Abstract: Disclosed is a system for transporting disks in vacuum to a vacuum station whereat a lubricant film is applied uniformly to the surfaces of the disks by evaporation. Thickness uniformity is achieved by directing the evaporate through a multi-hole aperture plate. Described is equipment for manufacture, the process of manufacture and the novel disks created.

Abstract: A magnetron sputtering source for depositing a material onto a substrate includes a target from which the material is sputtered, a magnet assembly disposed in proximity to the target for confining a plasma at the surface of the target and a drive assembly for scanning the magnet assembly relative to the target. The sputtering source may further include an anode for maintaining substantially constant plasma characteristics as the magnet assembly is scanned relative to the target. The anode may be implemented as variable voltage stationary electrodes positioned at or near the opposite ends of the scan path followed by the magnet assembly, spaced-apart anode wires positioned between the target and the substrate or a movable anode that is scanned with the magnet assembly. The magnet elements of the magnet assembly may have different spacings from the surface of the target to enhance depositional thickness uniformity.

Abstract: This invention relates to a system for handling and processing thin substrates, such as substrates for magnetic disks. The system includes a main chamber, entrance and output load locks, a buffer chamber, substrate load/unload structure, and a plurality of substrate processing stations positioned contiguous with the main vacuum chamber. The system further includes a transport for moving a plurality of cassettes carrying vertically oriented substrates into the entrance load lock, to the buffer chamber where the substrates are transferred into the main chamber, and to the output load lock where processed substrates are placed back in the cassettes. The substrates are transferred to and from the cassettes to and from the substrate load/unload structure by way of dedicated lift blades.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed using a combination of convection and conduction cooling to cool an article in an evacuated environment. A processing chamber is used which includes at least one heat sink. A flat surface of the article to be cooled is positioned within the chamber in a spaced apart facing parallel relationship to a facing surface of the heat sink. High conductivity gases are admitted into the chamber to accomplish cooling of the article.

Abstract: This invention relates to a system for shifting the frequency and wavelength of a laser beam at high efficiency, both pulsed and continuous wave, said system consisting of a hexagonally packed array of optical fibers with non-linear optical cores (1) surrounding by cladding (2) having their end faces (3) optically polished. Input laser beam (4) is split via micro lens array (5) into an array of micro laser beams (6) which matches array of cores (1) where they are frequency converted, said converted beams emerging as micro beam array (7) which is collimated by the second micro lens array (8) into the phase-locked output beam (9).

Abstract: A system for handling and processing thin substrates, such as substrates for magnetic disks. The system includes a main chamber, entrance and output load locks, a buffer chamber, substrate load/unload mechanism, and a plurality of substrate processing stations positioned contiguous with the main vacuum chamber. The system further includes a transport for moving a plurality of cassettes carrying vertically oriented substrates into the entrance load lock, to the buffer chamber where the substrates are transferred into the main chamber, and to the output load lock where processed substrates are placed back in the cassettes. The substrates are transferred to and from the cassettes to and from the substrate load/unload mechanism by means of dedicated lift blades. The system further employs a simple three-step transfer of the substrates from processing station to processing station which greatly increases the throughput potential compared to prior art systems which rely on complex substrate handling and transfer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed using a combination of convection and conduction cooling to cool an article in an evacuated environment. A processing chamber is used which includes at least one heat sink. A flat surface of the article to be cooled is positioned within the chamber in a spaced apart facing parallel relationship to a facing surface of the heat sink. High conductivity gases are admitted into the chamber to accomplish cooling of the article.

Abstract: Sputter coating source in which the target is mounted directly on the front side of the cathode and coolant is circulated on the back side of the cathode. The coolant does not contact the target, and the target is clamped tightly to the cathode by retainers which permit it to be removed and replaced easily without leakage of coolant.

Abstract: A system for producing precision plastic products via the polymerization of liquid plastics using combined static ultra-violet laser stencil imaging with dynamic focused ultra-violet laser beams is provided. Computer control of the position of the laser beams relative to the face of a computer controlled adjustable pattern immersed in the liquid plastic allows for the hardened plastic product being produced to rest on an end face of the piston as the computer controlled laser beam profiling processes takes place within the liquid plastic.

Abstract: This invention relates to a phased-array laser oscillator/amplifier system consisting of looped fibre lasers whose two optically polished end faces are stacked together to form a single output aperture near to which is positioned a single laser mirror in the case of the laser oscillator configuration of the invention or an optical window in the case of the laser amplifier configuration, which is index-matched to said output aperture, the said fibre bundle laser medium being optically excited via the said single aperture composed of the fibre ends. In the case of the laser oscillator configurations of the invention, the single laser mirror is partially transmitting and allows the output laser beam to emerge as a phase-locked beam formed by adding together all the outputs from the individual fibre laser ends.

