surface along the length of the tube. The method further includes a step of applying an electric potential across the tube to create an electric field gradient that varies in strength along the length of the tube so the electric field deflects the ions to cause the ions to exit the tube through the first end of the tube.

Devices are provided for determining the isoelectric point of a charged analyte, comprising a titration chamber and an electrode chamber. The electrode chamber comprises at least two electrodes, for example, an electrode array. Either or both of the titration chamber and the electrode chamber may have a shaped geometry. The electrodes are operative, in conjunction with the shaped geometry of the chamber(s) where appropriate, to generate an electric field gradient in the titration chamber. Permeable material separates the titration chamber and the electrode chamber. A pH Sensor is located in the titration chamber for obtaining the pH of the first fluid. Certain preferred embodiments further include an analyte band detector for detecting the presence and optionally the location of a focused band of charged solute. Methods are provided for determining the isoelectric point of a charged analyte comprising introducing a carrier fluid comprising a Charge analyte into the titration chamber of a device as just described and applying an electric field gradient to focus the charged analyte into a focused band. The pH of the carrier fluid is incremented or adjusted to shift the location of the focused band of charged analyte, and the pH and location of the focused band of charged analyte are obtained for a plurality of locations and pH's and the isoelectric point is determined from such data.

A laser based ignition system for stationary natural gas engines, a distributor system for use with high-powered lasers, and a method of determining a successful ignition event in a laser-based ignition system are provided. The laser based ignition (LBI) system for stationary natural gas engines includes a high power pulsed laser providing a pulsed emission output coupled to a plurality of laser plugs. A respective one of the plurality of laser plugs is provided in an engine cylinder. The laser plug focuses the coherent emission from the pulsed laser to a tiny volume or focal spot and a high electric field gradient at the focal spot leads to photoionization of the combustible mixture resulting in ignition.

A system for planning implantation of a neurostimulation probe is provided. The system comprises an input for receiving anatomical data comprising information regarding a position and an orientation of at least one fiber bundle in a target region, an input for receiving therapeutic information comprising information regarding a stimulation preferability of the at least one fiber bundle, an optimization module for based on the position, the orientation and the stimulation preferability of the at least one fiber bundle calculating at least one optimal position and at least one optimal orientation for implantation of the neurostimulation probe at which optimal position and orientation the probe is capable of generating an electric field gradient substantially parallel to at least one fiber bundle with a high stimulation preferability and / or substantially perpendicular to at least one fiber bundle with a low stimulation preferability and an output for providing the optimal position and orientation.

A compact instrument package consisting of a rotating sensor and supporting signal-processing electronics is capable of measuring two-dimensional electric-field vectors, ranging from DC to an arbitrary upper AC frequency not limited by the rotation rate, with highly improved accuracy and sensitivity when compared with previous art. In addition, contrary to previous art, the sensor can measure the electric field gradient at its location. This is achieved by the use of a combination of quadrature modulation and phase-sensitive quadrature demodulation digital signal processing in a generic rotating electric-field sensor. Ground isolated versions of the instrument can be used singly or in arrays when precise measurements of the electric fields are necessary. Either grounded or isolated versions of the instrument can operate continuously without the need for internal batteries, making it extremely attractive for a wide-range of industrial and space applications. Operational modes have been developed to distinguish the effects of ion currents and charged particles impacting the sensor from the local ambient electric field. Moreover, particular versions of the instrument can be operated in corrosive environments and conducting fluids.

A microfluidic liquid stream configuration system is provided including providing a substrate; forming a first co-planar electrode and a second co-planar electrode on the substrate; applying a dielectric layer, with a controlled surface energy, on the first co-planar electrode and the second co-planar electrode; forming an input reservoir on the first co-planar electrode and a second co-planar electrode; supplying a liquid in the input reservoir for analysis; and imposing an electric field, an electric field gradient, or a combination thereof on the liquid for respectively driving surface charge or dipole moments in the liquid for configuring a liquid stream.

Systems and methods are provided for the manipulation of a polarizable object with a pair of elongated nanoelectrodes using dielectrophoresis. The nanoelectrodes can be carbon nanotubes and are coupled with one or more time-varying voltage sources to create an electric field gradient in a gap between the nanotubes. The gradient induces the movement of a polarizable object in proximity with the field. The nanotube pair can be used to trap a single polarizable object in the gap. A method of fabricating a nanoelectrode dielectrophoretic system is also provided. Applications extend to self-fabricating nanoelectronics, nanomachines, nanochemistry and nanobiochemistry. A nanoelectrode dielectrophoretic system having an extended nanoelectrode for use in applications including the self-fabrication of a nanowire, as well as methods for fabricating the same, are also provided.

