Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Imation Corporation

3m Innovative Properties Company

James M DePuydt

Michael Albert Haase

Hwa Cheng

Jun Qiu

William A Tolbert

William A Challener

Robert M Park

Eric D Levinson

Thomas James Miller

Nang T Tran

Michael B Hintz

John C Dahlquist

Thomas J Staiger

Ramnath Subramaniam

James C Brown, Jr

Jun Oiu

Meredith J Williams

Supratik Guha

James M Gaines

Kwok-Keung Law

David A Bartizal

Bor-Jen Wu

Walter R Eppler

This disclosure relates to thin optical storage media that may be compliant with conventional DVD drives. Unlike conventional DVDs, however, the described media generally has a thickness profile less than 1.2 mm. The media may further include one or more protrusions protruding from a major surface of the media which define a thickness of approximately 1.2 mm within the clamping area of the media. In some embodiments, the media may further include one or more recesses recessed into a major surface within the clamping area of the media. Two or more optical storage media may be packaged by stacking the media in a configuration that defines an overall stacked thickness that is less than 1.2 mm for each individual medium in the package.

Stacking techniques for thin optical data storage media

This disclosure describes optical media that is compatible with conventional DVD drives. Unlike conventional DVDs, however, the described media uses a lower cost, lower quality material for one of the substrates. In particular, a so-called 'dummy' substrate may comprise a non-optical grade polymeric material. In some cases, the dummy substrate may include post-consumer recycled materials, such as recycled polycarbonate. In other cases, dummy substrate may comprise a low cost non-optical grade polycarbonate, such as an industrial grade polycarbonate. In still other cases, the dummy substrate may comprise a polycarbonate blend, or other non-polycarbonate materials.

Optical media manufactured with low-grade materials

This disclosure describes thin optical media that may be compliant with conventional DVD drives. Unlike conventional DVDs, however, the described media does not include the non-information bearing 'dummy' substrate. Instead, the described media may comprise a single substrate having a thickness of approximately 0.6 millimeters. Depending on the format, reflective layers, information layers, dyes, phase change materials, or other materials may be deposited over the replicated side of the substrates. Furthermore, in accordance with this disclosure, a hard coat layer is also formed over the replicated side of the media in order to provide mechanical integrity to the media. Printable layers, printed layers, lacquer, or other materials may also be added. The elimination of the non-information bearing 'dummy' substrate can reduce raw materials, thereby reducing costs and providing a more environmentally friendly optical disk. The hard coat can provide the mechanical protection to the replicated side of the 0.6 millimeter substrate.

Thin optical data storage media with hard coat

A method and apparatus for optically assaying a targeted substance in a sample using a sensor comprising a dielectric film stack having a plurality of dielectric layers. For at least one angle of incidence the dielectric layers operate as a waveguide for light incident upon the sensor. In one configuration, each dielectric layer comprises a dielectric material selected from a first dielectric material having a first index of refraction and a second dielectric material having a second index of refraction. The dielectric film stack is formed such that the dielectric material of the dielectric layers alternates between the first dielectric material and the second dielectric material. The dielectric film stack is either formed as a dielectric mirror such that light incident upon the sensor reflects from the sensor or as an anti-reflection film stack such that light incident upon the light beam propagates through the sensor. The inventive sensor exhibits a resonance that is comparable in magnitude with resonances commonly exhibited by conventional SPR sensors. However, unlike grating-based SPR sensors, the inventive sensor allows a sample to be assayed with substrate-incident light such that the incident light need not propagate through the sample. In addition, because the sensor does not rely on the use of conductive metals, the sensor enables sharp resonances at shorter wavelengths than conventional SPR sensors.

Optical sensor having dielectric film stack

A laser diode for emitting a coherent beam of light in the blue and/or green portions of the spectrum. The laser diode includes a plurality of layers of II-VI semiconductor forming a pn junction, including at least a first light-guiding layer. A short-period strained-layer superlattice (SPSLS) CdZnSe quantum well active layer is positioned within the pn junction. The layers of II-VI semiconductor are supported by a substrate. First and second electrodes on opposite sides of the layers of II-VI semiconductor couple electrical energy to the laser diode.

II-VI laser diodes with short-period strained-layer superlattice quantum

Optical disc stampers, methods of manufacturing the optical disc stampers, systems for manufacturing the optical disc stampers, and methods of replicating optical discs using the stampers are disclosed. The optical disc stamper is formed directly on a substrate that supports a patterning material including at least one layer of a first material and at least one layer of a second material. The first and second materials can include a metal and semiconductor. The patterning material is exposed to energy in selected areas. Unexposed areas of the patterning material are then removed, resulting in an optical disc stamper. The first and second materials can form an amorphous alloy in the exposed selected areas that remains after removal of the unexposed patterning material. The optical disc stamper can be used in the replication of optical data storage discs. Also disclosed arc systems for practicing the methods to produce optical data storage disc stampers.

