Patents by Inventor James E. Opfer

James E. Opfer 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: 4834855
    Abstract: A sputtering target has a sputtering surface with first and second regions of respective first and second materials. The first region comprises a surface of a first member of the first material, such as of a circular cobalt plate. The second region comprises a surface of a second member of the second material, such as a platinum ring. A cobalt cover ring clamps the platinum ring to the cobalt plate. By varying the relative sizes of the first and second regions, as by changing the size of the cover ring to expose more or less of the platinum ring, the concentration of the two materials in a layer deposited from the target onto substrates is varied. In addition, by imparting planetary motion to substrates during deposition and sizing and positioning the exposed portion of the platinum ring, a radial coercivity gradient is established in the layer deposited on the substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1989
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Darrel R. Bloomquist, Bangalore R. Natarajan, James E. Opfer
  • Patent number: 4790921
    Abstract: An inexpensive, vertically oriented multiple substrate carrier is disclosed for high-temperature, high vacuum film deposition systems. In one embodiment, the substrates have central circular openings and the carrier includes a plurality of supports on which the substrates hang, with each support, such as a vertically oriented sheave, engaging the perimeter of a substrate opening. As the carrier is rotated, planetary motion is imparted to the substrates to facilitate simultaneous, two-sided, substantially uniform deposition of a film. In another embodiment, the substrates are circular and are each supported for planetary motion and two sided deposition in a respective circular groove which bounds an opening through the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1988
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Darrel R. Bloomquist, George A. Drennan, James E. Opfer
  • Patent number: 4663009
    Abstract: A sealed substrate processing path has plural selectably isolatable vacuum deposition chambers along the path. A transporter carries substrates along the path and an independently controllable sputter deposition is performed in each deposition chamber on substrates therein. Substrates are loaded from a load chamber to a first deposition chamber while a vacuum is maintained in the first and load chambers. Substrates are transferred from a last deposition chamber to an unload chamber while a vacuum is maintained in the last and load chambers. Substrates are placed in the load chamber while the load and first chambers are isolated and are removed from the unload chamber while the last and unload chambers are isolated. In one embodiment, substrates travel succesively from the load chamber to first through fourth deposition chambers and then to the unload chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1987
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Darrel R. Bloomquist, George A. Drennan, Robert J. Lawton, James E. Opfer, Michael B. Jacobson
  • Patent number: 4631202
    Abstract: A thin film magnetic recording disc is provided wherein the magnetic layer is an alloy of cobalt and platinum disposed on a chromium layer. A barrier layer of chromium is formed on the cobalt-platinum film and a wear layer of an oxide of cobalt is provided on the barrier layer. The platinum content in the magnetic film is varied so as to provide a magnetic film with a desired coercivity which is significantly less dependent upon film thickness. This permits the cobalt-platinum film thickness to be adjusted to meet a wide range of recording system design parameters. The coercivity of the magnetic film may be determined primarily by the amount of platinum in the alloy and the saturation magnetization-thickness product of the film is determined primarily by the film thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1986
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: James E. Opfer, Bangalore R. Natarajan
  • Patent number: 4626336
    Abstract: A sputtering target has a sputtering surface with first and second regions of repsective first and second materials. The first region comprises a surface of a first member of the first material, such as of a circular cobalt plate. The second region comprises a surface of a second member of the second material, such as a platinum ring. A cobalt cover ring clamps the platinum ring to the cobalt plate. By varying the relative sizes of the first and second regions, as by changing the size of the cover ring to expose more or less of the platinum ring, the concentration of the two materials in a layer deposited from the target onto substrates is varied. In addition, by imparting planetary motion to substrates during deposition and sizing and positioning the exposed portion of the platinum ring, a radial coercivity gradient is established in the layer deposited on the substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1986
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Company
    Inventors: Darrel R. Bloomquist, Bangalore R. Natarajan, James E. Opfer
  • Patent number: 4610911
    Abstract: A thin film magnetic recording disc is provided wherein the magnetic layer is an alloy of cobalt and platinum disposed on a chromium layer. A barrier layer of chromium is formed on the cobalt-platinum film and a wear layer of an oxide of cobalt is provided on the barrier layer. The platinum content in the magnetic film is varied so as to provide a magnetic film with a desired coercivity which is significantly less dependent upon film thickness. This permits the cobalt-platinum film thickness to be adjusted to meet a wide range of recording system design parameters. The coercivity of the magnetic film may be determined primarily by the amount of platinum in the alloy and the saturation magnetization-thickness product of the film is determined primarily by the film thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1986
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: James E. Opfer, Bangalore R. Natarajan
  • Patent number: 4221834
    Abstract: A relatively thin superconductive magnetic shield, as of lead, is supported from a hollow support structure, as of aluminum or fiberglass by means of a multiplicity of spots of adhesive, as of epoxy, serving to bond the superconducting shield to the support structure. The shield and support structure is then positioned within a reentrant cryostat and cooled to liquid helium temperature to render the shield superconductive. Adjacent edges of the shield material are outwardly flanged and sealed together at the flanged portions, as by welding. The spot pattern of adhesive permits the shield to flex during thermal cycling to relieve strain and prevent fracture thereof while at the same time supporting the shield in a substantially nonmicrophonic manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1975
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1980
    Assignee: Develco, Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Opfer, John M. Pierce, Lawrence E. Valby
  • Patent number: 4079730
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring externally of the human body magnetic susceptibility changes within the body particularly the human heart and interpreting these changes in order to quantify the flow of blood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1976
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1978
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: John P. Wikswo, Jr., William M. Fairbank, James E. Opfer
  • Patent number: 3980076
    Abstract: A method for measuring externally of the human body magnetic susceptibility changes within the body particularly the human heart and interpreting these changes in order to quantify the flow of blood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1974
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1976
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: John P. Wikswo, Jr., William M. Fairbank, James E. Opfer