US4465577A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and device relating to thin-film cermets
Assignee: Gould Electronics Inc
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Filing: 1983-03-31
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Granted: 1984-08-14
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Expires: 2003-03-31
Abstract
Abstract The subject invention involves the provision of a cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space. The cermet includes a substrate and multiple, ultra-thin, alternating layers of conductive and nonconductive materials on the substrate. Each ultra-thin layer is formed by radio-frequency sputtering to produce layers of discontinuous islands of particles of each of the above materials. The invention also relates to a method of producing such cermets by radio-frequency sputtering.
Inventors
- 👤 Minas H. Tanielian
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 22:49
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/06; C23C14/0688; H; H01; H01C; H01C17/00; H01C17/06; H01C17/075; H01C17/12; H01C7/00; H01C7/006; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24942; Y10T428/2495; Y10T428/24967; Y10T428/24975
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
42 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space, comprising: a substrate; and multiple, ultra-thin, alternating layers of conductive and nonconductive materials on said substrate, each ultra-thin layer having discontinuous islands of particles of each of the above materials.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
42 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space, comprising: a substrate; and multiple, ultra-thin, alternating layers of conductive and nonconductive materials on said substrate, each ultra-thin layer having discontinuous islands of particles of each of the above materials.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space, as recited in claim 1, wherein: said multiple ultra-thin, alternating layers includes two layers of each of said conductive and nonconductive material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space as recited in claim 1, wherein: said multiple layers includes from five to ten layers of each of said conductive and nonconductive material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space as recited in claim 3, wherein: each of said layers is in the range of 20 to 50 angstroms thick.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space as recited in claim 1, wherein: said multiple layers includes at least eleven layers each of said conductive and nonconductive material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space as recited in claim 1, wherein: each of said layers is in the range of 20 to 50 angstroms thick.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space as recited in claim 1 wherein: said alternating layers are chromium (Cr) and SiOx.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space as recited in claim 3 wherein: said alternating layers are gold (Au) and tantalum pentoxide (Ta 2 O 5 ).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space as recited in claim 1 wherein: said alternating layers are gold (Au) in the range of 50 angstroms thick and silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) in the range of 30 angstroms thick.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
111 words
A method of producing a cermet having multiple alternating layers of electrically conductive and electrically insulative materials on a substrate comprising the steps of: (a) radio-frequency sputtering an ultra-thin first layer of one of said electrically conductive and electrically insulating materials on a designated area of said substrate said first layer forming discontinuous islands of said material; (b) radio-frequency sputtering an ultra-thin second layer of the other of said materials in (a) in the same designated area of said substrate, said second layer forming discontinuous islands of said others of said materials in (a); and repeating steps (a) and (b) in an alternating mode (c) to from said multiple alternating layers.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
111 words
A method of producing a cermet having multiple alternating layers of electrically conductive and electrically insulative materials on a substrate comprising the steps of: (a) radio-frequency sputtering an ultra-thin first layer of one of said electrically conductive and electrically insulating materials on a designated area of said substrate said first layer forming discontinuous islands of said material; (b) radio-frequency sputtering an ultra-thin second layer of the other of said materials in (a) in the same designated area of said substrate, said second layer forming discontinuous islands of said others of said materials in (a); and repeating steps (a) and (b) in an alternating mode (c) to from said multiple alternating layers.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as recited in claim 10 wherein step (c) further includes repeating steps (a) and (b) in an alternating mode to form 10 to 20 of said alternating layers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method as recited in claim 10 wherein steps (a) and (b) further include forming first and second layers on the order of 20-80 thick.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said electrically conductive material is gold.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said electrically insulating material is SiO 2 .
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method recited in claim 10 wherein said electrically insulating material is reactively sputtered.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
42 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space as recited in claim 1, wherein: the distance between each island of particles in a particular layer is on the same order of magnitude as the thickness of that layer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
42 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space as recited in claim 4, wherein: the distance between each island of particles in a particular layer is on the same order of magnitude as the thickness of that layer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
42 words
A cermet for providing relatively high resistivity in a relatively small space as recited in claim 6, wherein: the distance between each island of particles in a particular layer is on the same order of magnitude as the thickness of that layer.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1987-08-14 | 1988-02-13 | 1988-08-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1991-08-14 | 1992-02-13 | 1992-08-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1995-08-14 | 1996-02-13 | 1996-08-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |