Eastman-kodak Company

Isoflux, Inc.

Other

Mark M Romach

David A Glocker

Richard C Soper

Evelio A Perez-Albuerne

Jeremy M Grace

Janglin Chen

Kurt DeLance Sieber

Dennis R Freeman

Louis J Gerenser

Gerald G Reafler

Eric T Prince

Michael J Heinsler

Hengzhong K Zhuang

Sebastian F Prospero

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 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 method and apparatus are taught for treating polyolefin containing or polyolefin-coated webs or laminates for obtaining the proper surface characteristics to promote adhesion of photosensitive coating materials and/or layers typically coated thereon. The web is passed through a high-voltage sheath region or dark space of the plasma generated by a powered electrode residing in a discharge zone. The frequency of the driving voltage must be above a lower bound dictated by the properties of the paper support and the plasma, and it must be below an upper bound beyond which the sheath voltages drop significantly and it is observed that the benefits of this approach diminish. The dark space is generated by a treatment electrode in a treatment zone. There is a counter electrode having a surface area in said treatment zone which is at least as great as the surface area of the treatment electrode. A power supply is included for driving the treatment electrode with an oscillating high voltage at a frequency less than about 2 MHz and greater than 1/t where t is the charging time of a web surface exposed to a rms ion current in the plasma.

High-efficiency plasma treatment of polyolefins

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 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.

Atmospheric pressure glow discharge treatment of base material for

The present invention is a method and apparatus for treating a polyester support such as polyethylene napthalate or polyethylene terephthalate. The treatment is carried out at near atmospheric pressure in a gas of helium and nitrogen or oxygen. The treatment uses anodized aluminum electrodes and an atmospheric glow discharge results when the electrodes are connected to an RF generator and spaced about 2 mm apart. The process and apparatus improve adhesion of subsequently coated emulsions on the polyester support.

Near atmospheric pressure treatment of polymers using helium discharges

The present invention is a method for treating a polyester support such as polyethylene naphthalate or polyethylene terephthalate. The treatment is carried out at near atmospheric pressure in a gas of helium and optionally nitrogen and/or oxygen. The treatment uses anodized aluminum electrodes and an atmospheric glow discharge results when the electrodes are connected to an RF generator and spaced about 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.

Atmospheric pressure glow discharge treatment of polymeric supports to

The present invention provides a method of annealing optical glass layers, said method comprising the step of heating glass layers having an area greater than 0.01 cm.sup.2 to a temperature of between about 350 deg. C. and 1000 deg. C. in less than 10 minutes. The upper limit of the glass area that can be treated is limited only by the size of the quartz chamber. Current state-of-the-art chambers can accomodate glass areas of about 0.01 cm.sup.2 to about 324 cm.sup.2. According to another aspect of the invention, there is also provided an optical waveguide glass layer, treated according to the method of this invention, disposed on an integrated optical device.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Mark M Romach