Cutting apparatus employing a magnet

A cutting apparatus is disclosed and which includes a cutter knife which is reciprocally moveable along a path of travel, a track member mounted adjacent to the cutter knife, and which mechanically cooperates with the cutter knife so as to define, at least in part, a first non-cutting position, and the second, cutting position for the cutter knife, and a magnet mounted on the track member and which releasably magnetically restrains the cutter knife when the cutter knife is in either of the first non-cutting position, or the second, cutting position.

3-D circuits with integrated passive devices

... 3-D ICs (18, 18, 90) with integrated passive devices (IPDs) (38) having reduced cross-talk and high packing density are provided by stacking separately prefabricated substrates (20, 30, 34) coupled by through-substrate-vias (TSVs) (40). An active device (AD) substrate (20) has contacts on its upper portion (26). An isolator substrate (30) is bonded to the AD substrate (20) so that TSVs (4030) in the isolator substrate (30) are coupled to the contacts (26) on the AD substrate (20), and desirably has an interconnect zone (44) on its upper surface. An IPD substrate (34) is bonded to the isolator substrate (30) so that TSVs (4034) therein are coupled to the interconnect zone (44) on the isolator substrate (30) and/or TSVs (4030) therein. The IPDs (38) are formed on its upper surface and coupled by TSVs (4034, 4030) in the IPD (34) and isolator (30) substrates to devices (26) in the AD substrate (20). The isolator substrate (30) provides superior IPD (38) to AD (26) cross-talk attenuation while ...

Microwave choke system for use in heating articles under vacuum

A microwave heater equipped with a microwave choke and suitable for heating one or more articles under vacuum. The microwave choke inhibits leakage of microwave energy between a door of the heater and a main vessel body of the heater without causing arcing at the choke, even at low pressures. In certain situations, the microwave choke can be configured with side-by-side choke cavities. In certain situations, the microwave choke can be removably coupled to the door and/or vessel body for easier fabrication, installation, and/or replacement.

Implantable anchor with rotating cam

There is disclosed various embodiments of an implantable anchor for anchoring a medical lead within a patient. The implantable anchor includes a body having at least one lumen for receiving a medical lead, a cam integrated with the body and rotatable to extend into the lumen for engaging, compressing and twisting the medical lead to inhibit the movement of the lead with respect to the anchor. The body of the anchor may include at least one slot, sized and positioned to receive a portion of the lead to further facilitate the inhibition of the movement of the lead. The cam may include a handle for facilitating the rotation and locking of the cam.

Semiconductor device with photonics

A semiconductor structure having a transistor region and an optical device region includes a transistor in a first semiconductor layer of the semiconductor structure, wherein the first semiconductor layer is over a first insulating layer, the first insulating layer is over a second semiconductor layer, and the second semiconductor layer is over a second insulating layer. A gate dielectric of the transistor is in physical contact with a top surface of the first semiconductor layer, and the transistor is formed in the transistor region of the semiconductor structure. A waveguide device in the optical device region and a third semiconductor layer over a portion of the second semiconductor layer.

Burr hole caps and methods of use

In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises: a base structure adapted to be inserted within the burr hole; a lead securing member for securing the lead, the lead securing member comprising a first arm structure and a second arm structure, at least one spring loaded structure adapted to exert a force to bring the first arm structure and the second arm structure together; and a positioning tool having a distal end adapted to be inserted within the lead securing member. When the positioning tool is positioned within the lead securing member, the distal end holds the first and second arm structures a sufficient distance apart to receive a lead between the first and second arm structures; wherein the positioning tool comprises a control structure at a proximal end that, when engaged, causes the distal end of the positioning tool to be released from between the first and second arm structures.

Implantable pulse generator and method of use

In one embodiment, there is disclosed an implantable pulse generator for electrically stimulating a patient, which comprises: a housing enclosing pulse generating circuitry; a header coupled to the metallic housing, the header including an inner guide having cylindrical passages for accepting feedthrough wires such that the inner guide is slidingly coupled to the plurality of feedthrough wires, wherein the inner guide has an exterior surface which intersects a portion of each cylindrical passage to create an exposed portion of each feedthrough wire, an outer seal having an interior surface sized to support terminals against the exposed portion of the feedthrough wires, and an outer clip component fitting over at least a portion of the outer seal component.

Semiconductor device with photonics

A method for forming a semiconductor structure having a transistor region and an optical device region includes forming a transistor in and on a first semiconductor layer of the semiconductor structure, wherein the first semiconductor layer is over a first insulating layer, the first insulating layer is over a second semiconductor layer, and the second semiconductor layer is over a second insulating layer, wherein a gate dielectric of the transistor is in physical contact with a top surface of the first semiconductor layer, and wherein the transistor is formed in the transistor region of the semiconductor structure. The method also includes forming a waveguide device in the optical device region, wherein forming the waveguide device includes exposing a portion of the second semiconductor layer in the optical device region; and epitaxially growing a third semiconductor layer over the exposed portion of the second semiconductor layer.

Extension device for coupling between pulse generator and stimulation lead, stimulation system using the same, and method of manufacturing the same

In one embodiment, a lead extension comprises: a lead body; a plurality of conductors disposed within the lead body; a plurality of terminal contacts on a proximal end of the lead body, wherein the plurality of terminal contacts are electrically coupled to the plurality of conductors; and a housing structure disposed at a distal end of the lead body, the housing structure enclosing a plurality of electrical connectors for making electrical contact with terminal contacts of a stimulation lead, wherein the plurality of electrical connectors are electrically coupled to the plurality of conductors; the housing structure comprising an outer body of a first material and an inner reinforcing structure of a second material, wherein the first material is a relatively pliable biocompatible polymer material and the second material is a relatively rigid material, the reinforcing structure holding the plurality of electrical connectors in a relatively fixed arrangement.

Method and apparatus for forming brick packs with voids

Brick layers are taken from a kiln car and sequentially stacked on an elevator until a predetermined number of layers have been stacked on the elevator. A fluid actuated pusher then moves the bricks pack horizontally from the elevator onto a shuttle car which then is indexed to a strap feeding station where another fluid actuated pusher moves the stack horizontally from the shuttle car into the inlet of a strapping station where the stack is bundled with steel strapping in conventional fashion. After the stack is initially deposited at the inlet of the strapping station, a strap feed pusher vertically descends behind the stack and advances it further towards the strap station to clear the shuttle car which is then indexed back to its initial position adjacent the elevator for repeating the operation.

Method of forming a lead

An implantable, substantially isodiametric, low resistance implantable lead having at least one electrode positioned in a stimulation/sensing portion of the lead as well as a method of manufacturing the same. At least the stimulation/sensing portion is unitized through partially surrounding and supporting insulation and conductive element(s) of the stimulation/sensing portion with a fused matrix of material having mechanical properties consistent with a body of the lead.

Method and apparatus for hacking bricks

Method and apparatus for hacking green bricks for eventual introduction into a kiln; wherein bricks are placed on a spread table in parallel rows, and the spread table is actuated to space each of the rows of bricks from each other at distances greater than spacings that will be required when the bricks are being fired in a kiln. A brick gripping head having a plurality of elongated brick gripping members is positioned over the spread bricks on the spread table with the brick gripping members extending vertically in the spaces between the rows of bricks and horizontally along the opposite sides of the bricks. The spread table is then actuated to reduce the spacings between the bricks to predetermined final spacings required during firing of the bricks in the kiln. Simultaneously with such retraction of the spread table, the brick gripping members are also moved laterally towards each other to accommodate the decreased spacings between the bricks. In the preferred embodiment, the brick gripping members include air bags which are inflatable for gripping the sides of the brick and deflatable for releasing the brick. When the desired final spacing is achieved by retraction of the spread table, the air bags are inflated to grip the brick for delivery onto a brick stack on a kiln car or pallet which will be taken to the kiln. The next group of bricks to be spaced on the spread table are treated in the same manner, however, prior to stacking on the kiln car, they are rotated as a unit ninety degrees in a horizontal plane by rotating the brick gripping head so that when stacked, the rows of bricks extend at right angles to the rows of bricks previously stacked on the kiln car.

Producing a constant air flow from a blower

An airflow control system for a blower providing the combustion air for an HVAC system comprises a single phase AC blower motor driving a blower wheel within a blower housing, a vacuum sensor mounted to the housing to sense the vacuum or pressure differential created by the blower as it operates, and a controller that receives as its only feedback signal a variable signal from the vacuum sensor which signal is proportional to the sensed vacuum within the housing and provides an output voltage to the blower motor to adjust the blower motor speed to thereby preferably produce a constant air flow.

Method of forming a semiconductor device and an optical device and structure thereof

An integration process where a first semiconductor protective layer (32) and a second semiconductor protective layer (44) are formed to protect the first (16) and second (42) semiconductor materials, respectfully, during processing to form an optical device, such as a photodetector, and a transistor on the same semiconductor. The first semiconductor protective layer protects the semiconductor substrate during formation of the second semiconductor layer, and the second semiconductor layer protects the second semiconductor material during subsequent processing of the first semiconductor. In one embodiment, the first semiconductor includes silicon and the second semiconductor material include germanium.

Motor-driven portable buffer

Fabrication of three dimensional integrated circuit employing multiple die panels

A method of assembling an electronic device includes testing (602) a first wafer (100) of first die to identify the location of functional first die and dividing (604) the first wafer (100) into a set of panels (104-1, 104-2, 104-3), wherein a panel includes an MxN array of first die. A panel is bonded to a panel site of a second wafer to form a panel stack wherein a panel site defines an MxN array of second die in the second wafer. The panel stack is sawed (606) into a devices comprising a first die bonded to a second die. Dividing the first (100) wafer into panels may be done according statically or dynamically (to maximize the number of panels having a yield exceeding a specified threshold). Binning of the panels and panel sites according to functional die patterns may be performed to preferentially bond panels to panel sites of the same bin.