Abstract: There is disclosed the enhancement of the removal of carbon from multilayer ceramic substrate laminate during the sintering thereof. A multilayer ceramic substrate laminate having metallic lines and vias is provided with a reducible metal oxide in close proximity to the substrate laminate. The multilayer ceramic substrate laminate contains a polymeric binder which upon heating depolymerizes into carbon. The substrate laminate is sintered in an atmosphere which is reducing with respect to the reducible metal oxide and which is oxidizing with respect to the carbon.

Abstract: A punch apparatus for punching hole patterns in thin sheet material. The apparatus includes a housing having a liquid-cooled cavity therein; a coil mounted in the liquid-cooled cavity; a driver disk made of a highly conductive material mounted in the liquid-cooled cavity, the driver disk mounted adjacent to the coil; a driver button located outside of the liquid-cooled cavity but in communication with the driver disk; and a punch element for perforating thin sheet material aligned with the driver button. Finally, the apparatus includes an electrical source for energizing the coil with a pulse of electrical energy for generating flux linking the driver disk and the coil to repel the driver disk from the coil, thereby translating the driver button and the punch element, causing the punch element to perforate a thin sheet of material.

Abstract: According to a preferred embodiment, arbitrarily shaped holes are fabricated in 0.1 to 2 mm thick plates of polyoxymethylene homo- or copolymers. For that purpose, the polymeric substrate is photoresist-coated on either side; the desired pattern is simultaneously applied to both the front and the back side of the photoresist layers by imagewise exposure at optimum mask alignment; the photoresist layers are developed and blanket-exposed; the resultant photoresist structures are treated with a cyclic organosilicon compound and postbaked; the through holes are produced by sequential reactive ion etching of the polyoxymethylene from the front and the back side, each time down to a depth of about 2/3 of the substrate thickness; and the silylated photoresist masks are stripped from the front and the back side of the substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a multilayer capacitor consisting of a plurality of laminae with each of the laminae including a conductive plate portion and a non-conductive sheet portion. The conductive plate portion has at least one tab projecting to at least one edge of the conductive plate portion with the maximum number of tabs per conductive plate portion being limited to avoid excessive lateral congestion. The laminae are divided into different groups with the laminae from each group having the same number and location of tabs and with the laminae from different groups differing by at least the location of the tabs.

Abstract: A method of image transfer transfer into a substrate by reactive ion etch technique is provided. A mask layer on said substrate is formed by a spin-on film which film is comprised of a mixed organo-functional zircoaluminate or zircotitanate material. The film is dried and cured, and thereafter coated with a radiation sensitive resist. The reist is imagewise exposed and developed, which developing preferably also removes the pattern in the mask exposing the substrate. The substrate is then reactive ion etched, the remaining film acting as a barrier material to the etching.

Abstract: A punch apparatus for punching holes in thin sheet material including a frame, a punch element mounted on the frame for rectilinear movement, which further includes a planar element of conductive material mounted on the punch element, a coil on the frame mounted adjacent to the planar element, a carriage for supporting and positioning the sheet in the path of the punch element, leads connected to a source of electric current to energize the coil, a mechanical arrangement to rebound the punch element, and a programmable apparatus to selectively move the carriage and energize the coil to thereby produce a punched hole pattern in the sheet.

Abstract: A method of making via holes in a double-layer insulation of nitride and polyimide. The via holes are made with one photomask only by applying a photoresist process with double exposure, and a multi-step dry etching process. The double exposure, which includes an image-wise exposure followed by blanket irradiation, achieves an edge angle in the photoresist between approx. 60.degree. and 70.degree., depending on the exposure time ratios. This angle is transferred into the polyimide layer in a dry etching process. In a first etching step with CF.sub.4 as etching gas the greater part of the polyimide is removed. For removing the residual polyimide in the via holes there now follows an etching step in O.sub.2. Etch bias is thus kept on a very low level. The nitride layer is then etched with CF.sub.4 as etching gas, with the etching process being executed in two steps, each followed by an etching step in O.sub.2 for laterally shifting the photoresist and the polyimide via the resist angle.

Abstract: An improved method for screen printing fine lines of conductive paste on a substrate wherein a mask having a desired pattern of line shaped openings is placed on the substrate, and conductive paste screened in the openings in the mask in contact with the substrate, and also as a thin layer over the top surface of the mask. The mask is removed from the substrate before the conductive paste in the openings dries, thereby leaving a fine pattern of paste lines with a uniform height on the substrate.

Abstract: A method of reflowing solder terminals that join an electronic device to a substrate. The method includes the steps of contacting the bottom surface of the substrate with a liquid and then controlling the temperature of the liquid when in contact with the substrate so that the temperature of the liquid in contact with the substrate is varied. The latter step involves rapidly increasing the temperature of the liquid from a temperature below the melting point of the solder to a temperature exceeding the melting point of the solder and then rapidly decreasing the temperature of the liquid to a temperature below the melting point of the solder.

