Patents Examined by G. Nagesh Rao
  • Patent number: 7261778
    Abstract: Rectangular protruding parts 2 are formed on the surface of one side of a quartz crystal substrate 1; these protruding parts 2 are formed as aggregates of rectangular protruding parts 4 of an even finer pattern. Recessed parts 5 which are lower than the surfaces of the protruding parts 4 are formed between the protruding parts 4; however, the width of these recessed parts 5 is narrow, so that when the protruding parts 4 are viewed on the macroscopic scale, numerous protruding parts 4 are aggregated, and appear to form single protruding parts 2. Such a quartz crystal substrate 1 is clamped between heater blocks from above and below, and the temperature of the quartz crystal substrate is elevated. At the point in time at which this temperature reaches a desired temperature, the substrate 1 is pressed by means of a press. Consequently, stress acts only on the portions corresponding to the protruding parts 4, so that the crystal axis components are inverted only in these portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: National Institute for Materials Science
    Inventors: Sunao Kurimura, Masaki Harada
  • Patent number: 7263162
    Abstract: Sample mounts (10) for mounting microcrystals of biological macromolecules for X-ray crystallography are prepared by using patterned thin polyimide films (12) that have curvature imparted thereto, for example, by being attached to a curved outer surface of a small metal rod (16). The patterned film (12) preferably includes a tapered tip end (24) for holding a crystal. Preferably, a small sample aperture is disposed in the film for reception of the crystal. A second, larger aperture can also be provided that is connected to the sample aperture by a drainage channel, allowing removal of excess liquid and easier manipulation in viscous solutions. The curvature imparted to the film (12) increases the film's rigidity and allows a convenient scoop-like action for retrieving crystals. The polyimide contributes minimally to background and absorption, and can be treated to obtain desired hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Cornell Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert E. Thorne, Zachary Stum, Kevin O'Neill, Jan Kmetko
  • Patent number: 7259436
    Abstract: A micromechanical component includes: a substrate; a micromechanical functional plane provided on the substrate; a covering plane provided on the micromechanical functional plane; and a printed circuit trace plane provided on the covering plane. The covering plane includes a monocrystalline region which is epitaxially grown on an underlying monocrystalline region, and the covering plane includes a polycrystalline region which is epitaxially grown on an underlying polycrystalline starting layer at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Offenberg, Markus Lutz
  • Patent number: 7258745
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a method for fabricating hafnia film comprising the steps of providing a substrate having a surface that allows formation of a self-assembled monolayer thereon via covalent bonding; providing an aqueous solution that provides homogeneous hafnium ionic complexes and hafnium nanoclusters wherein the aqueous solution is capable of undergoing homogeneous precipitation under controlled conditions for a desired period of time at a controlled temperature and controlled solution acidity for desired nanocluster nucleation and growth kinetics, desired nanocluster size, desired growth rate of film thickness and desired film surface characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: UT-Battelle, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Z. Hu
  • Patent number: 7252499
    Abstract: Molding apparatus for rapid transfer of molten resin or pitch in an infiltration molding process. The apparatus includes e.g. an extruder (4) for melting and conveying a resin or pitch and a mold (10) arranged so that resin or pitch is conveyed to a mold insert cavity (19) within the mold. The mold insert contains an internal protrusion such as a locating ring (25) for positioning a porous body (1, 18) within the mold insert cavity in a position that brings about unidirectional flow of the molten resin or pitch through the porous body. Also, rapid resin or pitch infiltration molding process that includes injecting a high melting point, high viscosity, molten resin or pitch into the mold to effect a unidirectional impregnation of a heated preform via a pressure gradient in the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Mark L. LaForest, Christopher S. Wahlers, Barry P. Soos
  • Patent number: 7250082
    Abstract: Provided is a chemical wet preparation method for Group 12-16 compound semiconductor nanocrystals. The method includes mixing one or more Group 12 metals or Group 12 precursors with a dispersing agent and a solvent followed by heating to obtain a Group 12 metal precursor solution; dissolving one or more Group 16 elements or Group 16 precursors in a coordinating solvent to obtain a Group 16 element precursor solution; and mixing the Group 12 metal precursors solution and the Group 16 element precursors solution to form a mixture, and then reacting the mixture to grow the semiconductor nanocrystals. The Group 12-16 compound semiconductor nanocrystals are stable and have high quantum efficiency and uniform sizes and shapes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eun-joo Jang, Tae-kyung Ahn
  • Patent number: 7247202
    Abstract: A process for the conversion of a substantially fluid phase substrate by heterogeneous contact of the substrate or a fragment or derivative thereof with a substantially solid phase agent wherein the solid phase agent is comprised as a surface of a support element or part thereof and the support element is adapted to rotate around an axis such that the solid phase agent provides a rotating surface or part thereof and the substrate provides a film flowing substantially radially outward from the axis in dynamic contact with the agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Protensive Limited
    Inventors: Colin Ramshaw, Roshan Jeet Jee
  • Patent number: 7235133
