High-performance ultra-wideband Phased Array Sensors (PAS) are disclosed, which have unique capabilities, enabled through photonic integrated circuits and novel optical architectures. Unique capabilities for a Receive PAS are provided by wafer scale photonic integration including heterogeneous integration of III-V materials and ultra-low-loss silicon nitride waveguides, combining key component technologies into complex PIC devices. Novel aspects include optical multiplexing combining wavelength division multiplexing and/or a novel extension to array photodetectors providing the capability to combine many RF photonic signals with very low loss. The architecture also includes optical down-conversion, as well as digital signal processing to improve the linearity of the system. Simultaneous multi-channel beamforming is achieved through optical power splitting of optical signals to create multiple exact replicas of the signals that are then processed independently.

High-performance ultra-wideband Phased Array Sensors (PAS) are disclosed, which have unique capabilities, enabled through photonic integrated circuits and novel optical architectures. Unique capabilities for a Receive PAS are provided by wafer scale photonic integration including heterogeneous integration of III-V materials and ultra-low-loss silicon nitride waveguides, combining key component technologies into complex PIC devices. Novel aspects include optical multiplexing combining wavelength division multiplexing and/or a novel extension to array photodetectors providing the capability to combine many RF photonic signals with very low loss. The architecture also includes optical down-conversion, as well as digital signal processing to improve the linearity of the system. Simultaneous multi-channel beamforming is achieved through optical power splitting of optical signals to create multiple exact replicas of the signals that are then processed independently.

High-performance ultra-wideband Phased Array Sensors (PAS) are disclosed, which have unique capabilities, enabled through photonic integrated circuits and novel optical architectures. Unique capabilities for a Receive PAS are provided by wafer scale photonic integration including heterogeneous integration of III-V materials and ultra-low-loss silicon nitride waveguides, combining key component technologies into complex PIC devices. Novel aspects include optical multiplexing combining wavelength division multiplexing and/or a novel extension to array photodetectors providing the capability to combine many RF photonic signals with very low loss. The architecture also includes optical down-conversion, as well as digital signal processing to improve the linearity of the system. Simultaneous multi-channel beamforming is achieved through optical power splitting of optical signals to create multiple exact replicas of the signals that are then processed independently.

High-performance ultra-wideband Phased Array Sensors (PAS) are disclosed, which have unique capabilities, enabled through photonic integrated circuits and novel optical architectures. Unique capabilities for a Receive PAS are provided by wafer scale photonic integration including heterogeneous integration of III-V materials and ultra-low-loss silicon nitride waveguides, combining key component technologies into complex PIC devices. Novel aspects include optical multiplexing combining wavelength division multiplexing and/or a novel extension to array photodetectors providing the capability to combine many RF photonic signals with very low loss. The architecture also includes optical down-conversion, as well as digital signal processing to improve the linearity of the system. Simultaneous multi-channel beamforming is achieved through optical power splitting of optical signals to create multiple exact replicas of the signals that are then processed independently.

Herein a control system (10) for controlling an internal combustion engine of a hand-held power tool (2) is disclosed. The control system (10) comprises an electronic control logic (24), a first and a second sensor (26, 28). A first conductive path (36) comprises the first sensor (26). A second conductive path (38) comprises the second sensor (28). The first and second conductive paths are connected to an input (40) of the electronic control logic (24). The first and second conductive paths are connected to a fixed voltage potential. The first conductive path (36) has a first electrical property and the second conductive path (38) has a second electrical property. The first electrical property and the second electrical property together are different from at least one of the first electrical property and the second electrical property, such that the electronic control logic (24) is able to detect different states.

Herein a control system (10) for controlling an internal combustion engine of a hand-held power tool (2) is disclosed. The control system (10) comprises an electronic control logic (24), a first and a second sensor (26, 28). A first conductive path (36) comprises the first sensor (26). A second conductive path (38) comprises the second sensor (28). The first and second conductive paths are connected to an input (40) of the electronic control logic (24). The first and second conductive paths are connected to a fixed voltage potential. The first conductive path (36) has a first electrical property and the second conductive path (38) has a second electrical property. The first electrical property and the second electrical property together are different from at least one of the first electrical property and the second electrical property, such that the electronic control logic (24) is able to detect different states.

A fast optical switch can be fabricated/constructed, when a vanadium dioxide (VO.sub.2) and a two-dimensional (2-D) material is activated by either an electrical pulse (a voltage pulse or a current pulse) or a light pulse just to induce an insulator-to-metal phase transition (IMT) in vanadium dioxide. The applications of such a fast optical switch for an on-demand optical add-drop subsystem, integrating with (a) a light slowing/light stopping component (based on metamaterials and/or nanoplasmonic structures) and (b) with or without a wavelength converter are also described.

A fast optical switch can be fabricated/constructed, when a vanadium dioxide (VO.sub.2) and a two-dimensional (2-D) material is activated by either an electrical pulse (a voltage pulse or a current pulse) or a light pulse just to induce an insulator-to-metal phase transition (IMT) in vanadium dioxide. The applications of such a fast optical switch for an on-demand optical add-drop subsystem, integrating with (a) a light slowing/light stopping component (based on metamaterials and/or nanoplasmonic structures) and (b) with or without a wavelength converter are also described.

High-performance ultra-wideband Receive Phased Array Sensors (Rx-PAS) are disclosed, which have unique capabilities, enabled through photonic integrated circuits and novel optical architectures. Unique capabilities for a Rx-PAS are provided by wafer scale photonic integration including heterogeneous integration of III-V materials and ultra-low-loss silicon nitride waveguides. Novel aspects include optical multiplexing combining wavelength division multiplexing and/or a novel extension to array photodetectors providing the capability to combine many RF photonic signals with very low loss. The architecture includes tunable optical down-conversion, moving a chosen frequency band to baseband with high dynamic range; creating also a single frequency hand channelizer, which is also expanded to create a multiple tunable frequency band channelizer. Simultaneous multi-channel beamforming is achieved through optical power splitting of optical signals to create multiple exact replicas of the signals that are then processed independently.

High-performance ultra-wideband Receive Phased Array Sensors (Rx-PAS) are disclosed, which have unique capabilities, enabled through photonic integrated circuits and novel optical architectures. Unique capabilities for a Rx-PAS are provided by wafer scale photonic integration including heterogeneous integration of III-V materials and ultra-low-loss silicon nitride waveguides. Novel aspects include optical multiplexing combining wavelength division multiplexing and/or a novel extension to array photodetectors providing the capability to combine many RF photonic signals with very low loss. The architecture includes tunable optical down-conversion, moving a chosen frequency band to baseband with high dynamic range; creating also a single frequency hand channelizer, which is also expanded to create a multiple tunable frequency band channelizer. Simultaneous multi-channel beamforming is achieved through optical power splitting of optical signals to create multiple exact replicas of the signals that are then processed independently.