Abstract: A method for selectively depositing a plurality of metal layers on a substrate. The method includes the steps of depositing at least one layer of blanket metal on a surface of a substrate, building a lift-off stencil over the blanket metal, depositing at least one layer of redundant metal over the lift-off stencil, depositing a first etch-resistant barrier over the redundant metal, removing the lift-off stencil and the overlying layers of redundant metal and the etch-resistant barrier, depositing a second etch-resistant barrier over the blanket metal and the first etch-resistant barrier, and then reactive ion etching (RIE) the second etch-resistant barrier so as to expose the blanket metal and at least partially remove the second etch-resistant barrier from the first etch-resistant barrier. A final step of the method includes etching the blanket metal. Also disclosed is a metallurgical structure for a packaging substrate. The metallurgical structure includes layers of blanket metal and redundant metal.

Abstract: A process for forming a multi-layer ceramic substrate. The process includes the steps of obtaining a plurality of ceramic sheets in the green state, depositing a conductive metal pattern on at least one of the green ceramic sheets, heating the at least one green ceramic sheet so as to soften it, pressing the conductive metal pattern into the at least one green ceramic sheet, stacking and laminating the green ceramic sheets so as to form a substrate and then sintering the substrate. There is also disclosed a multi-layer ceramic substrate having a conductive metal pattern pressed into the at least one green ceramic sheet.

Abstract: In a maskless metal cladding process for plating an existing metallurgical pattern, a protective layer is utilized to isolate those areas of underlying metallurgy on which additional metal plating is not desired. The layer acts as an isolation barrier to protect the underlying metallurgy from deposition and subsequent diffusion of the heavy metal overlay. The composition of the protective layer is selected as one having sufficient mechanical integrity to withstand process handling and support the gold overlay and having the thermal integrity to withstand the high temperatures reached during metal sputtering and diffusion processes. The isolation barrier layer has an organic component as a binder which thermally decomposes, either in a heating step before metal deposition or during the diffusion cycle, leaving no carbonaceous residue but leaving an inert, inorganic standoff to support the metal.

Abstract: In a process for forming elements from a slurry that includes particulate ceramic and/or glass, an organic binder resin, and a solvent for the resin, where the element is shaped from the slurry, and the element heated to remove the organic materials of the slurry and subsequently fuse the ceramic and/or glass particles, the improvement comprised of coating the ceramic and/or glass particles prior to forming the slurry with a surface modification compound selected from the group consisting of organo silanes, organo silazanes, titanium chelates, titanium esters, and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A metal etching process involving an oxidation-reduction reaction where the metal being etched is oxidized and the active ingredient in the etchant solution is reduced, incorporates contacting said metal with an etching solution containing an active ingredient selected from the group consisting of ferric ions, ferricyanide ions, ceric ions, chromate ions, dichromate ions, and iodine, and introducing ozone into said etching solution to rejuvenate and agitate the solution.

Abstract: An apparatus for reflowing solder terminals that join an electronic element to a support substrate, which apparatus includes (1) a stage for supporting the substrate, (2) a quantity of liquid capable of being heated to a temperature in excess of the melting point of the solder of the solder terminals, (3) a means to contact a surface of the substrate with the liquid, including a reservoir for maintaining the liquid, and a pumping means to move the liquid from the reservoir into contact with the surface of the substrate, and (4) a means to control the temperature of the liquid when in contact with the substrate to initially increase the temperature of the liquid, and subsequently reduce the temperature of the liquid.

Abstract: A substrate for an integrated circuit semiconductor package with I/O pins joined to the bottom surface, the improvement being the combination of solder wettable pin pads on the bottom surface of the substrate, I/O pins with a diameter less than the diameters of the pin pads, and a brazing material of an alloy that includes Ag, and a metal selected from the group consisting of In and Sn, and mixtures thereof, that exhibits a mushy zone over a predetermined temperature range, the metal disposed only between the pins and pin pads.

Abstract: The process for producing microsized amorphous particles of a metal phosphate incorporates the steps offorming a solution of a metal alkoxide in an organic solvent,forming an aqueous phosphoric acid solution,introducing the alkoxide and the phosphoric acid solutions into a reactor vessel wherein the solutions are immiscible and forming two separate liquid phases with an interface,applying agitation to at least the region of the interface to promote a reaction between the metal alkoxide and said phosphoric acid at the interface,collecting the reaction product, andfiring it in an oxygen containing environment at a temperature sufficiently high to drive off the organic residue.

Abstract: Connection is made to an insulated conductor (26) by the connector (2) of the invention without the need to pre-strip the conductor. The connector (2) comprises two contact members (12,14) that overlap to provide an aperture (21) for receipt of the insulated conductor (26). The connector (2) is recoverable, preferably by means of a memory metal strip (6), to cause the contact members (12,14) to slide relative to each other to reduce the aperture size, pierce the conductor insulation, and exert a permanent gripping force on the conductor.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of processing a nickel/titanium-based shape memory alloy. The method comprises overdeforming the alloy so as to cause at least some amount of nonrecoverable strain, temporarily expanding the transformation hysteresis by raising the austenite transformation temperature, removing the applied stress and then storing the alloy at a temperature less than the new austenite transition temperature. There is also disclosed an article produced from this method.

Abstract: There is disclosed a strain-relief adapter for relieving strain between a cable or harness and a connector. The strain-relief adapter consists of a flexible, generally tubular body of braided nonmetallic filaments, attachment means on one end of the tubular body for attaching the tubular body to a connector and a blocking sleeve on the other end of the tubular body for attaching the tubular body to a cable or harness. The blocking sleeve includes a heat-shrinkable tube and an adhesive.