Abstract: Methods and structures are provided which support spacer walls in a position which facilitates installation of the spacer walls between a faceplate structure and a backplate structure of a flat panel display. In one embodiment, spacer feet are formed at opposing ends of the spacer wall. These spacer feet can be formed of materials such as ceramic, glass and/or glass frit. The spacer feet support the corresponding spacer wall on the faceplate (or backplate) structure. Tacking electrodes can be provided on the faceplate (or backplate) structure to assert an electrostatic force on the spacer feet, thereby holding the spacer feet in place during installation of the spacer wall. The spacer wall can be mechanically and/or thermally expanded prior to attaching both ends of the spacer wall to the faceplate (or backplate) structure. The spacer wall is then allowed to contract, thereby introducing tension into the spacer wall which tends to straighten any inherent waviness in the spacer wall.

Abstract: A pair of plate structures (40 and 44), such as a baseplate structure and a faceplate structure of a flat-panel display, are sealed to each other by first attaching the plate structures to each other, typically at multiple attachment locations, in a non-vacuum environment. The plate structures are then hermetically sealed to each other, typically through an outer wall (44) or/and typically by gap jumping, in a vacuum environment.

Abstract: Methods and structures are provided which support spacer walls in a position which facilitates installation of the spacer walls between a faceplate structure and a backplate structure of a flat panel display. In one embodiment, spacer feet are formed at opposing ends of the spacer wall. These spacer feet can be formed of materials such as ceramic, glass and/or glass frit. The spacer feet support the corresponding spacer wall on the faceplate (or backplate) structure. Tacking electrodes can be provided on the faceplate (or backplate) structure to assert an electrostatic force on the spacer feet, thereby holding the spacer feet in place during installation of the spacer wall. The spacer wall can be mechanically and/or thermally expanded prior to attaching both ends of the spacer wall to the faceplate (or backplate) structure. The spacer wall is then allowed to contract, thereby introducing tension into the spacer wall which tends to straighten any inherent waviness in the spacer wall.

Abstract: A spacer (100 or 600/1000A/1000B) situated between a faceplate structure (301) and a backplate structure (302) of a flat panel display is configured to be self standing. In one implementation, a pair of spacer feet (111 or 113 and 112 or 114) are located over the same face surface, or over opposite face surfaces, of a spacer wall (101) near opposite ends of the wall. An edge electrode (121 or 122) is located over an edge surface of the spacer adjacent to the faceplate structure or the backplate structure. In another implementation, a spacer clip (1000A or 1000B) clamps opposite face surfaces of a spacer wall (600) largely at one end of the wall.

Abstract: A getter (74) is situated in an auxiliary compartment (72) of a hollow structure (40-46 and 76) having a larger main compartment (70). The auxiliary compartment is situated outside the main compartment and is connected to the main compartment so that the two compartments reach largely the same steady-state compartment pressure. The getter is activated by directing light energy locally through part of the hollow structure and onto the getter. The light energy is typically furnished by a laser beam (60). The getter, typically of the non-evaporable type, is usually inserted as a single piece of gettering material into the auxiliary compartment. The getter normally can be activated/re-activated multiple times in this manner, typically during sealing of different parts of the structure together.

Abstract: Portions (40 and 44) of a structure, such as a flat-panel device, are sealed together by a gap-jumping technique in which a sealing area (40S) of one portion is positioned near a matching sealing area (44S) of another portion such that a gap (48) at least partially separates the two sealing areas. The gap typically has an average height of 25 .mu.m or more. With the two portions of the structure so positioned, energy is initially transferred locally to material of a specified one of the portions along part of the gap while the two portions are in a non-vacuum environment to cause material of the two portions to bridge that part of the gap and partially seal the two portions together along the sealing areas.

Abstract: A flat-panel device, typically a flat-panel display, contains a main compartment (46) formed with a first plate structure (40), a second plate structure (42), and an outer wall (44) that extends between the plate structures. A getter (94) is situated in an auxiliary compartment (92) formed with an auxiliary wall (96) that contacts the first plate structure outside the main compartment, extends away from the first plate structure and main compartment, bends back towards the second plate structure, and contacts the second plate structure outside the main compartment. Control circuitry (84/86) is typically situated over the first plate structure outside the compartments. The auxiliary compartment does not extend significantly further away from the first plate structure than the control circuitry.

Abstract: A substrate, an alignment plate, a heat sink, a back plate, a plurality of spacers, and a plurality of nuts are used to removably package one or more semiconductor package into a single module. The semiconductor dies are packaged with tape automated bonding (TAB) packages having land grid array (LGA) outer lead bumps. The substrate comprises a number of land patterns, a number of alignment cavities, and a number of join cavities. The alignment plate is fabricated with a number of alignment pins, a number of housing cavities, and a number of join cavities. The heat sink is fabricated with a number of stems and a number of join cavities. The back plate is fabricated with a number of extrusions having threaded ends. The spacers are fabricated with flanged openings at both ends, and each spacer is loaded with a number of spring washers. The nuts are fabricated with stepped heads.

Abstract: A substrate, an alignment plate, a heat sink, a back plate, a plurality of spacers, and a plurality of nuts are used to removably package one or more semiconductor package into a single module. The semiconductor dies are packaged with tape automated bonding (TAB) packages having land grid array (LGA) outer lead bumps. The substrate comprises a number of land patterns, a number of alignment cavities, and a number of join cavities. The alignment plate is fabricated with a number of alignment pins, a number of housing cavities, and a number of join cavities. The heat sink is fabricated with a number of stems and a number of join cavities. The back plate is fabricated with a number of extrusions having threaded ends. The spacers are fabricated with ranged openings at both ends, and each spacer is loaded with a number of spring washers. The nuts are fabricated with stepped heads.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for cooling a multi-chip module using embedded heat pipes. Semiconductor chips are disposed into the multi-chip module through cavities in the module substrate. The semiconductor chips engage heat pipes embedded within the substrate. The heat pipes conduct heat away from the semiconductor chips through a heat conductive bonding layer.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for cooling a multi-chip module using embedded heat pipes. Semiconductor chips are disposed into the multi-chip module through cavities in the module substrate. The semiconductor chips engage heat pipes embedded within the substrate. The heat pipes conduct heat away from the semiconductor chips through a heat conductive bonding layer.

Abstract: A cylindrical body is provided over an ultrasonic flux nozzle. The cylindrical body contains a cavity inside generating a vacuum when the flux nozzle in in operation. Additionally, the portion of the top surface of the cylindrical body that is adjacent to the output of the flux nozzle has passageways for drawing off excess flux into the cavity. As a result, flux that exits the nozzle in an atomized vapor form is limited to a fine stream, thereby allowing the amount of flux to be deposited on a desired area to be precisely controlled.

Abstract: A Tape Automated Bonding (TAB) process prepared multi-chip module (MCM) has semiconductor dice embedded into the substrate of the MCM through its top face. A heatsink, which in a preferred embodiment is a copper slug, is emplaced into the underside of the substrate so that the bottom surfaces of the dice engage the heatsink. A compliant, heat-conducting thermoplastic material is used to secure the dice to the heatsink and to maintain a good heat flow path. According to the present invention, the TAB formed component has beam leads that do not require bending to facilitate assembly. Rather, the beam leads are trimmed to length, leaving straight outer beam leads that, after the die is installed in the substrate, extend parallel to and overlie the top face of the substrate. The beam leads are thus positioned for convenient bonding to signal paths laid out on the top face of the substrate.