Patents by Inventor Harold R. Kaufman

Harold R. Kaufman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10068739
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an end-Hall ion source has an electron emitting cathode, an anode, a reflector, an internal pole piece, an external pole piece, a magnetically permeable path, and a magnetic-field generating means located in the permeable path between the two pole pieces. The anode and reflector are enclosed without contact by a thermally conductive cup that has internal passages through which a cooling fluid can flow. The closed end of the cup is located between the reflector and the internal pole piece and the opposite end of the cup is in direct contact with the external pole piece, and wherein the cup is made of a material having a low microhardness, such as copper or aluminum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc.
    Inventors: Harold R. Kaufman, James R. Kahn, Richard E. Nethery
  • Publication number: 20180012722
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an end-Hall ion source has an electron emitting cathode, an anode, a reflector, an internal pole piece, an external pole piece, a magnetically permeable path, and a magnetic-field generating means located in the permeable path between the two pole pieces. The anode and reflector are enclosed without contact by a thermally conductive cup that has internal passages through which a cooling fluid can flow. The closed end of the cup is located between the reflector and the internal pole piece and the opposite end of the cup is in direct contact with the external pole piece, and wherein the cup is made of a material having a low microhardness, such as copper or aluminum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2014
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Applicant: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc.
    Inventors: Harold R. KAUFMAN, James R. KAHN, Richard E. NETHERY
  • Patent number: 8994258
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an end-Hall ion source has an electron emitting cathode, an anode, a reflector, an internal pole piece, an external pole piece, a magnetically permeable path, and a magnetic-field generating means located in the permeable path between the two pole pieces. The anode and reflector are enclosed without contact by a thermally conductive cup that has internal passages through which a cooling fluid can flow. The closed end of the cup is located between the reflector and the internal pole piece and the opposite end of the cup is in direct contact with the external pole piece, and wherein the cup is made of a material having a low microhardness, such as copper or aluminum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc.
    Inventors: Harold R. Kaufman, James R. Kahn, Richard E. Nethery
  • Publication number: 20150084496
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an end-Hall ion source has an electron emitting cathode, an anode, a reflector, an internal pole piece, an external pole piece, a magnetically permeable path, and a magnetic-field generating means located in the permeable path between the two pole pieces. The anode and reflector are enclosed without contact by a thermally conductive cup that has internal passages through which a cooling fluid can flow. The closed end of the cup is located between the reflector and the internal pole piece and the opposite end of the cup is in direct contact with the external pole piece, and wherein the cup is made of a material having a low microhardness, such as copper or aluminum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventors: Harold R. Kaufman, James R. Kahn, Richard E. Nethery
  • Patent number: 8698401
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the dielectric discharge chamber of a generally axially symmetric ion source has a hollow cylindrical shape. One end of the discharge chamber is closed with a dielectric wall. The working gas is introduced through an aperture in the center of this wall. The ion-optics grids are at the other end of the discharge chamber, which is left open. The inductor is a helical coil of copper conductor that surrounds the cylindrical portion of the dielectric discharge chamber. The modification that produces uniformity about the axis of symmetry is a shorted turn of the helical-coil inductor at the end of the inductor closest to the ion-optics grids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc.
    Inventors: Harold R. Kaufman, James R. Kahn
  • Publication number: 20110163674
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the dielectric discharge chamber of a generally axially symmetric ion source has a hollow cylindrical shape. One end of the discharge chamber is closed with a dielectric wall. The working gas is introduced through an aperture in the center of this wall. The ion-optics grids are at the other end of the discharge chamber, which is left open. The inductor is a helical coil of copper conductor that surrounds the cylindrical portion of the dielectric discharge chamber. The modification that produces uniformity about the axis of symmetry is a shorted turn of the helical-coil inductor at the end of the inductor closest to the ion-optics grids.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Inventors: Harold R. Kaufman, James R. Kahn
  • Patent number: 7843138
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a switch-mode power supply to generate the heating current for a hot-filament electron-emitting cathode. The power supply directly couples, without an output power transformer, the output from a full-bridge converter that operates at an output frequency in the range from ten Hz to tens of Khz to the output terminals of the power supply. A connection to a reference potential that minimizes the potential fluctuation of the cathode is provided by the center tap on an autotransformer connected across the output terminals, where the conductors in the autotransformer are sized for half of the emission current from the cathode rather than the much larger heating current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven J. Geissler, James R. Kahn, Harold R. Kaufman
  • Patent number: 7728498
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, the hollow cathode is comprised of a first tantalum tube, tantalum foil, and a second tantalum tube. The foil is in the form of a spiral winding around the outside of the first tube and is held in place by the second tube, which surrounds the foil. One end of the second tube is approximately flush with one end of the first tube. The other end of the second tube extends to a cathode support through which the working gas flows. To start the cathode, a flow of ionizable inert gas, usually argon, is initiated through the hollow cathode and out the open end of the first tube. An electrical discharge is then started between an external electrode and the first tube. When the first tube is heated to operating temperature, electrons are emitted from the open end of the first tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc.
