US5773116A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Focused ion beam micromilling and articles therefrom
Assignee: Los Alamos National Security LLC
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Filing: 1996-08-01
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Granted: 1998-06-30
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Expires: 2016-08-01
Abstract
Abstract An ultrahigh vacuum focused ion beam micromilling apparatus and process are disclosed. Additionally, a durable data storage medium using the micromilling process is disclosed, the durable data storage medium capable of storing, e.g., digital or alphanumeric characters as well as graphical shapes or characters.
Inventors
- 👤 Bruce C. Lamartine
- 👤 Roger A. Stutz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 02:13
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B5/00; G11B5/84; G11B5/8404; G11B5/62; G11B5/73; G11B5/739; G11B5/73911; G11B5/73917; H; H01; H01J; H01J2237/00; H01J2237/30; H01J2237/317; H01J2237/3174; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/913; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/21; Y10T428/31504; Y10T428/31678
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
51 words
A durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having milled characters therein, said milled characters having an aspect ratio of depth to width of from about 1 to about 50, wherein said milled characters are characters selected from the group consisting of digital characters, alphanumeric characters, glyphical characters and graphical characters.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
51 words
A durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having milled characters therein, said milled characters having an aspect ratio of depth to width of from about 1 to about 50, wherein said milled characters are characters selected from the group consisting of digital characters, alphanumeric characters, glyphical characters and graphical characters.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
A durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having milled characters therein, said milled characters having an aspect ratio of depth to width of from about 1 to about 50, wherein said substrate is of a material selected from the group consisting of iridium, tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, silicon, gold, scandium, and pulsed-gas aluminum.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
A durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having milled characters therein, said milled characters having an aspect ratio of depth to width of from about 1 to about 50, wherein said substrate is of a material selected from the group consisting of iridium, tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, silicon, gold, scandium, and pulsed-gas aluminum.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
A durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having milled characters therein, said milled characters having an aspect ratio of depth to width of from about 1 to about 50, wherein said milled characters occupy about one square micron each.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
A durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having milled characters therein, said milled characters having an aspect ratio of depth to width of from about 1 to about 50, wherein said milled characters occupy about one square micron each.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
A durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having milled characters therein, said milled characters having an aspect ratio of depth to width of from about 1 to about 50, wherein said milled characters are digital characters which occupy a space with a minimum diameter of about 150 nanometers each.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
A durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having milled characters therein, said milled characters having an aspect ratio of depth to width of from about 1 to about 50, wherein said milled characters are digital characters which occupy a space with a minimum diameter of about 150 nanometers each.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having milled characters therein, said milled characters having an aspect ratio of depth to width of from about 1 to about 50, wherein said milled characters are each singular depressions.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
A durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having milled characters therein, said milled characters having an aspect ratio of depth to width of from about 1 to about 50, wherein said milled characters are each singular depressions.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The durable data storage medium of claim 5 wherein said milled characters are filled with an overcoat material to a level sufficient to form an essentially smooth surface containing no distinguishable milled characters.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
50 words
The durable data storage medium of claim 5 wherein at least a portion of said milled characters are filled with an overcoat material to a level sufficient to form an essentially smooth surface on said substrate whereby said at least a portion of said milled characters are undistinguishable as characters.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
37 words
The durable data storage medium of claim 6 wherein at least a portion of said milled characters filled with an overcoat material have said overcoat material removed such that said milled character is distinguishable as a character.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
The durable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said milling represents data stored as pixels of variable depth and aspect ratio, said data recoverable as images selected from the group consisting of halftone images, greyscale images and color images.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-06-29 | 2001-12-29 | 2002-06-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-06-29 | 2005-12-29 | 2006-06-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-06-29 | 2009-12-29 | 2010-06-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |