Abstract: A method for plasma ion processing is described, including flowing a gas into porous material; and exposing the gas to a pulsed electric field whilst the gas is in the pores. The pulsed electric field ionises the gas to generate a plasma. The method may additionally include exposing the porous material to a gas so as to generate functionality. The method may additionally include exposing the functionalised porous material to a functional species so as to covalently attach said functional species to the surfaces of the pores.

Abstract: A video endoscope aperture wheel drive system effective to position a predetermined aperture formed in an aperture wheel in an optical path of an image generated by an imaging device viewing an object, while eliminating oscillation of the aperture wheel caused by the rotational stepping of the aperture wheel in either direction in response to movement of a video probe in which an imaging device is positioned. The aperture wheel motor is rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise in response to the proximity of the imaging device relative to the object being viewed.

Abstract: A graded surface coating is reactively sputtered onto a tubular substrate by advancing the substrate in an axial direction through a cylindrical sputtering chamber in the presence of a sputter supporting gas. The sputtering chamber includes a cathode liner from which metal is sputtered onto the substrate. A reactive gas is directed into the sputtering chamber from a feed point outside of the chamber, whereby reactive sputtering occurs within the chamber. The reactive gas is induced to flow into the chamber in a direction counter to the direction of advancement of the substrate whereby, as the substrate is progressively advanced through the chamber and the applied coating gradually increases in thickness, the proportion of the reactive gas constituent in the coating increases relative to the metal constituent proportion with increasing thickness of the coating.

Abstract: A reactive sputtering process is described for producing a thin film of sputtered material on a tubular substrate which may, for example, be a solar collector tube. Uniformity of the composition of the sputtered layer at all points at the same depth in the film is achieved by preventing the movement of reactive gases through which the sputtering has already taken place, from one part of the zone of sputtering to another. In one way of achieving this result the reactive gas is swept from the zone of sputtering by entraining it in a gas stream flowing across the sputtering path. In an alternative way of achieving this result the rate of flow of reactive gas is finely controlled so that it is entirely consumed in one discrete area of sputtering so that there are no components of the reactive gas remaining which are free to move to other parts of the zone of sputtering and thereby change the atmospheric conditions in it.