Abstract: A method of assembling a multilayer laminate interconnection board, particularly boards in which each layer preferably includes copper conductors on polyimide film layers, involves adhesively joining individual layers of wired film initially onto an auxiliary pin carrier substrate and then onto a previously laminated layer. After each layer is aligned and adhesively joined to the immediately preceeding layer, holes are formed through the layer. Metal is deposited into the holes for electrically connecting conductors on the top surface of the last layer to a via located on the immediately preceeding layer. The process is repeated for each layer of the multilayer laminate interconnection board until the entire board is completely assembled. Alternatively, layers containing preformed and metalized holes at the location of a respective via in a particular layer are aligned and adhesively laminated.

Abstract: A robotic assembly apparatus includes a robot (2), a component supply station (6) and at least one placement station (7, 8). Components are correctly orientated by means of feeder bowls (11, 12) and are serially presented to the supply station along tracks (9 and 10). A multi-head tool (5) simultaneously picks up a plurality of correctly orientated components and places them in their correct positions in or on the workpiece. Before or during their travel to the workpiece, the plurality of components are placed in their correct positions relative to one another. Preferably two placement stations are used per robot so that one can be used for removing an assembled workpiece and supplying a new workpiece while the other is having components inserted. The multi-head tool (5) consists of individually-pneumatically-operable actuators (27) carrying individual-operable component grippers which may be mechanical, vacuum or electromagnetic.

Abstract: An image scanning apparatus for use on a laser electrophotographic printer provides improved imaging in both the scan and process direction in a printer using a multiple spot printhead.

Abstract: Selective compliance in up to six degress of freedom in a magnetically levitated fine motion device, or robot wrist, with limited motion in X,Y,Z, ROLL, PITCH, YAW, is provided by controlled actuation currents applied to six electrodynamic forcer elements. The wrist has a stator support base defining a dual periphery, carrying a number of stator magnet units. A shell flotor unit nests within the stator support base dual periphery, and carries forcer coils at locations corresponding to respective magnet units. The magnet unit and related flotor coil form a forcer element. There are a number of forcer elements. The vector sum of all the translational forces and rotational torques established at the forcer elements determines the X,Y,Z, ROLL, PITCH, and YAW motion of the flotor. The flotor carries an end effector which may be a tool. Position and orientation of the flotor is monitored by light emitting diodes and lateral effect cells.

Abstract: In order to test conductors on substrates for current constricting defects, such as cracks, narrow conductors, line breaks and intermittent opens, a test signal combining two alternating current signals at different frequencies and direct current offset signal is applied to the conductor. Upon encountering a defect, intermodulation signals are generated and detected. The phase of the detected signal and the phase of a reference signal are compared. The difference between the phase of the two signals is indicative of the presence of a defect in the conductor. The invention has particular application for testing thin conductors.

Abstract: An image is taken of a circuit layer pattern containing circuit element representations and the areas of the circuit element representations within the image are modified. The modification includes at least one modification step which consists of thinning the circuit element representations to the point where at least some features of the circuit element representations are skeletonized, to thereby emphasize distinctive features of the circuit element representations. The emphasized distinctive features are compared with previously determined design criteria for distinctive features expected from the prior steps so that any lack of correspondence indicates a defect.

Abstract: Using a variable-duration clock circuit, together with programmable duration control to alter the clock waveform within strict rules, permits the programmer to arrange appropriately short durations for short data transfers, and to arrange appropriately longer durations for longer data transfers in an array processor of myriad processing elements. There is no need to allow sufficient time in every clock cycle for worst case data transfer between remote processing elements.The clock waveform has three recognizable edges (A,B,C) regardless of loss of sharpness during its travel to the various processing elements. The convention that three skew-sensitive activities, READ, WRITE and OPERAND SUPPLY conform to respectively assigned edges as follows:A=READ;B=OPERAND SUPPLY;C=WRITE (Read next)The processing elements synchronize with the clock waveform, which is optimized for the instructions of the program being executed.

Abstract: In order to determine a next event based upon available data, a binary decision tree is constructed having true or false questions at each node and a probability distribution of the unknown next event based upon available data at each leaf. Starting at the root of the tree, the construction process proceeds from node-to-node towards a leaf by answering the question at each node encountered and following either the true or false path depending upon the answer. The questions are phrased in terms of the available data and are designed to provide as much information as possible about the next unknown event. The process is particularly useful in speech recognition when the next word to be spoken is determined on the basis of the previously spoken words.

Abstract: Configurable processing element groups (PEGs), made up of processing elements (PEs) and boolean combiner image switches (BC), arrayed in image processing subassemblies (CAGEs) having limited external PE connections, provide myriad image processing network choices without massive investment in memory and bus capacity. PEs have full variable connectability within the PEG, and connectability via limited bus connections to PEs in related PEGs. Image switching is implemented by the BC, which is feedback connected to PEs within the PEG. Each PEG is also directly connected to the next PEG, through its BC, in straighforward pipeline configuration. For simple jobs, the implementor configures simple networks of PEs within PEGs. For demanding jobs, the implementor configures PEs in one PEG together with PEs from other PEGs, in a compound bus-connected network within the CAGE.

Abstract: Contactless probing of an integrated circuit is carried out by flooding the surface of the integrated circuit with pulsed ultraviolet laser light, causing photoelectron emission as a function of the potentials at micropoints on the integrated circuit, converting this two-dimensional electron pattern into a corresponding relatively long duration pattern of luminescence by a luminescent target, and reviewing the result by video/computer scanning. Separate embodiments allow testing either in vacuum or in air, with or without insulating passivation layers present on the chip. The result is a contactless oscilloscope which monitors instantaneous voltages (logic states and AC switching waveforms) for a full two-demsnsional array of micropoints simultaneously. A chip with test points and appropriate windows for laser activation and luminescent targeting can be specially designed for optimal testing.

