Patents by Inventor Stephen Montague
Stephen Montague 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).
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Patent number: 9653230Abstract: A push plate that includes springs in the form of cantilever flexures and an inspection window is disclosed. The push plate provides a known, uniform, down force and minimal torque to a package to be tested. The cantilevers have a known, calculable down force producing stiffness. The window provides for viewing of the package during testing.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2013Date of Patent: May 16, 2017Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: Mark R. Vaughn, Stephen Montague
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Patent number: 7992309Abstract: A cutting blade is disclosed fabricated of micromachined silicon. The cutting blade utilizes a monocrystalline silicon substrate having a {211} crystalline orientation to form one or more cutting edges that are defined by the intersection of {211} crystalline planes of silicon with {111} crystalline planes of silicon. This results in a cutting blade which has a shallow cutting-edge angle ? of 19.5°. The micromachined cutting blade can be formed using an anisotropic wet etching process which substantially terminates etching upon reaching the {111} crystalline planes of silicon. This allows multiple blades to be batch fabricated on a common substrate and separated for packaging and use. The micromachined cutting blade, which can be mounted to a handle in tension and optionally coated for increased wear resistance and biocompatibility, has multiple applications including eye surgery (LASIK procedure).Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2003Date of Patent: August 9, 2011Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: James G. Fleming, Carol Fleming, legal representative, Jeffry J. Sniegowski, Stephen Montague
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Publication number: 20060149694Abstract: For the prognosis of a value of a characteristic of a product which is to be produced with the aid of a neuronal network, the history of the product is taken into account when determining an input variable of an input neuron of the neuronal network.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2004Publication date: July 6, 2006Inventors: Franz Gorner, Bernhard Lang, Stephen Montague
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Patent number: 6797187Abstract: Microfluidic devices are disclosed which can be manufactured using surface-micromachining. These devices utilize an electroosmotic force or an electromagnetic field to generate a flow of a fluid in a microchannel that is lined, at least in part, with silicon nitride. Additional electrodes can be provided within or about the microchannel for separating particular constituents in the fluid during the flow based on charge state or magnetic moment. The fluid can also be pressurized in the channel. The present invention has many different applications including electrokinetic pumping, chemical and biochemical analysis (e.g. based on electrophoresis or chromatography), conducting chemical reactions on a microscopic scale, and forming hydraulic actuators.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2003Date of Patent: September 28, 2004Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: Paul C. Galambos, Murat Okandan, Stephen Montague, James H. Smith, Phillip H. Paul, Thomas W. Krygowski, James J. Allen, Christopher A. Nichols, Jerome F. Jakubczak, II
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Publication number: 20040182823Abstract: Various methods relating to one or more registration features (94) associated with a cutting blade (56) are disclosed. A masking layer (118) is formed on a wafer (130) and is patterned to define a plurality of mask apertures (122a-c). An anisotropic etch simultaneously forms a first cutting edge surface (72) and at least one registration surface (94) for the blade (56) via the mask apertures 122a and 122b, respectively. The anisotropic etch stops at the same crystallographic plane for both the first cutting edge surface (72) and the registration surface(s) (94). This may be used to accurately register a cutting edge (80) of the blade (56) relative to one or more structures that may be associated with the blade (56).Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2003Publication date: September 23, 2004Inventors: Murray Steven Rodgers, Norman Frank Smith, Stephen Montague
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Publication number: 20030208911Abstract: A cutting blade is disclosed fabricated of micromachined silicon. The cutting blade utilizes a monocrystalline silicon substrate having a {211} crystalline orientation to form one or more cutting edges that are defined by the intersection of {211} crystalline planes of silicon with {111} crystalline planes of silicon. This results in a cutting blade which has a shallow cutting-edge angle &thgr; of 19.5°. The micromachined cutting blade can be formed using an anisotropic wet etching process which substantially terminates etching upon reaching the {111} crystalline planes of silicon. This allows multiple blades to be batch fabricated on a common substrate and separated for packaging and use. The micromachined cutting blade, which can be mounted to a handle in tension and optionally coated for increased wear resistance and biocompatibility, has multiple applications including eye surgery (LASIK procedure).Type: ApplicationFiled: April 21, 2003Publication date: November 13, 2003Inventors: James G. Fleming, Jeffry J. Sniegowski, Stephen Montague