    Inventors: Chris M. Shonka, James R. Kahn, Harold R. Kaufman
  • Patent number: 7667379
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the hollow-cathode apparatus comprises a small-diameter tantalum tube with a plurality of tantalum-foil radiation shields, wherein the plurality of shields in turn comprise one or more spiral windings external to that tube and approximately flush with the open end from which electron emission takes place. The axial length of at least one of the inner windings (closer to the tantalum tube) is equal to or less than approximately half the length of the tantalum tube. An enclosed keeper surrounds the cathode. To start the cathode, a flow of ionizable inert gas, usually argon, is initiated through the cathode and out the open end. An electrical discharge is then started between the keeper and the hollow cathode. When heated to operating temperature, electrons exit from the open end of the hollow cathode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc.
    Inventors: Harold R. Kaufman, James R. Kahn
  • Publication number: 20090309509
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a switch-mode power supply to generate the heating current for a hot-filament electron-emitting cathode. The power supply directly couples, without an output power transformer, the output from a full-bridge converter that operates at an output frequency in the range from ten Hz to tens of Khz to the output terminals of the power supply. A connection to a reference potential that minimizes the potential fluctuation of the cathode is provided by the center tap on an autotransformer connected across the output terminals, where the conductors in the autotransformer are sized for half of the emission current from the cathode rather than the much larger heating current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Inventors: Steven J. Geissler, James R. Kahn, Harold R. Kaufman
  • Publication number: 20070222358
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, the hollow cathode is comprised of a first tantalum tube, tantalum foil, and a second tantalum tube. The foil is in the form of a spiral winding around the outside of the first tube and is held in place by the second tube, which surrounds the foil. One end of the second tube is approximately flush with one end of the first tube. The other end of the second tube extends to a cathode support through which the working gas flows. To start the cathode, a flow of ionizable inert gas, usually argon, is initiated through the hollow cathode and out the open end of the first tube. An electrical discharge is then started between an external electrode and the first tube. When the first tube is heated to operating temperature, electrons are emitted from the open end of the first tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2006
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Inventors: Chris M. Shonka, James R. Kahn, Harold R. Kaufman
  • Patent number: 6911789
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a switch-mode power supply to generate the heating current for a hot-filament electron-emitting cathode. The power supply directly couples, without an output transformer, the output from a full-bridge converter that operates at an output frequency in the range from ten Hz to ten kHz. A connection to a reference potential that minimizes the potential fluctuation of the cathode is provided by one of the direct-current inputs to the converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignees: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc., Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven J. Geissler, James R. Kahn, Harold R. Kaufman, Denis M. Shaw
  • Patent number: 6870164
    Abstract: In accordance with one specific embodiment of the present invention, a Hall-current ion source is operated in a pulsed mode where the pulse duration is short compared to the time for discharge fluctuations to develop. For a reduced loss of neutral gas, the time between pulses should be less than, or about equal to, the fill time for the ionizable gas in the discharge volume of the Hall-current ion source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignees: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc., Veeco Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Baldwin, Boris Ciorneiu, Harold R. Kaufman
  • Patent number: 6864485
    Abstract: In accordance with one specific embodiment of the present invention, the ion optics for use with an ion source have a plurality of electrically conductive grids that are mutually spaced apart and have mutually aligned respective pluralities of apertures through which ions may be accelerated and wherein each grid has an integral peripheral portion. A plurality of moment means are applied to a circumferentially distributed plurality of locations on the peripheral portion of each grid, which is initially flat, thereby establishing an annular segment of a cone as the approximate shape for that peripheral portion and a segment of a sphere as the approximate dished shape for the grid as a whole. The plurality of grids have conformal shapes in that the direction of deformation and the approximate spherical radii are the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Kahn, Rhonda J. Parker, Harold R. Kaufman, Cheryl A. Phillips
  • Patent number: 6843891
