NIST on a Chip Patents

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Dynamic Force Contactor, Providing a Dynamic Force, and Calibrating a Force Sensor to be Traceable to the International System of Units

NIST Inventors

Akobuije Chijioke

Patent Description A longstanding and thorny problem in force metrology is that of accurately measuring rapidly changing forces. A key part of the problem is that the dynamic response of force sensors changes depending on the system in which the sensor is used, meaning that an external calibration

Optical Temperature Sensor

NIST Inventors

Zeeshan Ahmed , Stephen Semancik , Jacob Taylor and Gregory F. Strouse

The photonic temperature sensor relies on ultra-sensitive, frequency-based measurements of the effect of heat on the dimensions and predominant thermo-optic properties of the photonic resonator.

Schematic of magnetometer/gyroscope shows layers with photodetectors on top and laser at bottom.

Compact Atomic Magnetometer and Gyroscope

NIST Inventors

John Kitching and Elizabeth Donley

Gyroscopes sense rotation. In combination with magnetometers, gyroscopes are used many applications. The NIST invention enables multitasking measurement capabilities and is the first to demonstrate simultaneous measurement of rotation, rotation angle and acceleration with a single source of atoms.

Optofluidic Flow Meter

NIST Inventors

Zeeshan Ahmed and Gregory A Cooksey

The NIST optical flow meter uses a photonic sensor to detect pressure changes inside a microfluidic channel, which is then used to calculate volumetric flow rates. It provides on-chip assessment of flow and heat transfer resulting in improvement in fluid metrology and advances in biological sensing.

Prototype microchip device combining NIST's miniature atomic magnetometer with a fluid channel

Integrated Microchip Incorporating Atomic Magnetometer and Microfluidic Channel for NMR and MRI

NIST Inventors

John Kitching

This technology is a device that integrates a microfluidic channel and an alkali vapor cell on a microchip-like platform. In conjunction with a near resonant laser beam, the alkali vapor cell forms the basis for an atomic magnetometer, competing with (or even exceeding) the sensitivity of magnetometers based on SQUIDs.

Diagram shows ethanol, shields, vapor cell, reservoir, heater.

Detection of J-Coupling Using Atomic Magnetometer

NIST Inventors

John Kitching

NMR endures as one of the most powerful analytical tools for detecting chemical species and elucidating molecular structure. Zero-to-ultralow-field NMR spectroscopy is a new, potentially portable and cost-effective modality to determine the molecular structure and properties of microfluidic chemical samples.

A metal cube (RPPM) mounted on a metal surface has round holes cut in each side.

Optical Power Meter

NIST Inventors

John H. Lehman and Paul A. Williams

NIST scientists have devised a radically new method of determining laser power by measuring the radiation pressure exerted by a laser beam on a reflective surface.

A disk-shaped device is smaller than the half-dollar coin underneath it.

Smart Mirror

NIST Inventors

Aly Artusio-Glimpse , John H. Lehman , Michelle Stephens , Nathan A Tomlin and Paul A. Williams

This invention measures the power of a laser beam by detecting the displacement caused by photon pressure on a mirrored surface.

A flat pink device with a round black patch lies over a quarter.

Electrical-Substitution Radiometer

NIST Inventors

John H. Lehman and Nathan A Tomlin

This invention is an electrical-substitution radiometer (ESR) — a thermal detector for optical and infrared radiation — based on a novel configuration of arrays of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes.

Chip-Scale Atomic Magnetometer

NIST Inventors

John Kitching and Vladislav Gerginov

Measurement of faint magnetic fields is critical to many applications, including medical diagnostics, but conventional technologies are often large, complex and expensive. NIST’s chip-scale atomic magnetometer is highly compact and readily fabricated using familiar semiconductor techniques.