Abstract: Reduction/oxidation reagents have been found to be effective to chemically cure a sparse metal nanowire film into a fused metal nanostructured network through evidently a ripening type process. The resulting fused network can provide desirable low sheet resistances while maintaining good optical transparency. The transparent conductive films can be effectively applied as a single conductive ink or through sequential forming of a metal nanowire film with the subsequent addition of a fusing agent. The fused metal nanowire films can be effectively patterned, and the patterned films can be useful in devices, such as touch sensors.

Abstract: Reduction/oxidation reagents have been found to be effective to chemically cure a sparse metal nanowire film into a fused metal nanostructured network through evidently a ripening type process. The resulting fused network can provide desirable low sheet resistances while maintaining good optical transparency. The transparent conductive films can be effectively applied as a single conductive ink or through sequential forming of a metal nanowire film with the subsequent addition of a fusing agent. The fused metal nanowire films can be effectively patterned, and the patterned films can be useful in devices, such as touch sensors.

Abstract: Reduction/oxidation reagents have been found to be effective to chemically cure a sparse metal nanowire film into a fused metal nanostructured network through evidently a ripening type process. The resulting fused network can provide desirable low sheet resistances while maintaining good optical transparency. The transparent conductive films can be effectively applied as a single conductive ink or through sequential forming of a metal nanowire film with the subsequent addition of a fusing agent. The fused metal nanowire films can be effectively patterned, and the patterned films can be useful in devices, such as touch sensors.

Abstract: The present invention provides phosphor inks configured to achieve high efficiency in converting LED light from one wavelength to another. The phosphor ink composition for deposition on an LED device comprises a phosphor component having nano-phosphor particles on the order of 100 to 1000 nanometers, and a curable resin component. In particular, the nano-phosphor particles are uniformly dispersed throughout the ink composition. The nano-phosphor particles may be formed by a size reduction process carried out on larger phosphor particles on the order of 1 to 50 micrometers. Preferably, the size reduction process is based on solvent wet milling. Methods for preparing the phosphor inks based on forming the nano-phosphor particles from larger particles by solvent wet milling are also provided.

Abstract: A composite lithium ion battery electrode is formed from an active composite material dispersed in a conductive porous matrix formed over a current collector. The active composite material includes nano-clusters of an active material dispersed on a conductive skeleton structure. The active material is a metal-based material including one or more of Sn, Al, Si, Ti or a carbon-based material including one or more of graphite, carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes (CNT) or combinations thereof, having a particle size ranging from approximately 1 nanometers to approximately 10 microns. The conductive skeleton includes a conductive polymer or a conductive filament. The active material is dispersed on the conductive skeleton through an in situ polymerization process or a chemical grafting process. The conductive porous matrix includes a conductive polymeric binder and lithium ion diffusion channels created by a pore-forming agent. Conductive particles are further included in the conductive porous matrix.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink jet printable phosphor ink composition for LED packaging that enables precision control of the amount and position of phosphor layers on the LED device or the LED device packaging. The ink includes both a UV-curable resin component and a thermally curable resin component. A phase-separation component prevents phase separation of the UV-curable resin component and the thermally curable resin component. Phosphor particles on the order of less than approximately 2 microns are uniformly dispersed throughout the ink composition. The phosphor ink composition is deposited through either thermal or piezoelectric ink jet printing; a thin layer is deposited in a desired pattern. UV curing (and, optionally, thermal curing) is used to fix each layer followed by subsequent deposition and curing. In this manner, undesirable phosphor settling does not occur and layers are selectively built up to form precise phosphor distributions.

Abstract: The present invention provides phosphor inks configured to achieve high efficiency in converting LED light from one wavelength to another. The phosphor ink composition for deposition on an LED device comprises a phosphor component having nano-phosphor particles on the order of 100 to 1000 nanometers, and a curable resin component. In particular, the nano-phosphor particles are uniformly dispersed throughout the ink composition. The nano-phosphor particles may be formed by a size reduction process carried out on larger phosphor particles on the order of 1 to 50 micrometers. Preferably, the size reduction process is based on solvent wet milling. Methods for preparing the phosphor inks based on forming the nano-phosphor particles from larger particles by solvent wet milling are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink jet printable phosphor ink composition for LED packaging that enables precision control of the amount and position of phosphor layers on the LED device or the LED device packaging. The ink includes both a UV-curable resin component and a thermally curable resin component. A phase-separation component prevents phase separation of the UV-curable resin component and the thermally curable resin component. Phosphor particles on the order of less than approximately 2 microns are uniformly dispersed throughout the ink composition. The phosphor ink composition is deposited through either thermal or piezoelectric ink jet printing; a thin layer is deposited in a desired pattern. UV curing (and, optionally, thermal curing) is used to fix each layer followed by subsequent deposition and curing. In this manner, undesirable phosphor settling does not occur and layers are selectively built up to form precise phosphor distributions.

