Patents Examined by Michael G Miller
  • Patent number: 9260777
    Abstract: A transparent crystalline electrically-conductive thin film of the present invention comprises an indium tin oxide as a main component, wherein the indium tin oxide contains 9% by weight or less of tin oxide based on the total amount of indium oxide and tin oxide, wherein the transparent crystalline electrically-conductive thin film contains 0.45 atomic % or less of nitrogen. The transparent crystalline electrically-conductive thin film of the present invention has a high resistance value and good reliability in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomotake Nashiki, Tomonori Noguchi, Hideo Sugawara
  • Patent number: 9212089
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for applying an optical coating to a substrate comprising the steps of (a) preparing an optical coating formulation comprising a solvent component and a film forming component; (b) using a die coater to form a coated substrate by applying the optical coating to a substrate, where the applied optical coating forms a wet film thereon having a thickness from 8 ?m to 100 ?m; (c) drying the coated substrate, where the coated substrate is in a substantially horizontal plane thereby converting the wet film to a dry film having a thickness of less than 1 ?m. The optical coating formulation comprises greater than 0.3 wt % to no more than 10 wt % solids relative to the total weight of the optical coating formulation. The coated substrate may be optionally cured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: DSM IP ASSETS B.V.
    Inventors: Nanning Joerg Arsten, Pascal Josef Paul Buskens, Marnix Rooijmans
  • Patent number: 9188708
    Abstract: Provided is a film having a low refractive index, which can be formed under normal temperature and pressure while obtaining a lower refractive index, has excellent adhesion with a solid substrate, and does not lose geometric optical properties, such as the diffusibility or light-harvesting capability attributed to the microstructure. Also disclosed is a method for producing the same. The film having a low refractive index is obtained by causing an electrolyte polymer and microparticles to be alternately adsorbed on the surface of a solid substrate and bringing the resulting microparticle-laminated film into contact with a silicon compound solution in order to bond the solid substrate with microparticles and microparticles with microparticles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuaki Takane, Tomomi Kawamura, Masato Nishimura
  • Patent number: 9163310
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to using radicals to at different stages of deposition processes. The radicals may be generated by applying voltage across electrodes in a reactor remote from a substrate. The radicals are injected onto the substrate at different stages of molecular layer deposition (MLD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to improve characteristics of the deposited layer, enable depositing of material otherwise not feasible and/or increase the rate of deposition. Gas used for generating the radicals may include inert gas and other gases. The radicals may disassociate precursors, activate the surface of a deposited layer or cause cross-linking between deposited molecules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: VEECO ALD Inc.
    Inventor: Sang In Lee
  • Patent number: 9157144
    Abstract: It comprises a mask (11) having a first, a second and a third action edge (11a, 11b, 11c), and a drive means for moving the mask (11) relative to a substrate (12) in a uniaxial direction (A) whereby moving the mask at a fixed rate of movement to cause the edges to successively act on an identical substrate region while successively applying different materials thereto forms thin films of three components successively with respective film thickness gradients oriented in three different directions mutually angularly spaced apart by an angle of 120° to allow these films to overlap, thereby forming a ternary phase diagrammatic thin film 13.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: JAPAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AGENCY
    Inventors: Hideomi Koinuma, Yukio Yamamoto, Yuji Matsumoto, Ryota Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9127357
    Abstract: A system and method for movably sealing a vapor deposition source is described. One embodiment includes a system for coating a substrate, the system comprising a deposition chamber; a vapor pocket located within the deposition chamber; and an at least one movable seal, wherein the at least one movable seal is configured to form a first seal with a first portion of a substrate, and wherein the first seal is configured to prevent a vapor from leaking past the first portion of the substrate out of the vapor pocket. In some embodiments, the movable seal may comprise a first flange, wherein the first flange forms a wall of the vapor pocket; and a second flange, wherein the second flange is configured to be movably disposed within a first groove of the source block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Colorado State University Research Foundation
    Inventors: Robert A. Enzenroth, Joseph D. LoBue, Lawrence J. Knipp
  • Patent number: 9114419
    Abstract: Method for dip treatment of an optical element, wherein the optical element is held, while it is being dipped, by a holding ring, the ring including a hoop for draining and encircling a peripheral edge of the optical element, thereby exerting continuous linear contact with the peripheral edge, the hoop forming an arc over more than 180° and being provided at each of its two ends with an outwardly-directed drip tab pointing away from the optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: ESSILOR INTERNATIONAL (COMPAGNIE GENERALE D'OPTIQUE)
    Inventors: Pierre Caron, Annette Cretier, Annick Gascons
  • Patent number: 9090504
    Abstract: A coated article is provided with at least one infrared (IR) reflecting layer. The IR reflecting layer may be of silver or the like. In certain example embodiments, a titanium oxide layer is provided over the IR reflecting layer, and it has been found that this surprisingly results in an IR reflecting layer with a lower specific resistivity (SR) thereby permitting thermal properties of the coated article to be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignees: Centre Luxembourgeois de Recherches Pour le Verre et la Ceramique S.A. (C.R.V.C.), Guardian Industries Corp.
