Abstract: A multilayer capacitor is presented which provides high capacitance and low inductance. The capacitor comprises a plurality of conductive layers, each separated from the other and sandwiching therebetween a high capacitance flexible dielectric sheet material. The dielectric sheet material is comprised of a monolayer of multilayer or single layer high dielectric (e.g. ceramic) chips or pellets of relatively small area and thickness which are arranged in a planar array. These high dielectric constant chips are spaced apart by a small distance. The spaces between the chips are then filled with a flexible polymer/adhesive to define a cohesive sheet with the polymer binding the array of high dielectric (e.g. ceramic) chips together. Next, the opposite planar surfaces of the array (including the polymer) are electroless plated or electroded by vacuum metal deposition, or sputtering, to define opposed metallized surfaces.

Abstract: A decoupling capacitor is presented which is particularly useful in conjunction with either pin grid array type IC packages or with plastic leaded chip carrier IC packages. In accordance with the present invention, the multiplicity of elongated conductors of prior art decoupling capacitors are replaced with flat, wide conductive strips termed herein as skirts. These skirts extend outwardly from the top and bottom conductors of the decoupling capacitor and include small leads extendng therefrom which are solely for the purpose of either insertion into the circuit board or for connection with a surface pad on the circuit board. Thus, rather than the multiplicity of elongated leads found in the prior art, the present invention utilizes flat strips or skirts having very small leads extending therefrom. This skirt construction provides far lower inductance relative to the elongated leads of the prior art.

Abstract: A ceramic filled fluoropolymer-based electrical substrate material well suited for forming rigid printed wiring board substrate materials and integrated circuit chip carriers is presented which exhibits improved electrical performance over other printed wiring board materials and circuit chip carriers. Also, the low coefficients of thermal expansion and compliant nature of this electrical substrate material results in improved surface mount reliability and plated through-hole reliability. The electrical substrate material preferably comprises polytetrafluoroethylene filled with silica along with a small amount of microfiberglass. In an important feature of this invention, the ceramic filler (silica) is coated with a silane coating material which renders the surface of the ceramic hydrophobic and provides improved tensile strength, peel strength and dimensional stability.

Abstract: In an electroluminescent lamp having a phosphor layer disposed between corresponding lamp electrodes adapted to apply an excitation potential to cause the phosphor layer to emit light, a front lamp electrode which, in addition to being light transmissive to radiation from the phosphor layer, consists of a thin layer of light-transmissive binder containing a distribution of discrete particles that are characteristically light-reflective and electrically conductive. The electrode particles provide aggregate diffuse outward reflectance sufficient to serve as a reflector behind an LCD display for ambient light that falls upon the LCD display to illuminate the display under light ambient conditions.

Abstract: An electrical connector system for electrically interconnecting an integrated circuit chip unit having a plurality of arrays of first contacts arranged in a first pattern of peripheral form with a circuit board having a plurality of planar arrays of second contact pads arranged in a second pattern of peripheral form. The connector system includes a module member adapted to support the integrated circuit chip unit over the pattern of the circuit board, a plurality of rigid contact carrier members, and a plurality of multi-conductor flexible circuit structures extending between respective portions of the first and second peripheral patterns.

Abstract: A flexible circuit having termination features incorporated as an integral part thereof and a method of making the same is presented. In accordance with the manufacturing process of the present invention, the end portion of a flexible circuit of standard construction (i.e., conductive traces sandwiched between a flexible base substrate and a flexible cover film) is folded back on itself, frequently with a spacer captured in the fold, and adhesively laminated together. This laminated assembly has a thickness equal to that required for formation of reliable connector pins. Next, a small section of this folded end portion has at least the outer non-conductive cover film removed, preferably by laser techniques, to expose a plurality of connector pins or fingers. The connector fingers will have the desired thickness, width and shape to allow for direct insertion into a mating component (i.e., through-holes on a rigid or flexible circuit board; or into a receptacle such as a female connector).

