Abstract: A method providing elliptical C4 connects which possesses optimal orientation for enhanced reliability, as implemented in connection with their installation in electronic packages. Employed are essentially elliptical solder pads or elliptical C4 pad configurations at various preferably corner locations on a semiconductor chip.

Abstract: A system for reducing an impact of hot spot pulsing of a semiconductor device including: first generating means for generating a plurality of local op-codes; a sequencer for augmenting customer op-codes with the plurality of local op-codes; selecting means for selecting one or more of the randomly arriving customer op-codes awaiting execution; monitoring means for tracking which of the one or more randomly arriving customer op-codes have been selected; separating means for separating the plurality of local op-codes from the one or more customer op-codes; storing means for storing one or more data related to the processing of the plurality of local op-codes and the customer op-codes; and second generating means for generating an output for a customer corresponding to that customer op-code while gainfully employing an output generated by local op-codes for system health monitoring purpose.

Abstract: An electronic module including a substrate having at least one structure that reduces stress flow through the substrate, wherein the structure comprises at least one trench in a surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A method judging a temperature of a chip including using a limited set of temperature sensors and using a knowledge of a power dissipation, estimating a temperature on a surface of a chip and predicting a future temperature of the chip knowing the instruction stream characteristics to be processed by the chip.

Abstract: A microelectronic device is made of a semiconductor substrate, a heat generating component in a layer thereof, and a body within the remaining semiconductor substrate. The body is made of materials which have a high thermal inertia and/or thermal conductivity. When high thermal conductivity materials are used, the body acts to transfer the heat away from the substrate to a heat sink.

Abstract: A method of estimating temperature of a transient nature of a thermal system, including, without a temperature measurement being made available, determining a drive current and thermal parameters of the thermal system.

Abstract: A method for settling on a target track of a servo system in a storage device (110) comprising a scanning probe (e.g., a scanning probe array system (124)) is disclosed, as well as a corresponding storage device (110). A data format is employed for the data stored in servo fields (18), consisting mainly of a preamble for assisting the settle process.

Abstract: A method and a surface mount technology (SMT) pad structure are provided for implementing enhanced solder joint robustness. The SMT pad structure includes a base SMT pad. The base SMT pad receives a connector for soldering to the SMT pad structure. A standoff structure having a selected geometry is defined on the base SMT pad to increase thickness of the solder joint for the connector.

Abstract: A storage device and a method for scanning a storage medium. A storage medium for storing data in the form of marks is scanned by an array of probes for mark detecting purposes in a scanning mode. The storage medium has fields with each field to be scanned by an associated one of the probes. At least one of the fields has marks representing operational data for operating the scanning mode. Scanning parameters are computed from the operational data and the scanning mode is adjusted according to the computed parameters.

Abstract: A pattern matched pair of a front metal interconnect layer and a back metal interconnect layer having matched thermal expansion coefficients are provided for a reduced warp packaging substrate. Metal interconnect layers containing a high density of wiring and complex patterns are first developed so that interconnect structures for signal transmission are optimized for electrical performance. Metal interconnect layers containing a low density wiring and relatively simple patterns are then modified to match the pattern of a mirror image metal interconnect layer located on the opposite side of the core and the same number of metal interconnect layer away from the core. During this pattern-matching process, the contiguity of electrical connection in the metal layers with a low density wiring may become disrupted. The disruption is healed by an additional design step in which the contiguity of the electrical connection in the low density is reestablished.

Abstract: An electronic package includes a die including a thermal interface material through which a primary heat flux path is enabled for conducting heat from the die, an organic substrate, and a thermal interposer provided between the organic substrate and the die, the thermal interposer having an area extending beyond a footprint of the die, the area including the thermal interface material, the thermal interposer conducting heat generated by the die through the thermal interface material such that an auxiliary heat flux path for conducting heat generated in the die is enabled.

Abstract: A method of mounting an electronic component on a substrate includes forming at least one trench in a surface of the substrate. The trenches formed in the substrate reduce a stiffness of the substrate, which provides less resistance to shear. Accordingly, the trenches reduce the amount of strain on the joints, which mount the electronic component to the substrate, which enhances the life of the joints.

Abstract: A pattern matched pair of a front metal interconnect layer and a back metal interconnect layer having matched thermal expansion coefficients are provided for a reduced warp packaging substrate. Metal interconnect layers containing a high density of wiring and complex patterns are first developed so that interconnect structures for signal transmission are optimized for electrical performance. Metal interconnect layers containing a low density wiring and relatively simple patterns are then modified to match the pattern of a mirror image metal interconnect layer located on the opposite side of the core and the same number of metal interconnect layer away from the core. During this pattern-matching process, the contiguity of electrical connection in the metal layers with a low density wiring may become disrupted. The disruption is healed by an additional design step in which the contiguity of the electrical connection in the low density is reestablished.

Abstract: A method (and system) of predicting a thermal state of a transient thermal system, includes combining sensor outputs and thermal parameters to construct a consistent set of estimates of internal temperature of a transient thermal system.

Abstract: A method of mounting an electronic component on a substrate includes forming at least one trench in a surface of the substrate. The trenches formed in the substrate reduce a stiffness of the substrate, which provides less resistance to shear. Accordingly, the trenches reduce the amount of strain on the joints, which mount the electronic component to the substrate, which enhances the life of the joints.

Abstract: A method (and structure) senses a rotational vibration of a disk drive. The disk drive includes a rotating disk. The disk includes a plurality of reference bits across a surface thereof. The method (and structure) includes detecting the reference bits across a pattern on the rotating disk, and analyzing a time interval between adjacent ones of the reference bits.

Abstract: A method (and system) of managing heat in an electrical circuit, includes using a thermal instruction appended to an instruction to be processed to determine a heat load associated with the instruction.

Abstract: A method of optimizing a servo controller power required in the operation of two-dimensional flexure (Microelectronic Memory Storage) MEMS devices. Furthermore, provided is an arrangement for optimizing servo controller power in a two-dimensional flexure MEMS storage device through a utilization of the inventive method.

Abstract: An apparatus for predicting a thermal state of a system including a semiconductor chip includes a plurality of sensors formed on the semiconductor chip for measuring a temperature at first locations of the semiconductor chip, a model developer for developing a model for estimating a temperature at second locations of the semiconductor chip which are other than the first locations, a mapping unit for mapping an instruction cache associated with the chip into a sequence of X-Y distributed quanta of heat packets, and a predicting unit for predicting a future temperature of the chip based on an execution of an instruction stream in the instruction cache.

Abstract: A method (and system) of managing heat in an electrical circuit, includes using a thermal instruction appended to an instruction to be processed to determine a heat load associated with the instruction.