    Inventors: Jochen Butz, Uwe Kriltz, Artur Siwek, Anton Dietrich, Jens-Peter Müller, Jean-Marc Lemmer, Richard Blacker
  • Patent number: 9017758
    Abstract: A coating agent composition obtained by mixing fine inorganic oxide particles, a polymerizable alkoxysilane compound, a polymerizing catalyst, an acid aqueous solution and an organic solvent, and satisfying the following conditions (1) to (3): (1) the polymerizing catalyst is at least partly an acetylacetonato complex; (2) a ?-dicarbonyl compound (excluding acetylacetonato complex) having two carbonyl groups in the molecule via a carbon atom, is further contained as a catalyst stabilizer; and (3) the fine inorganic oxide particles and the alkoxysilane compound are contained in a total amount of 23 to 40% by mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Tokuyama Corporation
    Inventors: Noriaki Tahara, Junji Momoda, Katsuhiro Mori
  • Patent number: 8999436
    Abstract: Provided are an optical functional film including at least one functional layer, where the functional layer comprises a copolymer having a polymerization unit derived from a fluoroaliphatic group-containing monomer in a content of 10 weight % or more and the fluoroaliphatic group-containing copolymer is localized on the surface of the functional layer; an optical functional film obtained by coating an upper layer on the functional layer; an antireflection film, where the upper layer is a low refractive index layer; a polarizing plate using such a film for one of two protective sheets of a polarizer; and an image display device using the above-described optical functional film, antireflection film or polarizing plate for the outermost surface of the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Shuntaro Ibuki
  • Patent number: 8999435
    Abstract: A process of producing a grating to be used in an X-ray image pickup apparatus includes the steps of preparing a grating having a plurality of protrusions periodically arranged, curving the grating in the direction in which the plurality of protrusions is arranged, and filling spaces between the protrusions with a metal in a state that the grating is curved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Setomoto, Atsunori Terasaki
  • Patent number: 8927056
    Abstract: A dielectric layer 2 is formed on a region including grid-shaped convex portions 1a of a resin substrate 1 having the grid-shaped convex portions 1a with pitches of 80 nm to 120 nm on its surface, and metal wires 3 are formed on the dielectric layer 2. It is thereby possible to obtain a wire grid polarizer having a microstructural concavo-convex grid with pitches of the level of 120 nm or less that has not been implemented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamaki, Yusuke Sato, Takuji Namatame, Yasuyuki Kawazu
  • Patent number: 8916233
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for coating at least a portion of a curved surface of a lens with a polarizing liquid are disclosed throughout the specification. For example, there is provided a method comprising providing a lens having a curved surface, and applying a polarizing liquid to at least a portion of the curved surface by shear flow with a flexible apparatus. Other methods are included. Apparatuses include ophthalmic lenses having polarized coatings formed according to any of the disclosed methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Essilor International (Compagnie Generale d'Optique)
    Inventors: Herbert Mosse, Richard Muisener
  • Patent number: 8865271
    Abstract: High rate deposition methods comprise depositing a powder coating from a product flow. The product flow results from a chemical reaction within the flow. Some of the powder coatings consolidate under appropriate conditions into an optical coating. The substrate can have a first optical coating onto which the powder coating is placed. The resulting optical coating following consolidation can have a large index-of-refraction difference with the underlying first optical coating, high thickness and index-of-refraction uniformity across the substrate and high thickness and index-of-refraction uniformity between coatings formed on different substrates under equivalent conditions. In some embodiments, the deposition can result in a powder coating of at least about 100 nm in no more than about 30 minutes with a substrate having a surface area of at least about 25 square centimeters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: NeoPhotonics Corporation
    Inventors: Xiangxin Bi, Herman A. Lopez, Prasad Narasimha, Eric Euvrard, Ronald J. Mosso
  • Patent number: 8795773
    Abstract: Certain example embodiments relate to coatings comprising nano-particle loaded metal oxide matrices deposited via combustion deposition. The matrix and the nano-particles comprising the coating may be of or include the same metal or a different metal. For example, the coating may include a silicon oxide matrix (e.g., SiO2, or other suitable stoichiometry) having silicon oxide (e.g., silica), titanium oxide (e.g., TiO2, titania, or other suitable stoichiometry), and/or other nano-particles embedded therein. In certain example embodiments, the coating may serve as an anti-reflective (AR) coating and, in certain example embodiments, a percent visible transmission gain of at least about 2.0%, and more preferably between about 3.0-3.5%, may be realized through the growth of a film on a first surface of the substrate. In certain example embodiments, the microstructure of the final deposited coating may resemble the microstructure of coatings produced by wet chemical (e.g., sol gel) techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Guardian Industries Corp.
