Abstract: A connection assembly includes a coaxial cable to microstrip flexible circuit connector and a mating microstrip flex circuit to electronic circuit connector. The coaxial cable to microstrip flex circuit connector comprises a portion which is mechanically attached to the coaxial cable and a portion which is mechanically attached to the microstrip flex circuit. The coaxial cable attachment portion includes a first electrical connector electrically connected to the center conductor and a second electrical connector electrically connected to the shielding conductor of each coaxial cable. The microstrip flex circuit attachment portion includes a third electrical connector electrically connected to each trace and a fourth connector electrically connected to the ground plane conductor. The flex circuit to electrical circuit connector comprises a plurality of unsupported extensions of a trace or the ground plane conductor.

Abstract: A penetrator and flexible circuit apparatus comprises a penetrator housing having a passageway through which at least one elongated flat flexible circuit having a plurality of parallel electrical traces is placed. A retention material substantially occupies the passageway to retain the flexible circuit in the passageway, to establish a hermetic seal of the flexible circuit within the penetrator and to thereby seal the interior of a computer which is cooled by cooling fluid from its exterior environment.

Abstract: Male and female portions of a multi-pin connector (MPC) are separated and connected using a tool or a method in which the two MPC portions are securely retained in lateral and longitudinal alignment throughout separation and connection, to alleviate the difficulties of breaking, bending, mis-aligning and twisting pins of the male MPC portion relative to sockets of the female MPC portion, which may easily occur during separation and connection. The pins and the sockets in lateral and longitudinal alignment while the MPC portions are moved toward and away from one another. The risk of lead-wire breakage due to fatigue from grasping the lead wires during connection and separation is also avoided, because the only contact is with the body portions, not the lead wires, of even small MPCs. A tool includes a receptacle adapted for receiving the two portions of the MPC.

Abstract: A duty cycle control circuit, and an associated method, generates an output clock signal having a duty cycle which differs by a desired amount with the duty cycle of an input clock signal. Offset bias signal circuitry generates an offset bias signal which offsets a copy clock signal and an inverted copy clock signal relative to one another by a selected offset bias. The duty cycle of the output clock signal differs with the duty cycle of the input clock signal by an amount which is related to the amplitude of the offset bias signal.

Abstract: An improved logic module comprises integrated circuit chips located in channels. The channels convey a flow of a cooling fluid or a combination of cooling fluids, bringing the cooling fluid into contact with the integrated circuit chips. Flow blockers and power blades form boundaries of the channels and substantially exclude the undesirable entry or exit of cooling fluids at the boundaries. A support frame holds the logic modules of a cluster of logic modules in a generally parallel relationship. Sealing plates between logic modules and an assembly gasket substantially prevent flow short circuiting. The power blades mate sealably with a horizontal buss to conduct electric power to the module.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interconnecting electronic circuits using nearly pure soft annealed gold mechanically compressed within through-plated holes. The invention has its application in attaching integrated circuit dice directly to circuit boards by ball bonding gold wires to the bonding pads of the integrated circuit dice in a substantially perpendicular relationship to the surfaces of the dice and inserting the gold leads into through-plated holes of circuit boards which provide an electrical and a mechanical connection once the leads are compressed within the through-plated holes. The present invention also finds its application in the interconnection of sandwiched circuit board assemblies where soft gold lead wires are inserted into axially aligned through-plated holes of the circuit boards and compressed so that the gold lead wires compress and buckle within the through-plated holes, forming an electrical connection between the circuit boards.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interconnecting electronic circuit boards through the use of twisted wire jumpers which are formed from multifilament wire and which have enlarged bird cages formed along the pins. The pins are drawn through a stack of circuit boards to position the cages in contact with interconnection apertures located in the printed circuit boards. The frictional engagement of the cages in the apertures provides both electrical inter connection of, and mechanical coupling between the printed circuit boards.

Abstract: A digital test system for functionally testing undiced ICs on wafers at relatively high test frequencies includes an improved probe card and interface assemblies. The probe card and interface assemblies each include a plurality of printed circuit boards laminated together as a single laminated structure. Equal length and equal impedance elongated micro strip test signal traces conduct the signals to and from a probe ring with a plurality of resilient probes physically and electrically in contact with the contact pads of the IC. Other circuit patterns includes a relatively large reference plane and a power plane of approximately equal size. The interface assembly performs selective I/O functions to electrically conduct input signals from a test signal generator to the probe card assembly and to electrically conduct response signals from the probe card assembly to the signal analyzer for determining the proper functionality of the IC.

