Technology
Voltage RegulatorA voltage regulator is an electrical regulator designed to automatically maintain a constant voltage level. A voltage regulator is an example of a negative feedback control loop. It may use an electromechanical mechanism, or electronic components. Depending on the design, it may be used to regulate one or more AC or DC voltages. |
Nasa Heat TileThis specimen is a small portion of a foam heat protection tile from one of the space shuttle orbiters. Sample was provided by the NASA Kennedy Space Center. |
Integrated CircuitIn electronics, an integrated circuit (also known as IC, chip, or microchip) is a miniaturized electronic circuit (consisting mainly of semiconductor devices, as well as passive components) that has been manufactured in the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material. Integrated circuits are used in almost all electronic equipment in use today and have […] |
Accelerometer2An accelerometer is a device that measures the proper acceleration of the device. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration (change of velocity of the device in space), but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame of […] |
Silicon Etching CoinThis piece of silicon wafer has been etched in the micro-image of a Nickel. It demonstrates the precision of computer control over Focussed Ion Beam (FIB) etching. A FIB accelerates and directs a stream of Gallium (Ga) ions which impact the sample, removing material at the nanometer scale. The pattern for this etching came from […] |
Digital Light Processing ChipThe DLP chip is perhaps the world’s most sophisticated light switch. It contains a rectangular array of up to 2 million hinge-mounted microscopic mirrors; each of these micromirrors measures less than one-fifth the width of a human hair. When a DLP chip is coordinated with a digital video or graphic signal, a light source, and […] |
Ceramic CupCeramic is an inorganic, non-metallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous (e.g., a glass). Because most common ceramics are crystalline, the definition of ceramic is often restricted to inorganic crystalline materials, as opposed to the non-crystalline glasses. |
AccelerometerAn accelerometer is a device that measures the proper acceleration of the device. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration (change of velocity of the device in space), but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame of […] |
Silicon Etching SpikesThe square array of spikes have been fabricated on single crystal silicon chips by a method called photolithography. This is the same popular technique to manufacture computer integrated circuits. Ultraviolet (UV) light with desired patterns is projected onto silicon wafers coated with some light sensitive liquid known as photo resist (PR). PR unexposed to UV […] |
Charge Coupled Device ChipA charge-coupled device (CCD) is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. Often the device is integrated with an image sensor, such as a photoelectric device to produce the charge that is being […] |
Silicon Etching CheckerboardThe checkerboard pattern has been fabricated on single crystal silicon chips by a method called photolithography. This is the same popular technique to manufacture computer integrated circuits. Ultraviolet (UV) light with desired patterns is projected onto silicon wafers coated with some light sensitive liquid known as photo resist (PR). PR unexposed to UV light remains […] |