Patents by Inventor James F. Groves

James F. Groves 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: 7879411
    Abstract: A direct vapor deposition (DVD) method and apparatus for applying coating(s) on substrate(s), including: presenting at least one of the substrates to a chamber, presenting at least one evaporant source (125) in crucible (110) to the chamber; presenting at least one carrier gas stream (105) to the chamber using a ring-shaped (133) converging/diverging nozzle (130); impinging at least one evaporant source with at least one electron beam in the chamber to generate an evaporated vapor flux in a main direction respective for any of the evaporant sources impinged by the electron beam; and guiding at least one of the generated evaporated vapor flux by at least one carrier gas stream from the ring shaped gap (132), which is essentially parallel to the main direction and substantially surrounds the evaporated flux. The evaporated vapor flux at least partially coats at least one of the substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation
    Inventors: Derek D Hass, James F. Groves, Haydn N. G. Wadley
  • Patent number: 7014889
    Abstract: Plasma deposition apparatus (1) and method that allows metal or nonmetal vapor (6) to be generated by electron-beam evaporation, guides that vapor using a noble gas stream (containing reactive gases in cases of reactive evaporation), ionizes the dense directed gas and vapor stream at working pressures above about 0.0001 mbar using a hollow cathode plasma arc discharge (11), and conveys the ionized vapor and/or gas stream towards the substrate (4) for impact on the surface at energies varying from thermal levels (as low as about 0.05 eV) up to about 300 eV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation
    Inventors: James F. Groves, Derek D. Hass, Haydn N. G. Wadley, Goesta Mattausch, Henry Morgner, Siegfried Schiller
  • Publication number: 20040134430
    Abstract: A direct vapor deposition (DVD) method and apparatus for applying coating(s) on substrate(s), including: presenting at least one of the substrates to a chamber, presenting at least one evaporant source (125) in crucible (110) to the chamber; presenting at least one carrier gas stream (105) to the chamber using a ring-shaped (133) converging/diverging nozzle (130); impinging at least one evaporant source with at least one electron beam in the chamber to generate an evaporated vapor flux in a main direction respective for any of the evaporant sources impinged by the electron beam; and guiding at least one of the generated evaporated vapor flux by at least one carrier gas stream from the ring shaped gap (132), which is essentially parallel to the main direction and substantially surrounds A the evaporated flux. The evaporated vapor flux at least partially coats at least one of the substrates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Inventors: Derek D Hass, James F Groves, Haydn N G Wadley
  • Publication number: 20040118347
    Abstract: Plasma deposition apparatus (1) and method that allows metal or nonmetal vapor (6) to be generated by electron-beam evaporation, guides that vapor using a noble gas stream (containing reactive gases in cases of reactive evaporation), ionizes the dense directed gas and vapor stream at working pressures above about 0.0001 mbar using a hollow cathode plasma arc discharge (11), and conveys the ionized vapor and/or gas stream towards the substrate (4) for impact on the surface at energies varying from thermal levels (as low as about 0.05 eV) up to about 300 eV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2002
    Publication date: June 24, 2004
    Inventors: James F. Groves, Derek D. Hass, Haydn N.G. Wadley, Goesta Mattausch, Henry Morgner, Siegfried Schiller
  • Patent number: 5736073
    Abstract: A process for vapor depositing an evaporant onto a substrate is provided which involves:presenting the substrate to a deposition chamber, wherein the deposition chamber has an operating pressure of from 0.001 Torr to atmospheric pressure and has coupled thereto a carrier gas stream generator and an electron beam gun capable of providing an electron beam at the operating pressure and contains an evaporant source;impinging the evaporant source with the electron beam to generate the evaporant;entraining the evaporant in the carrier gas stream; andcoating the substrate with the carrier gas stream which contains the entrained evaporant, and an apparatus for performing the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation
    Inventors: Haydn N. G. Wadley, James F. Groves
  • Patent number: 5534314
    Abstract: A process for vapor depositing an evaporant onto a substrate is provided which involves:presenting the substrate to a deposition chamber, wherein the deposition chamber has an operating pressure of from 0.001 Torr to atmospheric pressure and has coupled thereto a carrier gas stream generator and an electron beam gun capable of providing an electron beam at the operating pressure and contains an evaporant source;impinging the evaporant source with the electron beam to generate the evaporant;entraining the evaporant in the carrier gas stream; andcoating the substrate with the carrier gas stream which contains the entrained evaporant, and an apparatus for performing the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1996
    Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation
    Inventors: Haydn N. G. Wadley, James F. Groves