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Patent number: 6615496Abstract: A cutting blade is disclosed fabricated of micromachined silicon. The cutting blade utilizes a monocrystalline silicon substrate having a {211} crystalline orientation to form one or more cutting edges that are defined by the intersection of {211} crystalline planes of silicon with {111} crystalline planes of silicon. This results in a cutting blade which has a shallow cutting-edge angle &thgr; of 19.5°. The micromachined cutting blade can be formed using an anisotropic wet etching process which substantially terminates etching upon reaching the {111} crystalline planes of silicon. This allows multiple blades to be batch fabricated on a common substrate and separated for packaging and use. The micromachined cutting blade, which can be mounted to a handle in tension and optionally coated for increased wear resistance and biocompatibility, has multiple applications including eye surgery (LASIK procedure).Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2000Date of Patent: September 9, 2003Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: James G. Fleming, Jeffry J. Sniegowski, Stephen Montague
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Patent number: 6537437Abstract: Microfluidic devices are disclosed which can be manufactured using surface-micromachining. These devices utilize an electroosmotic force or an electromagnetic field to generate a flow of a fluid in a microchannel that is lined, at least in part, with silicon nitride. Additional electrodes can be provided within or about the microchannel for separating particular constituents in the fluid during the flow based on charge state or magnetic moment. The fluid can also be pressurized in the channel. The present invention has many different applications including electrokinetic pumping, chemical and biochemical analysis (e.g. based on electrophoresis or chromatography), conducting chemical reactions on a microscopic scale, and forming hydraulic actuators.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2000Date of Patent: March 25, 2003Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: Paul C. Galambos, Murat Okandan, Stephen Montague, James H. Smith, Phillip H. Paul, Thomas W. Krygowski, James J. Allen, Christopher A. Nichols, Jerome F. Jakubczak, II
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Patent number: 5963788Abstract: A method is disclosed for integrating one or more microelectromechanical (MEM) devices with electronic circuitry on a common substrate. The MEM device can be fabricated within a substrate cavity and encapsulated with a sacrificial material. This allows the MEM device to be annealed and the substrate planarized prior to forming electronic circuitry on the substrate using a series of standard processing steps. After fabrication of the electronic circuitry, the electronic circuitry can be protected by a two-ply protection layer of titanium nitride (TiN) and tungsten (W) during an etch release process whereby the MEM device is released for operation by etching away a portion of a sacrificial material (e.g. silicon dioxide or a silicate glass) that encapsulates the MEM device. The etch release process is preferably performed using a mixture of hydrofluoric acid (HF) and hydrochloric acid (HCI) which reduces the time for releasing the MEM device compared to use of a buffered oxide etchant.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 1997Date of Patent: October 5, 1999Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: Carole C. Barron, James G. Fleming, Stephen Montague
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Patent number: 5919548Abstract: A method is disclosed for micromachining recessed layers (e.g. sacrificial layers) of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device formed in a cavity etched into a semiconductor substrate. The method uses chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) with a resilient polishing pad to locally planarize one or more of the recessed layers within the substrate cavity. Such local planarization using the method of the present invention is advantageous for improving the patterning of subsequently deposited layers, for eliminating mechanical interferences between functional elements (e.g. linkages) of the MEMS device, and for eliminating the formation of stringers. After the local planarization of one or more of the recessed layers, another CMP step can be provided for globally planarizing the semiconductor substrate to form a recessed MEMS device which can be integrated with electronic circuitry (e.g. CMOS, BiCMOS or bipolar circuitry) formed on the surface of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 1997Date of Patent: July 6, 1999Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: Carole C. Barron, Dale L. Hetherington, Stephen Montague
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Patent number: 5798283Abstract: A method for integrating one or more microelectromechanical (MEM) devices with electronic circuitry. The method comprises the steps of forming each MEM device within a cavity below a device surface of the substrate; encapsulating the MEM device prior to forming electronic circuitry on the substrate; and releasing the MEM device for operation after fabrication of the electronic circuitry. Planarization of the encapsulated MEM device prior to formation of the electronic circuitry allows the use of standard processing steps for fabrication of the electronic circuitry.Type: GrantFiled: September 6, 1995Date of Patent: August 25, 1998Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: Stephen Montague, James H. Smith, Jeffry J. Sniegowski, Paul J. McWhorter
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Patent number: 5783340Abstract: A method is disclosed for photolithographically defining device features up to the resolution limit of an auto-focusing projection stepper when the device features are to be formed in a wafer cavity at a depth exceeding the depth of focus of the stepper. The method uses a focusing cavity located in a die field at the position of a focusing light beam from the auto-focusing projection stepper, with the focusing cavity being of the same depth as one or more adjacent cavities wherein a semiconductor device is to be formed. The focusing cavity provides a bottom surface for referencing the focusing light beam and focusing the stepper at a predetermined depth below the surface of the wafer, whereat the device features are to be defined.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 1997Date of Patent: July 21, 1998Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: Anthony J. Farino, Stephen Montague, Jeffry J. Sniegowski, James H. Smith, Paul J. McWhorter