Optical disc stampers and methods/systems for manufacturing the same

A method for repeatably fabricating GaAs/ZnSe and other III-V/II-VI semiconductor interfaces with relatively low stacking fault densities in II-VI semiconductor devices such as laser diodes. The method includes providing a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system including at least a group III element source, a group II element source, a group V element source and a group VI element source. A semiconductor substrate having a III-V semiconductor surface on which the interface is to be fabricated is positioned within the MBE system. The substrate is then heated to a temperature suitable for III-V semiconductor growth, and a crystalline III-V semiconductor buffer layer grown on the III-V surface of the substrate. The temperature of the semiconductor substrate is then adjusted to a temperature suitable for II-VI semiconductor growth, and a crystalline II-VI semiconductor buffer layer grown on the III-V buffer layer by alternating beam epitaxy. The group II and group VI sources are operated to expose the III-V buffer layer to a group II element flux before exposing the III-V buffer layer to a group VI element flux.

III-V/II-VI Semiconductor interface fabrication method

A multi-module radiation detecting device, a radiation detecting module for incorporation in a multi-module radiation detecting device, and a method for assembling a multi-module radiation detecting device are provided. The radiation detecting module includes a carrier substrate and a radiation detecting tile mounted over the carrier substrate. The module includes interconnection structure for connecting radiation detecting elements in the radiation detecting tile to conductive contacts on a base substrate. The module facilitates attachment and detachment of the module relative to the base substrate and relative to a test fixture used in test and burn-in operations. The module is constructed to isolate the radiation detecting tile from thermal and/or mechanical stresses produced at the interconnection interface during attachment and detachment for test and burn-in, assembly, and rework operations. As a result, the module can be used to produce a multi-module radiation detecting device having enhanced reliability. The module can help maintain device reliability despite rework operations, and can thereby reduce rework costs.

Multi-module radiation detecting device and fabrication method

An electromagnetic radiation transducer is provided having a p-type ZnSe layer and an n-type layer. The p-type ZnSe layer has a net donor to net acceptor ratio (N.sub.D /N.sub.A) of less than or equal to about 0.8. The net acceptor concentration is greater than about 5.times.10.sup.15 cm .sup.-3 and the resistivity is less than 15 .OMEGA.-cm. The p-type ZnSe layer is deposited by doping the ZnSe during fabrication with a neutral free-radical source.

Doping of IIB-VIA semiconductors during molecular beam epitaxy

A buried-ridge or buried-heterostructure II-VI laser diode. Polycrystalline II-VI semiconductor such as ZnS, ZnSSe, ZnSe or CdS deposited by vacuum evaporation buries the etched ridge.

Method of fabricating a buried-ridge II-VI laser diode

A II-VI compound semiconductor laser diode includes a plurality of layers of II-VI semiconductor forming a pn junction supported by a single crystal GaAs semiconductor substrate. The layers forming the pn junction include a first cladding layer of a first conductivity type, a second cladding layer of a second conductivity type, and at least a first guiding layer between the first and second cladding layers. A CdZnSe or other II-VI semiconductor quantum well active layer is positioned within the pn junction. Electrical energy is coupled to the laser diode by first and second electrodes.

Blue-green laser diode

Buried ridge II-VI laser diode

A II-VI laser diode including a substrate, a device layer of p-type II-VI semiconductor, an electrode and an ohmic contact layer between the electrode and device layer. The ohmic contact layer comprises a graded composition semiconductor compound including ZnTe. The relative amount of ZnTe in the semiconductor compound increases with increasing distance of the ohmic contact layer from the device layer. In a first embodiment the ohmic contact layer comprises a graded composition semiconductor alloy including the semiconductor compound of the device layer and ZnTe. The amount of ZnTe in the alloy increases with increasing distance of the ohmic contact layer from the device layer in the first embodiment. In a second embodiment the ohmic contact layer includes layers of ZnTe spaced between layers of the semiconductor compound of the device layer. The thickness of the layers of ZnTe increase, or the thickness of the layers of the semiconductor compound of the device layer decrease, with increasing distance of the ohmic contact layer from the device layer in the second embodiment.

Graded composition ohmic contact for P-type II-VI semiconductors

A method for using atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) and/or migration enhanced epitaxy (MEE) to grow high efficiency quantum wells in II-VI laser diodes. The substrate and previously grown layers of the laser diode are heated to a temperature less than or equal to about 200.degree. C. in an MBE chamber. Sources of Cd, Zn, and Se are injected alternately into the chamber to grow a short-period strained-layer superlattice (SPSLS) quantum well layer including overlaying monolayers of Cd, Zn and Se. The quantum well layer is described by the notation [(CdSe).sub.m (ZnSe).sub.n ].sub.p where m, n and p are integers.

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

James M DePuydt