55 results about "Electrode geometry" patented technology

This invention relates to the destruction of pathological volumes or target structures such as cancerous tumors or aberrant functional target tissue volumes by direct thermal destruction. In the case of a tumor, the destruction is implemented in one embodiment of the invention by percutaneous insertion of one or more radiofrequency probes into the tumor and raising the temperature of the tumor volume by connection of these probes to a radiofrequency generator outside of the body so that the isotherm of tissue destruction enshrouds the tumor. The ablation isotherm may be predetermined and graded by proper choice of electrode geometry and radiofrequency (rf) power applied to the electrode with or without temperature monitoring of the ablation process. Preplanning of the rf electrode insertion can be done by imaging of the tumor by various imaging modalities and selecting the appropriate electrode tip size and temperature to satisfactorily destroy the tumor volume. Computation of the correct three-dimensional position of the electrode may be done as part of the method, and the planning and control of the process may be done using graphic displays of the imaging data and the rf ablation parameters. Specific electrode geometries with adjustable tip lengths are included in the invention to optimize the electrodes to the predetermined image tumor size.

A method and system for the delivery of radiofrequency energy to the tissue, particularly, the prostate, to alleviate the symptoms of BPH is disclosed. The system incorporates a bipolar or multipolar electrode array to create an electric field where the heat created is confined solely to a specific volume of the prostate gland and therefore the heated tissue is defined only by the electrode geometry. The bipolar electrode array provides a variety of three dimensional, symmetric heating patterns within the prostatic tissue depending on the relative electrode lengths and angular separation. The system provides precision tissue temperature and impedance measurements thereby enabling the surgeon to accurately predict heating pattern performance and tissue response to RF heating.

A self-limiting electrosurgical return electrode for use with electrosurgery. Through the selection of impedance characteristics for the electrode materials of the principal body of the electrode, and through tailoring of electrode geometries, the return electrode of the present invention is self-regulating and self-limiting as to current density and temperature rise so as to prevent patient trauma. The electrosurgical return electrode includes a sheet of material having an effective bulk impedance equal to or greater than about 4,000 OMEGA.cm and one or more connectors for making electrical connection to the sheet. The effective bulk impedance of the sheet may arise from resistive components, capacitive components, inductive components, or combinations thereof. The configuration of the presently described return electrode allows the electrode to self-limit the electrode's current densities, thereby preventing burning of a patient during surgery. Furthermore, through employment of washable surface areas, the electrode is made readily cleanable, disinfectable, sterilizable, and reusable. An optional sleeve is provided for cooperative use with the electrode.

The invention features an electrode array (7) in which pairs of electrodes (1) are geometrically arranged so that the broadest faces of the exposed electrodes are not directly opposing to each other. Rather, the broadest facing surfaces of the electrodes in the array are parallel, adjacent, or offset at an angle. The electrode geometry of an electrode array of the invention permits electrodes to be in close proximity, thereby lowering series resistance, while minimizing the possibility for short circuits that can cause electrical leakage. An electrode array of the invention can be used in an electrochemical cell, such as a battery, e.g., a lithium battery, a capacitor, a flow-through capacitor, or a fuel cell.

Systems, apparatus, and program product and methods for controlling boundary layer flow across an aerodynamic structure which can produce separate regions of flow structures at different strengths by means of dielectric-barrier-discharge (DBD) type plasmas, are provided. An example of such apparatus provides plasma regions that are capable of being individually controlled by voltage and/or frequency, and modulated for the purposes of flow control. The apparatus includes an electrode assembly fitted with electrodes on either side of a dielectric such that different electrode geometries and arrangements create isolated regions of plasmas which results in separate regions of flow structures. These regions may be further controlled and modulated by the use of electronic-switching to produce irregularly shaped flow structures and strengths including those having a primarily vertical component.

