Patents Examined by Donald A. Griffin
  • Patent number: 5272590
    Abstract: A decoupling scheme is presented which is particularly well suited for use with integrated circuit packages having internal cavities for receiving an integrated circuit chip such as Pin Grid Array (PGA) packages, ceramic dual-in-line packages, ceramic flat packs and ceramic leadless chip carriers. In accordance with the present invention, a decoupling capacitor (which preferably comprises a very thin high capacitance layer made by a thick film or thin film process sandwiched between an inner and outer electrode layer) is positioned within the internal cavity of an integrated circuit package such as a PGA package and electrically connected to the IC chip within the cavity. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the decoupling capacitor has a novel configuration for improved heat transfer. This novel configuration includes a pair of parallel plate electrodes wherein the upper electrode has extended flaps which wrap around the top surface of the decoupling capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1993
    Inventor: Jorge M. Hernandez
  • Patent number: 5270298
    Abstract: A method of forming crystalline metal oxide thin films on silicon and the resultant structure. A crystalline buffer layer (10) of yttria-stabilized zirconia is deposited on a silicon substrate (12). A thin template layer (10) of an anisotropic perovskite such as bismuth titanate or yttria barium copper oxide is deposited on the template layer under conditions favoring c-axis oriented growth. A nominally cubic metal-oxide layer (16) is deposited on the template layer which facilitates its singly crystalline growth. The metal oxide, often a nominally cubic perovskite, may be a conductive electrode, a ferroelectric, a non-hysteretic dielectric, a piezoelectric, or other class of material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1993
    Assignee: Bell Communications Research, Inc.
    Inventor: Ramamoorthy Ramesh
  • Patent number: 5260855
    Abstract: A high energy density capacitor incorporating a variety of carbon foam electrodes is described. The foams, derived from the pyrolysis of resorcinol-formaldehyde and related polymers, are high density (0.1 g/cc-1.0 g/cc) electrically conductive and have high surface areas (400 m.sup.2 /g-1000 m.sup.2 /g). Capacitances on the order of several tens of farad per gram of electrode are achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1993
    Inventors: James L. Kaschmitter, Steven T. Mayer, Richard W. Pekala
  • Patent number: 5249095
    Abstract: A high voltage, laser light initiated, dielectric breakdown switch for use n safe and arm systems for initiating exploding foil initiators. One electrode has an opening which allows light from a laser source to shine on dielectric material and induce breakdown. Conduction occurs between the electrodes and transfers energy from a power supply to the electronic foil initiator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Donald W. Hunter
  • Patent number: 5245505
    Abstract: A capacitance element for use in a high frequency signal processing circuit including a first-layer conductor formed on a substrate, a plurality of rod-like conductors arranged upright on the first-layer conductor, an inter-layer insulating film formed so as to cover the surfaces of the first-layer conductor and the rod-like conductors, and a second-layer conductor formed on the inter-layer insulating film at a position where the second-layer conductor superimposes on the first-layer conductor and the rod-like conductors. The opposite area of the electrodes increases by the areas of the side surfaces of the rod-like conductors so that it is possible to expect an increase of the capacity per unit area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1993
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuo Shiga, Kenji Otobe
  • Patent number: 5245513
    Abstract: An electrolytic capacitor which is suitable for SMD-mounting is described. The capacitor is closed by a flat cover which seals the capacitor under a clamping force in a gas-tight and liquid-tight manner through an elastic sealing material. The direction of the clamping force extends substantially in the plane of the cover. The capacitor is also provided with a shear flange which causes the diffusion path of the electrolyte liquid around the sealing material to be extra long.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1993
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Andries C. Maijers, Antonius G. Rijnbeek
  • Patent number: 5245512
    Abstract: A polarizable material that includes a nonisotropic solution useful for making electrical devices. In one embodiment, the polarizable material is comprised of commercially available solid bar soap, neat soap or a polymorphic solid solution and employed as the dielectric in a capacitor or an electrolyte in a supercapacitor. In another embodiment the nonisotropic solution is employed as an electrolyte in an electrochemical battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1993
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventor: Rhyta S. Rounds
  • Patent number: 5239334
