Abstract: A container useful in microwave heating of foods comprises a substrate with a titanium nitride film on at least a portion of the substrate. The substrate is substantially microwave transparent except where coated with the titanium nitride film. The film is adapted to absorb microwave energy. The film thus becomes heated and transfers heat to foods when adjacent the film. This heat transfer provides crisp heating of foods, such as fried chicken, french fries and the like.

Abstract: A gas mixture including sulphur dioxide is recovered from sulphate waste material by burning a fuel to form a flame zone, introducing sulphate waste material into the zone and introducing pure oxygen or other oxygen-rich gas into the flame zone to support combustion of the fuel and to generate a flame of sufficient temperature to crack solid sulphate waste material and thereby liberate sulphur dioxide therefrom. Solids exiting the flame zone are separated from the gaseous combustion products. The sulphate waste material may be taken from a plant for making titanium dioxide pigment by the sulphate route.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evacuating an enclosed chamber which utilizes a tandem connection of a booster pump and a mechanical pump in a manner to maximize the rate of evacuation of the chamber but without exceeding the rating of the booster pump and damaging it. A gas bypass around the booster pump is provided with a proportional valve that is operated to start an evacuation of the chamber with the bypass path fully opened but the gradually closing that path in a manner to maintain a differential pressure across the booster pump at a predetermined level, until the bypass path has been fully closed.

Abstract: A magnetron sputter coating device having a target of material to be sputtered and a magnetic means for producing a closed-loop magnetic tunnel capable of confining a glow discharge adjacent a surface of the target is disclosed. A groove is provided in the surface of the target along at least part of the erosion region. The groove affects the sputtering voltage and profile of the sputtering surfaces as it erodes. The dimensions and locations of the groove can be selected to optimize the effects for particular magnetron sputtering devices.

Abstract: A transparent article comprising a base, at least four coated layers, and a top protective layer is disclosed. The coated layers include a first dereflecting region, a transparent layer of silver or other metal, and a second dereflecting region comprising a layer of titanium dioxide and a layer of another dielectric mater. A titanium dioxide layer may also be a component of the first dereflecting region. Each dereflecting region that includes a titanium dioxide layer also comprises a layer of a transparent oxide or other dielectric material having an index of refraction intermediate between about 2.7, the approximate index of titanium dioxide, and the index of the nearby base or top layer, respectively. The intermediate index material is preferably zinc oxide because this material can be relatively quickly and inexpensively deposited by reaction sputtering. Also disclosed is a method for depositing the coated layers by sputtering and reactive sputtering of titanium and silver, zinc or other materials.

Abstract: Apparatus for dispensing metered quantities of liquefied gas such as liquid includes a thermally-insulated reservoir having at its bottom an outlet passage leading to a dispensing orifice outside the thermal insulator. There is a single valve for controlling admission of the liquefied gas to the dispensing orifice. The passage is in heat conductive relationship with a block of heat conductive material in the liquefied gas so as to maintain the passage sufficiently cold to prevent substantial evaporation of liquefied gas within the part of the passage with the reservoir. The valve may be cam or solenoid actuated to dispense drop of liquefied gas of chosen volume.

Abstract: A food freezing tunnel has an inner trough member and a roof member. In order to gain access to the interior of the tunnel, for example for purposes of cleaning the tunnel, the inner trough member is able to be raised and lowered. The tunnel has a spray header for liquid nitrogen and fans for circulating resulting cold nitrogen vapor. The tunnel has an inner trough member spaced from the outer trough member. The inner trough member has a floor extending underneath the upper run of a conveyor passing through the tunnel and has sides which prevent direct impingement of liquid nitrogen onto the outer trough member and which co-operate with the roof member to inhibit the passage of cold gas from within the trough member over the sides.

Abstract: A food freezing tunnel has a trough member and a roof member. In order to gain access to the interior of the tunnel, for example for purposes of cleaning the tunnel, the trough member is able to be raised and lowered. Jack means housed in the respective legs of the tunnel are driven by for example an electric motor to lower and raise the tunnel. The trough has counterweights. Typically the jack includes a rotary screw-threaded shaft which carry a nut connected to a chain which travels over pulleys and which is secured to the trough member.

Abstract: Apparatus for leak testing an article by detecting with a vacuum detector the leakage of search gas through the article, the apparatus including a pumping system predominantly for evacuating the article under test together with an auxiliary pumping system for evacuating a search gas detector responsible to the search gas leaking through the article.

Abstract: A method for depositing a protective coating by cathode sputtering of an alloy of aluminum and silicon in a reactive gas is disclosed. The sputtering target contains sufficient silicon to produce an amorphous coating; 6 to 18 percent silicon is preferred. Targets of approximately 88% aluminum and 12% silicon are especially preferred. Oxygen, nitrogen, compounds of oxygen and compounds of nitrogen are preferred reactive gases. A range of combinations of oxygen and nitrogen are particularly preferred. The method provides durable transparent coatings which may be used as an overcoating for a metal or dielectric coating to provide increased resistance to abrasion and corrosion. In particular, the protected coating may be a metal, dielectric or dielectric-metal-dielectric coating as used in double-glazed window units for buildings or vehicles.

