14387 results about "Surface finishing" patented technology

Provided are novel methods of filling gaps with a flowable dielectric material. According to various embodiments, the methods involve performing a surface treatment on the gap to enhance subsequent bottom up fill of the gap. In certain embodiments, the treatment involves exposing the surface to activated species, such as activated species of one or more of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen. In certain embodiments, the treatment involves exposing the surface to a plasma generated from a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. The treatment may enable uniform nucleation of the flowable dielectric film, reduce nucleation delay, increase deposition rate and enhance feature-to-feature fill height uniformity.

Methods for depositing a material, such as a metal or a transition metal oxide, using an ALD (atomic layer deposition) process and resulting structures are disclosed. Such methods include treating a surface of a semiconductor structure periodically throughout the ALD process to regenerate a blocking material or to coat a blocking material that enables selective deposition of the material on a surface of a substrate. The surface treatment may reactivate a surface of the substrate toward the blocking material, may restore the blocking material after degradation occurs during the ALD process, and/or may coat the blocking material to prevent further degradation during the ALD process. For example, the surface treatment may be applied after performing one or more ALD cycles. Accordingly, the presently disclosed methods enable in situ restoration of blocking materials in ALD process that are generally incompatible with the blocking material and also enables selective deposition in recessed structures.

An apparatus and method for metabolic cooling and insulation of a user in a cold environment. In its preferred embodiment the apparatus is a highly flexible composite material having a flexible matrix containing a phase change thermal storage material. The apparatus can be made to heat or cool the body or to act as a thermal buffer to protect the wearer from changing environmental conditions. The apparatus may also include an external thermal insulation layer and/or an internal thermal control layer to regulate the rate of heat exchange between the composite and the skin of the wearer. Other embodiments of the apparatus also provide 1) a path for evaporation or direct absorption of perspiration from the skin of the wearer for improved comfort and thermal control, 2) heat conductive pathways within the material for thermal equalization, 3) surface treatments for improved absorption or rejection of heat by the material, and 4) means for quickly regenerating the thermal storage capacity for reuse of the material. Applications of the composite materials are also described which take advantage of the composite's thermal characteristics. The examples described include a diver's wet suit, ski boot liners, thermal socks, gloves and a face mask for cold weather activities, and a metabolic heating or cooling blanket useful for treating hypothermia or fever patients in a medical setting and therapeutic heating or cooling orthopedic joint supports.

The invention relates to a passivating solution which is aqueous solution containing water-soluble molybdic compound, boric acid, water-soluble organic matter and silica sol, wherein the water-soluble organic matter is a mixture of alcohol and organic carboxylic acid. The invention also provides a surface treatment method for a galvanized material, which comprises the following step: enabling the passivating solution to be in contact with a galvanized material. A galvanized layer can be passivated by the contact between the passivating solution and the galvanized material so as to enable the galvanized material to have excellent corrosion resistance. In addition, the paint composition is chromium free and meets the requirements of a RoHS instruction.

Disclosed herein are surface coatings for plasma components that have the benefit of being robust against chemical and plasma physical attack in aggressive (e.g., fluorine-based) plasma environments. The coatings also provide low plasma surface recombination rates for active oxygen, nitrogen, fluorine, and hydrogen species when compared with other known surface treatments. The coatings can be applied to any plasma system component not requiring etching or plasma cleaning including but not limited to materials like quartz, aluminum, or anodized aluminum. Additionally, the efficiency of the system is increased by applying a non-reactive coating to system components thereby increasing the flow of excited plasma species to the plasma chamber of the system.

The present invention is a method, process and apparatus for selective cleaning, drying, and modifying substrate surfaces and depositing thin films thereon using a dense phase gas solvent and admixtures within a first created supercritical fluid antisolvent. Dense fluids are used in combination with sub-atmospheric, atmospheric and super-atmospheric plasma adjuncts (cold and thermal plasmas) to enhance substrate surface cleaning, modification, precision drying and deposition processes herein. Moreover, conventional wet cleaning agents such as hydrofluoric acid and ammonium fluoride may be used with the present invention to perform substrate pre-treatments prior to precision drying and cleaning treatments described herein. Finally, dense fluid such as solid phase carbon dioxide and argon may be used as a follow-on treatment or in combination with plasmas to further treat a substrate surface.

