United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Andrey A Voevodin

Jeffrey S Zabinski

John G Jones

Richard A Vaia

Timothy Scott Fisher

Steven R LeClair

Nicholas R Glavin

Michael S Donley

Samuel J Laube

Volodymyr Evgenievich Strelnytskiy

Volodymyr V Vasylyev

Somuri V Prasad

Jeffrey H Sanders

Mark J Pender

Ivan I Aksenov

Chris Muratore

Steven T Patton

Robert I MacCuspie

Steve J Diamanti

A nanoelectronics structure is disclosed which includes a substrate layer which has least a first surface and also has a thickness of less than 100 nm. The nanoelectronics structure also includes a dielectric layer, which is deposited on the first surface of the substrate layer and has a thickness of less than 100 nm. This dielectric layer is made up of at least 90 mole percent amorphous boron nitride. Also disclosed is a method for forming a dielectric layer on a substrate using pulsed laser deposition.

Amorphous boron nitride dielectric

A life and electrical properties enhanced microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switch apparatus in which a combined nanoparticle and ionic fluid lubricant is used to prolong switch elements operating lifetime and desirable electrical characteristics during this lifetime. Nanoparticle materials such as noble metal particles are combined with ionic corona producing liquid organic materials to achieve a desirable contact lubricant material serving to delay the onset of several disclosed classic contact failure mechanisms. Improvement over other contact lubricant materials and favorable contact testing results are included.

Nanoparticles and corona enhanced MEMS switch apparatus

A filtered cathodic-arc plasma source of lower plasma losses and higher output plasma current to input current efficiency is disclosed. Plasma filtering is accomplished in a right angle bend magnetic filter arranged to include the effects of at least three added magnetic coils located at the right angle bend of the filter path. These magnetic coils and other filter attributes, including an array of transverse fins and a magnetic cusp trap in the filter path, achieve desirable magnetic flux paths, lower plasma collision losses and reduced undesired particle output from the plasma filter. Multiple cathode sources, multiple plasma output ports, Larmour radius influence, equipotential magnetic flux lines and electron/ion interaction considerations are also included in the plasma source. Application of the plasma source to film coating processes is included.

Filtered cathodic-arc plasma source

Formation of for example yttria stabilized zirconia films of significant 001 orientation on a variety of substrates including amorphous material and room temperature limited material is disclosed. The yttria stabilized zirconia film formation is achieved using pulsed laser ablation of a polycrystalline yttria stabilized zirconia target source while the substrate is electrically biased, disposed at a selected angle and maintained at substantially room temperature in the presence of an argon atmosphere. The film formation uses low bias voltage, requires no ion beam apparatus and employs low temperatures sufficient only to enable process stabilization. Film formation is accomplished in a step sequence wherein each step responds to temporal and spatial component segregations occurring in a laser-ablated ion plume.

Laser ablation, low temperature-fabricated yttria-stabilized zirconia oriented films

System and method for high vacuum sputtering combining magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser plasma deposition are described wherein simultaneous or sequential magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser deposition operations in a single ultra-high vacuum system provides high deposition rates with precise control of film morphology, stoichiometry, microstructure, composition gradient, and uniformity, in the deposition of high performance coatings of various metal, ceramic and diamond-like carbon materials.

Magnetron sputter-pulsed laser deposition system and method

Nanocrystalline carbide/diamond-like carbon composite films and synthesis method near room temperature are described wherein combined magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser ablation produce plasma fluxes intersecting on a substrate surface to form metal carbide and diamond-like carbon composite films of about 10 to 50 nm carbide crystallites encapsulated in a sp.sup.3 bonded amorphous diamond-like carbon matrix having a hardness of about 32 GPa and high plasticity, high toughness in contact loading and low friction coefficient.

Load-adaptive nanocrystalline carbon/amorphous diamond-like carbon

Process control for generating graded multilayer films repetitively and consistently using both pulsed laser sputtering and magnetron sputtering deposition techniques. The invention includes an apparatus which allows for set up of an ultrahigh vacuum in a vacuum chamber automatically, and then execution of a computer algorithm or 'recipe' to generate desired films. Software operates and controls the apparatus and executes commands which control digital and analog signals which control instruments.

Growing community of inventors

Dayton, OH, United States of America

Andrey A Voevodin