Abstract: The invention provides electroluminescent lamps that contain light-emitting phosphors and covering layers which have unusual durability, light transmissivity and resistance to moisture using simple screen printing and doctor blade coating techniques. It is discovered that a liquid dispersion of thermoplastic polymer powder particles, e.g. predominantly of polyvinylidene fluoride, simultaneously: (a) can suspend electrical property additives, such as crystalline, hard, dense particles of generally spherical shape, uniformly in desired concentrations (b) while containing a useful concentration of any of a wide range of such particles, can be deposited by high shear transfer to a substrate in accurately controllable thickness and contour; (c) when so deposited can be fused into a continuous uniform film which has low absorptivity, e.g.

Abstract: A snow gun and process for making artificial snow comprising a heat exchanger for holding air and water in separate, adjacent chambers and an ejector manifold that disperses air/water admixture to the ambient atmosphere. A multi-chambered heat exchanger is designed so that incoming water completely envelops the air jacket, thus warming the incoming air. Thereafter the water, generally under pressure, entrains the air through use of a multi-ported manifold, using air ejector phenomenon, and is exhausted to the atmosphere where the expelled air/water admixture dissociates to finely atomized water droplets, which subsequently freeze to form artificial snow.

Abstract: A multilayer through-hole contacted flexible circuit and method of manufacture thereof is presented having a laminar construction which is strictly symmetrical in the bending area; and which has no exposed adhesive. The flexible circuit is made by providing through-holes to a standard single sided laminate. Next, conductive material is vacuum deposited (e.g. sputtered or evaporated) into the through-holes and at the same time a conductive seed-layer is deposited on the polymer side of the standard laminate. Plating resist is applied to both sides of the material and the seed-layer side of the material is patterned such that circuit traces, pads, and through-holes can be electroplated with additional copper. The plating resist is stripped and the very thin layer of copper in the non-conductive areas is flash etched to produce semi-additive circuit features on the seed-layer side.

Abstract: A connector arrangement for providing electrical interconnection between coresponding contact pads of opposed first and second circuit boards includes an electrically nonconductive support member disposed between the boards, a bodily-rotatable, electrically conductive interconnect element extending through the thickness of the support and having a pair of pad engagement surfaces disposed to engage the respective contact pads, and a clamp for retaining the circuit boards in a clamped-together relationship with the support member in a compressed, reduced thickness state and with the interconnect member bodily rotated. The support member includes resilient elastomeric material, has support surfaces respectively opposed to the board surfaces, and is adapted to be compressed by urging of the boards together.

Abstract: A preferably low dielectric constant polymeric bonding layer is applied or bonded (i.e., laminated or coated) to at least one side of a preferably low dielectric constant polymeric delay line substrate. Preferably, the melting or softening point of the bonding film is lower than the melting or softening point of the substrate so that the application (e.g. lamination) step is carried out at a temperature which is above the softening point of the bonding film, but below the softening point of the substrate (thereby insuring the integrity of the delay line circuit). Thereafter, the delay line/bonding layer assembly is rolled up and head sealed so as to melt the bonding layer, thus heat sealing the delay line package. As the package heats up (in, for example, a tightly fitting die), the materials expand and provide sufficient pressure to bond the circuit together.

Abstract: An electrical connector system for electrically interconnecting electrically conductive paths of a first circuit with corresponding electrically conductive paths of a second circuit. The system includes backer structure with guide structure that is adapted to receive a first circuit which has a first array of pad-type contacts, and a cooperating connector assembly component that includes contact carrier structure with camming structure and that is adapted to receive a second circuit which has a second array of pad-type contacts corresponding to the pad-type contacts of the first array, and actuator structure that includes camming structure for interaction with camming structure of the contact carrier structure. Elastomeric foam structure interconnects the actuator and said contact carrier structures in a manner enabling the camming structures to engage.

Abstract: Inductive devices, i.e., transformers, coils, inductors, etc. are produced from a rolled flexible circuit. The flexible circuit is comprised of a dielectric substrate having a circuit pattern thereon. The circuit pattern is configured such that, upon rolling, one or more coils is formed thereby defining an inductor, transformer, etc. Additionally, these inductive devices may be easily shielded using a ground plane in the flexible circuit. The rolled flexible circuit may be secured in several ways including an adhesive or by using a thermoplastic bonding layer which acts to heat seal the circuit together. The inductive devices of the present invention may be wrapped or rolled about a permeable core which improves inductance. Inductor devices manufactured in accordance with the present invention have the advantages of being small, surface mountable, inexpensive to manufacture and being capable of insertion onto printed wiring boards using automated insertion equipment.

