Patents by Inventor Renner Stephen Ruffalo

Renner Stephen Ruffalo 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).

  • Refractory seed metal for electroplated MEMS structures
    Patent number: 9845235
    Abstract: A system and method for a micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) device including a substrate and a free-standing and suspended electroplated metal MEMS structure formed on the substrate. The free-standing and suspended electroplated metal MEMS structure includes a metal mechanical element mechanically coupled to the substrate and a seed layer mechanically coupled to and in electrical communication with the mechanical element, the seed layer comprising at least one of a refractory metal and a refractory metal alloy, wherein a thickness of the mechanical element is substantially greater than a thickness of the seed layer such that the mechanical and electrical properties of the free-standing and suspended electroplated metal MEMS structure are defined by the material properties of the mechanical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Joleyn Eileen Brewer, Christopher Fred Keimel, Marco Francesco Aimi, Andrew Minnick, Renner Stephen Ruffalo
  • REFRACTORY SEED METAL FOR ELECTROPLATED MEMS STRUCTURES
    Publication number: 20170066645
    Abstract: A system and method for a micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) device including a substrate and a free-standing and suspended electroplated metal MEMS structure formed on the substrate. The free-standing and suspended electroplated metal MEMS structure includes a metal mechanical element mechanically coupled to the substrate and a seed layer mechanically coupled to and in electrical communication with the mechanical element, the seed layer comprising at least one of a refractory metal and a refractory metal alloy, wherein a thickness of the mechanical element is substantially greater than a thickness of the seed layer such that the mechanical and electrical properties of the free-standing and suspended electroplated metal MEMS structure are defined by the material properties of the mechanical element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: Joleyn Eileen Brewer, Christopher Fred Keimel, Marco Francesco Aimi, Andrew Minnick, Renner Stephen Ruffalo