Patents by Inventor Brian Beaman

Brian Beaman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20080020603
    Abstract: A land grid array (LGA) interposer structure, including an electrically insulating carrier plane, and at least one interposer mounted on a first surface of said carrier plane. The interposer possesses a hemi-toroidal configuration in transverse cross-section and is constituted of a dielectric elastomeric material. A plurality of electrically-conductive elements are arranged about the surface of the at least one hemi-toroidal interposer and extend radically inwardly and downwardly from an uppermost end thereof into electrical contact with at least one component located on an opposite side of the electrically insulating carrier plane. Provided is also a method of producing the land grid array interposer structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gareth Hougham, Brian Beaman, Evan Colgan, Paul Coteus, Stefano Oggioni, Enrique Vargas
  • Publication number: 20080020597
    Abstract: A land grid array (LGA) interposer structure, including an electrically insulating carrier plane, and at least one interposer mounted on a first surface of said carrier plane. The interposer possesses a hemi-toroidal configuration in transverse cross-section and is constituted of a dielectric elastomeric material. A plurality of electrically-conductive elements are arranged about the surface of the at least one hemi-toroidal interposer and extend radically inwardly and downwardly from an uppermost end thereof into electrical contact with at least one component located on an opposite side of the electrically insulating carrier plane. Provided is also a method of producing the land grid array interposer structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gareth Hougham, Brian Beaman, Evan Colgan, Paul Coteus, Stefano Oggioni, Enrique Vargas
  • Publication number: 20080020600
    Abstract: A land grid array (LGA) interposer structure, including an electrically insulating carrier plane, and at least one interposer mounted on a first surface of said carrier plane. The interposer possesses a hemi-toroidal configuration in transverse cross-section and is constituted of a dielectric elastomeric material. A plurality of electrically-conductive elements are arranged about the surface of the at least one hemi-toroidal interposer and extend radically inwardly and downwardly from an uppermost end thereof into electrical contact with at least one component located on an opposite side of the electrically insulating carrier plane. Provided is also a method of producing the land grid array interposer structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gareth Hougham, Brian Beaman, Evan Colgan, Paul Coteus, Stefano Oggioni, Enrique Vargas
  • Publication number: 20070298624
    Abstract: A land grid array (LGA) interposer structure, including an electrically insulating carrier plane, and at least one interposer mounted on a first surface of said carrier plane. The interposer possesses a hemi-toroidal configuration in transverse cross-section and is constituted of a dielectric elastomeric material. A plurality of electrically-conductive elements are arranged about the surface of the at least one hemi-toroidal interposer and extend radically inwardly and downwardly from an uppermost end thereof into electrical contact with at least one component located on an opposite side of the electrically insulating carrier plane. Provided is also a method of producing the land grid array interposer structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gareth Hougham, Brian Beaman, Evan Colgan, Paul Coteus, Stefano Oggioni, Enrique Vargas
  • Publication number: 20070271781
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a high density test probe which provides a means for testing a high density and high performance integrated circuits in wafer form or as discrete chips. The test probe is formed from a dense array of elongated electrical conductors which are embedded in an compliant or high modulus elastomeric material. A standard packaging substrate, such as a ceramic integrated circuit chip packaging substrate is used to provide a space transformer. Wires are bonded to an array of contact pads on the surface of the space transformer. The space transformer formed from a multilayer integrated circuit chip packaging substrate. The wires are as dense as the contact location array. A mold is disposed surrounding the array of outwardly projecting wires. A liquid elastomer is disposed ion the mold to fill the spaces between the wires.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2001
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Inventors: Brian Beaman, Keith Fogel, Paul Lauro, Maurice Norcott, Da-Yuan Shih, George Walker
  • Publication number: 20070054512
    Abstract: LGA connectors are fabricated with buttons or spring contacts preformed to different heights to accommodate the initial topography of a typical module or PCB of a particular product type. This is accomplished during fabrication by measuring topographies of mating surfaces of a first electronic device and of a second electronic device; fabricating interposer contacts to form opposing non-planar sides having respective inverse topographies for contacting the mating surfaces; and sandwiching the interposer between the first and second electronic devices with the opposing sides in contact with respective mating serfaces. For those LGA types made by molding techniques such as the metal-in-polymer type (eg. Tyco Electronics MPI, or Shin Etsu RP) or the Metal-on-Elastomer type (IBM), using molds with the desired topography provides the desired LGA topography.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Publication date: March 8, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gareth Hougham, Brian Beaman, John Corbin, Paul Coteus, Shawn Hall, Kathleen Hinge, Theron Lewis, Frank Libsch, Amanda Mikhail
  • Publication number: 20070004239
