This invention is directed to a method and apparatus for growing a multi-component single crystal boules that provides high quality and growth rate by growing the crystal from a multi-component melt, such as a ternary, quaternary or higher order melt. In the past, only binary compounds such as GaAs) could be commercially produced by directional solidification from melts, while compounds with more than two components resulted in a high density of defects.

Conventional methods for fabricating silicon carbide thyristors and gate turn-off thyristors include utilizing an all-epitaxial growth technique to fabricate each layer of the device. This epitaxial growth involves doping the crystal during crystal growth. This method has been the only method used for silicon carbide (SiC) thyristor fabrication. This invention is a new method for forming one or more doped layers using ion-implantation in the fabrication of thyristors after the crystal structure has been formed.

The intelligent control of lighting has the potential to bring benefits in energy consumption, human comfort and well-being, and worker productivity. Existing systems have various drawbacks including: (1) they often only detect the presence of people, and not their number and spatial distribution in the room; and (2) they typically use cameras or other high resolution sensors, which create high computational loads for real time operation and may present significant privacy or security concerns.

Current DRAM chips can ensure error-free data storage (except for radiation-induced soft errors), which largely simplifies the overall computing system design. Each DRAM cell contains one transistor and one capacitor. Unfortunately, it becomes increasingly challenging to maintain the sufficiently large capacitance (hence error-free data storage). It has become clear that STT-RAM has the true potential to complement or even replace DRAM as the main memory in computing systems. However, STT-RAM cannot achieve comparable bit cost as DRAM.

Pictures taken with most camera flashlights are often considered unnatural looking due to a mismatch of the illuminance and color temperature between the flash light and the ambient light in the scene. Subsequently, image rendering software is used to enhance the picture to a desirable look or several pictures must be taken attempting a better capture. A smart light system has been developed, incorporating LED sources and a sensor, that studies the lighting environment and decides optimal light for specific applications.

Multi-phase motor drives, including induction motors and permanent magnet motors, are used in a wide variety of applications and offer fault-tolerant operation under faults in motor windings and converter switches. Symmetrical multi-fed drives based on three-phase modules are of special interest in safety critical applications. They offer simple control under a fault condition. However, even a single open-circuit fault of one switch or winding will cause complete interruption of a faulty module.

This technology relates to electrical power supply systems, and provides a scalable, general-purpose, power flow calculation method and system that reduces or eliminates non-converging power system voltage stability calculation issues using an advantageous bus type. The system outperforms the conventional calculation method where the power flow solution diverges due to ill-conditioning at high levels of power transfer.

This technology relates to highly sensitive and large area optical sensor arrays with smart control that feature wireless operation. The optical sensors convert sensed illumination into a corresponding impedance (e.g., capacitance, inductance, etc.). The resulting impedance can then be easily integrated into a wireless signal generator (e.g., an LC or tank circuit), such that a characteristic of the illumination (e.g., intensity, wavelength, etc.) can be translated into a wireless output.

This technology relates to control schemes for multi-terminal DC power systems. Safe control of such systems is complex and requires very fast communication. This technology address this by eschewing central control by applying autonomous local control methods to both sending and receiving terminals of the multi-terminal DC system.

This technology relates to neutron-detecting structures and methods of fabrication. Efficient solid-state neutron-detectors with large detecting surfaces and low gamma sensitivity are desired for detecting and preventing proliferation of special nuclear materials (SNMs). Unfortunately, available neutron-detectors are limited, for instance, by size, weight, high bias voltage requirements, andor cost due, for instance, to limited supply of enriched helium (3He) gas, which is currently employed in most neutron-detectors.