Abstract: In fabricating sealed contacts, often their axially extending leads are solder coated to protect them from contamination and to enhance their solderability into circuits. An apparatus for solder coating the leads, which minimizes their bending, includes a conveying apparatus that moves the contacts through various stages of the solder coating apparatus to form layers of solder on the leads. These layers, which are carefully controlled, are no greater than a certain maximum thickness, and are thinner on the ends of the leads than on the side surfaces thereof.To coat the leads, the contacts are individually mounted in a plurality of holders, each of which is fixed to an individual bead of an endless bead chain of the conveying apparatus.

Abstract: An array of discrete semiconductor devices is formed by photoresist and etching techniques in a semiconductor wafer waxed to a support. The photoresist material is then removed and the devices are tested. Next, a substrate is coated with silicone resin to which the devices will adhere. The devices found from the test to have a first characteristic are transferred to the resin-coated substrate to form a new array of first characteristic semiconductor devices with the original orientation. The devices are pressed against the resin by means of a polytetrafluoroethylene screen overlaid with a stainless steel screen and trichlorethylene is flowed through the screens to the devices to remove any remanent wax. When the screens are removed the devices do not stick to the polytetrafluorethylene screen, which had been against them, but remain held on the resin coated substrate in their originally oriented array.

Abstract: A plurality of small articles, such as beam-lead semiconductor devices, are precisely positioned by placing them on the ends of tubular members which are centered in cavities having the form of inverted, truncated, pyramids. The smallest cross section of the cavities is smaller than the smallest article to be positioned. The members slide vertically within the cavities and are resiliently supported by a vacuum chamber for movement therewith. The chamber is lowered with a vertical oscillatory motion, while a slight vacuum is applied, to lower the articles into the cavities and engage them intermittently with the walls of the cavity. This orients and centers the articles in the cavities. A substrate, having sites to which the articles are to be bonded, is coated with a liquefiable substance to render the sites adherent. The substrate is then positioned over the cavities.

Abstract: In fabricating sealed contacts, often their axially extending leads are solder coated to protect them from contamination and to enhance their solderability into circuits. An apparatus for solder coating the leads, which minimizes their bending, includes a conveying apparatus that moves the contacts through various stages of the solder coating apparatus to form layers of solder on the leads. These layers, which are carefully controlled, are no greater than a certain maximum thickness, and are thinner on the ends of the leads than on the side surfaces thereof.To coat the leads, the contacts are individually mounted in a plurality of holders, each of which is fixed to an individual bead of an endless bead chain of the conveying apparatus.

Abstract: Compliant bonding of successive beam-lead semiconductor devices to successive metallic patterns on substrates is accomplished with a bonding apparatus that uses an indexable compliant member. A bonding head of the apparatus is provided with a single movable tip which disengages from the compliant member during indexing of the member. The movable tip engages with a portion of the compliant member that is suspended between two drive sprockets when it is desired to perform a bonding operation. The engagement of the tip with the compliant member produces tension in the member. The tension results in a precise and flat configuration within the engaged portion of the member. The flat configuration enhances accurate alignment of workpieces to the compliant member.A toggle linkage is described as a desirable system for moving the bonding tip with respect to the head.

Abstract: A chlorinated naphthalene and a paraterphenyl are mixed to provide an adhesive for adhering a semiconductor wafer to a support for processing.The adhesive so formed may be evaporated at the end of processing the wafer, without leaving a residue, to release the devices which have been formed from the wafer.

Abstract: In making semiconductive devices using lead frames, savings in gold result from plating spot layers of gold on the free ends of the leads of the frames where substrates are to be bonded. To accomplish such plating, a plating bath is flowed out of each orifice of laterally aligned plating tubes. A strip of interconnected lead frames is then moved past a sensing device to produce a control signal and then past the orifices and into contact with the plating bath. As the frames are moved past the orifices, the plating bath is sequentially rendered effective in response to the control signal to plate with the bath the spots of the frames in contact with the bath while the bath is so rendered effective, whereby the remainder of the frames are not plated.

Abstract: In making electronic components, it is often necessary to bond a lead frame to an insulating substrate. In carrying out the bonding, it is desirable to provide compensation to prevent cracking of the substrate. At the same time it is also desirable to prevent relative motion between the substrate and lateral guides for accurately positioning the substrate with respect to a bonding tip. The prevention of such motion reduces the likelihood of damage to the guides. To these ends, the substrate is positioned on a supporting pedestal and on the first ends of a plurality of elongated members or rods slidable through the pedestal and having second ends mounted to spring elements. In so positioning the substrate, it is located between lateral guides which are fixed to the pedestal. Prior to bonding, the surface of the pedestal is urged flush with the surfaces of the first ends of the rods. Then, during bonding the pedestal is moved with the guides and the substrate.

Abstract: Leads are bonded to thin-film conductors on a substrate by the application of heat and pressure of a thermode. The thermode encloses a fusible material, adjacent its tip, which is heated and fused during the nonbonding portion of a bonding cycle. During the bonding portion of the bonding cycle, the fused material supplies the heat of fusion to the thermode tip when the tip contacts the leads. This helps maintain control of the tip temperature.

Abstract: In making a target for a television camera tube, it is necessary to thin the backside of a semiconductive substrate, which is opposite a face having a diode array thereon. To thin the substrate, it is positioned face down on a fluid nondeleterious to the substrate and diode array. The fluid is contained in a cavity of a holding device. The positioning is such that there is no space between the fluid and the substrate. An apertured top member is then mounted on the substrate and the holding device to retain the substrate on the fluid. The assembly of the holding device and top member with the substrate therebetween is immersed and rotated in an etchant to thin the backside of the substrate through the aperture of the top member. The fluid provides a tight seal on the face of the substrate to prevent the etchant from damaging such face and the diode array thereon. A vent extending from the cavity of the holding device to its outer edge assists in the subsequent removal of the substrate from the cavity.