Newsletter December SVConnections


In This Issue
*Large Scale Electrochromic Glass
*Microfloat vs Traditional Glass Manufacturing
*Glass Industry and Solar Energy
*Expanding into Foreign Markets
*Capitalizing on Nanotechnology
*Thin Films Kill Bacteria
*Government Funds and Intellectual Property
*Rare Earth Supply Chain
*Cleantech Funding Falls
*Promising Cleantech Companies
*Deadline for Green Technology Extended
*Hydrogen Atom Directly Observed
*New Antibacterial Material
Comdel


Dual Stage Rotary Vane Pumps
ULVAC's
VD Series of dual stage oil rotary vacuum pumps with direct-drive motors are designed for use in a broad range of applications. These lightweight compact pumps feature low noise with minimal vibration levels.  The VD series is available in pumping speeds from 600 l/min [36 m3/hr] to 800 l/min
[48 m3/hr] with an ultimate pressure of 0.67 Pa.


ULVAC Technologies, Inc.
Visit Us Online

Tel: 1-978-686-7550
E-mail: [email protected]


Comdel

Comdel Delivers Varying Output Frequency in New
CLB Series
Comdel's new CLB series of Low Frequency Power Supplies provide 2500 to 12,000 Watts of power with varying output frequency in a superior low frequency design with a small, lightweight package.  The solid-state design provides precise and repeatable power control, ultra-stable output and low cost of ownership.
Learn More

Comdel

11 Kondelin Road
Gloucester, MA 01930
Tel: 978-282-0620 or 800-468-3144
Fax: 978-282-4980

www.comdel.com

[email protected]

Evatech

Choose Evatec's MSP sputter tool for high volume production in 3D technology and enjoy excellent thin film repeatabilities, a proven tool concept and a reliable partner.  Contact Evatec's dedicated USA office for all your local sales and service requirements in thin film technology.


Phone:
(603) 669-9656
www.evatecnet.com
E-Mail:
[email protected]
Vacuum Research
Soft Start Pumps

Pump Pressure Control


Rotary Vane Pumps from 3.5 to 28 cfm with programmable soft start and pressure control. Determine vacuum level for your process and adjust the pressure controller accordingly.  Pump will run at max speed until desired pressure is reached then slow to maintain vacuum selected.


Phone:
800/426-9340
Web: www.vacuumresearch.com
E-Mail:
[email protected]

Mewasa

MEWASA has expanded the manufacturing possibilities of its bellows production, allowing the manufacture of bellows up to 1100mm in diameter. Combined with the modern PC-based control, our machine provides the flexibility to weld arbitrary bellows profiles, including oval shaped bellows with inside dimensions of 66.7 to 117.5mm.  MEWASA has widened its capabilities, offering greater design solutions to meet your engineering applications, whether it is larger dimensions or different profile shapes.

Contact: Ira Miller,
General Manager,
Mewasa North America
[email protected]
Tel: 520-797-6980

Filmetrics

Filmetrics Thin-Film Thickness Measurement Systems

-Measure thickness from 1nm to 1mm

-Measure refractive index and other properties

-Used in thousands of applications worldwide

We offer the industry's only complete line of thin-film

measurement instruments. With our 24-hour online

"Hands On" support, expert help is only a minute away.
Contact:

www.filmetrics.com

 858-573-9300
Dynavac

Dynavac's 1-meter Optical Coating System
is a cost-effective tool for producing high-quality precision optics. Its versatile design supports a wide range of process options including IAD, and the split-cylinder chamber provides easy maintenance while minimizing footprint. System interface and control is simple and supports download capability from most thin film design packages.

www.dynavac.com
Telephone:  781-740-8600
E-Mail: [email protected]

RD Mathis

The GP-100 purifier has been designed as a point of use lightweight, compact, low-cost inert gas purification system. This unit operates off of standard cylinder gas to purify inert gases to ultra-high purity and avoids the problem of cylinder walls outgassing during storage. The GP-100 has been shown to purify 99.8% argon gas to 99.9991% purity. Applications for the unit include purification of gases for sputtering modules, crystal growth furnaces, and glove boxes.  Learn More


Contact:

www.rdmathis.com

562-426-7049

UC Components

Speed pump-down and vacuum performance with RediVac™ Vented Screws and Vacuum Baked O-Rings from

UC Components Inc.

www.uccomponents.com

Veeco

Veeco provides RF Linear Ion Sources for uniform processing of medium and large scale substrates featuring a broad power range and patented four-grid beam collimation technology to meet your application needs with proven reliability and performance.