The invention relates to apparatus for surface treatment by impact, the apparatus comprising a vibrating surface and at least one projectile suitable for being projected towards the surface to be treated by said vibrating surface. The apparatus includes retaining means for keeping each projectile captive in the apparatus.

A method and system to form a refractory metal layer over a substrate includes introduction of a reductant, such as PH₃ or B₂H₆, followed by introduction of a tungsten containing compound, such as WF₆, to form a tungsten layer. It is believed that the reductant reduces the fluorine content of the tungsten layer while improving the step coverage and resistivity of the tungsten layer. It is believed that the improved characteristics of the tungsten film are attributable to the chemical affinity between the reductants and the tungsten containing compound. The chemical affinity provides better surface mobility of the adsorbed chemical species and better reduction of WF₆ at the nucleation stage of the tungsten layer. The method can further include sequentially introducing a reductant, such as PH₃ or B₂H₆, and a tungsten containing compound to deposit a tungsten layer. The formed tungsten layer can be used as a nucleation layer followed by bulk deposition of a tungsten layer utilizing standard CVD techniques. Alternatively, the formed tungsten layer can be used to fill an aperture.

A method for forming a surface-treated, three-dimensional object, comprising: solvent smoothing an exterior surface of a rapid-manufactured, three-dimensional object, and media blasting at least a portion of the solvent-smoothed exterior surface.

Methods for processing a contact surface, for example to provide a gas barrier or lubricity or to modify the wetting properties on a medical device, are disclosed. First and second PECVD or other contact surface processing stations or devices and a contact surface holder comprising a contact surface port are provided. An opening of the contact surface can be seated on the contact surface port. The interior contact surface of the seated contact surface can be processed via the contact surface port by the first and second processing stations or devices. contact surface barrier, lubricity and hydrophobic coatings and coated contact surfaces, for example syringes and medical sample collection tubes are disclosed. A contact surface processing system and contact surface inspection apparatus and methods are also disclosed.

This invention relates to processes and systems of rapid prototyping and production. Its features includes flexible material deposition along tangential directions of surfaces of a part to be made, thereby eliminating stair-shape surface due to uniform horizontal layer deposition, increasing width of material deposition to increase build up rate, applying the principles of traditional forming/joining processes, such as casting, fusion welding, plastic extrusion and injection molding in the fabrication process so that various industrial materials can be processed, applying comparatively low cost heating sources, such as induction heating and arc-heating. Additional features include varying width and size of material deposition in accordance with geometry to be formed and applying a differential molding means for improved shape formation and surface finishing.

A robotic system for performing surface finishing processes on a large object, is provided, the system includes at least one platform having a connected robot, the robot performing a surface finishing process on the large object. Also included is an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) separable of the platform movable independent of the platform for moving under the platform, lifting up the platform and moving the platform multiple locations along or around the large object to extend a useful working envelope of the robot.

The invention provides a plastic profiled bar decorative layer combination material with natural texture for co-extrusion molding, formed by mixing 15-80wt% of plastic substrate, 15-80wt% of composite pigment and 0-50wt% of inorganic powder, wherein the composite pigment comprises pigment or dye with natural color texture effect; inorganic pigment and inorganic powder in the composite pigment need to be respectively and actively processed by a surface conditioning agent or a coupling agent; the combination material provides the surface of the plastic profiled bar with a high-polymer material co-extrusion composite layer with stronger adhesion and endows the surface of the plastic profiled bar with the metal-like texture effects, such as the colors of gold, silver, copper or other natural metal materials. The decorative layer has a certain thickness, high hardness, strong scratch resistance and longer product service life and can be used for industries, such as electronic appliance shells, plastic color windows and doors, plastic profiled bars, furniture sheets, and the like.

A method of smoothing a silicon surface formed on a substrate. According to the present invention a substrate having a silicon surface is placed into a chamber and heated to a temperature of between 1000°-1300° C. While the substrate is heated to a temperature between 1000°-1300° C., the silicon surface is exposed to a gas mix comprising H2 and HCl in the chamber to smooth the silicon surface.

The present invention provides an optically clear, hydrophilic coating upon the surface of a silicone medical device by sequentially subjecting the surface of the lens to plasma polymerization in a hydrocarbon-containing atmosphere and then covalently attaching a preformed hydrophilic polymer to the surface of the carbon coating. The invention is especially useful for forming a biocompatible coating on a silicone contact lens.