    Abstract: By utilizing a crystal pulling apparatus for producing a single crystal according to the Czochralski method comprising at least a crucible to be charged with a raw material, a heater surrounding the crucible, and subsidiary heating means provided below the crucible, a single crystal is pulled or the raw material is additionally introduced with heating by the heater surrounding the crucible and the subsidiary heating means when the amount of the raw material melt in the crucible becomes a limited amount. Thus, there is provided a method for growing a single crystal at a high yield while preventing solidification of melt raw material decreased to a limited amount without affecting crystal quality, durability of crucible or the like even when a crucible having a large diameter is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masanori Kimura
  • Patent number: 7235863
    Abstract: A process for producing a single-crystal silicon wafer, comprises the following steps: producing a layer on the front surface of the silicon wafer by epitaxial deposition or production of a layer whose electrical resistance differs from the electrical resistance of the remainder of the silicon wafer on the front surface of the silicon wafer, or production of an external getter layer on the back surface of the silicon wafer, and heat treating the silicon wafer at a temperature which is selected to be such that an inequality (1) [ O ? ? i ] < [ O ? ? i ] eq ? ( T ) ? exp ? ? 2 ? ? SiO ? 2 ? ? r ? ? k ? ? T is satisfied, where [Oi] is an oxygen concentration in the silicon wafer, [Oi]eq(T) is a limit solubility of oxygen in silicon at a temperature T, ?SiO2 is the surface energy of silicon dioxide, ? is a volume of a precipitated oxygen atom, r is a mean COP radius and k the Boltzmann constant, with the silicon wafer, during the heat treatment, at least pa
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Siltronic AG
    Inventors: Christoph Seuring, Robert Hölzl, Reinhold Wahlich, Wilfried Von Ammon
  • Patent number: 7226282
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a charge roller utilizes a foam rubber substance where epichlorohydrin oxide rubber and an acrylonitrile butadiene rubber are mixed at a ratio of 5:95, or utilizing a crosslinking rubber substance consisting of epichlorohydrin oxide rubber and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber having a polar low molecular polymeric characteristic, thus allowing the charge roller to maintain a low volume resistivity of 107 ?cm to 108 ?cm. As a result, the surface of a photosensitive drum can be charged by a minimum charging voltage, to thereby significantly reduce an amount of ozone. A method of manufacturing a charge roller employs peroxide as a cross linking agent for rapidly cross-linking molecular chains between an epichlorohydrin oxide rubber and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber forming a main composition of a foam rubber substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hae-Seog Jo, Hee-Won Jung
  • Patent number: 7227066
    Abstract: Methods for passivating crystalline grains in an active layer for an optoelectronic device and optoelectronic devices having active layers with passivated crystalline grains are disclosed. Crystalline grains of an active layer material and/or window layer material are formed within the nanotubes of an insulating nanotube template. The dimensions of the nanotubes correspond to the dimensions of a crystalline grain formed by the deposition technique used to form the grains. A majority of the surface area of these grains is in contact with the wall of the nanotube template rather than with other grains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Nanosolar, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin R. Roscheisen, Brian M. Sager
  • Patent number: 7211143
    Abstract: Methods of fabricating uniform nanotubes are described in which nanotubes were synthesized as sheaths over nanowire templates, such as using a chemical vapor deposition process. For example, single-crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires are utilized as templates over which gallium nitride (GaN) is epitaxially grown. The ZnO templates are then removed, such as by thermal reduction and evaporation. The completed single-crystalline GaN nanotubes preferably have inner diameters ranging from 30 nm to 200 nm, and wall thicknesses between 5 and 50 nm. Transmission electron microscopy studies show that the resultant nanotubes are single-crystalline with a wurtzite structure, and are oriented along the <001> direction. The present invention exemplifies single-crystalline nanotubes of materials with a non-layered crystal structure. Similar “epitaxial-casting” approaches could be used to produce arrays and single-crystalline nanotubes of other solid materials and semiconductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Peidong Yang, Rongrui He, Joshua Goldberger, Rong Fan, Yi-Ying Wu, Deyu Li, Arun Majumdar
  • Patent number: 7208043
    Abstract: A silicon semiconductor substrate has a structure possessing oxygen precipitate defects fated to form gettering sites in a high density directly below the defect-free region of void type crystals. The silicon semiconductor substrate is formed by heat-treating a silicon semiconductor substrate derived from a silicon single crystal grown by the Czochralski method or the magnetic field-applied Czochralski method and characterized by satisfying the relational expression (Oi DZ)?(COP DZ)?10 ?m wherein Oi DZ denotes a defect-free zone of oxygen precipitate crystal defects and COP DZ denotes a region devoid of a void type defect measuring not less than 0.11 ?m in size, and having not less than 5×108 oxygen precipitate crystal defects per cm3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Siltronic AG
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Tachikawa, Atsushi Ikari
  • Patent number: 7192479
