Patents by Inventor Robert David Topa

Robert David Topa 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: 6179990
    Abstract: A method for cleaning a copper-INVAR-copper laminate in an acid solution without inducing a galvanic etching of the INVAR. An initial step of the method forms a circuit element that includes a power supply, the laminate electrically coupled to a negative terminal of the power supply, and a conductive anode electrically coupled to a positive terminal of the power supply. The conductive anode may include a conductive material, such as titanium, that is preferably inert to an acid solution into which the laminate will be subsequently immersed. After turning on the power supply to a voltage between about 1 volts and about 10 volts, the laminate and conductive anode are immersed in the acid solution, so as to form a closed circuit with a voltage bias across acid copper-INVAR-copper interfaces. The voltage bias prevents galvanic action from occurring and therefore protects against galvanic etching of the INVAR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Raymond Thomas Galasco, Lawrence Philip Lehman, Roy Harvey Magnuson, Robert David Topa