Patents by Inventor J. Reece Roth

J. Reece Roth has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6676802
    Abstract: An OAUGD plasma is generated using, for example, paraelectric or peristaltic electrohydrodynamic (EHD) techniques, in the plasma generator of a remote-exposure reactor, wherein one or more active species, especially oxidizing species in the plasma are convected away from the plasma-generation region and directed towards a workpiece that is located outside of the plasma-generation region (e.g., within an optional remote-exposure chamber configured to the plasma generator). In this way, the workpiece can be subjected to the one or more active species without directly being subjected to either the plasma or to the electric fields used to generate the plasma. The plasma generator may have a set of flat panels arranged within an air baffle to convect the active species in a serpentine manner through the plasma generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Universtiy of Tennessee Research Foundation
    Inventor: J. Reece Roth
  • Publication number: 20030029566
    Abstract: An OAUGD plasma is generated using, for example, paraelectric or peristaltic electrohydrodynamic (EHD) techniques, in the plasma generator of a remote-exposure reactor, wherein one or more active species, especially oxidizing species in the plasma are convected away from the plasma-generation region and directed towards a workpiece that is located outside of the plasma-generation region (e.g., within an optional remote-exposure chamber configured to the plasma generator). In this way, the workpiece can be subjected to the one or more active species without directly being subjected to either the plasma or to the electric fields used to generate the plasma. The plasma generator may have a set of flat panels arranged within an air baffle to convect the active species in a serpentine manner through the plasma generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2002
    Publication date: February 13, 2003
    Applicant: The University of Tennessee Research Corporation
    Inventor: J. Reece Roth
  • Patent number: 6406759
    Abstract: An OAUGD plasma is generated using, for example, paraelectric or peristaltic electrohydrodynamic (EHD) techniques, in the plasma generator of a remote-exposure reactor, wherein one or more active species, especially oxidizing species in the plasma are convected away from the plasma-generation region and directed towards a workpiece that is located outside of the plasma-generation region (e.g., within an optional remote-exposure chamber configured to the plasma generator). In this way, the workpiece can be subjected to the one or more active species without directly being subjected to either the plasma or to the electric fields used to generate the plasma. The plasma generator may have a set of flat panels arranged within an air baffle to convect the active species in a serpentine manner through the plasma generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2002
    Assignee: The University of Tennessee Research Corporation
    Inventor: J. Reece Roth
  • Patent number: 6200539
    Abstract: A substrate is configured with first and second sets of electrodes, where the second set of electrodes is positioned asymmetrically between the first set of electrodes. When a RF voltage is applied to the electrodes sufficient to generate a discharge plasma (e.g., a one-atmosphere uniform glow discharge plasma) in the gas adjacent to the substrate, the asymmetry in the electrode configuration results in force being applied to the active species in the plasma and in turn to the neutral background gas. Depending on the relative orientation of the electrodes to the gas, the present invention can be used to accelerate or decelerate the gas. The present invention has many potential applications, including increasing or decreasing aerodynamic drag or turbulence, and controlling the flow of active and/or neutral species for such uses as flow separation, altering heat flow, plasma cleaning, sterilization, deposition, etching, or alteration in wettability, printability, and/or adhesion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: The University of Tennessee Research Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel M. Sherman, Stephen P. Wilkinson, J. Reece Roth