New West Technology Corporation

Other

Action Technologies, Inc.

Avivid Water Technology, LLC

John E Schumacher

Lockett E Wood

Gene A Fisher

William R Lowstuter

Carl E Lawrence

Steven R Wickins

An apparatus and method for removing contaminant species from water by electrocoagulation are described. Alternating grounded, rotating, planar circular electrodes and stationary planar electrodes function as a Tesla fluid pump when placed in contact with the contaminated water, causing the water to flow between the rotating and stationary electrodes. An insoluble abrasive material introduced into the water removes scale from the electrodes while the water is pumped thereby. A direct electric current is caused to flow between each pair of rotating and stationary electrodes, thereby producing electrocoagulation of the contaminants in the water flowing therebetween. The electrocoagulated materials may be separated from the treated water by filtration or by permitting the treated water to stand for a chosen period.

Turboelectric coagulation apparatus

A pressure differential containment structure, including a vacuum chamber and a pressure vessel, for operation in the pressure range of 1 to 2 atmospheres of pressure differential, using relatively thin wall material and incorporating strengthening members by folding or forming the walls of the containment structure itself. The structural configuration of the preferred embodiment is of rectilinear geometry with four lateral walls and two end walls. Each lateral wall component is preferably fabricated from at least one sheet, such as stainless steel, aluminum, or synthetic material including polymers and composites, to comprise reinforcing ribs or corrugations transverse to the longitudinal direction of the wall and include transverse flanges at each end. The lateral walls are preferably joined, such as by welding or adhesion, along longitudinal joints with four corner members, along with separate reinforcing corner plates and gusset plates, to form a lateral wall structure with two open ends, oriented either as front and back ends or as top and bottom ends. The end walls are preferably joined at transverse flange faces or can be sealed as with sealing rings under removable fastening means. An alternative embodiment is of cylindrical geometry with a laterally arcuate wall structure terminating in annular flange plates and two end walls. The lateral wall component is preferably first fabricated from at least one sheet to comprise reinforcing flutes or channels longitudinally along the full length of the lateral wall, such formed wall sheet component is subsequently arcuately rolled to be joined, as by welding or adhesion, along opposing longitudinal edges to configure the cylindrical wall structure. Annular flange plates are then welded along the fluted arcuate profile of each end of the cylindrical wall structure. As with the rectilinear configuration, the end walls are preferably welded at the transverse flange faces or can be sealed as with sealing rings under removable fastening means. Longitudinal corrugations in a rigid tube would support compressive or expansive loads as long as the length of the tube is appropriate to the material properties. The end flanges can be much thinner than those on a conventional cylindrical chamber due to support from the corrugations.

Pressure differential containment structure

An apparatus and method for improved plasma treating of circuit boards is disclosed wherein a plasma treating zone and a gas resupply zone are established in a chamber, an actuating mechanism being provided to establish relative movement between the circuit boards and the zones during treatment of the circuit boards. The apparatus preferably includes a chamber for receipt of a gas and having electrodes centrally positioned therein for generating an electrical field at a central portion of the chamber thereby exciting the gas thereat and creating a zone of intense plasma. A transport mechanism is provided in the chamber for moving the circuit boards alternately into and out of the central portion of the chamber for preselected periods of time thus alternately exposing the circuit boards to the intense plasma and to substantially fresh gas outside of the central portion of the chamber thereby providing more uniform plasma treatment of the surface areas of the circuit boards and improved cleaning and etching of openings through the circuit boards which receive a fresh supply of gas therein when the circuit boards are outside of the central portion of the chamber. Using appropriate electrodes the same apparatus may be employed for deposition of metallic layers on the boards in a substantially continuous operation after plasma treating thereof.

Apparatus and method for plasma treating of circuit boards

A process is disclosed for forming a printed circuit board having improved adhesion of an electrically conductive layer to an underlying dielectric surface. A thin adhesive layer, or film, of conductive material (normally copper) is sputtered onto a dielectric substrate and through holes formed therein, after which the substrate, with the then amorphous sputtered layer thereon, is further processed in a manner so as not to damage adhesion of the sputtered layer to the substrate. The initial step of this further processing can be accomplished chemically or mechanically, and preferably is accomplished by electroplating a buffer, or transition, layer of conductive material onto the sputtered layer with the buffer layer being deposited by placing the substrate, having the sputtered layer thereon, in a first electroplating bath to produce an electroplated layer having no deposit stress or a slightly compressive deposit stress. Additional plating is thereafter carried out in a second electroplating bath having high throwing power, as is needed for plating inside holes for printed circuit applications, and this produces an electroplated layer having tensile deposit stress to thereby provide a uniform conductive material on the substrate and through the holes that is suitable for providing the electrically conductive traces of a printed circuit.

Process for producing printed circuit board having improved adhesion

An improved method is disclosed for forming a printed circuit board. The desired printed circuit is established on the surface of a plastic core sheet by placing recesses therein conforming to the desired circuit, and a conductive coating is then applied so that the coating is retained at the recesses. Circuit patterns are preferably pressed into one or both sides of the plastic core sheet, and holes can be placed through the sheet to allow circuit connections between the patterns on the opposite sides of the sheet and to receive electrical leads of circuit components. A thin conductive coating is applied by vacuum deposition, and can be thickness enhanced by electroplating. In addition, multilayered printed circuit boards of more than two layers can be formed by applying one or more laminate sheets of plastic to the surfaces of a core sheet having printed circuits formed thereon, and then pressing circuit patterns into the exposed side of the laminate sheets to form recesses therein, which surfaces then have conductive material applied thereto so that the conductive material is retained at the recesses therein to thus form additional printed circuit board layers.

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

John E Schumacher