Abstract: A strip 20 has a drive margin 36 and a latent image of a pattern in a light sensitive coating 73 of a pattern portion 22 thereon. To avoid disturbing the pattern, the strip 20 is gripped by the drive margin 36 using a set 43 of pinch-drive rollers which drive the strip without disturbing the latent image. The strip 20 is driven through pattern development, cleaning and etching solution spray chambers 64, 66 and 108, respectively. One or more adjustable shields 78 are used to vary the time interval during which the strip 20 is sprayed by these solutions. By adjusting one or more shields 78 to suit changes in solution condition the time intervals for proper developing, cleaning and etching are coordinated for a speed at which the strip 20 is driven.

Abstract: A pin-removal tool (36) for removing a damaged or defective pin (23a) from a printed wiring board (21) includes a handle (37) and a shaft (38) extending from one end of the handle. The tool (21) further includes a sleeve (58) which is threadedly attached to the shaft (23) to facilitate rotational and axial movements therebetween. A pin-removal member (39) is fixedly attached to the shaft (38). The pin-removal member (39) includes a bore (42), a transverse slot (44) at one end of the member and a pair of shoulder-retaining portions (55) which aid in the removal of the pin (23). Laterally extending shoulders (29) of the pin (23a) are positioned within the slot (44) and the tool (36) is rotated ninety degrees to position the portions (55) adjacent to the shoulders. The sleeve (58) is then rotated while being held axially against the board 10. Upon rotation of the sleeve (58 ), the shaft (38) moves axially within the sleeve whereby the portions (55) pull the pin (23a) axially from the board (21).

Abstract: Removing dice (16) from a wafer (10) which has been attached to a tape layer (12, 14) and severed into individual die (16) leaving the tape layer (12, 14) in one piece is accomplished by attaching the tape layer (12, 14) to a length of adhesive tape (18). The adhesive tape (18) is passed across a surface (20) and through a slot (38) in the surface (20) causing the die (16) to pass across the slot (38) and away from the tape layer (12, 14) which remains attached to the adhesive tape (18).

Abstract: Copper scrap from chopped and separated copper wire and cable is treated to remove contaminants still remaining on or mixed with the copper by sequential treatment, first in a sodium nitrate-postassium nitrate fused salt bath followed by a cuprous chloride fused salt bath.

Abstract: A thermode (12) of a thermocompression bonding head (11) is adjustably mounted to a frame (35). A bonding tip (26) of the thermode (12) rests against a reference surface (17). After an initial adjustment of the thermode (12) with respect to a bonding platform (37), the bonding tip (26) may be removed from the thermode (12) and replaced by another identical tip (26) without a need for readjusting the thermode (12) with respect to the bonding platform (37). A comparatively large interface surface area between a dovetailed groove (16) and the mating surfaces of the bonding tip (26) and a wedging action of the dovetailed section urging mating surfaces against each other minimize thermal resistance across the interface between the thermode (12) and the bonding tip (26).

Abstract: A carrier tape (20) is provided for assembling components to make semiconductor devices. The tape (20) is made from soft, copper foil (21) and eliminates a plastic substrate (12) of the prior art. Patterns (27) containing clusters (24) of inner leads (28) and (30) are accurately formed into tape (20) for bonding to chips (52). Patterns (27) also contain precisely located sprocket holes (22) for indexing the tape (20) for chip and lead bonding.Tape (20) is indexed for bonding the free ends (36) of inner leads (28) and (30) to pads (54) of chip (52). Then tape (20) is indexed for bonding fixed ends (34) of leads (28) and (30) to stiff outer leads (86).Leads (28) and (30) in cluster (24) are deformed into a precise bell-like shape called a "bug" with chip (52) riding horizontally on top of the bell. Bugging develops flexural and tensile stresses and bonding causes thermal stresses in leads (28) and (30).

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to a method of forming an interlevel dielectric glass layer (16) on a semiconductor device, the layer having a plurality of feed-through apertures (17--17) therein. A CW laser beam (29) is continuously raster scanned over the surface of the glass layer (16) to reflow the layer to densify the material and form a smooth surface topography about the apertures (17--17).

Abstract: A test head 90 having a plurality of contact pairs 81 is formed in a simple monolithic manner. A plurality of first conductors 74 are aligned in a first row and, spaced therefrom, a plurality of second conductors 80 are aligned in a second row. Each conductor has a circuit end and a contact end and each first conductor 74 registers with a mating second conductor 80 to form a plurality of contact pairs 81 at the contact ends.A common base insulator 88 is formed transversely of the conductors 74 and 80 at the circuit ends to maintain conductor spacing in an electrically insulated manner. A common bar insulator 86 is formed transversely of the second conductors 80 to maintain the contact spacing within the pairs 81 when the conductors are flexed toward a device 27 to be tested.In a method of making a test head 90, the conductors are made in patterns 56 from sheet 55 having a substantially uniform metallurgical composition and each pattern 56 includes a member 72 connected to the circuit ends of the conductors.

Abstract: Elongated magnetic articles 12 are transferred directly from a magnetic bin 17 and transported on a member 80 having deep slots 84 to retain the articles 12 for treatment. In a preferred example, the articles 12 include some articles 13 having undesirably shaped leads 14 and the treatment comprises lead straightening.A system of magnets 30 generates a magnetic field in the bin 17 which suspends and orients a supply of the articles 12 and 13 such that a dense, rotating pattern of articles is formed and urged against member 80. A pair of supports 57 and 58 limit the depth of the slots 84 at a first level to prevent more than one article 12 or 13 to enter therein. As an entered article 12 or 13 advances beyond the supply of articles, the supports 57 and 58 are discontinued and the entered article moves to a second level.

