International Business Machines Corporation

U-systems, Inc.

Anthony W Wu

Andrew Ching Tam

Peter Michael Baumgart

Thao Anh Nguyen

Mary Frances Doerner

Wing P Leung

Hung V Nguyen

James K Howard

James Harvey Kaufman

George Czornyj

Arnold I Baise

Tadashi Yogi

Serhat Metin

Dan S Parker

Ali Afzali-Ardakani

Christopher Vincent Jahnes

Cherngye Hwang

Timothy C Reiley

Mohammad Taghi Mirzamaani

Donald Stimson Bethune

Ian L Sanders

Ali Alex Moayer

Shengtz Lin

Kwang Kon Kim

Richard H Ahlert

Peter Beverley Phipps

Jia-Kuen Jerry Lee

Hung-Chang W Huang

Vlad J Novotny

Magdalena M Hilden

Gerard Meijer

Seyyed Mohammad Mirzamaani

Bhim Sain Sharma

Jerome D Swalen

John I Crowley

Pin Yu

Mattanjah Sjim'on De Vries

An ultrasound information processing system is disclosed in which ultrasound image data is packetized into ultrasound information packets and routed to one or more of a plurality of processors for performing image processing operations on the ultrasound image data, the ultrasound information packets being routed according to entries in a host-programmable routing table. A common distribution bus is coupled between packetizing circuitry and dedicated input buffers corresponding to each processor for distributing the ultrasound information packets, and a common output bus to is used to transfer processed image data from the processors to an output device. The disclosed ultrasound information processing system architecture allows for a high throughput rate for accommodating real-time image processing operations, while also allowing for ready programmability and upgradability. Advantageously, the disclosed ultrasound information processing system may be readily upgraded by coupling additional processors to the common distribution bus and the common output bus and by reprogramming the routing table to include the additional processors as destinations for the ultrasound information packets. The disclosed ultrasound information processing system architecture also provides for added field reliability by providing for an optional spare processor coupled to the common distribution bus and the common output bus, wherein upon detection of a failure of one of the existing processors, the optional spare processor may be loaded with a copy of a program being run by the failing processor and the routing table may by automatically modified to redirect ultrasound data packets from the failing processor to the spare processor.

Scalable real-time ultrasound information processing system

A magnetic recording disk with a glass substrate is textured by a process which creates an array of bumps in a magnetic head contact start and stop (CSS) region of the disk. The texturing process uses a laser to provide pulses of predetermined energy fluence on the glass substrate to produce a plurality of raised bumps in the substrate surface, each bump having a surface elevation controllable to within a few nanometers. The bumps are created without unwanted micro-cracking or ejection of surface material by exploiting a narrow operating region below the abrupt thermal shock fluence threshold of the glass substrate. This textured glass substrate provides the magnetic recording disk with improved stiction, wear, coatability and sensor flying height properties.

Textured data storage disk having a brittle nonmetallic substrate

A thin film cobalt alloy magnetic recording disk has a metal nitride layer located between the disk substrate and the top surface of the disk to provide texturing of the disk at the head-disk interface. The texturing layer is made up of generally contiguous clusters of aluminum nitride (AlN) with rounded upper surfaces that are formed on top of the substrate and under the conventional Cr underlayer. The AlN texturing layer is formed by sputtering an Al target in the presence of N.sub.2 gas. The subsequently sputter-deposited Cr underlayer, cobalt alloy magnetic layer and protective amorphous carbon overcoat replicate the upper surface of the contiguous AlN clusters, resulting in a textured surface at the head-disk interface. The AlN texturing layer may also be sputter deposited above the magnetic layer in the middle of the protective carbon overcoat. The density and size of the AlN clusters in the texturing layer, and thus the texture of the completed disk at the head-disk interface, are controlled by the amount of N.sub.2, the sputtering power and pressure, and the substrate temperature.

Magnetic recording disk with metal nitride texturing layer

A process for creating an array of bumps to texture a brittle nonmetallic surface, such as a glass substrate for data recording disks. The texturing process uses a laser to provide pulses of proper energy fluence to the brittle glass surface to produce a plurality of raised bumps in the surface. The bump creation is accomplished without unwanted micro-cracking or ejection of surface material by limiting the laser pulse fluence to a value in a narrow operating region discovered below the abrupt thermal shock fluence threshold for the brittle nonmetallic surface material. The process is also applicable to other brittle surface textures, such as those intended for use as 'stamping surfaces' for the contact reproduction of the negative of a surface pattern, such as an optical disk.