Abstract: A phase-locked fibre bundle laser oscillator made up of one or more active fibre loops as illustrated. The single mode fibre has a doped core surrounded by cladding and has its ends positioned in a common plane forming a two core aperture which is optically polished to a twentieth wavelength. Fibre end faces are coupled by index matching material to a single, partially transmitting, dielectric mirror and the oscillator is side pumped via the output of an array of laser diodes.

Abstract: A scalable laser system system providing a single, phase-locked output which comprises a flexible bundle of single mode optical fibers with the optically polished end faces at one end being index matched via matching material to a single, partially transmitting, output mirror. The opposite end of the bundle is divided into a series of smaller bundles whose end faces are index matched to the ends of a series of solid state laser media. These are optically pumped by remotely sited laser diode arrays via additional bundles and mirrors, which are 100% reflective at the laser wave-length.

Abstract: A high precision, high power laser-radar system whose output beamwidth can be varied from a divergent to a convergent mode thus allowing for target acquisition, its high precision tracking and ultimately its destruction is described. Essentially the invention comprises an optical detector and an optical transmitter consisting of a steerable, large diameter, coherently packed, single mode optical fibre bundle, one end of which is compacted and optically polished to act as the transmitting aperture of the said laser-radar system while the other end of the said fibre bundle is unbound, with each individual fibre, or a small group of such fibres being optically coupled to one of many laser pulse amplifiers forming a large array of such amplifiers required to produce the transmitted laser output pulse energy.

Abstract: A compact, powerful, single slab laser oscillator-amplifier system immersed in a high pressure gas which acts as a Raman shifting medium to shift the oscillator output wavelengths from the 1060-3000 nm range to the 1100-14000 nm range. The Raman shifting gas is conained within the casing (29) which also encloses a laser oscillator defined along the long axis of the slab laser medium (1) between dielectric mirror (2) and partially reflecting mirror (3). An electro-optic switch (7) is provided and slab (1) is pumped via a pump light source (22) while being cooled by Peltier stack (26). The slab also includes dielectric mirror (12) and anti-reflection coating (13) which act in conjunction with the slab laser medium (1) and the mirrored substrate (10) to form the amplifier portion of the system. Light passed from the oscillator through prism (4) is reflected by bevelled portion (9) of mirror (10) and directed to slab (1) where it is amplified and reflected by mirror (12).

Abstract: A dual track substrate handling and processing system includes an entrance load lock station, an exit load lock station and a plurality of substrate processing stations, all positioned above a transfer vacuum chamber. The load lock station and each processing station are configured to hold two vertically oriented workpieces. A transport system conveys workpieces two at a time from parallel input cassettes to the entrance load lock station. The transport system includes a transport assembly that simultaneously advances two workpieces from each station to the next station; thus workpieces are processed two at a time in the same environment in each processing station and system throughput is correspondingly increased.

Abstract: This invention relates to a high peak power laser sawmill where the material to be cut and sealed is positioned relative to one or more focussed laser beam propagation paths such that said focussed laser beams self-focus into said material forming a hairline cut.The invention has applications in cutting wood, rocks, ceramics, metals and organic materials and in sealing the cut surfaces during the cutting process.

Abstract: A compact laser oscillator-amplifier system comprising an oscillator section including slab laser medium (1) with laser beam reflecting coating (4) operating in an open cavity configuration with a bevelled substrate (8) having laser beam reflecting surface (7) and including bevelled end surfaces (11) and end mirrors (12). Coupled to the laser oscillator via polarizing prism (14) and mirror (15) is an amplifier section of similar construction which includes slab laser medium (2). The oscillator and amplifier laser media (1, 2) are excited by a common optical excitation source (3) which is positioned between the oscillator and amplifier sections and which directs light through optical filters (9) to the laser slabs (1, 2).

Abstract: This invention relates to an external cavity slab laser system for pulsed or continuous wave operation consisting of an optically excited, water cooled single or multiple active mirror slab configurations with the external cavity formed by the active mirror and a passive mirror set parallel to each other and separated from each other by a distance greater than the thickness of the slab. Laser beams of both circular and elliptical cross-section can be amplified by the invention which has application in medical apparatus, industrial workstations and defense systems.

Abstract: This invention relates to a modular, interconnecting component optical fibre based communication system with coherent and incoherent optical signals from local area networks being converted into laser signals at either end of long-haul land or submarine cables incorporating laser amplifier repeaters, connecting said networks. The invention can accommodate both amplitude and frequency modulation signal transmission and detection. The invention has applications in high data transfer rates between local, national and international communication centers and can be utilized in vehicles where system weight and data rate capabilities are important.

Abstract: A, safe, hand-held laser beam generator, moulded plastic casing containing grooves for acvcurately aligning said laser beam generator, with cable anchoring means to prevent both the lateral and rotational movement of laser generator. The invention has application in surgery, theraputic treatments, laser pointing and materials processing.