To Learn More Visit:

www.veeco.com

970-221-1807

Mustang

Mustang Vacuum Systems ORION Roll to Roll Deposition Systems

Substrate: Up to 10,000 FT length, 1000 MM wide flexible substrates configured with 1-10 deposition sources for precision and speed. Deposition zones are individually configurable for PVD sputter, evaporation, co evaporation and sublimation enabling the next generation of thin film technologies.

Learn More
Contact us via E-Mail: [email protected]

Solid Sealing Technology

Solid Sealing Technology specializes in the design and manufacture of highly engineered hermetic products using metalizing, brazing, glass-ceramic sealing, welding, and critical assembly.  SST manufactures industry standard and custom designed Vacuum Feedthroughs, Coaxial Connectors, Multi-Pin Connectors, Thermocouples, and Isolators for high temperature, UHV, and high pressure applications.

Contact:

Ph: 518-874-3600
Fax: 518-874-3610

[email protected]

Nanovea

 Nanovea manufactures Profilometers, Mechanical Testers & Tribometers to combine the most advanced testing capabilities in the industry.  And unlike other manufacturers, Nanovea also provides Laboratory Services.

 

Learn More

www.nanovea.com

E-Mail: [email protected]

Phone: 949-461-9292

Pfeiffer

Helium Leak Detector with Wireless Remote
SmartTest(TM)
portable helium leak detector is rugged, easy to use and now comes with wireless remote so you can operate at distances up to 300'. It comes with a user selected backing pump to match any application and with vacuum and sniffer standard operating modes. SmartTest provides the smallest detectable leak rate for helium: 5 x 10-12 mbar l/s.

Learn more.

Pfeiffer Vacuum, Inc
www.pfeiffer-vacuum.com

Phone: 603-578-6500
Toll Free: 800-248-8254

[email protected]

SVC 2011 TechCon in Chicago, IL
Exhibitor Icon

Join the
Society of Vacuum Coaters
April 16-21, 2011
for the
54th Annual TechCon
at the beautiful
Hyatt Regency Chicago on the Riverwalk


The Real Time Floor Plan is Now Available

Submit Your Abstract

Reserve a Booth On-Line

TechCon Preliminary Tutorial Roster

Become a TechCon Sponsor

Call for Papers and Exhibit Prospectus

Conference Registration Opens Mid-December

Coming in January
Preliminary Program
Distance Learning
 from SVC and University of Delaware


Self-Paced Tutorial
December 6-17, 2010

Fundamentals of Vapor Deposition


Cost: $525

Number of participants is limited so register today.

Click here for more details and a link to registration.
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As we wrap up calendar year 2010 and look forward to the technological and industrial developments of 2011, we are also closing the first year of SVConnections.  Each month we have delivered a broad view of of how vacuum coating has affected a variety of different industries and our daily lives.  Have you missed a past issue?  Review any or all SVConnections from 2010 by visiting the SVC Web Site.

Don't miss the January issue of SVConnections featuring a fresh new look for 2011.

An important note: add [email protected] to your e-mail's white list to ensure you continue to receive your monthly issue of SVConnections.   

Large Scale Manufacture of Electrochromic Glass Plant

In a November 10, 2010 announcement, "Saint-Gobain GSage Electrochromicslass has acquired 50 percent of the equity of the U.S. company SAGE Electrochromics for the large-scale manufacture of electrochromic glass. Activated by a low-voltage current, electrochromic glass adapts its light and heat transmission - and so its tint - to the level of sunlight and the building's ambient temperature, without hindering external visibility. It significantly reduces the amount of energy consumed for air conditioning, heating and lighting, and enhances occupant comfort and well-being. For architects, it creates an aesthetic and efficient alternative to the current and prevalent use of mechanical window shades and blinds which currently dominate the market."

