Eastman-kodak Company

Isoflux, Inc.

Other

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

The Standard Oil Company

David A Glocker

Mark M Romach

Jeremy M Grace

Janglin Chen

Louis J Gerenser

Bradley K Coltrain

Dennis R Freeman

Mark Lelental

Richard C Soper

Evelio A Perez-Albuerne

Tukaram K Hatwar

Charles Leo Bauer

Gregory L McIntire

Eric Eugene Arrington

Gerald G Reafler

John R Miller

Douglas G Stinson

Kevin Miner

Carl T Urban

Mark A Lewis

Henry Windischmann

Srinivas T Rao

Michael J Audino

Geoffrey C Lesh

Michael Cipollo

Patrick Vottis

Melinda Gay Messick

Theodore J Tatarzyn

Scott F Grimshaw

A medical implant has a microscopically rough outer coating that serves to bond the implant to animal tissue. The coating is applied to the implant by physical vapor deposition. The coating preferable is applied via a generally oblique coating flux or a low energy coating flux. In some embodiments, the coating has pores. The pores can contain a drug, which can diffuse over a period of time. The coating may be partially nonporous to protect the implant from corrosion. The coating can have an outer porous layer that can bond with animal tissue easily.

Porous coatings for biomedical implants

A medical device has a porous radiopaque coating that can withstand the high strains inherent in the use of such devices without delamination. A coating of Ta is applied to a medical device, such as a stent, by vapor deposition so that the thermomechanical properties of the stent are not adversely affected. The coating preferable has high emissivity.

Radiopaque coating for biomedical devices

An in-situ plasma cleaning device (PCD) performs an atomic surface cleaning process to remove contaminants and/or to modify the cylindrical surfaces of both the target and substrate. The atomic cleaning process utilizes a plasma generated locally within the in-situ plasma cleaning device with suitable properties to clean both the target and substrate cylindrical surfaces either concurrently or separately. Moreover, the in-situ plasma cleaning device is designed to traverse the length of the target and the substrate cylindrical surfaces during the cleaning process.

In-situ plasma cleaning device for cylindrical surfaces

An array of unbalanced magnetrons arranged around a centrally-located space for sputter coating of material from target electrodes in the magnetrons onto a substrate disposed in the space. The electrodes are powered in pairs by an alternating voltage and current source. The unbalances magnetrons, which may be planar, cylindrical, or conical, are arranged in mirror configuration such that like poles are opposed across the substrate space or are adjacent on the same side of the substrate space. The magnetrons are all identical in magnetic polarity. A positive plasma potential produced by the AC driver prevents electrons from escaping to ground along the unclosed field lines, increasing plasma density in the background working gas and thereby improving the quality of coating being deposited on the substrate.

System for unbalanced magnetron sputtering with AC power

A cylindrical magnetron having a cylindrical cathode surrounding a cylindrical target. The cathode is without features extending inwards thereof at either end such that the target may be axially removed from or installed into the cathode from either end. The target is positioned and axially retained within the cathode by resilient means operative between the outer surface of the target and the inner surface of the cathode. The invention is especially useful in magnetron assemblies having a plurality of abutting, coaxially disposed magnetrons, wherein all the targets may be removed and replaced from the cathode assembly without requiring disassembly and reassembly of the cathodes.

Interlocking cylindrical magnetron cathodes and targets

Apparatus for creating subatmospheric high plasma densities in the vicinity of a substrate in a work space for use in magnetron sputter deposition aided by ion bombardment of the substrate. Unbalanced flux lines emanating from cylindrical or frusto-conical targets cannot be captured across the work space, because the energizing magnets are cylindrical, and instead converge toward the axis of the apparatus to provide a high flux density, and therefore a high plasma density, in the vicinity of a substrate disposed in this region. The plasma profile and the coating material profile within the work space are both cylindrically symmetrical, resulting in a consistent and predictable coating on substrates.

Unbalanced plasma generating apparatus having cylindrical symmetry

A hollow cathode magnetron for sputtering target material from the inner surface of a target onto an off-spaced substrate. The magnetron is in the shape of a truncated cone, also known as a conical frustum. The target cone is backed by a conical cathode maintained at a predetermined voltage for attracting gas ions into the inner surface of the target cone to sputter material therefrom. The sputtering plasma is made uniform over the entire surface of the target by assuring that the magnitude of the component of the magnetic field tangent to the target surface is constant. The plasma is further confined to the vicinity of the target by using electrostatic elements. Sputter coatings on planar substrates can achieve areal thickness nonuniformities of less than &plus;/&minus;0.2%.

Conical sputtering target

A hollow cathode magnetron for sputtering target material from the inner surface of a target onto an off-spaced substrate. The magnetron is in the shape of a truncated cone, also known as a conical frustum. The target cone is backed by a conical cathode maintained at a predetermined voltage for attracting gas ions into the inner surface of the target cone to sputter material therefrom. The inner surface of the cone is bounded at its inner and outer edges by magnetic pole pieces orthogonal to and extending inwardly and outwardly of the cone surface. The magnetic path is completed by a conical magnet surrounding the target and conical electrode and magnetically connected to the pole pieces to form a magnetic cage. Lines of magnetic flux extending above the target surface between the pole pieces are substantially parallel with the target surface, providing uniform erosion over the entire surface. Preferably, the conical magnet is tapered so that some lines of magnetic flux terminate in the target surface, maintaining thereby a uniform flux density and consequent uniform erosional intensity over all portions of the surface of the target. Sputter coatings on planar-targets can achieve a real thickness nonuniformities of less than &plus;/&minus;0.2%.

