Patents Assigned to United Module Corporation
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Publication number: 20070098979Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for the deposition of an improved diamond-like carbon material, particularly for the production of magnetic recording media. The diamond-like carbon material of the present invention is highly tetrahedral, that is, it features a large number of the sp3 carbon-carbon bonds which are found within a diamond crystal lattice. The material is also amorphous, providing a combination of short-range order with long-range disorder, and can be deposited as films which are ultrasmooth and continuous at thicknesses substantially lower than known amorphous carbon coating materials. The carbon protective coatings of the present invention will often be hydrogenated. In a preferred method for depositing of these materials, capacitive coupling forms a highly uniform, selectively energized stream of ions from a dense, inductively ionized plasma.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2006Publication date: May 3, 2007Applicant: UNITED MODULE CORPORATIONInventors: Veerasamy Vijayen, Manfred Weiler, Eric Li
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Publication number: 20070098980Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for the deposition of an improved diamond-like carbon material, particularly for the production of magnetic recording media. The diamond-like carbon material of the present invention is highly tetrahedral, that is, it features a large number of the sp3 carbon-carbon bonds which are found within a diamond crystal lattice. The material is also amorphous, providing a combination of short-range order with long-range disorder, and can be deposited as films which are ultrasmooth and continuous at thicknesses substantially lower than known amorphous carbon coating materials. The carbon protective coatings of the present invention will often be hydrogenated. In a preferred method for depositing of these materials, capacitive coupling forms a highly uniform, selectively energized stream of ions from a dense, inductively ionized plasma.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2006Publication date: May 3, 2007Applicant: UNITED MODULE CORPORATIONInventors: Veerasamy Vijayen, Manfred Weiler, Eric Li
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Publication number: 20060288938Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for the deposition of an improved diamond-like carbon material, particularly for the production of magnetic recording media. The diamond-like carbon material of the present invention is highly tetrahedral, that is, it features a large number of the sp3 carbon-carbon bonds which are found within a diamond crystal lattice. The material is also amorphous, providing a combination of short-range order with long-range disorder, and can be deposited as films which are ultrasmooth and continuous at thicknesses substantially lower than known amorphous carbon coating materials. The carbon protective coatings of the present invention will often be hydrogenated. In a preferred method for depositing of these materials, capacitive coupling forms a highly uniform, selectively energized stream of ions from a dense, inductively ionized plasma.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2006Publication date: December 28, 2006Applicant: United Module CorporationInventors: Vijayen Veerasamy, Manfred Weiler, Eric Li
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Publication number: 20040161579Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for the deposition of an improved diamond-like carbon material, particularly for the production of magnetic recording media. The diamond-like carbon material of the present invention is highly tetrahedral, that is, it features a large number of the sp3 carbon-carbon bonds which are found within a diamond crystal lattice. The material is also amorphous, providing a combination of short-range order with long-range disorder, and can be deposited as films which are ultrasmooth and continuous at thicknesses substantially lower than known amorphous carbon coating materials. The carbon protective coatings of the present invention will often be hydrogenated. In a preferred method for depositing of these materials, capacitive coupling forms a highly uniform, selectively energized stream of ions from a dense, inductively ionized plasma.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 6, 2004Publication date: August 19, 2004Applicant: United Module CorporationInventors: Vijayen Veerasamy, Manfred Weiler, Eric Li
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Patent number: 6717613Abstract: When pixel signals included in pixel blocks forming an image are supplied, a detector detects the difference between pixel signal levels in the vicinity of block boundary of the pixel blocks. Then, a comparator compares the difference with a threshold value. An adder adds additional values to the pixel signal levels in the vicinity of block boundary in accordance with the comparison results. A pseudo random number is generated, to select a value pattern including the additional values from additional value patterns based on the random number. The above-described process can disturb the regularity of differentials in the pixel block boundary, thus positively facilitating to eliminate block deformation possibly arising in between pixel blocks.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 1997Date of Patent: April 6, 2004Assignee: United Module CorporationInventor: Kinya Osa
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Patent number: 6537668Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for the deposition of an improved diamond-like carbon material, particularly for the production of magnetic recording media. The diamond-like carbon material of the present invention is highly tetrahedral, that is, it features a large number of the sp3 carbon-carbon bonds which are found within a diamond crystal lattice. The material is also amorphous, providing a combination of short-range order with long-range disorder, and can be deposited as films which are ultrasmooth and continuous at thicknesses substantially lower than known amorphous carbon coating materials. The carbon protective coatings of the present invention will often be hydrogenated. In a preferred method for depositing of these materials, capacitive coupling forms a highly uniform, selectively energized stream of ions from a dense, inductively ionized plasma.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 1998Date of Patent: March 25, 2003Assignee: United Module Corporation, Inc.Inventors: Veerasamy Vijayen, Manfred Weiler, Eric Li
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Patent number: 6496605Abstract: A filter for removing block deformation that occurs in an image signal is disclosed. Detected are a plurality of differentials each between at least two pixel signal levels on block boundaries between pixel blocks and in the vicinity of the block boundaries in response to pixel signals included in a plurality of pixel blocks that form an image. The differentials are compared with each other to obtain the maximum differential absolute value. The maximum differential absolute value is compared with a reference value to determine whether block deformation occurs in a pixel signal in the vicinity of a position on the pixel blocks where the maximum differential absolute value is obtained. The block deformation is removed when it is determined that the block deformation occurs in the pixel signal in the vicinity of the position on the pixel blocks where the maximum differential absolute value is obtained.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 1998Date of Patent: December 17, 2002Assignee: United Module CorporationInventor: Kinya Osa
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Patent number: 6315879Abstract: A flexible, modular thin film deposition machine comprises a number of batch process stations which define a batch process path. At least one of the batch process stations is a thin film deposition station including a serial deposition chamber and an inter-chamber disk transfer mechanism. The disks move in batches along the process path, being individually processed only at the deposition station. Within the serial sputtering chambers of at least one deposition station there is at most partial environmental separation, whereas between different deposition stations the separation is complete. The resulting simplification of the transport mechanism provides for a high throughput rate while simultaneously minimizing contamination of individual thin film layers.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2000Date of Patent: November 13, 2001Assignee: United Module CorporationInventors: Hudson A. Washburn, Jarrett L. Hamilton
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Patent number: 6294058Abstract: Compositely micro-textured thin film, magnetic disc media, with methods and apparatus for producing such, which are characterized by the incorporation of a first stage of micro-texturing provided by etching of a disc substrate, with a second, disparate, micro-texturing stage depositing rounded globules of eutectic alloy on the etched substrate.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 1994Date of Patent: September 25, 2001Assignee: United Module CorporationInventors: Edward F. Teng, Atef H. Eltoukhy, Bryan K. Clark, Wilfred M. Goh