Abstract: High frequency noise is decoupled from power supplied to a surface mounted integrated circuit (IC) leadless chip carrier package by installation of a surface mounted decoupling capacitor over the IC chip carrier package and printed circuit board. The decoupling capacitor comprises a dielectric material sandwiched between a pair of conductors and having a plurality of leads extending from each conductor. In accordance with the present invention, the decoupling capacitor is individually dimensioned and configured to fit over a surface mounted integrated circuit (IC) leadless chip carrier package and correspond to the power and ground pin configuration of that package.

Abstract: A hermetically sealed and automatically insertable decoupling capacitor for use in conjunction with integrated circuit DIP inserter devices having a multi-layer ceramic capacitor chip provided with conductive electrodes on the top and bottom surfaces thereof sandwiched between suitable conductive strips and insulating layers and retained within an opening formed in an insulating strip by solder or conductive adhesive. The multi-layer ceramic capacitor further includes conductive end terminations having insulative caps thereon to prevent shorting.

Abstract: A connector system for electrically connecting contacts of a flexible printed circuit carried by a daughter board with fixed contacts carried by a mother board, the flexible circuit serving as a connector to circuits on the daughter board, and the contacts of the flexible printed circuit arranged on an edge of the daughter board. Guides on the mother board enable the daughter board to slide in guided, edge-wise direction toward the face of the mother board, with the contacts on the flexible circuit in registry with contacts on the mother board. Driven cam/locking means carried by the mother board engages mating structure on the daughter board to press the edge of the daughter board tightly toward the face of the mother board in locking motion while camming the daughter board bodily laterally over the surface of the mother board whereby the contacts wipe upon one another as they move into locked position.

Abstract: Several embodiments of a decoupling capacitor are described which incorporate at least one multilayer capacitive element and which utilize metallized dielectric (i.e., ceramic) substrates rather than a pair of conductors. Also, several types of multilayer ceramic capacitor elements are disclosed which provide a low induction parallel-plate type capacitive structure. The decoupling capacitor assemblies of the present invention are specifically sized and configured so as to be either received in the space directly below the integrated circuit chip and between the downwardly extending pins of a PGA package or "leaded" chip carrier package or to be mounted directly over a "leadless" chip carrier package.

Abstract: High frequency noise is decoupled from power supplied to Pin Grid Array (PGA), surface mounted leaded chip carrier and surface mounted leadless chip carrier packages by insertion of a decoupling capacitor between the PGA or leaded chip carrier package and printed circuit board; or by mounting the decoupling capacitor over a leadless chip carrier package. The decoupling capacitor comprises a multi layer capacitive element sandwiched between a pair of conductors and having a plurality of leads extending from each conductor. In accordance with the present invention, the decoupling capacitor is individually dimensioned and configured to fit under a PGA or leaded chip carrier package, or over a leadless chip carrier package; and correspond to the power and ground pin or lead configuration of that PGA, surface mounted leaded chip carrier and surface mounted leadless chip carrier package.

Abstract: A phenolic compound having improved retention of useful properties over long periods of time at elevated temperatures is presented. The novel phenolic compound, preferably a glass reinforced phenol-formaldehyde with mineral fillers has incorporated therein elastomers which primarily undergo crosslinking on oxidative aging, such as butadiene based rubbers, and/or molecular sulfur or sulfur donor components. These additives unexpectedly retard thermal degradation with time of aging and provide exceptionally good retention of weight, molded dimensions and mechanical properties.

Abstract: A solderless connector technique and apparatus is presented for establishing electrical contact between a flexible circuit and another circuit device utilizing relative motion therebetween to wipe away or remove any debris or other foreign matter present on the terminals which could adversely effect electrical contact. In a first embodiment of the present invention, relative motion between the respective circuit devices is provided by male and female housings having a camming device incorporated therein. This camming device will effectively wipe away any foreign matter or debris located on the respective terminal devices. In another embodiment of the present invention, mechanical springs are used to provide lateral motion to the circuit devices thereby wiping away any dirt, dust or debris. Preferably, a means for prewiping i.e., a cleaning pad, is provided to the present invention to facilitate removal of debris.