An airborne exploration system used with an aircraft for shallow and deep exploration for oil and gas, mineral deposits and aquifers. The survey system uses natural electromagnetic EM fields as an energy source. The exploration system includes a pair of aerodynamic housing pods adapted for mounting on wing tips of the aircraft. The housing pods include electric field sensors with three orthogonal electric dipoles oriented along an X, Y and Z axis. An optional third set of orthogonal electric dipoles can be mounted in the tail of the aircraft. The field sensors are electrically attached to angular motion detectors mounted inside housing pods. The motion detectors are used for compensating for errors caused by angular motion of the aircraft when in the presence of strong electric field gradients. The system also includes a total field magnetometer mounted in the aircraft. The various filtered outputs of the magnetometer are used to provide phase and amplitude references for the similarly filtered and angular motion corrected outputs of the electric field sensors. The electric field data when normalized and phase referenced against the magnetic field data provides valuable geological and geophysical information related to the subsurface flow of telluric currents.

A laser based ignition system for stationary natural gas engines, a distributor system for use with high-powered lasers, and a method of determining a successful ignition event in a laser-based ignition system are provided. The laser based ignition (LBI) system for stationary natural gas engines includes a high power pulsed laser providing a pulsed emission output coupled to a plurality of laser plugs. A respective one of the plurality of laser plugs is provided in an engine cylinder. The laser plug focuses the coherent emission from the pulsed laser to a tiny volume or focal spot and a high electric field gradient at the focal spot leads to photoionization of the combustible mixture resulting in ignition.

A multilayer system on a substrate, the multilayer system being applied to the substrate by plasma deposition, characterized in that the multilayer system is configured such that it has substantial diffusion resistance to ions in an aqueous solution, wherein the current produced by the diffusion of the ions with the connection of an electric field gradient of more than 104V / m, preferably more than 105V / m, most preferred more than 107V / m is IIon<6.5×10−8 A / cm2, preferably IIon<6.5×10−10 A / cm2, particularly IIon<1×10−12 A / cm2.

Heavy ions are ejected earlier than light ions sequentially at almost zero energy and they are accelerated at a fixed voltage so as to be guided to a pusher of a TOF spectrometer. After ions are ejected in a procedure of giving an electric field gradient to an ion trap and linearly decreasing its RF voltage, a condition of spatially focusing ions having all mass numbers of a single point on the pusher is found. The focused ions are vertically accelerated using the pusher to perform the TOF mass spectrometry.

A biphasic material and devices comprising the same are provided for the development of conductive conduits that may be used for the treatment of peripheral nerve injury. These devices or conduits are designed such that repeated electric field gradients can be initiated to promote neurite and axonal outgrowth. Conducting conduits using doped synthetic and / or natural polymers create specifically patterned high and low conducting segmented materials, which are mechanically used to produce the electrical properties needed for nerve conduits. These electrical properties stimulate neurite outgrowth and axonal repair following a peripheral nerve transection.

Devices are provided for separating and focusing charged analytes, comprising a separation chamber and two or more electrodes, for example, an electrode array. A membrane separates the separation chamber and the electrodes. The separation chamber of the device is configured, that is, the separation chamber has a shaped geometry, which serves to induce a gradient in an electric field generated by the electrodes in the electrode chamber. Optionally, molecular sieve is included in the separation chamber that is operative to shift the location at which a stationary focused band of a charged analyte forms under a given set of focusing process parameters. Methods are provided for separating and focusing charged analytes comprising introducing a first fluid comprising at least one charged analyte into the separation chamber of a device as just described, applying an electric field gradient to the charged analyte to focus the charged analyte in the electric field gradient.

The system and method provided modify a conventional seafloor long-wire electromagnetic (LEM) receiver by increasing the number of discrete antennae placed on the long wire. Two dipoles of electric field data are positioned exactly adjacent to each other, providing input to the same data logger system located within a seafloor survey unit to which the long wire is connected. Highly precise electric field gradients can be obtained by taking the difference of the measurements of the two electrodes, both for amplitude and phase. Any common-mode source of noise, such as magnetotelluric signals and receiver instrument noise will be rejected when the signals from the two electrodes are differenced. An acoustic navigation system utilizes a plurality of transponders to permit triangulation for accurate source-receiver ranging.

A rapid and robust device and method for the capture and manipulation of single cells and beads in a microfluidic environment using positive dielectrophoresis (pDEP) is provided. The capture device uses a highly localized and non-uniform pDEP electric field gradient to allow for the simultaneous capture and manipulation of single cells and beads in standard cell growth media.

A method of and system for analyzing ion mobility of a sample. The sample is received by an ionization chamber, which ionizes molecules of the sample. The ionized sample is received from the ionization chamber by a drift tube coupled to the ionization chamber and propelled along a length of the drift tube in a first direction away from the ionization chamber by an electric field gradient of the drift tube. A magnitude of the electric field gradient is in view of an atmospheric pressure measurement. A drift gas is propelled through the drift tube in a second direction opposite the first direction such that different types of ionized molecules travel through the drift tube at different rates. An arrival time of each of the different types of molecules at a detector located at a second end of the drift tube opposite the first end is detected.