Abstract: An optical process monitor primarily for use in laser wire bonding detects the reflectivity change of the wire being bonded in order to provide feedback control of the high power laser used for bonding the wire to a pad. A low power laser beam which is co-linear or combined with the high power laser beam is conducted to the bond site and reflected from the wire during the bonding cycle. The change in reflectivity of the wire during the bonding cycle is detected from the reflected low power laser beam. A signal commensurate with the detected change of reflectivity is used to control the power or duration of the high power laser during bonding.

Abstract: A high rate, low contamination, non-reactive sputter etching or deposition apparatus is disclosed herein. The apparatus is comprised of a pair of parallel plate electrodes, cathode and substrate and an additional or wall electrode means surrounding said other electrode means. The wall electrode can be made to be coplanar with said other electrodes and the area of said electrodes are designed so that the wall electrode is resputtered eliminating contamination. The electrodes are housed in a vacuum chamber with inlet means for introducing a non-reactive gas into said chamber. Means are provided for supplying said RF voltage to said electrodes both in and out of phase and for varying the magnitude of the substrate electrode RF voltage with respect to the magnitude of the cathode voltage.

Abstract: An electroless copper plating bath contains copper sulfate, EDTA, DMAB and triethanolamine and is adjusted to a pH in the range between approximately 8 and 9. The addition of cyanide ions alone or preferably with a sulfur compound such as thiodipropionic acid or a nitrogen compound such as 1,10 phenanthroline provided bright copper deposits. The use of an electroless plating bath operating at a low pH permits electroless plating of alkali sensitive substrates.

Abstract: A system of reconfigurable pipelines of generalized neighborhood function morphic image processors provides image transformations. An input image pixel stream is provided to one or more reconfigurable processing element groups comprising reconfigurable delay RAMs, reconfigurable neighborhood function RAMs, and reconfigurable window selection switching in order to achieve general neighborhood window function morphic image transformations. The described arrangement is amenable to VLSI packing implementation without loss of the reconfigurability or flexibility of the morphic image processor.

Abstract: Alternately stacked radial-pole stator and spacer laminations provide a simple linear actuator, in which alternating layers form magnetic teeth in the axial direction. The spacer laminations are non-ferromagnetic or dimensionally spaced from the flux path. The stator laminations have radially extending pairs of poles, forming a central hole which may be filled and ground smooth along with the spacers, forming smooth pole faces upon which the armature may slide.Flux paths are coplanar with stator laminations, thus making each lamination completely independent. Electromagnetic force increases linearly as stator laminations are added. The stacked stator laminations have pole faces each having a finite pole face flux capacity; related armature rings can be mounted on a nonmagnetic support tube and made as light as possible so long as each ring is of sufficient cross-sectional area to carry half the pole face flux capacity.

Abstract: An aspheric lens exhibiting varying optical power as a function of locating along the longitudinal axis of the lens is intended for use in an electrophotographic printer of the type having a mirror for providing tilt error and scan bow error correction of a laser beam to be imaged at a photoconductor surface.

Abstract: Balancing values of physical parameters such as temperature between used and unused circuit islands, in a fault bypass wafer circuit module, is done by mandating circuit exercise within each island considered critical. Within individual exercise islands, thermostats control heaters, or other physical parameter reporting means control transducers to return the physical parameter to nominal values. Heavily exercised operational islands and unexercised faulty or good redundant islands, which could develop destructive thermal gradients and resulting operational or connection failures. To eliminate such physical gradients, circuit exercise is mandated in all circuit islands which receive no ordinary circuit exercise, simply to maintain physical balance. Temperature is the physical parameter of primary concern, but physical parameters include piezoelectric effects, capacitance, inductance, magnetism, radiation effects and voltage, as well as other physical parameters which may be related or derivative.

Abstract: A graphics input tablet has a conductive layer and a resistive layer with contacts (16,17,23,24) arranged one along each edge of the resistive layer. The conductive layer is held at a negative potential relative to the resistive layer so current flows in each contact when localized pressure is applied to a region of the tablet (20) to bring the layers into electrical contact. The currents vary with both position and magnitude of the localized pressure. The position of the pressure is detected from the relative currents in opposed contacts and the magnitude of the pressure is detected from the total current in the contacts. The currents are measured by current sense amplifiers and processed in a computer. Analogue front-end processing of the currents is also possible.

Abstract: Table lookup for an N.times.N image on an M.times.M 2D array is speeded by enhancing an address word to access table entries greater in number than the address word bit structure normally permits. This is done by organizing a 2D array (M.times.M) as a 8-interconnected array, decomposing the N.times.N array into N/M.times.N/M subimages, and generating and enhancing dichotomy windows of size K.times.K at the subimage level as table lookup addresses. For arbitrary combinations of M, N and K, the address word is broken into two dichotomies, and each dichotomy is altered by incrementing and decrementing. This provides multi-bit addressing for sufficient table entries to carry out in a single cycle the complex table lookup required for processing a multi-bit (i.e., 3.times.3) window. The output of a programmable logic array accesses four quadrants of memory. The current pixel number CPN is made available from the computer control.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic read/write head/arm assembly and method of manufacturing the same is disclosed herein. Contact soldering of the opposite to disk side of the read/write head to a cable in laminate relationship to the suspension arm, or a polyimide strip with conductors deposited thereon provides both electrical interconnection and mechanical support. Semiconductor devices can also be intermediately soldered between the head and cable for maximum noise suppression.