Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

William B Robbins

Richard F Willson

Leif Christensen

Rafael M Yasis

Kent N Maffitt

Richard E Volkmann

Ranjith Divigalpitiya

Jeanine M Shusta

Keith K Mclaughlin

Timothy S Skogland

Earl L Cook

Bimsara W Disanayaka

Robert P Freese

Laura M Aguilar

Norman D Ligtenberg

Described is an article comprising a biaxially textured metal substrate and a layer of palladium deposited on at least one major surface of the metal substrate; wherein the palladium layer has desired in-plane and out-of-plane crystallographic orientations, which allow subsequent layers that are applied on the article to also have the desired orientations.

Biaxially textured metal substrate with palladium layer

Exposed lens retroreflective appliques incorporate a monolayer of beads and a dielectric mirror proximate the beads. A pigmented or otherwise colored bead bond layer in which the beads are partially embedded is visible through the dielectric mirror, giving the article a highly colored daytime appearance. The appliques exhibit an initial reflectivity. By appropriate materials selection, the appliques can be made to retain at least 75%, and in most instances at least 90%, of the initial reflectivity if subjected to fifty home laundering cycles. In one case the dielectric mirror includes zinc sulfide as a relatively high refractive index material and calcium fluoride as a relatively low refractive index material. In another case the dielectric mirror includes zinc sulfide as the relatively high refractive index material and silicon dioxide as the relatively low refractive index material.

Dielectric mirror retroreflective appliques having excellent repetitive laundering performance

A microstrip patch antenna has a first conductive layer adjacent a dielectric substrate. The first conductive layer has a thickness of less than one skin depth of the material of the first conductive layer. A second conductive layer acts as the ground plane for the first conductive layer and a feed network feeds the radiating patch of the first conductive layer.

Microstrip patch antennas using very thin conductors

A metallic film is disclosed. The film has a layer of an organic polymer substrate having an sulfur-reactive surface, to which is adhered a vapor deposited metallic layer. Optionally, a metallic halide layer is formed on the metallic layer to provide depolarizing capacity for the metallic film. Methods of making and using the metallic film are disclosed. Biomedical electrodes, including radiolucent defibrillation electrodes, window films, optical reflectors, and flexible electronic circuits are articles which can use the metallic film as a component.

Method of forming a metallic film

Detector plate for use in imaging systems

Metallic films and articles using same

An optical recording medium containing a light-absorbing film of refractory material less than 60 nm thick and selected from carbides of Al, Hf, Nb, Ta, Ti, V, W, and Zr and alloys herebetween, whereupon localized heating of the light-absorbing film enables information storage in the form of localized features in the heated areas which can subsequently be optically detected and can be used as a master information record for replication purposes.

Optical recording medium

An optical recording medium containing a light-absorbing film of a refractary material selected from the group, consisting of boron, borides of carbon, silicon, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, titanium, tugsten, and zirconium, nitrides of boron, hafnium, tantalum and titanium, oxides of hafnium, cerium, magnesium and thorium, and silicides of niobium, tantalum, titanium, and tungsten less than 60 nm thick and which is sufficiently plastic to allow deformation upon localized heating by exposure to a focused laser beam, whereupon the localized heating of the light absorbing film enables information storage in the form of localized protuberances in the heated areas which can be used as a master for replication purposes.

Protuberant optical recording medium

An optical recording medium containing a light-absorbing film of amorphous carbon less than 60 nm thick and which is sufficiently plastic to allow plastic information upon localized heating is provided for exposure to a focused laser beam, whereupon localized heating of the light-absorbing film enables information storage in the form of localized protuberances in the heated areas which can subsequently be optically detected and can be used as a master information record for replication purposes.

Growing community of inventors

Maplewood, MN, United States of America

William B Robbins