The invention relates to a direct current cable space charge distribution simulation method considering temperature and electric field gradient influence, and belongs to the technical field of directcurrent cable electrical performance research, and the method comprises the following steps: S1, building a two-dimensional physical model of a circular section of a direct current cable; s2, carryingout theoretical analysis of direct current cable insulation layer space charge injection; s3, carrying out theoretical analysis of space charge transport and accumulation in the insulating layer; s4,adding a physical field, and performing multi-physical-field coupling; s5, setting parameters and boundary conditions according to actual operation conditions; s6, carrying out mesh generation on themodel based on a finite element method, and obtaining direct-current cable insulation layer space charge and electric field distribution results under the action of different temperature gradients and electric field gradients through simulation. By adopting the method, the distribution characteristics of space charges and electric fields of the cross section of the cable insulation layer under the conditions of different materials, temperature gradients and electric field gradients can be obtained.

A system for analyzing a sample includes a source configured to generate ions from constituent components of the sample; a mobility separation device, a plurality of ion channels, and a mass analyzer configured to determine the mass-to-charge ratio of the ions. The mobility device is configured to separate ions received from the source based on the mobility in a gas. The mobility separation device provides a gas flow in a first direction and an electric field gradient along a second direction such that ions move in the first direction and drift according to their mobility in the second direction and are sorted based on their respective mobility. The ion channels are arranged adjacent to the mobility separation device such that ions from the mobility separation device are directed to different channels according to their respective mobility.

Apparatus and methods to perform hydrogen / deuterium exchange using semipermeable membranes are described. The system has two channels separated by a semipermeable membrane. One channel comprises a flow carrying the analyte of interest, and the second channel comprises a solution comprising a deuterated solvent (e.g. deuterium oxide). The system does not require an external electric field gradient across the membrane to perform the hydrogen-deuterium exchange procedure. The present invention facilitates sample and reagent handling as well as simplifies manufacture of devices and / or instrumentation related to deuterium exchange.Further described is a chemical analysation device for analysing chemical compositions and / or compounds, and a method for analysing chemical compounds and a computer program product for inducing a computer to perform steps in the method. Also described is a method for analyzing interactions between analytes and charged molecules, and calculating binding coefficients of the analytes with respect to the charged molecules.

The invention concerns a method for determining Clausius-Mossotti Factors ‘CMF’ of a solution of colloidal particles, comprising the following steps:putting said solution of colloidal particles (1) in contact with at least a pair of coplanar electrodes (3a, 3b) arranged on a substrate (5);placing colloidal particles in specific locations with reference to said electrodes;applying an AC electric field with an adapted dielectrophoretic ‘DEP’ frequency between each pair of electrodes, so that the colloidal particles move away from said specific locations by DEP forces, the motion of the colloidal particles being dictated by a DEP regime;determining velocities of the moving colloidal particles during the DEP regime, said velocities being determined along the electric field gradient direction; andcalculating the CMF of said colloidal particles by using said velocities.

A non-volatile memory device and a method for forming the non-volatile memory device are disclosed. The memory device utilizes a local buried channel dielectric in a NAND string that reduces bulk channel leakage at the edge of the NAND string where the electric field gradient along the direction of the string pillar is at or near a maximum during programming operations. The memory device comprises a channel that is coupled at one end to a bitline and at the other end to a source. A select gate is formed at the end of the channel coupled to the bitline to selectively control conduction between the bitline and the channel. At least one non-volatile memory cell is formed along the length of the channel between the select gate and the second end of the channel. A local dielectric region is formed within the channel at the first end of the channel.

The invention relates to high-voltage and insulation technologies, in particular to a shortest path feature set for representing distribution of electric fields of sphere gaps. The distribution of thethree-dimensional electric fields of the sphere gaps are acquired by means of static electric field simulation computation, paths where the shortest geometric distances between every two sphere electrodes are located are defined as the shortest paths, n sampling points are equidistantly selected on the shortest paths, original data of coordinates, electric field intensity and the like of the n sampling points are extracted, electric field distribution curves of the shortest paths are plotted, the sampling points with the minimum values of the electric field intensity are used as critical points, the electric field distribution curves are divided into high-voltage sections and low-voltage sections, electric field feature quantities are defined at the high-voltage sections and the low-voltage sections, and the shortest path feature set for representing the distribution of the electric fields of the sphere gaps can be acquired according to the extracted original data and feature quantitycomputational formulas. The shortest path feature set comprises electric field intensity, electric field gradient, electric field square, electric field intensity integration, path length and electric field unevenness feature quantities. The shortest path feature set has the advantages that extraction procedures are simple, and the distribution of the electric fields of the sphere gaps can be perfectly represented by the shortest path feature set.

A non-volatile memory device and a method for forming the non-volatile memory device are disclosed. The memory device utilizes a local buried channel dielectric in a NAND string that reduces bulk channel leakage at the edge of the NAND string where the electric field gradient along the direction of the string pillar is at or near a maximum during programming operations. The memory device comprises a channel that is coupled at one end to a bitline and at the other end to a source. A select gate is formed at the end of the channel coupled to the bitline to selectively control conduction between the bitline and the channel. At least one non-volatile memory cell is formed along the length of the channel between the select gate and the second end of the channel. A local dielectric region is formed within the channel at the first end of the channel.