Abstract: A method of making a microelectronic assembly includes providing a connection component including a dielectric element with electrically conductive parts, providing a fugitive material in contact with the dielectric element and providing a curable material on the dielectric element after providing the fugitive material and curing the curable material to provide a compliant element so that the fugitive material isolates the electrically conductive parts from the compliant element. The method also includes storing the connection component with the fugitive material and the compliant element. After the storing step, the fugitive material is removed from the connection component and the electrically conductive parts are then connected to a microelectronic element. The step of removing the fugitive material is generally performed less than 24 hours before the electrically conductive parts are connected together and preferably less than one hour before the parts are connected together.

Abstract: The present invention provides an assembly system employing at least a robotic or automated assembly apparatus to manipulate the components to be assembled and at least a first vision alignment system to align the components prior to their assembly. An adhesive dispense system is provided to connect, attach or otherwise adhere the components together. In a method in accord with the present invention for assembling components, a source of the components is provided is located relative to a global reference system. The components held by the source are then located relative to the global reference system based upon the determined location of the source. An adhesive is dispensed onto a first of the components and a second component is manipulated into an initial attachment position relative to the first component.

Abstract: A rigid bar of material is fastened to a circuit board to increase its stiffness. The bar is preferably a high modulus plastic such as liquid crystal polymer. Flexible fingers which surround a central opening are formed integrally with the bar and pop into throughbores in the circuit board. Each finger has at least one arcuate protrusion and, preferably several, which can engage the bottom of the circuit board. A rigid pin which may be made of steel is slid into the central opening and has an interference fit therewith to hold it in place to prevent flexible fingers from moving inwardly so the stiffener is held fast to the circuit board. In one embodiment, the stiffener has an I-beam cross section and arches enhancing the resistance to bending.

Abstract: A magnetic material is continuously wound in and through openings formed in a pair of bobbins to form a wound core of an electrical transformer by inserting the pair of bobbins into a cavity formed in a winding fixture, feeding the magnetic material into the winding fixture so that the magnetic material is fed into a circular winding action such that a leading edge of the magnetic material is continuously threaded into the openings formed in the pair of bobbins to form a wound transformer core, cutting the magnetic material to form a trailing edge, securing the trailing edge to underlying wound transformer core material, and shaping the wound transformer core to a predetermined shape.

Abstract: A process for polishing, on a polishing machine and under defined polishing conditions, the external surface of at least one wafer of integrated circuits comprising a projecting feature covered over the entire surface of the wafer with an external layer of a material, consisting in calculating a main equivalent thickness equal to the main surface density of the projecting feature multiplied by the thickness of the latter; in polishing, under the defined polishing conditions, a reference wafer comprising an external layer of the material, having a uniform thickness and covering the surface of this reference wafer, so as to determine the rate of removal by the polishing machine corresponding to the ratio of the thickness removed to the polishing time elapsed; in calculating a polishing time equal to the ratio of the aforementioned equivalent thickness to the aforementioned rate of removal; in calculating a total equivalent thickness equal to the sum of the main equivalent thickness and of a complementary thickn

Abstract: A connecting tool for guiding a flexfoil into a connector element. The tool includes a guiding part that directs the flexfoil into the opening in the connector element. The tool also includes a crimping part that urges the clamps of the connector element against the flexfoil. The guiding part and the crimping part of the tool are movable relative to each other.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a plurality of thin-film, surface-mountable, electronic components, comprising the following successive steps: providing a substantially planar, ceramic substrate having a first and second major surface which are mutually parallel, the substrate containing a series of mutually parallel slots which extend from the first major surface through to the second major surface, such slots serving to subdivide the substrate into elongated segments extending parallel to the slots and located between consecutive pairs thereof, each segment having two oppositely located walls extending along the edges of the adjacent slots, each segment carrying a thin-film electrode structure on at least one of its first and second major surfaces; with the aid of a three-dimensional lithographic technique, providing electrical contacts which extend along both walls of each segment and which make electrical contact with the electrode structure on each segment; severing the segments into individual block-shaped co