Sage Electrochromics' press release states "Under terms of the agreement, Saint-Gobain will contribute its electrochromic glass intellectual property (IP) to SAGE, and all manufacturing and R&D efforts will be merged. SAGE will manufacture the next generation dynamic glass for both companies' product lines at its facilities in Faribault, Minn. The two companies currently have the most proven electrochromic products on the market, with more than 100 patents and 40 years combined R&D experience. Two senior members of Saint-Gobain's management team - Jean-Pierre Floris and Francois-Xavier Moser - will join SAGE's board of directors."


Sources:
Click on the links to read these articles:
Saint-Gobain:
http://www.saint-gobain.com/files/Nov09_2010_SG_SAGE_En.pdf
Sage Elecctrochromics, Inc.:
http://www.sage-ec.com/media/SGO_SAGE_release_final.pdf
Image: Sage Electrochromics, Inc.
Microfloat vs. Traditional Glass-Ceramic Manufacturing
   

"Commercial architects are demanding clear, transparent, smooth, distortion-free and environmentally friendly fire-rated glass-ceramic, because it offers more aesthetically appealing protection. The problem: it's an incredibly difficult and energy-intensive product to make.  Schott, with North American headquarters in Elmsford, N.Y., has found a solution. The company is using an innovative glass-ceramic manufacturing process - called the microfloat process - to produce clear, colorless, transparent and wireles s fire-rated glass-ceramic with a smooth, distortion-free surface. This fire-rated glass-ceramic, Schott Pyran Platinum, is the only glass-ceramic in the world produced using this microfloat process.


The unique mMicrofloaticrofloat process was born out of the microfloat melt tank at Schott Technical Glass Solutions GmbH in Jena, Germany. Schott's microfloat tank differs from common soda lime float tanks in both size and process capability. The microfloat tank, as the name implies, has a smaller output of 20 tons to 50 tons per day compared to large soda lime float tanks, which can produce 400 tons to 1,000 tons per day. However, this smaller output enables the tank to operate at much higher temperatures and create more customized glass-ceramic solutions."


Source:
Click on the link for more information
Glass Magazine:

Schott: http://www.us.schott.com/english/index.html
Schott Payran Platinum (Fire-Rated Glass/Ceramics): http://www.us.schott.com/pyran/english/index.html
Image: Glass Magazine

Glass and Glazing Industry Capitalizing on Solar Energy


"The accompanying article shows the players involved in solar glazing in North America: float manufacturers that prodGlobeuce low-iron glass for standard and custom solar panels, and mirrored bent glass for concentrated solar power (CSP) applications; fabricators that produce custom solar panels that act structurally as glass and are installed by glass and glazing professionals, also known as building integrated photovoltaics; and glass and glazing companies that install custom solar panels and/or offer BIPV glass canopies and skylights."


Sources:
Click on the links for more information:
Glass Magazine:
http://www.glassmagazine.com/files/GM1010_1213.pdf
Image: Wikipedia

How to Prepare for Expansion into Foreign Markets

This is a two-part article addressing steps that glass company management should take prior to expanding their business into foreign countries.

"Today's economy and construction market have prompted many glass and glazing manufacturers to consider taking on projects in other countries or expanding operations into foreign markets.  While doing business in a foreign country is not uncommon, it requires some homework. Learning more about the foreign country's business and legal climate, employment laws, taxes and insurance issues is critical to assessing the possible risks and values of an overseas venture."

The article recommends several steps for successful business ventures abroad.

Sources:
Click on the links for more information:
Glass Magazine Part 1: http://www.glassmagazine.com/article/fabrication/business-abroad-106593
Glass Magazine Part 2:
http://www.glassmagazine.com/article/fabrication/business-abroad-revisited-106834
Billions of Pieces, Billions of Questions

"In 2004, in a laboratory in England, two researchers placed Scotch tape on a graphite crystal-the same sort of material used to make pencils-and peeled it off. With this comically simple idea, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov managed to isolate, for the first time, a layer of graphene.


The production method may have been low technology, but the Nanotechnologytask of confirming that the layer had been transferred onto a silicon substrate for study was arduous and difficult because all activity was taking place on the atomic scale. For this, these researchers were recently presented with a 2010 Nobel Prize. The pattern of development in nanotechnology follows much the same model today. Making a layer of graphene isn't terribly difficult; but making many of them, of the same size, and controlling how the properties are utilized in a product is a considerable challenge.


In September, the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based consortium of 175 North American companies, released the third in its series of surveys measuring the momentum of the nanotechnology and deployment in the U.S. manufacturing industry.


