Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc.

Burroughs, Inc.

Other

Michael D Temple

Richard Ian Seddon

Kim L Johnson

James D Rancourt

Thomas A Mayer

Eric R Dickey

Norman L Boling

Michael A Scobey

Bryant P Hichwa

James W Seeser

Paul M LeFebvre

David L Soberanis

Thomas H Allen

Craig C Van Horn

Patrick R Wentworth

Robert F Klinger

Rolf F Illsley

Erik W Anthon

M Elizabeth Wescott

A thin film coating system incorporates separate, separately-controlled deposition and reaction zones for depositing materials such as refractory metals and forming oxides and other compounds and alloys of such materials. The associated process involves rotating or translating workpieces past the differentially pumped, atmospherically separated, sequentially or simultaneously operated deposition and reaction zones and is characterized by the ability to form a wide range of materials, by high throughput, and by controlled coating thickness, including both constant and selectively varied thickness profiles.

Geometries and configurations for magnetron sputtering apparatus

An electrostatic discharge device painlessly discharges electrostatic energy from a computer operator and/or an optical element such as a filter mounted on a cathode ray tube (CRT) computer monitor. The electrostatic discharge device preferably is mounted on the frame of the optical filter, and includes an electrostatic discharge pad circuit which includes a discharge pad comprising a substrate coated with a conductive material and connected to ground. A person such as a computer operator who contacts the coated substrate is discharged of any electrostatic charge through the coated substrate, to ground. A display to indicate the discharge can be connected between the discharge pad and ground and in parallel with a resistor to control the rate of discharge through the display. The device also includes an electrostatic field drain circuit for discharging electrostatic energy emanating from the face of a CRT monitor. The field drain includes a transparent, electrically conductive coating which is formed on the face of the optical filter and is connected to an input terminal of a display, the output terminal of which is connected to ground. Electrostatic charge emitted from the monitor and deposited on the filter is transmitted through the display, which indicates the discharge, to ground.

Device for discharging electrostatic energy

A simple, double rotary workpiece or cage holder is disclosed for coating articles such as tubes or article-holders. The articles or article holders are supported in oversized support holes or on undersized pegs so that rotation of the cage about a horizontal axis causes gravity-induced precession of the tubes. The center of gravity of the article holders may be displaced so that the article holders are maintained at an acute angle relative to the cage axis, to facilitate coating difficult shapes such as lenses.

Horizontal precession tooling and method for tube rotation

A vacuum evaporation plasma plating system is disclosed in which the plasma and the crucible containing the evaporant material are part of an electrical circuit which effects vacuum evaporation operation. The crucible includes a constant anode cap which is heated by the plasma and thus maintains a low resistance circuit path to the crucible and also provides a uniform source of evaporant.

System and method for vacuum deposition of thin films

A substrate holder is mounted within the vacuum chamber for carrying at least one substrate; an electrically conductive crucible is positioned within said vacuum chamber and is electrically insulated therefrom but has a low electrical resistance connection therebetween. The crucible is adapted to contain a preselected material for evaporation onto a substrate on the substrate holder. A high voltage electron beam source is positioned within said vacuum chamber in the vicinity of said crucible and includes a high voltage electron gun and a deflection magnet system arranged for bending electrons from said gun into said crucible for evaporating the preselected material therein, the magnet system forms a magnet field of prearranged characteristics in the region above said crucible. A low voltage, high current plasma source, including a separate plasma generating chamber is positioned relative to said vacuum chamber to produce an intense first plasma of a selected activation gas species in said plasma generating chamber for injection into said vacuum chamber. The plasma source is positioned at any convenient location relative to the crucible and the electron beam source and is electrically interconnected with the crucible for current flow therebetween. The plasma source fills the vacuum chamber with a generally distributed plasma. The distributed plasma coacts with the magnetic field above said crucible and evaporant material leaving the crucible to form an intense second plasma in the region above said crucible, thereby activating the evaporant material passing through the region toward the substrate to produce a vacuum deposited thin film having improved thin film characteristics.

A substrate holder is mounted within the vacuum chamber for carrying at least one substrate; an electrically conductive crucible is positioned within said vacuum chamber and is electrically insulated therefrom but has a low electrical resistance connection therebetween. The crucible is adapted to contain a preselected material for evaporation onto a substrate on the substrate holder. A high voltage electron beam source is positioned within said vacuum chamber in the vicinity of said crucible and includes a high voltage electron gun and a deflection magnet system arranged for bending electrons from said gun into said crucible for evaporating the preselected material therein, the magnet system forms a magnet field of prearranged characteristics in the region above said crucible. A low voltage, high current plasma source, including a separate plasma generating chamber is positioned relative to said vacuum chamber to produce an intense first plasma of a selected activation gas species in said plasma generating chamber for injection into said vacuum chamber. The plasma source is positioned at any convenient location relative to the crucible and the electron beam source and is electrically interconnected with the crucible for current flow therebetween. The plasma source fills the vacuum chamber with a generally distributed plasma. The distributed plasma coacts with the magnetic field above said cruible and evaporant material leaving the crucible to form an intense second plasma in the region above said crucible, thereby activating the evaporant material passing through the region toward the substrate to produce a vacuum deposited thin film having improved thin film characteristcs.

An optical data storage system is contemplated, employing improved optical disk media, these characterized by multiple layers, including various under layers, an optical absorber layer, and overcoating layers, such as a 'soft pad' layer (e.g., a fluoropolymer) overlaid with a 'Hard' layer (e.g., a radiation-cured acrylic) as an outer protective overcoat. Taught are 'Spiral' coating techniques (FIG. 3) specified for applying the 'Hard' layer and preferably involving: applying the coating mix as arcuate 'bead segments' about the disk center, these being formulated and applied to properly 'set-up' and quickly 'level' (e.g., close enough to one another and 'self-leveling').

Method of rendering uniform coating on disks and product

An optical data storage system is contemplated, one employing a data-modulated writing laser beam (FIG. 2: .circle.L ) with improved associated optical media (FIG. 2), these characterized by multiple layers (FIG. 2:c,d,e,f,g)--more particularly, a highly reflective aluminum layer (c), a relatively transparent polymer spacer layer (d) overlying the reflective layer, and an optical absorber (recording) layer (e) overlying the spacer layer, plus an overcoating structure, e.g., as a 'soft pad' layer (f; e.g., a fluoropolymer) on the absorber, with a 'Hard' layer (g; e.g., a radiation-cured acrylic) laid over the 'soft pad' as an outer protective overcoat. 'Spiral' coating techniques (FIG. 3) are specified for applying the 'Hard' layer.

Rotation coating of disk substrate with acrylate prepolymer

A cathode ray tube face plate construction for suppressing the halo on the face plate of the cathode ray tube having a face plate formed of glass with an index of refraction in the vicinity of 1.52 and with outer and inner surfaces. A fluorescent phosphor screen is carried by the inner surface. A metallic coating may overlie the phosphor screen on the side of the screen facing away from the face plate. An absorbing filter is disposed between the phosphor screen and the face plate for absorbing light emitted from the phosphor screen. An angle sensitive short wave pass filter is disposed between the phosphor screen and the absorbing filter for reflecting light emitted at a high angle from the phosphor screen.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Rosa, CA, United States of America

Michael D Temple