Robert J. Von Gutfeld

Ultrasonic jet dental tool and method

A dental tool and method for removing plaque from teeth and for cleaning teeth, as well as for other applications, wherein ultrasonic energy is coupled into a liquid stream that impinges upon the teeth to be cleaned. The ultrasonic energy cleans the teeth and removes plaque, while the liquid stream provides a carrier for the ultrasonic energy and carries away any debris produced during plaque removal or cleaning. The jet stream is a very gentle one which does not cause harm to teeth or gums and can be used in the home as well as by professionals. No discomfort is caused through heating, scraping, or abrasive action.

Method and apparatus for focusing elastic waves converted from thermal energy

Pulsed light is applied through a plano concave lens to a thin metal film, which is evaporated on the concave side of the lens. The lens, which is formed of a high thermally insulating material such as glass, for example, and the film are disposed within a liquid such as water, for example. The pulsed light is absorbed by the metal film, which converts the thermal energy produced by the pulsed light into elastic waves in the form of acoustic waves and simultaneously focuses the acoustic waves on an object within the water at a selected focal plane. The metal film is as thin as possible, consistent with complete absorption of the light energy by the metal film, so as to utilize the high thermal expansion coefficient of the water.

56.3: Development of One Drop Fill Technology for AM‐LCDs

A new cell process for TFT-LCDs which integrates the liquid crystal (LC) injection with the glass substrate assembly process has been developed and has similarities to that previously reported for passive LCDs. In this process LC is applied in droplets directly onto the glass substrate, and results in reduced LC waste, reduction of fabrication time, and overall process simplification. With this technology, we fabricated 22 inch diagonal, high-resolution products and achieved better cell gap uniformity and fast (16.7 ms) time response for the in-plane switching (IPS) mode LCDs.

Laser enhanced plating

Present processes for generating metallized patterns for microcircuitry involve many steps including mask fabrication. Maskless metallization of patterns at acceptable resolution would reduce the number of processing steps, add flexibility to the production scheme and facilitate repair of circuitry. Laser enhanced deposition of gold and other metals is believed to represent a significant advance in this field.