A sensor, a system of direct measurement using that sensor, and a method of direct and simultaneous measurement of conductivity and dielectric constant of a fluid, particularly high impedance, hydrocarbon-based fluids. The sensor has a cell that holds the fluids to be measured between a single pair of coaxial, bare metal electrodes connected through interface circuitry to measurement circuitry preferably implemented in one or several IC's. The sensor has a mutually compatible electrode geometry that provides both the correct cell constant for measurement of conductivity of hydrocarbons fluids (typical range 0-100,000 pS/cm), and a bulk capacitance (for use in dielectric constant measurement) in the range of measure of readily available low cost commercial IC's (having a typical capacitance measurement span of <10 pF, with a total bulk capacitance at the chip of <20 pF). The cell conductivity constant for use with hydrocarbon-based oils having a conductivity in the range of 1 to 500,000 pS/M is preferably less than or equal to about 0.1. The cell bulk capacitance with hydrocarbon fluids inside the sensor results in a bulk capacitance of at least about 4 pF. In one embodiment, the electronic circuitry is a Microcontroller/DSP that both generates synchronous drive signals at various frequencies, for both conductivity and dielectric constant measurements while directly digitizing and numerically processing the sensor output.

A self-limiting electrosurgical electrode for use with electrosurgery and various other surgical procedures is disclosed. The electrode includes a heating element for generating heat to warm a patient resting upon the electrode. The electrode can also include one or more pads to prevent the creation of pressure sores or decubitus ulcers on a patient resting upon the electrode. The electrode has an effective bulk impedance equal to or greater than about 4,000 Ω·cm, which arises from resistive components, capacitive components, inductive components, or combinations thereof. Through the selection of the impedance characteristics for the electrode materials, and through tailoring of electrode geometries, the electrode of the present invention is self-regulating and self-limiting as to current density and temperature rise so as to prevent patient trauma.

A technique for improved ion implantation is provided. The technique is embodied as an electrostatic filter for an ion implantation device. The electrostatic filter is located just prior to deceleration and may be integrated with a decelerator. Electrodes are used to generate an electric field to separate neutrals from ions. Also, the filter may include active cooling to reduce background gas pressure, a precursor to neutral particle formation. Electrode geometry may also inhibit high energy neutrals from contaminating the target substrate.

A CMUT on CMOS imaging chip is disclosed. The imaging chip can use direct connection, CMOS architecture to minimize external connections and minimize chip cross-section. The CMOS architecture can enable substantially the entire chip area to be utilized for element placement. The chip can utilize arbitrarily selected transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) element arrays to improve image quality, while reducing sampling time. The chip can comprise a plurality of dummy elements dispersed throughout the Tx and Rx elements to reduce cross-talk. The chip can utilize batch firing techniques to increase transmit power using sparse Tx arrays. The chip can comprise hexagonal Tx and or Rx subarrays for improved image quality with reduce sample sizes. The chip can utilize electrode geometry, bias voltage, and polarity to create phased and amplitude apodized arrays of Tx and Rx elements.

The invention provides a zero drift compensation method of a Hall magnetic sensor. At present, the existing Hall magnetic sensor has the defects that the output voltage VH of the Hall magnetic sensor is not equal to zero, and the zero error VHO is generated because of factors such as unsymmetrical geometric positions of Hall electrodes, poor ohmic contact of the electrodes, nonuniform electric resistivity, nonuniform temperature and the like when the external magnetic filed B is equal to zero. In order to eliminate the zero error, the invention mainly adopts an external compensation circuit for compensating the zero drift. When the method is used, the magnetic sensor is difficult to develop in the directions of miniaturization and intelligentization. The invention uses a CMOS process for manufacturing grooves of the MOSFET Hall magnetic sensor so that the resistance values of four equivalent resistors are changed along with the external grid voltage. The invention is applicable to the fields of medicine, automobiles and the like.

