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US 6,923,625 B2Granted
Method of forming a reactive material and article formed thereby
AssigneeIntegrated Sensing Systems, Inc.
InventorDouglas Ray Sparks
Life of this patent
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AssigneeIntegrated Sensing Systems, Inc.
InventorDouglas Ray Sparks
Estimating the term…
A method for preventing contamination, oxidation and gas absorption of reactive materials, and articles formed thereby. The method generally entails depositing a first layer of a reactive material and a second layer of a substantially nonreactive material so that the second layer protects the first layer from a surrounding atmosphere. For example, the first and second layers may be deposited to form a film on a surface within a chamber that is desired to be maintained in a vacuum during use of the article. The second layer is sufficiently thin such that appropriately heating the first and second layers causes the reactive material of the first layer to become interdiffused with the nonreactive material of the second layer, to the extent that at least a portion of the reactive material is able to react and getter gases from the surrounding atmosphere.
An article comprising a closed evacuated chamber containing an atmosphere, a surface within the chamber, a first layer of a reactive material of chromium supported by the surface, and a second layer of a substantially nonreactive material of gold between the first layer and the atmosphere within the chamber, the second layer being sufficiently thin and sufficiently interdiffused with the first layer so that at least a portion of the reactive material of the first layer is able to react with the atmosphere within the chamber, wherein the first and second layers constitute a getter material within the chamber.
An electronic device comprising an evacuated chamber and a getter material within the chamber, the getter material comprising a first layer of a reactive material of titanium on a substrate region within the chamber of the device, and a second layer of a substantially nonreactive material on the first layer, the second layer protecting the first layer from an atmosphere within the chamber, the reactive material of the first layer being interdiffused with the second layer so that some but not all of the reactive material is present in the second layer and at or near an outer surface of the getter material, wherein the nonreactive material of the second layer is chosen from the group consisting of Pb, Sn, In, and all Group 8A, 1B, 2B, and 3B metals except Al.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.