    Abstract: A camera of the kind permitting a shot either without any flash device or with a flash device is arranged to set a first camera-shake limit shutter speed to be used for a normal shot to be taken without using a flash device and a second camera-shake limit shutter speed for a flash shot to be taken by using a flash device and to select the first camera-shake limit shutter speed or the second camera-shake limit shutter speed according to whether the camera is in the normal shot mode or in the flash shot mode. With the camera arranged in this manner, the camera-shake limit shutter speed can be prevented from becoming an unnecessarily high speed when the camera is in the flash shot mode and can be set at adequate speeds both in the normal shot mode and in the flash shot mode. Therefore, a shot can be taken without causing the photographer any uncertainty in each of the two different modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroshi Matsushima
  • Patent number: 5231559
    Abstract: A reflective full color light modulating capacitor having a fixed conductive electrode and an active metalized conductive electrode which is deformed from a relaxed state positioned away from the fixed electrode and a deformed state closer to the fixed electrode, whereby the degree to which the active electrode is deformed from its relaxed state varies in proportion to the magnitude of the voltage potential thereon, the metalization on the active conductive electrode being insulated from the fixed conductive electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1993
    Inventors: Charles G. Kalt, Mark S. Slater
  • Patent number: 5231558
    Abstract: There is provided structure and a manufacturing method of a multilayer ceramic capacitor which realizes a low rate of change in electrostatic capacity, a small size, high capacity and low manufacturing cost. A plurality of ceramic sheets (S1 to S10) having different Curie points are applied by carbonaceous ink (2) and laminated. By subjecting to sintering, the carbonaceous ink (2) is incinerated with the result that a plurality of empty layers (4) are formed. Thereafter, lead or the like is poured into empty layers (4) so as to form a plurality of internal electrodes (41 and 42). Due to a multilayer structure made up of a plurality of ceramic sheets having different Curie points, a low rate of change in electrostatic capacity is realized on the basis of the logarithmic mixing law. Further, in the sintering step, intervening empty layers (4) between every adjoining ceramic sheets prevent the diffusion of ceramic materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1993
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mamoru Tatsuta
  • Patent number: 5231442
    Abstract: A camera has a zoom lens. The zoom lens has a variable focal length over a predetermined focal length range, the ends or limits of which correspond to the longest and the shortest focal lengths of the zoom lens, respectively. The camera includes a detector which detects when the focal length of the zoom lens is at one end of the focal length range, and a display which provides an indication for the user of the camera that the focal length of the zoom lens is at that one end. With a plurality of different zoom modes, the camera has a zoom mode selector which selects one of the zoom modes that is to be used, and the selected zoom mode is displayed. The camera further includes another detector which detects the direction of zooming operation of the zoom lens, and the detected direction is also displayed. Useful information relating to various zoom lens operations is provided by the display for the user of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1993
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kitazawa, Kazuo Goto
  • Patent number: 5229912
    Abstract: In a trimmer capacitor comprising a stator having a stator electrode, a rotor having a rotor electrode and a shaft holding the rotor in a rotatable manner with respect to the stator, the stator is formed of resin containing a dielectric ceramic material. The stator electrode is located in the interior of the stator, so that the stator electrode is opposed to the rotor electrode through a dielectric layer which is defined by an integral part of the stator. The stator, the stator electrode and the dielectric member which are required for the trimmer capacitor are entirely integrated with each other in the stator, whereby the trimmer capacitor can be easily assembled. The resin, containing the dielectric ceramic material, forming the dielectric layer is superior in shock resistance to a ceramic material, whereby no problem of cracking etc. occurs even if the thickness of the dielectric layer is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1993
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kishishita, Jun Harada
  • Patent number: 5227960
    Abstract: A stacked electric double layer capacitor including a peripheral portion of an intermediate electrode plate held between peripheral portions of first and second case halves to be welded to each other, thereby defining first and second closed spaces for storing first and second capacitor elements, respectively. The first and second electrode plates are exposed by openings provided in the first and second case halves to form external terminal means, respectively. The two capacitor elements, stacked in series with each other are stored in the case, formed by joining the case halves to form a stacked electric double layer capacitor which can be reduced in thickness with substantially no leakage of electrolyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1993
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuo Kunishi, Kouichi Watanabe, Masanori Endo, Masato Higuchi
  • Patent number: 5227951