The specification describes an improved mechanical electrode structure for MOS transistor devices with elongated runners. It recognizes that shrinking the geometry increases the likelihood of mechanical failure of comb electrode geometries. The mechanical integrity of a comb electrode is improved by interconnecting the electrode fingers in a cross-connected grid. In one embodiment, the transistor device is interconnected with gate fingers on a lower metaliization level, typically the first level metal, with the drain interconnected at a higher metal level. That allows the drain fingers to be cross-connected with a vertical separation between drain and gate comb electrodes. The cross-connect members may be further stabilized by adding beam extensions to the cross-connect members. The beam extensions may be anchored in an interlevel dielectric layer for additional support.

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for mixing and self-cleaning elements in microfluidic systems based on electrothermally induced fluid flow. The apparatus and methods provide for the control of fluid flow in and between components in a microfluidic system to cause the removal of unwanted liquids and particulates or mixing of liquids. The geometry and position of electrodes is adjusted to generate a temperature gradient in the liquid, thereby causing a non-uniform distribution of dielectric properties within the liquid. The dielectric non-uniformity produces a body force and flow in the solution, which is controlled by element and electrode geometries, electrode placement, and the frequency and waveform of the applied voltage.

The invention relates to devices and methods for the acquisition of mass spectra with very high mass resolution in ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers and methods to produce the devices. The invention presents cylindrical ICR measuring cells with special electrode geometries to generate harmonic trapping potentials for orbiting ions up to the walls of the cell. Only a single DC trapping voltage has to be applied to create the harmonic trapping potential distribution. The sheath of the cylindrical cell is divided by longitudinal gaps into a multitude of sheath electrodes, which either have to carry layers with resistance profiles able to generate parabolic voltage profiles along the sheath electrodes, or which form sheath electrodes of varying width by parabolic gaps, able to create complicated potential distributions which are harmonic on average for orbiting ions. Orbiting ions of a given mass m/z can oscillate harmonically in axial direction with exactly the same oscillation frequency, independent of the radius of their orbit and of their axial oscillation amplitude. Ideally, the cylinders are closed by endcaps with rotationally hyperbolic form, divided into partial electrodes like in infinity cells. The ions can then be excited to their cyclotron motions by dipolar excitation fields also uniformly filling the ICR cell up to the endcaps. The ion clouds orbiting on their cyclotron trajectory are kept together for much longer periods than was possible hitherto, even if they orbit near the sheath electrodes. The image currents thus give rise to minute-long transients, from which mass spectra with ultrahigh mass resolution can be obtained.

The invention provides a display panel and a display device. The display panel comprises a substrate and a pixel electrode layer arranged on the substrate. The pixel electrode layer comprises a plurality of pixel electrode groups, and the plurality of pixel electrode groups are arranged in an array along a first direction and a second direction; each pixel electrode group comprises a first sub-pixel electrode, a third sub-pixel electrode, a second sub-pixel electrode and a fourth sub-pixel electrode, the first sub-pixel electrode and the third sub-pixel electrode are arranged in the third direction, and the second sub-pixel electrode and the fourth sub-pixel electrode are arranged in the fourth direction. The first sub-pixel electrode and the third sub-pixel electrode are located at the two sides of at connecting line between the geometric center point of the second sub-pixel electrode and the geometric center point of the fourth sub-pixel electrode. Projections of the second sub-pixelelectrode and the first sub-pixel electrode along the first direction and the second direction are partially overlapped; projections of the fourth sub-pixel electrode and the third sub-pixel electrode along the first direction and the second direction are partially overlapped; thus, the sub-pixels can be closely arranged as much as possible, the distribution uniformity of the sensitive color sub-pixels is improved, the visual resolution is improved, and the display quality is improved.

A charged-particle beam control system includes a plurality of external magnets that generate an axially-varying longitudinal magnetic (AVLM)/axially-varying quadrupole magnetic (AVQM) field. A plurality of external electrode geometries generates an axially-varying longitudinal electrostatic (AVLE)/axially-varying quadrupole electrostatic (AVQE) field. The external electrode geometries and magnets control and confine a charged-particle beam of elliptic cross-section.