Abstract: A gate valve for sealing an opening in the wall of a vacuum processing chamber is disclosed. The valve includes a gate having a pair of wheels mounted on opposite ends of the gate and a curved track aligned and shaped to guide the wheels through an angle so that the plane of the gate is rotated out of the path of substrates as the gate moves between its sealing and open positions. The curvature of the track should be sufficient to rotate the gate through an angle of at least 60.degree., and preferably 75.degree. to 105.degree., in order to minimize the dimension of the chamber normal to the direction of substrate travel.

Abstract: A gate valve, for use with evacuable equipment, includes a housing having a pair of aligned ports in opposed walls. A valve seat surrounds one of the ports. A gate member is reciprocally translatable by means of a linear actuator in a direction generally normal to the central axis of the valve seat. Magnetic structures are operably associated with the gate and valve seat for pulling the gate and seat into sealing engagement for closure of the gate valve by exerting a closure force generally parallel to the axis of the valve seat. The linear actuator includes a hollow cylinder having a piston movable therein and axially thereof which is magnetically coupled through the walls of the cylinder to an actuator member mechanically coupled to the gate for effecting reciprocal motion thereof.

Abstract: A video camera or other scanning device is employed to monitor the loading with articles to be frozen of an endless belt which passes through a freezing apparatus so as to freeze such articles typically by contact with liquid nitrogen or its cold vapor. The video camera is associated with electronic circuits that generate a signal representative of the belt loading and compare it with a signal representative of an optimum belt loading. If the difference between the signals is greater than a chosen threshold the belt speed is adjusted so as to reduce or eliminate the difference. By this means an improvement is made possible in the efficiency with which the liquid nitrogen is utilized.

Abstract: A cryogenerator pumping system comprises at least two cryopanels, maintained within an enclosure having an open end which is adapted for attachment to the chamber to be pumped and which embodies a throttling device effective to restrict the flow of gas from the chamber to the cryogenerator pump, a relatively higher temperature cryopanel within the enclosure being arranged to project beyond the plane of the throttling device whereby to be capable of condensing water and other volatile vapors produced in the chamber and thereby prevent the deposition of such vapors upon the throttling device.

Abstract: An electron-beam heated vapor source for operation in vacuum is disclosed. The source comprises a magnet and a pair of parallel pole plates for deflecting the beam from an electron-beam gun through an angle of approximately 270.degree. into a crucible containing material to be vaporized by evaporation, sublimation or other process. A pole rod extends from each of the pole plates into the space between them. A means is provided for precisely adjusting the distance separating the pole rods while the vapor source is in vacuum. This adjustment enables the impact area of the beam, and thus, the deposition rate or other impact area related parameter to be optimized while the vapor source is in operation. Preferably, each pole rod extends through a clearance hole in the pole plate and the adjustment means comprises a rack integral with the rod and a pinion which can be driven by a control means located outside the vacuum chamber.

Abstract: Hydrogen peroxide is produced in a reaction between carbon monoxide, oxygen, and water in the substantial absence of gaseous hydrogen in the presence of a solvent using a soluble palladium compound as a catalyst and employing an arsine or phosphine ligand.

Abstract: A method of automatically mixing predetermined quantities of liquid organic compound and liquid propellant is disclosed. A metering cylinder is filled from a storage reservoir of a liquid organic compound and then disconnected from the reservoir. Then one end of the metering cylinder is connected to a source of liquid propellant, the other end is connected to a mixing vessel, and vapour pressure of the liquid propellant is utilized to force all of the liquid organic compound into the mixing vessel, together with a predetermined volume of liquid propellant.

Abstract: A method for depositing a coating of a dense ceramic material is disclosed. The coating may be an oxide or other refractory ceramic material. A ceramic starting material is melted and refined by heating with an electron beam in vacuum. The refined material is evaporated and deposited on a heated substrate to form a dense ceramic coating. In particular, a durable ceramic thermal barrier coating on a superalloy turbine part may be formed by coating the part with a metal layer which is oxidized to form alumina and depositing a dense ceramic layer followed by an overcoating of a columnar ceramic material.

Abstract: An evacuable wafer processing machine includes a load-lock station, a wafer transfer station separated from the load-lock station by means of a gate-valve and a wafer coating station. Wafers contained within an evacuated wafer box are loaded into the load-lock station. The load-lock station is then closed and evacuated. A pair of pneumatically-operated plungers operable within the load-lock station, pick-up and remove the covers from the wafer box. The gate-valve is opened and the box of wafers is transferred into the wafer transfer station. Within the wafer transfer station, a wafer transfer blade passes vertically through the wafer box to serially transfer the wafers between the transfer station and the wafer coating station. After all the wafers have been coated, the wafer box is transferred through the open gate-valve into the load-lock station, the gate-valve closed and the covers replaced on the wafer box.

Abstract: A substantially uniform blanket of solid carbon dioxide (i.e., snow) is formed by introducing a plurality of low velocity streams of CO.sub.2 solid and gas generally downwardly into a funnel section which exhibits an increasing, generally rectangular cross-sectional area in the direction of flow of the CO.sub.2 streams. Baffle means are provided in the upper reaches of the funnel section and are effective to initially separate the CO.sub.2 streams introduced into the funnel section from one another and to cause the resulting solid carbon dioxide to fall generally downwardly and uniformly throughout the cross-sectional area of the funnel section to thereby form a substantially uniform blanket of CO.sub.2 snow in a container for products to be refrigerated.