Abstract: An electronic control system (9) controls the movement of a distributer (19) as the distributor guides strand (11) alternately onto reels (12 and 13). Digital signals are generated representing the instantaneous position of the distributor (19) and end-points of travel of the distributor. A controller (38) generates a signal when a coincidence of the instantaneous position of the distributor (19) and alternate ones of the end-points of travel of the distributor occur. The signal is used to reverse the direction of travel of the distributor (19) thus resulting in a uniform distribution of the strand (11) onto the reels (12 and 13). As each of the reels (12 and 13) become full, a signal is generated which causes the distributor (19) to proceed at a high rate of speed toward the back flange of the reel regardless of the direction of travel at that time. This facilitates the cutover of the strand (11) from a full reel to an empty reel.

Abstract: A gas tube surge protector (11) includes a housing (12) and spaced electrodes (14 and 16) which form a gastight envelope (27). A width of a gap (31) between the electrodes is precisely established by urging at last one of the electrodes (14) toward the other. By moving a plunger (66) a stressed center (43) plastically yields to establish the desired gap width. The gap width is controlled by a test set (76) which measures the electrical characteristics of the surge protector.

Abstract: Hermetically sealed electronic articles (11) such as, for example, diodes are leak tested by exposing the articles to a fluid (28) under pressure. The fluid is capable of altering the electrical characteristics of the articles to a value outside of an acceptable range of values upon penetrating through faulty hermetic seals of the articles (11). After such exposure the articles (11) are routinely tested and the articles with values of their characteristics outside the range of acceptable values are identified or discarded. Ethylene glycol is an example of a preferred fluid (28) in that it has conductive properties which significantly increase the reverse bias leakage current of the diodes.

Abstract: A mask for selectively transmitting therethrough a desired light radiant energy is disclosed. The mask comprises a stress-relieved, essentially dimensionally stable base, comprising a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene, which is capable of transmitting therethrough the light radiant energy. A blocking film is deposited on at least a portion of the base for blocking the transmission of the light radiant energy through the portion of the base.

Abstract: An RF-excited radial-flow, cylindrical plasma reactor (10) includes a toroidal waveguide (17) of rectangular cross-section connected to a microwave source (21). One of the reactive species (37) is flowed through the waveguide and pre-ionized, thus, permitting independent control over the activation of both reactive species.

Abstract: An article (11) which has a body portion (12) and lateral protrusions (14) at fixed angular positions is oriented and centered with respect to predetermined axes. Sloped walls (61) of a plurality of channels (62) located about a central axis (24) engage lateral edges of the protrusions to urge the protrusions laterally toward desirable positions in relationship to the axes. The disclosed methods and apparatus are advantageously applied to a four-leaded electronic chip as a typical example of the article with respect to which orienting and centering offers desirable precision for handling such article during packaging operations.

Abstract: A method of selectively depositing a metal on a surface of a substrate is disclosed. A suitable substrate is selected and a surface is treated with a reducing agent selected from the group consisting of (a) hydrazine, (b) a substituted hydrazine having the structural formula ##STR1## where R.sub.1 is an organic radical selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy and heterocyclic radicals and R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are the hydrogen radical or are the same as R.sub.1, and (c) a mixture of the foregoing. The reducing agent treated surface is selectively exposed to a source of ultraviolet radiation to render a selected area thereof incapable of reducing an activating metal species and to delineate an unexposed area so capable. The selectively radiation-exposed surface is treated with an activating metal species to activate the delineated, unexposed area.

Abstract: A filter assembly for an extrusion apparatus comprises a stationary filter having a flat, hard surface and slidable means having a plurality of apertures for both accumulating filtered debris and cleaning the filter surface when the debris is removed by sliding a clogged slide aperture out of position while replacing it with a clean aperture.

Abstract: In a dynamic MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) random access memory, reverse bias leakage currents which deplete stored charges are reduced by minimizing minority carrier generation-type currents. By so minimizing these currents, the leakage currents become dominated by minority carrier diffusion currents. The memory is ideally formed in an upper semiconductor layer (14) of a layered structure (11). The semiconductor layer (14) is grown epitaxially with a relatively low dopant concentration on a semiconductor substrate (12) with a dopant concentration of the same conductivity type and about three orders of magnitude greater than that of the epitaxially grown layer. The epitaxially grown structure is advantageously suited for the memory circuits in that it may be formed with very low leakage currents. The material further offers by its layered structure a basis for optimizing dynamic memory device characteristics.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a body having a plurality of conductors is disclosed. The method comprises forming a dielectric base which has a plurality of extensions projecting therefrom, the extensions corresponding to the desired plurality of conductors. A conductive path is then formed on each of the extensions.

Abstract: .[.Article.]. .Iadd.An article .Iaddend.to be soldered, fused or brazed is placed in hot saturated vapors generated by continuously boiling .Iadd.a .Iaddend.heat transfer liquid having selected properties including .Iadd.a .Iaddend.boiling point at least equal to, and preferably above, .Iadd.the .Iaddend.temperature required for .Iadd.such .Iaddend.operation. Vapors condense on .Iadd.the .Iaddend.article and give up latent heat of vaporization to heat .Iadd.the .Iaddend.article to .Iadd.the .Iaddend.temperature for soldering, fusing or brazing. .[.Heat.]. .Iadd.The heat .Iaddend.transfer liquid may be a fluorocarbon. Apparatus is shown for soldering, fusing or brazing a single article, a batch of articles, or a continuously moving line of articles. Specifically, mass reflow soldering and mass wave soldering operations are described. .Iadd.