    Abstract: A mask with sub-resolution aperture features and a method for smoothing an annealed surface using a sub-resolution mask pattern are provided. The method comprises: supplying a laser beam having a first wavelength; supplying a mask with a first mask section having apertures with a first dimension and a second mask section with apertures having a second dimension, less than the first dimension; applying a laser beam having a first energy density to a substrate region; melting a substrate region in response to the first energy density; crystallizing the substrate region; applying a diffracted laser beam to the substrate region; and, in response to the diffracted laser beam, smoothing the substrate region surface. In some aspects of the method, applying a diffracted laser beam to the substrate area includes applying a diffracted laser beam having a second energy density, less than the first energy density, to the substrate region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Mitani, Apostolos T. Voutsas, Mark A. Crowder
  • Patent number: 7179330
    Abstract: The present invention is a method of manufacturing a silicon single crystal by Czochralski method without performing Dash Necking method, wherein a temperature variation at a surface of a silicon melt is kept at ±5° C. or less at least for a period from a point of bringing the tip end of a seed crystal into contact with the silicon melt to a point of shifting to pull the single crystal. Thereby, in a method of growing a silicon single crystal by Czochralski method without using Dash Necking method, a success ratio of growing a single crystal free from dislocation can be increased, at the same time a heavy silicon single crystal having a large diameter in which a diameter of a constant diameter portion is over 200 mm can be grown even in the case of growing a silicon single crystal having a crystal orientation of <110>.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Izumi Fusegawa, Sadayuki Okuni, Nobuaki Mitamura, Tomohiko Ohta, Nobuo Katuoka
  • Patent number: 7179667
    Abstract: As shown in FIG. 1(a), substrate 1 having a growth plane having a concavo-convex surface is used. When GaN group crystal is vapor phase grown using this substrate, the concavo-convex shape suppresses growth in the lateral direction and promotes growth in the C axis direction, thereby affording a base surface capable of forming a facet plane. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1(b), a crystal having a facet plane is grown in a convex part, and a crystal is also grown in a concave part. When the crystal growth is continued, the films grown from the convex part and the concave part are joined in time to cover a concavo-convex surface and become flat as shown in FIG. 1(c). In this case, an area having a low a dislocation density is formed in the upper part of the convex part where facet plane was formed, and the prepared film has high quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Cable Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Okagawa, Kazuyuki Tadatomo, Yoichiro Ouchi, Takashi Tsunekawa
  • Patent number: 7175707
    Abstract: A p-type GaAs single crystal containing Si, Zn, B and In as dopants has an average dislocation density of 100 cm?2 or less. It may be produced by cooling a GaAs melt containing Si, Zn, B and In as dopants in a crystal-growing container having a seed crystal placed at a lower end thereof in an upward increasing temperature gradient, to cause a single crystal to grow upward from the seed crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Cable Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenya Itani, Masaya Ohnishi, Shinji Komata, Seiji Mizuniwa
  • Patent number: 7172403
    Abstract: A gypsum wallboard core, and methods and apparatus for making the same are disclosed. Methods of making a gypsum wallboard core include extruding a gypsum slurry containing water, gypsum, slip agents, water-reducing agents, surfactants and, optional additives, through a die and onto a substantially flat, smooth, moving surface. The die has provisions at its outer sides for the introduction of slip agents into the slurry, and provisions at its lateral outer edges for the introduction of a strength-enhancing agent. Once extruded onto the conveyor belt, the slurry is chemically-activated to set and form a hardened board core which then may be easily removed from the conveyor belt and dried.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: National Gypsum Properties, LLC
    Inventor: W. Roy Burke
  • Patent number: 7172408
    Abstract: A resin transfer molding (RTM) process is disclosed for rapidly filling a fibrous preform and/or a rigid, porous body with high viscosity resin or pitch. The process is suitable for impregnated multiple porous bodies stacked in a single mold. The process uses a fibrous preform or rigid porous body which is placed into a mold matching the desired part geometry. A resin is injected into the mold at temperature and pressure. After cooling, the infiltrated component is removed from the mold. The mold is constructed from two halves fitted to form at least one mold cavity. A gate fitted with a nozzle is set into one of the mold halves, and a valve admits resin or pitch into the gate area. Venting or vacuum can be applied to the mold. The mold is held in a hydraulic press and an extruder, optionally fitted with an accumulator, supplies molten resin or pitch to the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Honeywell International, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Wood, Frank Dillon, Richard A. Heckelsberg, Roger W. Holloway, Mark L. LaForest, Neil Murdie, Charles A. Parker, James F. Pigford
  • Patent number: 7169226
    Abstract: A method of fabricating high-quality, substantially relaxed SiGe-on-insulator substrate materials which may be used as a template for strained Si is described. A silicon-on-insulator substrate with a very thin top Si layer is used as a template for compressively strained SiGe growth. Upon relaxation of the SiGe layer at a sufficient temperature, the nature of the dislocation motion is such that the strain-relieving defects move downward into the thin Si layer when the buried oxide behaves semi-viscously. The thin Si layer is consumed by oxidation of the buried oxide/thin Si interface. This can be accomplished by using internal oxidation at high temperatures. In this way the role of the original thin Si layer is to act as a sacrificial defect sink during relaxation of the SiGe alloy that can later be consumed using internal oxidation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen W. Bedell, Huajie Chen, Anthony G. Domenicucci, Keith E. Fogel, Devendra K. Sadana