    Abstract: A composite multilayer capacitive device (10) has an in series resistance. A capacitor body (14) is defined by a plurality of interleaved first and second ceramic layers (21, 23) having respective first and second electrode patterns (22, 24) which establish a selectable capacitance. A first termination (16) is disposed at a first end of the capacitor body (14) and is connected to the first electrode patterns (22) of the first ceramic layers (21). A second termination (18) is disposed at a second end of the capacitor body (14) and is connected to the second electrode patterns (24) of the second ceramic layers (23) through a lateral resistive layer (12) which is transversely engaged with the second electrode patterns (24) of the second ceramic layers (23) and with the second termination (18). As a result, the lateral resistive layer (12) serves as an in series resistance between the first and second terminations (16, 18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1993
    Assignee: Murata Erie North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel B. deNeuf, Bruce E. Helms
  • Patent number: 5225959
    Abstract: A capacitive tactile sensor array is formed of capacitive plates formed on a dielectric substrate, on which large area electronics is also deposited. A conductive film is spaced from the capacitive plates, to form the other plates of the sensor capacitors. This conductive film may be grounded. The large area electronics includes a circuit that provides outputs corresponding to the pressure applied to each of the sensor capacitors. A method is also disclosed for controlling the circuit to provide an output corresponding to the pressure applied to the conductive film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Richard G. Stearns
  • Patent number: 5225960
    Abstract: Disclosed is a ceramic capacitor of a mono-layer structure or a multi-layer structure, which has characteristic X7R (characteristic B) and which is high in reliability in direct current breakdown voltage at 125.degree. C. and small in size. The ceramic capacitor has a dielectric layer and internal electrodes disposed so as to interpose the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer is composed of a sintered body of ceramic particles whose core sections are made mainly of BaTiO.sub.3 and whose shell sections are made from BaTiO.sub.3 in the form of a solid solution composed of an oxide of one or more than one element selected from Mg, Ca, Sr and Zn and an oxide of one or more than one element selected from Sc, Y, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb, Tb, Tm and Lu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Assignee: Taiyo Yuden Kabushikigaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kishi, Hiroshi Saito, Hisamitsu Shizuno, Yuji Nishi, Katsuhiko Arai
  • Patent number: 5220482
    Abstract: A thin film capacitor having high performances, e.g. high frequency characteristics, heat resistance and dielectric strength, and capable of meeting demands for high integration and miniaturization of electronic devices, which comprises an electrically conductive substrate, a silica thin film formed on the substrate by bringing the substrate into contact with an aqueous solution of hydrosilicofluoric acid supersaturated with silica, and an electrically conductive film formed as an electrode on the silica thin film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Takemura, Harunobu Yoshida, Hideo Kawahara, Eiji Mizushima, Masanaga Kikuzawa
  • Patent number: 5220483
    Abstract: A tri-level capacitor structure includes a first shielded metal layer (36) that is disposed between an upper metal layer (38) and a lower polysilicon layer (34). The shielded metal layer (36) is separated from the polysilicon layer (34) by an oxide layer (42), and the upper metal layer (38) is separated from the shielded layer (36) by an oxide layer (44). The upper metal layer (38) and the polysilicon layer (34) are connected together to a node (48) to form an Insensitive Node, whereas the shielded layer (36) is connected to a node (46) that is referred to as the Sensitive Node (S). The capacitor structure is operable to be connected in a switched-capacitor configuration in a lossy integrator, such that the Sensitive Node is connected to the virtual ground of a differential amplifier (50). The integrator utilizing this configuration would be comprised of at least one switched-capacitor (56) on the input that has the plates thereof connected between ground and either an input signal V.sub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: Crystal Semiconductor
    Inventor: Jeffrey W. Scott
  • Patent number: 5218393
    Abstract: A viewfinder includes an objective lens, an eyepiece lens, and an indication frame which can be observed through the eyepiece together with an image of an object formed by the objective lens. An optical member is provided having a light incident surface and a light emergent surface. The indication frame can be located to extend between the incident and emergent surfaces. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the optical member is greater than the image forming range of the viewfinder. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the indication frame is contained within a bright frame plate made of plain parallel plates of transparent material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1993
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Susao Nakamura, Tahei Morisawa
  • Patent number: 5218512
    Abstract: An intermediate layer for relieving film fatigue is formed between the conductor and the ferroelectric layer for constituting a ferroelectric device, whereby the film fatigue can be reduced on the surface with respect to the conductor of the ferroelectric layer by this construction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1993
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Nakamura