Abstract: A cooling system employs a cooling liquid and a cooling gas in a combined thermodynamic cycle to overcome the flow resistance of dense assemblies of heat generating components and to improve heat transfer by inducing turbulence, thereby reducing the effects of thermal hysteresis and boundary layer formation. Sensible heat gain to the cooling liquid and gas and latent heat of vaporization of the cooling liquid also occur in channels through and over the components. The flow of cooling gas propels the cooling liquid through the channels. The cooling system is advantageous for cooling electronic components such as integrated circuits which exhibit relatively high degree of energy and physical density, in supercomputers. The cooling system may also be advantageously combined with an immersion cooling system for the power supply components in the computer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interconnecting electronic circuit boards through the use of twisted wire jumpers which are formed from multifilament wire and which have enlarged bird cages formed along the pins. The pins are drawn through a stack of circuit boards to position the cages in contact with interconnection aperture located in the printed circuit boards. The frictional engagement of the cages in the apertures provides both electrical interconnection of, and mechanical coupling between the printed circuit boards.This application is a division of co pending patent application Her. No. 07/347,507, filed May 4, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,419, issued May 14, 1991, U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 07/347,507 was a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/053,142, filed May 21, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,192, issued Oct. 8, 1991. All of these applications and patents are assigned to the same assignee.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for notching a wire so that it can be severed at the notched location by applying an axial force thereto. The apparatus includes a linearly reciprocal mechanism adapted to move forwardly, placing a pair of cutting blades in straddling relationship with the wire and includes an actuating mechanism for laterally reciprocating the cutting blades to form notches in opposite sides of the wire before retracting the cutting blades from the straddling relationship with the wire. The method of the invention includes the steps of moving a pair of cutting blades into straddling relationship with a wire, reciprocally moving the cutting blades into and out of cutting engagement with the wire and subsequently retracting the cutting blades from the straddling relationship with the wire.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interconnecting electronic circuits using nearly pure soft annealed gold mechanically compressed within through-plated holes. The invention has its application in attaching integrated circuit dice directly to circuit boards by ball bonding gold wires to the bonding pads of the integrated circuit dice in a substantially perpendicular relationship to the surfaces of the dice and inserting the gold leads into through-plated holes of circuit boards which provide an electrical and a mechanical connection once the leads are compressed within the through-plated holes. The present invention also finds its application in the interconnection of sandwiched circuit board assemblies where soft gold lead wires are inserted into axially aligned through-plated holes of the circuit boards and compressed so that the hold lead wires compress and buckle within the through-plated holes, forming an electrical connection between the circuit boards.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interconnecting electronic circuits using nearly pure soft annealed gold mechanically compressed within through-plated holes. The invention has its application in attaching integrated circuit dice directly to circuit boards by ball bonding gold wires to the bonding pads of the integrated circuit dice in a substantially perpendicular relationship to the surfaces of the disc and inserting the gold leads into through-plated holes of circuit boards which provide an electrical and a mechanical connection once the leads are compressed within the through-plated holes. The present invention also finds its application in the interconnection of sandwiched circuit board assemblies where soft gold lead wires are inserted into axially aligned through-plated holes of the circuit boards and compressed so that the gold lead wires compress and buckle within the through-plated holes, forming an electrical connection between the circuit boards.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interconnecting electronic circuit boards through the use of twisted wire jumpers which are formed from multifilament wire and which have enlarged bird cages formed along the pins. The pins are drawn through a stack of circuit boards to position the cages in contact with interconnection apertures located in the printed circuit boards. The frictional engagement of the cages in the apertures provides both electrical inter connection of, and mechanical coupling between the printed circuit boards.

Abstract: A gallium arsenide logic design system is described for designing custom or semi-custom LSI integrated circuits using standard cells from a cell library. D-MESFET transistors and Schottky diodes are used for implementing the cell types in gallium arsenide to produce performance levels of less than 150 pico-second per gate propagation delay. Each integrated circuit die is built from a cell library containing three standard cells. The limitation on the number of standard cells used for logic design allows for fast and efficient turnaround time between logic design and fabrication. A minumum number of masks are required for implementing the custom integrated circuit due to the efficient design of the cell types. The placement and interconnect of the cells on the die are also performed in an efficient manner due to the predefined allowable locations for cell placement and the predefined allowable route channels for the interconnect.