Abstract: A flexible sheet used in manufacture of microelectronic components is held on a frame formed from a rigid material so that the frame maintains the sheet under tension during processing and thereby stabilizes the dimensions of the sheet. The frame may be formed from a rigid, light-transmissive material such as a glass, and the bond between the frame and sheet may be made or released by light transmitted through the frame. Preferred features of the framed sheet minimize entrapment of processing liquids such as etch solutions, thereby minimizing carryover of processing solutions between steps. The frame may have contact openings which permit engagement of a metallic layer on the sheet by an electrode carrying electroplating or etching current without disturbing the main portion of the sheet where features are to be formed or treated.

Abstract: A layered composite construction material includes a pair of outer layers of material including essentially continuous strand fiberglass mat which are separated by a pair of intermediate sandwich layers of material each being adjacent to a respective outer layer of material and including essentially eighteen ounce woven roving fiberglass mat and which are further separated by at least one internal layer of material which essentially includes spun fiberglass blanket which has fiberglass strands longitudinally disposed perpendicular to the other layers of material for facilitating even dispersal of a foam throughout all the layers of material to effectively secure and bind the layers of material. The internal layer of material can also include multiple layers of spun fiberglass mat each of which are separated by a pair of layers of material.

Abstract: An active composite, consisting of a compressed support and of at least one agent that is active with respect to a gas, the compressed support comprising recompressed expanded graphite having a relative density of between 0.02 and 1.5, is formed from a series of sheets superposed on top of one another. According to the invention, the active agent is dispersed between the sheets in the form of granules.

Abstract: A tin-nickel alloy containing not less than 75 wt % and less than 100 wt % of tin with the balance of nickel. The alloy is used, for example, for formation of a surface treatment layer of an electronic component which is to be soldered onto a substrate with the use of the surface mount technology. The surface treatment layer preferably has a thickness of not less than 0.1 &mgr;m and less than 0.5 &mgr;m. The electronic component preferably further includes a nickel deposit layer as an underlying layer interposed between a base of the component and the surface treatment layer.

Abstract: A method of preparing a porous metal comprises reducing a mixture comprising (I) a source of metal; (II) a solvent such as water; and (III) a structure-directing agent such as octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether to form a liquid crystalline phase in the mixture. The reduction of the mixture having a liquid crystalline phase, for example using zinc metal as reducing agent, provides a porous film having a substantially regular structure and substantially uniform pore size.

Abstract: A solder material 10 suitable for fluxless soldering attachment of a component 12 to a substrate 14 in a microelectronic assembly 16 such as a hybrid package comprises a core 18 and a gold layer 20 on the core. The core can comprise an alloy of tin and lead. The core preferably consists essentially of at least about 30 wt. % tin and the balance lead, so that it melts at temperatures of less than about 250° C. The gold layer is preferably applied to the core using an electroless plating process that forms a highly uniform gold layer. The solder material provides a joint between the component and the substrate comprising less than about 3 wt. % gold.

Abstract: A furnace component having a tungsten-based substrate whose surface is protected by a rhenium-based layer in order to render the component less reactive to quartz, glass and other forms of silica. The layer preferably consists essentially of rhenium or rhenium with alloying additions of tungsten. The substrate may be formed of concentric layers of different tungsten-based alloys in order to tailor the physical and mechanical properties of the component. A preferred method of forming the rhenium layer is to wrap the substrate with a rhenium-based wire, and then heat the wire and substrate to sinter and bond the wire to the substrate. Alternatively, the substrate and rhenium layer can be formed by isostatic pressing. Both methods are performed so that the substrate and layer have densities of at least about 96% of their respective theoretical densities.

Abstract: The present invention includes a method of repairing an annular metallic article and the repaired article itself which has an axially extending annular support and a projection generally radially extending therefrom. The projection has an associated operating radial height as measured from a radially facing annular first surface of the support and an associated shape. An upper portion of the projection is removed forming a stub extending away from the first surface and having a bonding surface at a stub end spaced apart from the first surface. A metallic material is metallurgically bonded to the bonding surface forming an annular heat affected zone in the stub bounded by the bonding surface. A first portion of the metallic material is removed to restore the projection to the operating height and shape. At least one annular outer surface of the tooth extending over at least a portion of the heat affected zone is laser shock peened, preferably after the first portion of the metallic material is removed.

Abstract: A Mo—W material for the formation of wirings is discloses which, as viewed integrally, comprises 20 to 95% of tungsten and the balance of molybdenum and inevitable impurities by atomic percentage. The Mo—W material for wirings is a product obtained by compounding and integrating a Mo material and a W material as by the powder metallurgy technique or the smelting technique or a product obtained by arranging these materials in amounts calculated to account for the percentage composition mentioned above. The Mo—W material containing W in a proportion in the range of from 20 to 95% manifests low resistance and, at the same time, excels in workability and tolerance for etchants. The wiring thin film which is formed of the Mo—W alloy of this percentage composition is used as address wirings and others for liquid crystal display devices.

Abstract: A sliding material which is used for bearings, washers and other parts of automobiles, industrial machines, agricultural machines and the like, possesses an excellent abrasion resistance, and is useful under sever boundary lubricating conditions. The sliding material comprises a back plate (5) of a steel plate and a sinter bearing layer integrally provided on one surface of the back plate (5). A powder (2) of a hard material is dispersed in an amount of 0.5 to 20% by weight in a matrix (4) of the sinter bearing layer. The matrix (4) comprises 1 to 30% by weight of Pb and 1 to 15% by weight of Sn with the balance consisting of Cu. The powder (2) of a hard material comprises 7.5 to 9.5% by weight of Cr, 27 to 30% by weight of Mo, and 2.0 to 3.0% by weight of Si with the balance consisting of Co.