Abstract: Progressive die assembly for forming a centrally interlocked stack of laminations for rotors, the stack of laminations having a central stack axis. The die assembly includes a punch which forms a centrally located, circular indentation in each lamination, the indentations each having a cental axis which is substantially coaxial with the stack axis. The indentation provides corresponding projections and depressions in the laminas which may be interlocked by engaging adjacent depressions and projections. The station of the die assembly which includes the punch for forming the indentation may also include a counterforce which is applied when punching the indentation so that the stock material is relatively flat. The die assembly also includes a rotating and stacking station in which the laminations are blanked, then rotated, and finally stacked together to form a lamination stack.

Abstract: In a mounting apparatus for mounting conductive ball where a conductive ball 2 is picked up by vacuum to a suction hole 31a formed in the bottom of a suction head 31 for mounting on a workpiece, a reference wave form that represents the amount of light detected at a light detector 43b when a suction head 31 is sucking a conductive ball 2 rightly in the normal state is compared with a wave form detected at the light detector 43b when actually mounting the conductive ball; also a reference wave form detected at the light detector 43b when there is no conductive ball 2 at all on the suction head 31 is compared with a wave form detected at the light detector 43b after mounting of the conductive ball is finished. Through the above described processing, errors in the light interruption that stem from a tilted suction head 31 and machining errors during processing of suction holes 31 are eliminated, and the existence, or non-existence, of the conductive ball 2 is detected at a high accuracy level.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing elastic strips, pin holders, and plug-in connectors includes the step of extruding a continuous profiled plastic member having a profile matching the desired geometry of a plug-in connector and storing the continuous profiled plastic member. The continuous profiled plastic member is then provided with cutouts in areas where cutouts cannot be produced by extrusion. Subsequently, electrical contacts are mounted on the continuous profiled plastic member. This continuous profiled plastic member is then again stored. The continuous profiled plastic member is then cut to length to form a connector blank having a desired number of electrical contacts and a guide contour is then formed at the connector blank.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head, in which throat height TH of a pole portion and MR height MRH can be formed accurately to have desired design values for improving a surface recording density and reducing a side fringe magnetic flux during a writing, an MR film 46 is formed such that the film is embedded in a shield gap layer formed on a substrate, a first magnetic layer is formed on the shield gap layer, a thin film coil is formed on the first magnetic layer such that the coil is isolated by an insulating layer, and a second magnetic layer is formed in accordance with a given pattern. The gap layer is selectively removed by a reactive ion etching in the vicinity of side walls of a pole portion of the second magnetic layer, and then the first magnetic layer is partially removed by an ion milling to form a recess having an inner side wall which serves as a positional reference. An air bearing surface is polished on the basis of a position of this inner side wall of the recess.

Abstract: A data carrier obtains necessary electric power and information by receiving a radio wave from a reader through an antenna and an information communication unit, and a control unit executes a required process based on the above information and information stored in a multi-value memory. A surface/underside judging unit detects the surface or the underside of the data carrier from a direction of an electric current flowing across a coil, and has different functions executed based on a result of this detection.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing the front surface shape of plural magnetic heads precisely in batch in a desired dimension After fixing plural magnetic heads 1, 2 and preliminarily processing curved surfaces along the sliding direction S on a rotary member 4, the curved surfaces Ts along the thickness direction T orthogonal to the sliding direction S of the magnetic heads 1, 2 are formed in batch by finish polishing process by means of abrasive tape or the like.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a crimping machine having a hopper assembly for receiving loose bulk quantities of elongated components and supplying them aligned end-to-end and in random orientation to a feeder device. The feeder device receives the components in an inlet chute and feeds each of the components one-at-time having a desired orientation to an outlet chute. The feeder device includes a rotatable disk having a central chamber therein adapted to receive each of the components, and includes a releasable gate. The disk and gate function independently, as required, between the inlet chute and the outlet chute, to sequentially release (or invert and release) each of the components one-at-a-time and having a desired orientation for utilization, to a crimping assembly.