    Inventor: Michael P. Remington, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8771788
    Abstract: A conductive polymer film having an antistatic function and an electromagnetic wave shielding function, and also having excellent optical properties such as transparency even if the film is arranged in the interior of LCD. The conductive polymer film comprises a polymer film and a conductive polymer adhered to the surface thereof, wherein the conductive polymer comprises polythiophene or polythiophene derivatives, the polymer film comprises an acetyl cellulose material or a norbornene material, a layer of the conductive polymer has a thickness of 3 ?m or less, and the conductive polymer film has a visible light transmission of 78% or more and a surface resistivity of 103-1012 ?/square.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventor: Hironobu Shinohara
  • Patent number: 8747948
    Abstract: A deposition apparatus configured to form a thin film on a substrate includes: a reactor wall; a substrate support positioned under the reactor wall; and a showerhead plate positioned above the substrate support. The showerhead plate defines a reaction space together with the substrate support. The apparatus also includes one or more gas conduits configured to open to a periphery of the reaction space at least while an inert gas is supplied therethrough. The one or more gas conduits are configured to supply the inert gas inwardly toward the periphery of the substrate support around the reaction space. This configuration prevents reactant gases from flowing between a substrate and the substrate support during a deposition process, thereby preventing deposition of an undesired thin film and impurity particles on the back side of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: ASM Genitech Korea Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyung Sang Park, Seung Woo Choi, Jong Su Kim, Dong Rak Jung, Jeong Ho Lee, Chun Soo Lee
  • Patent number: 8715790
    Abstract: A method of forming carbon nanotubes by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using a carbon containing gas plasma, wherein the carbon nanotubes are not formed on a substrate at a temperature 300° C. or above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: University of Surrey
    Inventors: Sembukutiarachilage Ravi Silva, Sajad Haq, Bojan O. Boskovic
  • Patent number: 8703249
    Abstract: A clamping ring configured to be coupled to a chamber structure of a plasma processing chamber is disclosed. The clamping ring has a plurality of holes for accommodating a plurality of fasteners. The clamping ring includes a plurality of flanges disposed around an outer periphery of the clamping ring, adjacent flanges of the plurality of flanges being disposed such that a hole of the plurality of holes that is disposed in between the adjacent flanges is about equidistant from the adjacent flanges. The plurality of flanges are configured to mate with the chamber structure. The clamping ring and the flanges are dimensioned such that when the plurality of flanges mate with the chamber structure, recesses between adjacent ones of the plurality of flanges form gaps between the clamping ring and the chamber structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Jose Tong, Eric H. Lenz
  • Patent number: 8647710
    Abstract: A method for production of a substrate having a patterned optical coating on a curved surface is provided. The method includes applying a masking to a sub-area of the curved surface applying an optical coating using a vacuum deposition method, and removing the masking. A coated substrate, which can be produced in particular by the method described above, is also provided. The coated substrate includes a curved surface that is provided with at least one patterned optical coating. The at least one patterned optical coating is provided on at least one sub-area of the curved surface and is missing on at least one adjacent sub-area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Schott AG
    Inventors: Thomas Küepper, Dieter Wittenberg, Christoph Moelle, Lutz Zogg