    Abstract: In one embodiment of this invention, the apparatus for sputter deposition within an evacuated volume comprises a compact gridless ion source into which an ionizable gas is introduced and from which ions leave with directed energies at or near the sputtering threshold and a sputter target near that source, biased negative relative to the surrounding vacuum enclosure, and located within the beam of ions leaving that source. Particles sputtered from the target are deposited on a deposition substrate spaced from both the ion source and the sputter target. An energetic beam of electrons can be generated by the incident ions striking the negatively biased sputter target and the deposition substrate is located either within or outside of this beam, depending on whether the net effect of bombardment by energetic electrons is beneficial or detrimental to that particular deposition process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignees: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc., Veeco Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Kahn, Harold R. Kaufman, Viacheslav V. Zhurin, David A. Baldwin, Todd L. Hylton
  • Publication number: 20040183470
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a switch-mode power supply to generate the heating current for a hot-filament electron-emitting cathode. The power supply directly couples, without an output transformer, the output from a full-bridge converter that operates at an output frequency in the range from ten Hz to ten kHz. A connection to a reference potential that minimizes the potential fluctuation of the cathode is provided by one of the direct-current inputs to the converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2003
    Publication date: September 23, 2004
    Inventors: Steven J. Geissler, James R. Kahn, Harold R. Kaufman, Denis M. Shaw
  • Patent number: 6750600
    Abstract: In accordance with one specific embodiment of the present invention, a Hall-current ion source of the end-Hall type has an anode that is contoured with one or more recesses in the electron-collecting surface which have areas that are protected from the deposition of externally generated contamination thereon, as well as one or more protrusions that have higher temperatures than the bulk of the anode, thereby increasing the removal or passivation of coatings during operation by the thermal degradation of the coating and the effects of thermomechanical stresses. In another specific embodiment, which can be combined with the above embodiment, electrically isolated baffle or baffles are located to protect a substantial fraction of the electron-collecting surface of the anode from the deposition of externally generated contamination thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc.
    Inventors: Harold R. Kaufman, James R. Kahn, Raymond S. Robinson, Viacheslav V. Zhurin
  • Patent number: 6724160
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the ion-beam apparatus takes the form of a gridless ion source with a hot-filament cathode-neutralizer, in which the hot filament is heated with a current from the cathode-neutralizer heater. The cathode-neutralizer is connected to the negative terminal of the discharge supply for the gridless ion source. This connection is substantially isolated from ground (the potential of the surrounding vacuum chamber, which is usually at earth ground) and its potential is measured relative to ground. The heater current to the cathode-neutralizer is controlled by adjusting it so as to maintain this potential in a narrow operating range. This control can be manual or automatic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc.
    Inventors: Harold R. Kaufman, James R. Kahn, Viacheslav V. Zhurin
  • Patent number: 6682634
    Abstract: In accordance with one specific embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus for sputter deposition within an evacuated volume comprises a compact ion source to generate ions into which an ionizable gas is introduced and from which ions leave with directed energies near or below the sputtering threshold, a sputter target near that source and located within the beam of ions leaving that source, a sputter target with a grounded shield that defines the target portion exposed to sputtering, and a power supply to bias the target negative relative to ground so that ions are attracted to and sputter the target. Particles sputtered from the target are deposited on a deposition substrate separate from both the ion source and the sputter target. For an insulating target, the target is biased with a radiofrequency power supply and the bias has a mean negative value rather than a direct-current negative value relative to ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignees: Kaufman & Robinson, Inc., Veeco Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Kahn, Harold R. Kaufman, Viacheslav V. Zhurin, David A. Baldwin, Todd L. Hylton
  • Publication number: 20040000853
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the hollow-cathode apparatus comprises a small-diameter tantalum tube with a plurality of tantalum-foil radiation shields, wherein the plurality of shields in turn comprise one or more spiral windings external to that tube and approximately flush with the open end from which electron emission takes place. The axial length of at least one of the inner windings (closer to the tantalum tube) is equal to or less than approximately half the length of the tantalum tube. An enclosed keeper surrounds the cathode. To start the cathode, a flow of ionizable inert gas, usually argon, is initiated through the cathode and out the open end. An electrical discharge is then started between the keeper and the hollow cathode. When heated to operating temperature, electrons exit from the open end of the hollow cathode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2003
    Publication date: January 1, 2004
    Inventors: Harold R. Kaufman, James R. Kahn