The data showed that U.S. manufacturers are increasingly using nano-enhanced materials to improve their products, having identified nanotechnology as being vital to competing globally. But among the report's revelations were daunting challenges that include a lack of awareness of nanotechnology's potential advantages, a lack access to the required design tools and training, and a lack of access to capital to fund investment in new technologies."


 Source:
Click on the link to read the entire article:
R&D Magazine:
http://www.rdmag.com/Featured-Articles/2010/10/Manufacturing-Nanotechnology-Billion-Of-Pieces-Billions-Of-Questions/  
Image: John Anastasio Hart, University of Michigan in R&D Magazine
 

Thin Films of Nanostructured Polymers with Silver Nanoparticles Kill Bacteria

 

"Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) researchers have demonstrated how they can adjust process conditions to influence the properties of novel plasma polymer coatings containing silver nanoparticles. Tailor-made films can be generated through a one-step plasma process. The scientists developed these new coatings, which kill bacteria while having no negative effect on human tissue, in the frame of an EU project.

Silver ions are very efficient at killing bacteria, and in contrast to antibiotic drugs, they are effective against hundreds of different bacterial strains thanks to different attacking mechanisms. This makes silver ideal as an antibacterial additive for, e.g., implants and wound dressings. The idea that "a little is good, more is better" cannot be adopted to silver in every case, since higher ion concentrations might also damage human cells and tissues. Therefore, surface coatings need to be made with a therapeutically useful range of silver."


Source:
ASM International:
http://www.asminternational.org/portal/site/www/NewsItem/?vgnextoid=76c80b81bd4a9210VgnVCM100000621e010aRCRD
How Do Government Funds Affect Intellectual Property?

The U.S. government is aggressively funding development of alternative energy sources. Their initiatives cover research and development (R&D), manufacturing and construction/ownership of solar energy facilities in the U.S. As companies rush to secure funding it is important to understand that some types of government funding may give government substantial rights to the company's intellectual-property (IP). This article provides an overview of the main sources of government funding (federal funding, tax credits, state funding) and the impact on intellectual-property rights. The Bayh-Dole Act which defines patent right of federally funded inventions made by small business firms and nonprofit organizations (e.g. universities) is also discussed.

Click to read this entire Solar Industry Magazine article
Visit the Solar Industry Magazine web site: www.solarindustrymag.com

Rare Earth Supply Chain - Industry's Common Cause


"Rare earths-minerals, metals and their oxides-have been a looming problem for several years but became a political football recently Open Pit Minewhen China reduced its export quotas for the second half.  Jittery markets responded by upping already rising prices for rare earths, and manufacturers with strategic stockpiles have begun tactical hoarding, a move that analysts warn could drive prices even higher. The cost of rare earths hasn't yet had much of an impact on the pricing of electronic components that use them. But observers see impending shortages for the rare earths used to make the super-strong magnets designed into everything from hard drive heads to smart bombs, the phosphors used in many LEDs and fluorescent lamps, the slurries used for semiconductor polishing, the dopants sometimes used in optical components such as lasers, the magnetic films used for spin-polarized memories and the oxides used in advanced high-k dielectrics."


Sources:

Click on the link to read the entire article:
Electronic Engineering Times:
http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4210064/Rare-earth-supply-chain--Industry-s-common-cause
Image: Electronic Engineering Times

 Cleantech Funding Falls


"After a strong first half, worldwide venture capital investment in environmentally friendly firms hit a snag, falling 30% in the third quarter to $1.53 billion. The quarter-to-quarter drop is likely due to investor concerns about the slow economic recovery, according to Cleantech Group, the research firm that gathered the statistics. In addition, funding for cleantech companies was down 11% from the third quarter of 2009.


Cleantech Funding

However, the cleantech industry continues to raise more venture money than the biotech and information technology sectors. Within cleantech, technologies related to transportation, biofuels, and the electric grid received the most money, but the largest number of deals was at firms focused on energy efficiency. Cleantech Group President Sheeraz Haji says energy-efficiency deals are attractive because they require small amounts of capital and offer fast payback times."