    Abstract: Techniques for providing electrical connections are provided. In one aspect, an electrical connecting device is provided which comprises a plurality of compressible contacts; and a downstop structure surrounding at least a portion of one or more of the contacts, limiting compression of the contacts, and being configured to limit interaction between the contacts. The electrical connecting device may be further configured to have the plurality of compressible contacts have a first coefficient of thermal expansion and the downstop structure have a second coefficient of thermal expansion, the first coefficient of thermal expansion being substantially similar to the second coefficient of thermal expansion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2005
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gareth Hougham, Brian Beaman, Claudius Feger
  • Publication number: 20060046528
    Abstract: A probe or an electrical connector comprises a substrate with a surface having a plurality of electrical contact locations. A shaped elongated electrical conductor has a first end coupled to one of the electrical contact locations and a second end thereof which projects away from the electrical contact location and through an aperture in a sheet of material. The sheet is disposed to be spaced apart from the surface of the substrate. At the second end of the elongated electrical conductor there is a tip structure, which is larger than the aperture in the sheet of material. The tip structure has a pointed portion thereof. The tip structure is disposed against contact locations of a contact surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Publication date: March 2, 2006
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brian Beaman, George Chiu, Keith Fogel, Paul Lauro, Daniel Morris, Da-Yuan Shih
  • Publication number: 20050179456
    Abstract: Probes for electronic devices are described. The probe is formed by ball bonding a plurality of wires to contact locations on a fan out substrate surface. The wires are cut off leaving stubs. A patterned polymer sheet having electrical conductor patterns therein is disposed over the stubs which extend through holes in the sheet. The ends of the wires are flattened to remit the polymer sheet in place. The wire is connected to an electrical conductor on the polymer sheet which is converted to a contact pad on the polymer sheet. A second wire is ball bonded to the pad on the polymer sheet and cut to leave a second stub. The polymer sheet is laser cut so that each second stub is free to move independently of the other second studs. The ends of the second stubs are disposed against contact locations of an electronic device, such as an FC chip, to test the electronic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Inventors: Brian Beaman, Keith Fogel, Paul Lauro, Maurice Norcott, Da-Yuan Shih
  • Publication number: 20050062492
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a high density test probe which provides a means for testing a high density and high performance integrated circuits in wafer form or as discrete chips. The test probe is formed from a dense array of elongated electrical conductors which are embedded in an compliant or high modulus elastomeric material. A standard packaging substrate, such as a ceramic integrated circuit chip packaging substrate is used to provide a space transformer. Wires are bonded to an array of contact pads on the surface of the space transformer. The space transformer formed from a multilayer integrated circuit chip packaging substrate. The wires are as dense as the contact location array. A mold is disposed surrounding the array of outwardly projecting wires. A liquid elastomer is disposed in the mold to fill the spaces between the wires.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Publication date: March 24, 2005
    Inventors: Brian Beaman, Keith Fogel, Paul Lauro, Maurice Norcott, Da-Yuan Shih, George Walker
  • Patent number: 6286208
    Abstract: A structure of an enhanced durability interconnector to reliably interconnect modules having high density type contacts, such as found in modules having solder ball connections (SBC), to a connecting article such as a printed circuit board. The structure comprising a means to provide the SBC type contact a mating surface having a wide contact area. Furthermore, the electrical connecting medium within the interconnector, which is embedded in an elastomeric material to provide compliance, is strengthened by using two or more embedded wires in combination for each wide contact area contact. The interconnector is incorporated into a fixture to compress the interconnector between the SBC module and the connecting article. The fixture having further capability to align the connections, control the compression pressure and to prevent over-compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Da-Yuan Shih, Paul Lauro, Keith Edward Fogel, Brian Beaman, Maurice Norcott
  • Patent number: 5810607
    Abstract: A structure of an enhanced durability interconnector to reliably interconnect modules having high density type contacts, such as found in modules having solder ball connections (SBC), to a connecting article such as a printed circuit board. The structure comprising a means to provide the SBC type contact a mating surface having a wide contact area. Furthermore, the electrical connecting medium within the interconnector, which is embedded in an elastomeric material to provide compliance, is strengthened by using two or more embedded wires in combination for each wide contact area contact. The interconnector is incorporated into a fixture to compress the interconnector between the SBC module and the connecting article. The fixture having further capability to align the connections, control the compression pressure and to prevent over-compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Da-Yuan Shih, Paul Lauro, Keith Edward Fogel, Brian Beaman, Maurice Norcott