Abstract: In this method, a ground wire 2 is overlaid on a shield wire 1 in cross. Next, overlapping portions of the shield wire 1 and the ground wire 2 are interposed between an upper resin tip 13 and a lower resin tip 14. By executing a first ultrasonic oscillation while inserting a projection 7a of an ultrasonic horn 7 into a through hole 13b of the tip 13, outside rinds 1d, 2b of the wires 1, 2 are removed in the vicinity of the overlapping portions. Next, by arranging a low-melting metal 15 and a resin piece 16 on a contact between the braided wire 1c and the core line 2a and executing a second ultrasonic oscillation, the contact can be brazed with the mutual welding of the tips 13, 14.

Abstract: A printed circuit board has a conductor path applied to a substrate having an electrically insulating surface, the conductor path preferably being constructed in the shape of a meander and containing connection areas with holes to which small contact plates are applied for the purpose of later bonding with connection leads. The small contact plates are applied in a hard soldering process with the aid of solder paste to the connection areas of the conductor paths and to the surface area of the substrate surface which is made of ceramic and exposed by the holes. It is consequently possible, dispensing with so-called bonding wires, to directly connect connection leads or bonding lugs electrically with the conductor path and mechanically with the printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is preferably designed as a measuring resistor, wherein the conductor path is applied as a resistance layer of platinum or platinum group metal in a thin film process to a small ceramic plate of aluminum oxide.

Abstract: An automatic breadmaker with improved thermal sensing, wiring, and a simplified assembly procedure. The breadmaker preferably includes a high voltage circuit board coupled to an interior wall of the breadmaker, the interior wall separating the baking chamber of the breadmaker from a component compartment. One or more thermal control devices electrically connected to the high voltage circuit board are disposed in a heat transfer relationship with the interior wall, thereby improving device accuracy and avoiding the need for leads to the thermal control devices. In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the high voltage circuit board is coupled to the interior wall via a component mounting bracket which also holds the thermal control devices against the interior wall.

Abstract: A method (100) for providing an electrical ground connection between a printed circuit board (700) and a metallic substrate (200) comprises the steps of: (i) providing an aperture (204) in the substrate (200); (ii) forming a ground plug (302) out of a metallic blank (300); (iii) inserting the ground plug (300) into the aperture in the substrate (200); (iv) compressing the ground plug (302) into the aperture (204) in the substrate (200); (v) placing the printed circuit board (700) onto the substrate (200); and (vi) applying solder into the aperture in the printed circuit board (700) and onto the ground plug (302). The steps of forming (104), inserting (106), and compressing (108) are carried out in a single punching operation (120). The method (100) efficiently provides a high quality electrical ground connection and avoids any need for sophisticated machinery.

Abstract: A method of fabricating conductive plugs of different conductive types in contact with different conductivity type semiconductor regions of a semiconductor substrate. The method of the present invention utilizes a simplified two-step masking process and results in a semiconductor device having low resistance conductive plugs of two different conductivity types. The conductive plugs may be formed from conductive materials such as doped polysilicon or refractory metal. If a refractory metal is used, a barrier layer of titanium nitride or titanium oxynitride is used to form the outer layer of the conductive plug.

Abstract: A clip assembly tool for grasping the finger and legs of a retainer and spreading them apart from one another includes a lower arm having a first clasp and an upper arm having a second clasp. The lower arm is pivotally attached to the upper arm. The tool further includes a wedge arm having a nose, where the wedge arm is pivotally attached to the upper arm. To use the tool, the second clasp is moved away from the first clasp and the retainer is inserted between the first and second clasps. The second clasp is then moved back towards the first clasp. The nose of the wedge arm then wedges the legs and finger of the retainer in first and second catchs of the first and second clasps, respectively. The second clasp is then again moved away from the first clasp. Since the legs and finger are securely fastened to the first and second catches, respectively, the finger is spread from the legs.