Click on the link to read the entire article:
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/88/i41/8841notw6.html

Image: Cleantech Group

The Most Promising Private Clean Technology Companies on the Planet


"CleanteCleantech Groupch Group™, LLC, the leading global research, advisory, and events firm focused on cleantech innovation (on October 13, 2010) unveiled the second, annual Global Cleantech 100 at the Cleantech Forum� New York.  The Global Cleantech 100 is unique in that it highlights the most promising private clean technology companies from around the world. The selected companies are the most likely to make the significant market impact over the next 5-10 years, in the eyes of the world's cleantech experts. 

The results are derived by Cleantech Group, who draws on its own data and research, and combines it with the weighted qualitative judgments of both hundreds of cleantech industry insiders, and the viewpoints of a 60-person international expert panel. To qualify for the list, companies must be independent, for-profit and cleantech companies that are not listed on any major stock exchange.

The Global Cleantech 100 sample pool consisted of 4,616 nominations that were submitted by 3,260 unique sources, resulting in a list of 3,138 companies drawn from 50 countries. The list was then paired down to 218 companies that were presented to the expert panel for final input.  The 60-strong expert panel is drawn from well-respected organizations in cleantech innovation from around the world, including leading investors such as Emerald Technology Ventures, Generation Investment Management, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers, New Enterprise Associates, SAM Private Equity, Sequoia Capital, and VantagePoint Venture Partners, and from a wide variety of corporations from many different industries, such as BASF, GE, Honeywell, IBM, Procter & Gamble, Siemens, and Veolia."


Source:
Click on the link to read the full article:
The Cleantech Group: 
http://cleantech.com/about/pressreleases/Cleantech-Group-Reveals-Its-2010-Global-Cleantech-100-List.cfm
Image: Cleantech Group

U.S. Patent Office Extends Deadline to Participate in Green Technology Pilot Program by One Year


U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) extended their Green Technology Pilot Program, which allows for expedited processing of patent applications related to green technology. The program expiration date was December 8, 2009 and has been extended to December 31, 2011. Any pending green technology related patent applications filed with USPTO on or after December 8, 2009 will not be eligible for consideration under the new extended program. Petitions seeking expedited processing may now be filed simultaneously with the associated patent application. A total of 790 petitions have been granted to green technology patent applications and 94 patents issued since the program in December 2009. The average time between approval of green technology petition and first action on an application is reduced to 49 days with this special program.


Source:
 USTPO Press Release:
http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/2010/10_55.jsp
Learn More About the USTPO Green Technology Pilot Program: http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/green_tech.jsp

Japanese Researchers Directly Observe Hydrogen Atom


Japanese researchers announced that they have succeeded in directly observing a hydrogen (H) atom for the first time in the world.


H atom has an atomic number of 1 and, with a diameter of about 0.1nm, it is the smallest atom of all the elements. The achievement is expected to accelerate the research and development of technologies to store hydrogen, silicon devices and so forth.

The research results were published Nov 5, 2010, on the online edition of the English magazine "Applied Physics Express (APEX)" published by the Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP).


The results were achieved by a research group led by Yuichi Ikuhara and Naoya Shibata, professor and assistant professor, respectively, at the Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo, in collaboration with Tomohiro Saito, researcher at the Japan Fine Ceramics Center (JFCC), and Jyunko Matsuda, researcher at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).


They observed a vanadium hydride (VH2) crystal, which is a hydrogen absorbing metal, by using a newly-developed high-resolution electron microscope.

 
Source:
Tech On:

http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20101105/187158/

 

New Antibacterial Material for Bandages, Food Packaging, Shoes


Chunhai Fan, Qing Huang, and colleagues explained that scientists in the United Kingdom first discovered the material, known as graphene, in 2004. Since then, the race has been on to find commercial and industrial uses for graphene. Scientists have tried to use graphene in solar cells, computer chips, and sensors. Fan and Huang decided to see how graphene affects living cells.

So they made sheets of paper from graphene oxide, and then tried to grow bacteria and human cells on top. Bacteria were unable to grow on the paper, and it had little adverse effect on human cells.

"Given the superior antibacterial effect of graphene oxide and the fact that it can be mass-produced and easily processed to make freestanding and flexible paper with low-cost, we expect this new carbon nanomaterial may find important environmental and clinical applications," the reports states.


Source:

Click on the link to read the full article:
Science Daily:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100721133219.htm

 
SVC TEG
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