Patents by Inventor Linda S. Heath

Linda S. Heath 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: 7303809
    Abstract: Substantially transparent electrodes are formed upon a substrate by forming on the substrate, in order, a high index layer, a metallic conductive layer, and a conductive or semi-conductive top layer; and patterning the top layer and the conductive layer, preferably by laser ablation, to form a plurality of discrete electrodes from the metallic conductive layer. Conductors can be attached directly to the top layer, without requiring removal of this layer to expose the metallic conductive layer. The high index layer, conductive layer and top layer can all be formed by sputtering or similar processes which do not require high temperatures, so that plastic substrates can be used. The electrodes can be used, for example, in flat panel displays and in touch screen displays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Hyung-Chul Choi, Yi Zhi Chu, Linda S. Heath, William K. Smyth
  • Patent number: 6689544
    Abstract: An ablatable laminar imaging medium useful in the manufacture of a substantially transparent electrode assembly is disclosed. The laminar imaging medium comprises a substrate, a high-index metal oxide layer, an ablatable metallic conductive layer, a high-index conductive metal oxide layer, and an ablation enhancement layer. The ablation enhancement layer has an IR-absorption greater than the IR-absorption of said high-index conductive metal oxide layer and an IR-reflectivity less than the IR-reflectivity of said high-index conductive metal oxide layer. Presence in the laminar imaging medium of the ablation enhancement layer lowers the exposure threshold of the medium and improves ablation accuracy, both—when occasioned in the manufacture of LCD electrode patterns—resulting collectively and ultimately in a more reliably formed electrical architecture, less susceptible to unwanted “shorting”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Pradnya V. Nagarkar, James T. Richard, Linda S. Heath, Radha Sen, Jyothsna Ram
  • Publication number: 20020195435
    Abstract: An ablatable laminar imaging medium useful in the manufacture of a substantially transparent electrode assembly is disclosed. The laminar imaging medium comprises a substrate, a high-index metal oxide layer, an ablatable metallic conductive layer, a high-index conductive metal oxide layer, and an ablation enhancement layer. The ablation enhancement layer has an IR-absorption greater than the IR-absorption of said high-index conductive metal oxide layer and an IR-reflectivity less than the IR-reflectivity of said high-index conductive metal oxide layer. Presence in the laminar imaging medium of the ablation enhancement layer lowers the exposure threshold of the medium and improves ablation accuracy, both—when occasioned in the manufacture of LCD electrode patterns—resulting collectively and ultimately in a more reliably formed electrical architecture, less susceptible to unwanted “shorting”.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2002
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Inventors: Pradnya V. Nagarkar, James T. Richard, Linda S. Heath, Radha Sen, Jyothsna Ram
  • Patent number: 6485839
    Abstract: An ablatable laminar imaging medium useful in the manufacture of a substantially transparent electrode assembly is disclosed. The laminar imaging medium comprises a substrate, a high-index metal oxide layer, an ablatable metallic conductive layer, a high-index conductive metal oxide layer, and an ablation enhancement layer. The ablation enhancement layer has an IR-absorption greater than the IR-absorption of said high-index conductive metal oxide layer and an IR-reflectivity less than the IR-reflectivity of said high-index conductive metal oxide layer. Presence in the laminar imaging medium of the ablation enhancement layer lowers the exposure threshold of the medium and improves ablation accuracy, both—when occasioned in the manufacture of LCD electrode patterns—resulting collectively and ultimately in a more reliably formed electrical architecture, less susceptible to unwanted “shorting”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Pradnya V. Nagarkar, James T. Richard, Linda S. Heath, Carl A. Chiulli, Radha Sen, Jyothsna Ram, David W. McCarthy
  • Publication number: 20020114901
    Abstract: Substantially transparent electrodes are formed upon a substrate by forming on the substrate, in order, a high index layer, a metallic conductive layer, and a conductive or semi-conductive top layer; and patterning the top layer and the conductive layer, preferably by laser ablation, to form a plurality of discrete electrodes from the metallic conductive layer. Conductors can be attached directly to the top layer, without requiring removal of this layer to expose the metallic conductive layer. The high index layer, conductive layer and top layer can all be formed by sputtering or similar processes which do not require high temperatures, so that plastic substrates can be used. The electrodes can be used, for example, in flat panel displays and in touch screen displays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2001
    Publication date: August 22, 2002
    Inventors: Hyung-Chul Choi, Yi Zhi Chu, Linda S. Heath, William K. Smyth
  • Patent number: 6379509
    Abstract: Substantially transparent electrodes are formed upon a substrate by forming on the substrate, in order, a high index layer, a metallic conductive layer, and a conductive or semi-conductive top layer; and patterning the top layer and the conductive layer, preferably by laser ablation, to form a plurality of discrete electrodes from the metallic conductive layer. Conductors can be attached directly to the top layer, without requiring removal of this layer to expose the metallic conductive layer. The high index layer, conductive layer and top layer can all be formed by sputtering or similar processes which do not require high temperatures, so that plastic substrates can be used. The electrodes can be used, for example, in flat panel displays and in touch screen displays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Hyung-Chul Choi, Yi Zhu Chu, Linda S. Heath, William K. Smyth
  • Publication number: 20010050222
    Abstract: Substantially transparent electrodes are formed upon a substrate by forming on the substrate, in order, a high index layer, a metallic conductive layer, and a conductive or semi-conductive top layer; and patterning the top layer and the conductive layer, preferably by laser ablation, to form a plurality of discrete electrodes from the metallic conductive layer. Conductors can be attached directly to the top layer, without requiring removal of this layer to expose the metallic conductive layer. The high index layer, conductive layer and top layer can all be formed by sputtering or similar processes which do not require high temperatures, so that plastic substrates can be used. The electrodes can be used, for example, in flat panel displays and in touch screen displays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 1998
    Publication date: December 13, 2001
    Inventors: HYUNG-CHUL CHOI, YI ZHI CHU, LINDA S HEATH, WILLIAM K SMYTH
  • Patent number: 4821093
    Abstract: A multi-terminal Group III-V semiconductor high electron mobility field effect transistor comprised of a sandwich of molecular beam epitaxially grown layers and including two high mobility charge flow channels in respective two dimensional electron gas regions implemented, for example, by at least one doped layer of aluminum gallium arsenide adjacent an undoped gallium arsenide layer separated by a heterojunction. A pair of opposing two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) regions are generated in the layer of undoped gallium arsenide by the bending of the energy levels of the semiconductor materials. Charge flow occurs in a unidirectional fashion from one channel to the other in the common undoped gallium arsenide layer under the control of an electric field applied transversely through the structure by means of a top gate electrode and a bottom field plate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1989
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Gerald J. Iafrate, Louis C. Poli, Thomas Aucoin, Linda S. Heath
  • Patent number: H596
    Abstract: A thin film of titanium diboride that has been deposited onto a substrate d patterned using photolithography is dry etched in a commercial plasma etcher with either a chloride, or a mixture of a chloride gas with oxygen, or a mixture of a chloride gas with nitrogen, or a mixture of a chloride gas with a noble gas, or a fluoride gas, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with oxygen, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with nitrogen, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with a noble gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1989
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Linda S. Heath
  • Patent number: H597
    Abstract: A thin film of zirconium diboride that has been deposited onto a substrate nd patterned using photolithography is dry etched in a commercial plasma etcher with either chloride gas, or a mixture of a chloride gas with oxygen, or a mixture of a chloride gas with nitrogen, or a mixture of chloride gas with a noble gas, or a fluoride gas, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with oxygen, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with nitrogen, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with a noble gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1989
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Linda S. Heath, Bonnie L. Kwiatkowski