Abstract: Thermal inkjet printer sublimation inks are provided having high melting point suspended particles such that the ink does not clog thermal ink jet print heads. Low-cost thermal ink jet printers are used to create thermal transfer images from the inks which are used in conventional thermal transfer processes. An ink set having at least three ink colors includes an aqueous medium of 30-95 weight percent having particles of 50 nm to 1000 nm suspended therein in an amount of 1-10 weight percent. The suspended particles include a sublimation dye and have a melting point of at least a surface of the particle greater than or equal to 200° C. The particles may have a core-shell structure with a sublimation dye core. The ink includes one or more cosolvents from 4-40 weight percent, a surfactant of 0.01 to 5 weight percent, and a biocide of 0.01-5 weight percent.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for cooperative distributed task management in a storage subsystem with multiple controllers using cache locking. The present invention distributes a task across a set of controllers acting in a cooperative rather than a master/slave nature to perform discrete components of the subject task on an as-available basis. This minimizes the amount of time required to perform incidental data manipulation tasks, thus reducing the duration of instances of degraded system performance.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for cooperative distributed task management in a storage subsystem with multiple controllers using cache locking. The present invention distributes a task across a set of controllers acting in a cooperative rather than a master/slave nature to perform discrete components of the subject task on an as-available basis. This minimizes the amount of time required to perform incidental data manipulation tasks, thus reducing the duration of instances of degraded system performance.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for cooperative distributed task management in a storage subsystem with multiple controllers using cache locking. The present invention distributes a task across a set of controllers acting in a cooperative rather than a master/slave nature to perform discrete components of the subject task on an as-available basis. This minimizes the amount of time required to perform incidental data manipulation tasks, thus reducing the duration of instances of degraded system performance.

Abstract: An encapsulant fluid is provided comprising a mixture of a diene-containing compound and a dienophilic compound. At least one of the diene-containing and the dienophilic compounds is protected so that the compounds do not substantially react with each other at room temperature. The diene-containing and the dienophilic compounds undergo a reversible Diels-Alder polymerization reaction at a polymerization temperature above room temperature to form a solid debondable polymeric encapsulant. Also provided are methods for forming slider assemblies and methods for patterning a slider surface using the encapsulant.

Abstract: A method is presented for repairing damaged photomasks for electronic component fabrication processes, particularly for fabrication of the ABS of a disk drive slider. The method includes applying an overcoat of material having index of fraction which is close to the index of refraction of the photoresist material of the damaged photomask to produce a non-scattering boundary surface. The overcoat material preferably includes an overcoat base material which is a polymer having an index of refraction which is in the range of plus or minus 0.1 from the index of refraction of said photoresist material.

Abstract: A system and method for patterning a master disk or “stamper” to be used for nanoimprinting magnetic recording disks uses an air-bearing slider that supports an aperture structure within the optical near-field of a resist layer on a rotating master disk substrate. Laser pulses directed to the input side of the aperture are output to the resist layer. The aperture structure includes a metal film reflective to the laser radiation with the aperture formed in it. The aperture has a size less than the wavelength of the incident laser radiation and is maintained by the air-bearing slider near the resist layer to within the radiation wavelength. The timing of the laser pulses is controlled to form a pattern of exposed regions in the resist layer, with this pattern ultimately resulting in the desired pattern of data islands and nondata islands in the magnetic recording disks when they are nanoimprinted by the master disk.

Abstract: Systems and methods for encapsulation of chemically amplified resist template for low pH electroplating are disclosed. In a first method embodiment, a resist template structure is formed on a wafer. Substantially all surfaces of the resist template structure are encapsulated to form an encapsulated structure. Magnetic materials are plated onto the encapsulated structure.

Abstract: A process to reduce step heights in planarization of thin film carriers in an encapsulation system. The improvements include using an adhesive tape having a thinner adhesive thickness and a stiffer tape for the film sealing the encapsulant on the carrier to result in a low step height surface transition between the carrier and the cured encapsulant. The composition of the encapsulant is modified to reduce the shrinkage upon curing of the encapsulant. The encapsulant may include an absorbent that absorbs the irradiation and cause the top surface to harden first compared to the bulk of the encapsulant, and/or a gas-emitting additive that creates gaseous products that expand upon irradiation to thereby reduce the shrinkage of the encapsulant upon curing. Alternatively, irradiation at very low incidence angle relative to the top surface of the encapsulant causes the top surface to harden before the bulk of the encapsulant.

Abstract: A slider assembly is provided comprising a plurality of sliders bonded by a debondable solid encapsulant. The solid encapsulant is comprised of a polymer prepared by polymerizing a mixture of first and second monomers in a nonstoichiometric ratio effective to render the encapsulant debondable. Each slider has a surface that is free from the encapsulant. The encapsulant-free surfaces are coplanar to each other. Also provided are methods for forming the assembly and methods for patterning a slider surface using the encapsulant.

Abstract: Block-level operations are tracked within a storage subsystem. Metadata corresponding to the block-level operations are collected within the storage subsystem between snapshot (i.e., backup) instances. The collected metadata are referenced to ensure that only overwritten data blocks are copied to the backup device. The present invention leverages the capabilities of flashcopy operations, frees the host from costly housekeeping tasks, and facilitates efficient backup operations independent of a host or filesystem.

Abstract: One preferred method for use in making a magnetic write head with use of the resist channel shrinking solution includes the steps of forming a first pole piece layer of a first pole piece; forming a gap layer over the first pole piece layer; forming a patterned resist over the first pole piece layer and the gap layer; electroplating a first pedestal portion of a second pole piece over the gap layer within a channel of the patterned resist; forming an oxide layer over the first pedestal portion; applying the resist channel shrinking solution comprising the resist channel shrinking film and the corrosion inhibitors over the patterned resist; baking the resist channel shrinking solution over the patterned resist to thereby reduce a width of the channel; removing the resist channel shrinking solution; electroplating a second pedestal portion of the second pole piece within the reduced-width channel of the patterned resist; removing the patterned resist; and milling the structure.