An improved unbalanced magnetron sputtering (UMS) apparatus in accordance with the invention having a conventional target and arrangement of magnets wherein a central portion of the target is backed by a first magnetic pole and the peripheral portion of the target is backed by a second magnetic pole, the poles carrying unequal numbers of lines of magnetic flux. One of the poles has a greater number of flux lines entering or leaving than does the other pole. The field lines extending from the higher flux pole which do not close in the lower flux pole extend into space in a range of directions and generally toward a substrate to be sputter coated. Adjacent the target and electrically isolated therefrom and overlying the higher flux pole is an independently-controllable auxiliary electrode, preferably a cathode, formed of a non-ferromagnetic material and having a surface facing in the same general direction as the sputterable surface of the target. Electrons emitted from the auxiliary electrode are controlled at an energy level optimal for ionization of the working gas. These electrons are not constrained near the surface of the cathode but instead may migrate freely along the field lines toward the substrate, resulting in increased plasma density throughout the coating range, especially in the vicinity of the substrate, and biasing an insulated substrate at a potential related to the potential of the secondary cathode. A plurality of UMS devices having auxiliary cathodes may be grouped in concert to produce a coating range plasma trap.

Unbalanced magnetron sputtering with auxiliary cathode

A hollow cathode magnetron for sputtering target material from the inner surface of a target onto an off-spaced substrate. The magnetron is in the shape of a truncated cone, also known as a conical frustum. The target cone is backed by a conical cathode maintained at a predetermined voltage for attracting gas ions into the inner surface of the target cone to sputter material therefrom. The inner surface of the cone is bounded at its inner and outer edges by magnetic pole pieces orthogonal to and extending inwardly and outwardly of the cone surface. The magnetic path is completed by a conical magnet surrounding the target and conical electrode and magnetically connected to the pole pieces Lo form a magnetic cage. Lines of magnetic flux extending above the target surface between the pole pieces are substantially parallel the target surface, providing uniform erosion over the entire surface. Preferably, the conical magnet is tapered so that some lines of magnetic flux terminate in the target surface, maintaining thereby a uniform flux density and consequent uniform erosional intensity over all portions of the surface of the target. Sputter coatings on planar targets can achieve areal thickness nonuniformities of less than .+-.0.2%.

Apparatus capable of sustained glow discharge at atmospheric pressure mounted along the web path in a web coating machine ahead of the point of coating application, for glow discharge treatment of the surface of a polymeric web shortly before coating. Latencies of treatment (the time between treatment and coating) approaching zero are possible, minimizing or preventing loss of treatment effect and maximizing adherence of a coated layer to the web surface. Elimination of one or more conventional subbing adhesion layers on the web surface is possible in some applications.

Glow discharge treatment of a web substrate surface in a web coating line

Method and apparatus for making thermoplastic web from polyester or polyester blends for subsequent aqueous coating without requirement of an undercoat or primer coat for adhesion of subsequent coatings. Feedstock pellets of polymer, such as polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene naphthalate, are melted in a screw extruder. Molten polymer is extruded from an extrusion die as a thick, high-viscosity ribbon, which is tempered and stretched in both the machine direction and the transverse direction to form a web of biaxially-oriented polymer of the desired width and thickness. The web is heated to a temperature above T.sub.g to set the biaxial orientation and then is glow discharge treated by passing it through an in-line glow discharge apparatus at atmospheric pressure wherein a stable glow discharge is produced in a gas mixture containing helium between two electrodes connected by an alternating power source operating at a voltage between 0.5 kV and 20 kV at a frequency between 60 Hz and 40 MHz. The web is coated with an aqueous gelatin subbing layer. The coated web then is maintained at elevated temperature. The combination of glow discharge treatment before sub coating and heat treatment after sub coating greatly enhances the adhesion of subsequently-coated aqueous gelatin layers such as photographic emulsions to the web, sufficiently that adhesion-promoting U-coat or primer coat as required in prior base-making methods can be omitted.

Method and apparatus for making polyester web having high adhesion to

The present invention is a method of producing a photographic support. The method includes providing a photographic paper and transporting the photographic paper through an atmospheric glow discharge zone, wherein the atmospheric glow discharge zone contains a gas with a dielectric strength which is less than air. The atmospheric glow discharge zone is subjected to an electric frequency between 40 kHz and 13.56 Mhz and an electric field such that an atmospheric glow discharge is formed; and the photographic paper is coated with a polymeric coating.

Atmospheric pressure glow discharge treatment of paper base material for

Imaging elements, such as photographic, electrostatographic and thermal imaging elements, are comprised of a support, an image-forming layer and an electrically-conductive layer produced by coating a layer comprised of a metallo-organic compound and a film-forming binder and subjecting such layer to glow discharge treatment to render it electrically conductive. Use of a metallo-organic compound in combination with a glow discharge treatment provides a controlled degree of electrical conductivity and beneficial chemical, physical and optical properties which adapt the electrically-conductive layer for such purposes as providing protection against static or serving as an electrode which takes part in an image-forming process.

Imaging element comprising an electrically conductive layer formed by a

The present invention is a method for treating a polyester support such as polyethylene naphthalate or polyethylene terephthalate. The treatment is carried out at atmospheric pressure in a gas of helium and optionally nitrogen and/or oxygen. The treatment uses metallic electrodes and an atmospheric glow discharge results when the electrodes are connected to a generator and spaced about 1 to 2 mm apart. The process and apparatus improve adhesion of subsequently coated emulsions on the polyester support at high speeds and relatively low power by selecting a frequency of 40 kHz to 500 kHz.

Growing community of inventors

West Henrietta, NY, United States of America

David A Glocker