Process for texturing brittle glass disks

A thin film metal alloy magnetic recording disk has an improved protective overcoat that creates a low level of static friction in a contact start/stop disk drive. The disk has an amorphous carbon overcoat containing a transition liquid metal interlayer (TLMI). The carbon overcoat is formed by depositing an initial amorphous carbon layer to a first thickness, then depositing an interlayer material of a low-melting point metal or metal alloy (such as In or In--Nb) while maintaining the temperature of the disk substrate above the melting point of the interlayer material, and then depositing a top additional layer of amorphous carbon. Because the initial carbon layer presents a nonwetting surface, the interlayer material 'balls up' on the carbon and forms discontinuous spheres of the interlayer material. The additional top layer of carbon bonds to the initial carbon layer and to the metal or metal alloy spheres. The completed disk protective overcoat presents a continuous but textured surface of amorphous carbon for the head-disk interface in the disk drive.

Magnetic recording disk and disk drive with improved head-disk interface

Process for texturing brittle nonmetallic surfaces

A magnetic recording disk has an improved surface film formed on the disk blank. A sputter-deposited surface coating containing nickel, chromium and oxygen (Ni--Cr--O) is formed on a AlMg disk blank, after which a cobalt alloy magnetic layer is formed over the Ni--Cr--O coating and a protective overcoat is formed over magnetic layer. The use of the Ni--Cr--O coating on the disk blank eliminates the need for a wet electroless deposition process for creation of a surface coating and results in an inherent texturing of the subsequently deposited magnetic film and protective overcoat which conform to the surface texture of the sputter-deposited Ni--Cr--O. The disks made with the Ni--Cr--O surface film exhibit a very low static friction force between the air-bearing slider and the disk surface when the disks are used in contact start/stop (CSS) disk files.

Thin film magnetic recording disk comprising a metallic disk blank, a

A film comprising fullerene molecules or their derivatives, preferably C.sub.60 or C.sub.70 fullerene molecules, is used as a lubricating film between two bearing surfaces. In a particular embodiment, a data recording disk file with the film deposited on the disk surface has improved properties of static friction and wear resistance at the head-disk interface.

Magnetic recording disk having a contiguous fullerene film and a

A magnetic recording disk based on conventional disk technology has both an extremely smooth top surface and high coercivity, and is incorporated in a contact recording disk file which requires an extremely smooth head-disk interface and a disk with high coercivity. A superfinished untextured NiP coating on a disk substrate is oxidized to form a NiO film. The NiO film permits the subsequently sputter deposited magnetic layer to have much higher coercivity, which enables the disk to be used in contact recording applications. The NiO film and the later deposited layers making up the disk, including the top protective overcoat, conform to the smooth surface of the polished NiP, thus preserving the extremely smooth surface of the top layer of the disk, which is required for the head-disk interface in contact recording disk files. In the preferred process for forming the NiO film on the substrate, the substrate is annealed in air at a temperature below that which would cause the NiP film to crystallize.

Magnetic recording disk file for contact recording

Magnetic recording disk for contact recording

A thin film metal alloy magnetic recording disk has an improved protective overcoat which is both wear resistant and which creates a low level of stiction in a rigid disk file. In a preferred embodiment the overcoat is a film of essentially amorphous carbon or hydrogen-containing carbon with relatively small amounts of additives of iron (Fe), tungsten (W) or tungsten-carbide (WC). The structure of the overcoat is a relatively smooth planar carbon surface with discrete clusters of the additives which project slightly above the smooth carbon surface. The specific additives to the carbon overcoat improve the wear resistance of the disk and permit the sliders to contact the disks in contact start/stop (CSS) operation without damage to any of the disk file components.

Carbon overcoat for a thin film magnetic recording disk containing

Carbon is sputter-deposited as a protective overcoat on the coating of a magnetic recording disk of the type in which the coating includes magnetic particles dispersed in an organic binder. The carbon film exhibits excellent durability and lubricity, thereby eliminating the need to incorporate alumina or other load-bearing particles into the magnetic coating, and eliminating the need for a liquid lubricant on the disk surface.

Overcoat for particulate magnetic recording disk

An insulating or masking film for semiconductor devices formed by curing applied coatings of biphenylene end-capped quinoxaline polymers.

Biphenylene end-capped quinoxaline polymers and their use as insulating

A lubricant is chemically bonded to an information carrying solid surface by contacting the surface with a diazoketone-terminated polymeric lubricant and decomposing said diazoketone-terminated polymeric lubricant to form a carbene which reacts with the solid surface.

Process for chemically bonding lubricant to an information carrier and

A protective coating is formed on an integrated circuit device by coating the device with a solution of acetylene terminated, branched polyphenylene prepolymer material and heating the material to form a thermoset crosslinked polymer layer. Selectively patterned portions may be provided when, after the coating step and prior to the heating step, the steps of imagewise exposure to radiation and rinsing with an organic solvent are carried out.

Acetylene terminated, branched polyphenylene resist and protective

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Anthony W Wu