The expansive fire-resisting paint contains the components of acrylic resin, catalyst, carbon-forming agent, foaming agent, fire-resisting agent, reinforcing agent, pigment filling material, adjuvantand smoke inhibiting agent, and is characterized by that it utilizes the modification of acrylic resin, surface treatment of catalyst and addition of smoke inhibiting agent to raise comprehensive property of paint. When the paint film is heated and expanded, it can be formed into fire-resistant carbonized layer with three-D space structure, and can release fire-resisting gas to prevent flame fromspreading. Said paint is suitable for steel structure, and material and electric cable, etc.

The present invention provides methods of cementing pipe in well bores and low density cement compositions having enhanced compressive, tensile and bond strengths upon setting. The composition of the invention are basically comprised of a hydraulic cement, sufficient water to form a slurry and hollow glass microspheres surface treated with a mixture of organosilane coupling agents present in an amount sufficient to produce a cement composition density in the range of from about 6 to about 12 pounds per gallon.

The invention discloses an ultra-precise curved surface finishing method based on non-Newtonian fluid shear thickening effect. The method includes: adding abrasive particles or micropowder into non-Newtonian fluid with shear thickening effect to prepare non-Newtonian fluid polishing solution, wherein the non-Newtonian fluid accounts for 50%-90% of the mass of the polishing solution, the abrasive particles or the micropowder account for 10%-50% of the mass of the polishing solution, and the particle size of the abrasive particles or the micropowder ranges from 0.05 micrometer to 50 micrometers. Relative motion is generated between a workpiece and the polishing solution during polishing, shear thickening is generated at a contact portion of the polishing solution and the workpiece under shearing action, viscosity of the polishing solution in the contact area is increased to enhance holding force to the abrasive particles or the micropowder, and removal of workpiece surface materials is achieved under the micro cutting or chemical mechanical action of the adding abrasive particles or micropowder with polishing effect in the polishing solution on the workpiece, so that polishing of the workpiece surface is achieved. The ultra-precise curved surface finishing method based on the non-Newtonian fluid shear thickening effect can achieve efficient and high-quality polishing to various curved surfaces, in particular to complex curved surfaces and has great economic and social benefits.

A method of treating a silicon surface of a substrate that includes heating the substrate in a process chamber to a temperature, exposing a first area adjacent to the silicon surface to a first gas mixture comprising an etchant, a silicon source gas, and a carrier, exposing a second area adjacent to the silicon surface to a second gas mixture, wherein the second gas mixture is different from the first gas mixture.

A method of treating an ophthalmic lens in a package involves: placing the lens and an aqueous solution in a recess of package, the solution including an organic surface treatment agent that attaches to anterior and posterior surfaces of the lens; and sealing the recess of the package with lidstock and sterilizing the package contents. The bottom of the recess includes raised projections.

The present invention provides a surface treatment apparatus which can treat a surface with high speed and high quality. A casing of a surface treatment apparatus is defined into two chambers, a plasma generation chamber provided with a plasma generation electrode and a substrate treatment chamber provided with a substrate support table. A plasma nozzle is formed on an anode electrode constituting a partition wall of the both chambers. A recess is formed on an upper cathode electrode. Further, the plasma nozzle is used as a hollow anode discharge generation area, and the recess as a hollow cathode discharge generation area.

Methods and apparatuses for assembling elements onto a substrate. The surfaces of the elements and/or the substrate are treated and the elements are dispensed over the substrate in a slurry. In one example of the invention, the substrate is exposed to a surface treatment fluid to create a surface on the substrate which has a selected one of a hydrophilic or a hydrophobic nature, and a slurry is dispensed over the substrate. The slurry includes a fluid and a plurality of elements (each of which includes a functional component). Each of the plurality of elements is designed to be received by a receptor region on the substrate. The dispensing of the slurry with the fluid occurs after the substrate is exposed to the surface treatment fluid, and the fluid is the selected one of a hydrophilic or a hydrophobic nature. In another example of the invention, a plurality of elements is exposed to a surface treatment fluid to create surfaces on the elements having a selected one of a hydrophilic or a hydrophobic nature. A slurry is dispensed over a substrate, wherein the slurry contains a fluid and the plurality of elements which are designed to be received by a plurality of receptor regions. The fluid is the selected one of a hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature. In another example of an aspect of the invention, a surfactant is used with a slurry having elements which are deposited onto receptor regions in a fluidic self assembly process. Other examples of methods are also described.