Abstract: A composite material for plain bearings comprises a backing layer, a bearing metal layer consisting of a copper alloy with a copper content of from 50 to 95 wt. % or an aluminum alloy with an aluminum content of from 60 to 95 wt. %, a diffusion barrier layer and an overlay, applied by electroplating, consisting of a lead-free, tin and copper-containing alloy. The invention provides a composite multilayer material whose overlay, applied by electroplating, does not exhibit any embrittlement even at relatively high temperatures, irrespective of the copper content. The overlay preferably comprises from 8 to 30 wt. % copper, 60 to 97 wt. % tin and 0.5-19 wt. % cobalt.

Abstract: A cermet or hard metal body is formed from elemental metal, carbon and a nitrogen source such as a metal nitride or an organic nitrogen source by microwave sintering such that chemical reaction occurs with the formation of carbides and/or carbonitrides. The elemental metal, carbon and nitrogen source are mixed together and prepressed to form the green body which is subjected to the microwave radiation in reaction sintering.

Abstract: Metal matrix composite body (MMC body) includes a porous reinforcement material (15) having pores being filled with an infiltration material (14) selected from the group metal and metal alloy, with the reinforcement material (15) being formed by recrystallized silicon carbide (RSiC).

Abstract: A tip cap hole is loaded with a first composition comprising particles of a first alloy having a solidus temperature above the brazing temperature. The first composition is covered with a second composition comprising particles of a second alloy having a liquidus temperature below the brazing temperature. The second composition is heated to the brazing temperature to cause particles of the second alloy to melt to form a liquid of the second alloy which is carried into spaces between the particles of the first alloy by capillarity. The liquid of the second alloy is cooled to form a solid securely bonding the particles of the first alloy. By weight, the second alloy has no more than 1% B and from 3% to 11% Si. The first alloy has Cr and at least about 5% Al, at least about 0.5% Hf, no more than 0.5% Ti.

Abstract: A composite structure including a substrate and a heat protection element on the substrate, wherein the heat protection element includes a quasicrystalline aluminium alloy of one or a number of quasicrystalline phases which are either quasicrystalline phases in the strict sense, or approximating phases, wherein the quasicrystalline phases exhibit a thermal diffusivity, measured at ambient temperature, lower than 2.5×10−6 m2/s, and a thermal diffusivity measured in the temperature range 650-750° C.

Abstract: A test coupon is formed from a metallic strip having opposite first and second sides that generally define a plane of the strip and the strip includes a laser shock peened patch of the strip that has first and second laser shock peened surfaces on the first and second sides, respectively, first and second laser shocked regions having deep compressive residual stresses imparted by the laser shock peening extending into the strip from the first and second laser shock peened surfaces, respectively, and a deflection of a portion of the strip from a position of the portion before the laser shock peening. The deflection is formed by the laser shock peening such that at least a part and preferably substantially all of the deflection lies in the plane and the test coupon preferably includes an indicating means to indicate the deflection.

Abstract: A light-weight metal matrix composite includes a bimodal distribution of ceramic particles which are uniformly distributed within a metal or alloy matrix. The bimodal distribution includes a first component of ceramic particles having an average particle size of less than 1 micron and a second component of ceramic particles having an average particle size of about 5 to 15 microns. The metal matrix composite includes from about 15 to 30% by weight of the first component and from about 2.5 to about 10% by weight of the second component. At least 80% of the particles in the first component are uniformly distributed so that the particle spacing does not exceed 3 times the diameter of the largest cross sectional dimension of the particles in the first component and at least 80% of the ceramic particles in the second component are uniformly distributed so that the inner particle spacing does not exceed 3 times the diameter of the largest cross sectional dimension of the particles in the second component.

Abstract: A method for forming a solder bump pad (22), and more particularly converting a wire bond pad (12) of a surface-mount IC device (10) to a flip chip solder bump pad (22), such that the IC device (10) can be flip-chip mounted to a substrate. The process generally entails an aluminum wire bond pad (12) on a substrate, with at least a portion of the wire bond pad (12) being exposed through a dielectric layer (16) on the substrate. A nickel layer (24) is then deposited on the portion of the wire bond pad (12) exposed through the dielectric layer (16). The nickel layer (24) is selectively deposited on the exposed portion of the wire bond pad (12) without use of a masking operation, such as by an electroless deposition technique. The nickel layer (24) completely overlies the aluminum wire bond pad (12), and therefore protects the bond pad (12) from oxidation due to exposure. Thereafter, the solder bump pad (22) is formed by depositing a solderable material on the nickel layer (24).

Abstract: A polyethylene microporous film which is composed of a linear copolymeric polyethylene having a melt index (MI) of less than 0.1 and a propylene unit content of 0.1 to 4 mol % and which has a fuse temperature of less than 136° C. A polyethylene microporous film which is composed of a mixture of a linear copolymeric polyethylene having a melt index (MI) of less than 0.1 and a propylene unit content of 0.1 to 4 mol % and a high density polyethylene having a comonomer unit content of less than 0.1 mol %, said mixture having a weight average molecular weight of 250,000 to 700,000 and a propylene unit content of 0.1 to 4 mol %, and which has a fuse temperature of less than 136° C.

Abstract: An iridium-niobium alloy bond coat is used under a ceramic thermal barrier coating on turbine blades and vanes to improve the life of the thermal barrier coating. Between the bond coat and the substrate is an underlying protective coating which is either a low pressure plasma sprayed coating such as a NiCoCrAlY alloy or a vapor deposited coating such as tantalum, nickel-tantalum or rhenium. Heat treatment and preoxidation procedures may be used to form the desirable bonds and materials.