Patents by Inventor Douglas M. Albert

Douglas M. Albert 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).

  • Patent number: 8012803
    Abstract: Prepackaged chips, such a memory chips, are vertically stacked and bonded together with their terminals aligned. The exterior lead frames are removed including that portion which extends into the packaging. The bonding wires are now exposed on the collective lateral surface of the stack. In those areas where no bonding wire was connected to the lead frame, a bare insulative surface is left. A contact layer is disposed on top of the stack and vertical metalizations defined on the stack to connect the ends of the wires to the contact layer and hence to contact pads on the top surface of the contact layer. The vertical metalizations are arranged and configured to connect all commonly shared terminals of the chips, while the control and data input/output signals of each chip are separately connected to metalizations, which are disposed in part on the bare insulative surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Aprolase Development Co., LLC
    Inventors: Keith Gann, Douglas M. Albert
  • Publication number: 20110045635
    Abstract: Prepackaged chips, such a memory chips, are vertically stacked and bonded together with their terminals aligned. The exterior lead frames are removed including that portion which extends into the packaging. The bonding wires are now exposed on the collective lateral surface of the stack. In those areas where no bonding wire was connected to the lead frame, a bare insulative surface is left. A contact layer is disposed on top of the stack and vertical metalizations defined on the stack to connect the ends of the wires to the contact layer and hence to contact pads on the top surface of the contact layer. The vertical metalizations are arranged and configured to connect all commonly shared terminals of the chips, while the control and data input/output signals of each chip are separately connected to metalizations, which are disposed in part on the bare insulative surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2010
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Inventors: Keith Gann, Douglas M. Albert
  • Patent number: 6806559
    Abstract: Prepackaged chips, such a memory chips, are vertically stacked and bonded together with their terminals aligned. The exterior lead frames are removed including that portion which extends into the packaging. The bonding wires are now exposed on the collective lateral surface of the stack. In those areas where no bonding wire was connected to the lead frame, a bare insulative surface is left. A contact layer is disposed on top of the stack and vertical metallizations defined on the stack to connect the ends of the wires to the contact layer and hence to contact pads on the top surface of the contact layer. The vertical metallizations are arranged and configured to connect all commonly shared terminals of the chips, while the control and data input/output signals of each chip are separately connected to metallizations, which are disposed in part on the bare insulative surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignee: Irvine Sensors Corporation
    Inventors: Keith D. Gann, Douglas M. Albert
  • Publication number: 20040113222
    Abstract: A stackable layer and stacked multilayer module are disclosed. Individual integrated circuit die are tested and processed at the wafer level to create vertical area interconnect vias for the routing of electrical signals from the active surface of the die to the inactive surface. Vias are formed at predefined locations on each die on the wafer. The wafer is passivated and the vias are filled with a conductive material. The bond pads on the die are exposed and a metalization reroute from the user-selected bond pads and vias is applied. The inactive surface of the wafer may be back thinned if desired. The wafer is then segmented to form thin, stackable layers that can be stacked and vertically electrically interconnected using the conductive vias, forming high-density electronic modules which may, in turn, be further stacked and interconnected to form larger more complex stacks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2003
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Inventors: Volkan H. Ozguz, Angel A. Pepe, James Yamaguchi, Andrew Camien, Douglas M. Albert
  • Patent number: 6706971
    Abstract: A stackable microcircuit layer formed from a plastic encapsulated microcircuit (PEM) and method of making the same is disclosed. The method involves the steps of starting with a commercially available PEM (e.g. a plastic Thin Small Outline Package or TSOP) that contains a microcircuit or die within an encapsulant and modifying the PEM to expose conductive members that are electrically connected to the microcircuit's bond pads. In the case of a TSOP, the preferred modifying step is accomplished by top grinding the TSOP in order to remove the lead frame that was secured above the die and encapsulated along with it in the TSOP. Next, reroute metallization is applied in order to connect the conductive members that were exposed by the top grinding, to an edge of the modified PEM. Finally, if appropriate, the modified PEM is thinned through backside grinding and diced to a desired area, in order to provide a stackable microcircuit layer that may form a part of a dense electronic package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Irvine Sensors Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas M. Albert, Keith D. Gann
  • Publication number: 20030197253
    Abstract: Prepackaged chips, such a memory chips, are vertically stacked and bonded together with their terminals aligned. The exterior lead frames are removed including that portion which extends into the packaging. The bonding wires are now exposed on the collective lateral surface of the stack. In those areas where no bonding wire was connected to the lead frame, a bare insulative surface is left. A contact layer is disposed on top of the stack and vertical metallizations defined on the stack to connect the ends of the wires to the contact layer and hence to contact pads on the top surface of the contact layer. The vertical metallizations are arranged and configured to connect all commonly shared terminals of the chips, while the control and data input/output signals of each chip are separately connected to metallizations, which are disposed in part on the bare insulative surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2002
    Publication date: October 23, 2003
    Inventors: Keith D. Gann, Douglas M. Albert
  • Publication number: 20020126459
    Abstract: A stackable microcircuit layer formed from a plastic encapsulated microcircuit (PEM) and method of making the same is disclosed. The method involves the steps of starting with a commercially available PEM (e.g. a plastic Thin Small Outline Package or TSOP) that contains a microcircuit or die within an encapsulant and modifying the PEM to expose conductive members that are electrically connected to the microcircuit's bond pads. In the case of a TSOP, the preferred modifying step is accomplished by top grinding the TSOP in order to remove the lead frame that was secured above the die and encapsulated along with it in the TSOP. Next, reroute metallization is applied in order to connect the conductive members that were exposed by the top grinding, to an edge of the modified PEM. Finally, if appropriate, the modified PEM is thinned through backside grinding and diced to a desired area, in order to provide a stackable microcircuit layer that may form a part of a dense electronic package.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2002
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Inventors: Douglas M. Albert, Keith D. Gann
  • Publication number: 20020100600
    Abstract: A stackable microcircuit layer formed from a plastic encapsulated microcircuit (PEM) and method of making the same is disclosed. The method involves the steps of starting with a commercially available PEM (e.g. a plastic Thin Small Outline Package or TSOP) that contains a microcircuit or die within an encapsulant and modifying the PEM to expose conductive members that are electrically connected to the microcircuit's bond pads. In the case of a TSOP, the preferred modifying step is accomplished by top grinding the TSOP in order to remove the lead frame that was secured above the die and encapsulated along with it in the TSOP. Next, reroute metallization is applied in order to connect the conductive members that were exposed by the top grinding, to an edge of the modified PEM. Finally, if appropriate, the modified PEM is thinned through backside grinding and diced to a desired area, in order to provide a stackable microcircuit layer that may form a part of a dense electronic package.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Publication date: August 1, 2002
    Inventors: Douglas M. Albert, Keith D. Gann