Patents by Inventor Kenneth Michael Fallon

Kenneth Michael Fallon 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: 6759738
    Abstract: A substrate is provided with vias communicating with surface contacts or bumps. Joining material paste is forced through holes in a screen onto an area array of the contacts on the substrate then the screen is biased against the substrate as the paste is heated and cooled to transfer the joining material onto the contacts. Alternately, joining material paste is forced into the screen and then a substrate is placed onto the screen with an area array of bump contacts of the substrate in contact with the solder paste, and then the paste is heated and cooled to transfer the material onto the bumps. The joining material may be a solder paste, conductive adhesive paste, or transient liquid bond paste. The substrate may be a semiconductor chip substrate, flexible or rigid organic substrate, or a metal substrate coated to form a dielectric surface. Also, the substrate may be a computer chip, chip carrier substrate or a circuit board substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth Michael Fallon, Christian Robert Le Coz, Mark Vincent Pierson
  • Patent number: 6344234
    Abstract: A method and structure for a solder interconnection, using solder balls for making a low temperature chip attachment directly to any of the higher levels of packaging substrate is disclosed. After a solder ball has been formed using standard methods it is reflowed to give the solder ball a smooth surface. A layer of low melting point metal, such as, bismuth, indium or tin, preferably, pure tin, is deposited on the top of the solder balls. This structure results in localizing of the eutectic alloy, formed upon subsequent low temperature joining cycle, to the top of the high melting solder ball even after multiple low temperature reflow cycles. This method does not need tinning of the substrate to which the chip is to be joined, which makes this method economical. It has also been noticed that whenever temperature is raised slightly above the eutectic temperature, the structure always forms a liquid fillet around the joint with copper wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corportion
    Inventors: Hormazdyar Minocher Dalal, Alexis Bitaillou, Kenneth Michael Fallon, Gene Joseph Gaudenzi, Kenneth Robert Herman, Frederic Pierre, Georges Robert
  • Patent number: 6259159
    Abstract: A method and structure for a solder interconnection, using solder balls for making a low temperature chip attachment directly to any of the higher levels of packaging substrate is disclosed. After a solder ball has been formed using standard methods it is reflowed to give the solder ball a smooth surface. A layer of low melting point metal, such as, bismuth, indium or tin, preferably, pure tin, is deposited on the top of the solder balls. This structure results in localizing of the eutectic alloy, formed upon subsequent low temperature joining cycle, to the top of the high melting solder ball even after multiple low temperature reflow cycles. This method does not need tinning of the substrate to which the chip is to be joined, which makes this method economical. It has also been noticed that whenever temperature is raised slightly above the eutectic temperature, the structure always forms a liquid fillet around the joint with copper wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hormazdyar Minocher Dalal, Alexis Bitaillou, Kenneth Michael Fallon, Gene Jospeh Gaudenzi, Kenneth Robert Herman, Frederic Pierre, Georges Robert
  • Patent number: 5923090
    Abstract: An electronic package comprising an integrated circuit chip and a flip chip solder bonded thereto is provided. The integrated circuit chip has circuitry over a major surface thereof and has peripheral wire or tab bond pads surrounding an array of C4 connection pads located over this major surface. A flip chip is solder bonded to the C4 connection pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth Michael Fallon, William Hsioh-Lien Ma
  • Patent number: 5872051
    Abstract: A process within substrate is provided with vias communicating with surface contacts or bumps. Joining material paste is forced through holes in a screen onto an area array of the contacts on the substrate then the screen is biased against the substrate as the paste is heated and cooled to transfer the joining material onto the contacts. Alternately, joining material paste is forced into the screen and then a substrate is placed onto the screen with an area array of bump contacts of the substrate in contact with the solder paste, and then the paste is heated and cooled to transfer the material onto the bumps. The joining material may be a solder paste, conductive adhesive paste, or transient liquid bond paste. The substrate may be a semiconductor chip substrate, flexible or rigid organic substrate, or a metal substrate coated to form a dielectric surface. Also, the substrate may be a computer chip, chip carrier substrate or a circuit board substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth Michael Fallon, Christian Robert Le Coz, Mark Vincent Pierson
  • Patent number: 5798285
    Abstract: The present method employs a first plating resist for forming circuit lines on a carrier substrate. While the plating resist is still in place a metal, such as nickel, is deposited on top of the circuit lines. A second plating resist is employed for plating solder on the circuit lines at solder sites. At this stage additional solder can be deposited at each solder site to provide or supplement the necessary low melt solder required for forming a solder joint. The first and second resists along with solder thereon are then stripped and copper foil on the carrier substrate is etched away around the circuit lines. A soldermask is then formed on the carrier substrate over the circuit lines except for circuit lines in the chip sites. The soldermask has a single large opening at each chip site which has lateral dimensions which are slightly larger than the lateral dimensions of the chip to be connected at the chip site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1998
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corpoation
    Inventors: Mark Rudolf Bentlage, Kenneth Michael Fallon, Lawrence Harold White
  • Patent number: 5796591
    Abstract: A structure and a method is disclosed for making a laminated circuit carrier card for the purpose of making a Direct Chip Attached Module (DCAM) with low cost and high reliability. The carrier is made using an organic or an inorganic laminated carrier having at least one surface available for direct chip mount. The chip has at least one solder ball with a cap of low melting point metal. The surface of the carrier has electrical features that are directly connected to the low melting point metal on the solder ball of the chip to form the eutectic and this way the chip is directly attached to the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hormazdyar Minocher Dalal, Kenneth Michael Fallon
  • Patent number: 5672260
    Abstract: Small, closely spaced deposits of solder materials may be formed with high volumetric accuracy and uniformity of shape by depositing a layer of conductive material over surfaces of a dielectric layer having apertures or recesses (e.g. blind apertures) and conductors and/or pads exposed by those apertures or recesses, masking regions of the conductive material with a further patterned dielectric layer, electroplating solder materials onto regions of the conductive material exposed by the mask, removing the mask and portions of the conductive material by selective etching and reflowing solder away from at least a portion of the surfaces of the apertured dielectric layer. Uniformity of electroplating within blind apertures is enhanced by a combination of fluid jet sparging and cathode agitation. Excess conductor material in the resulting solder deposit can be avoided by replacing conductor material with a constituent component of a solder material in an immersion bath prior to electroplating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles Francis Carey, Kenneth Michael Fallon, Voya Rista Markovich, Douglas Oliver Powell, Gary Paul Vlasak, Richard Stuart Zarr
  • Patent number: 5656139
    Abstract: Small, closely spaced deposits of solder materials may be formed with high volumetric accuracy and uniformity of shape by depositing a layer of conductive material over surfaces of a dielectric layer having apertures or recesses (e.g. blind apertures) and conductors and/or pads exposed by those apertures or recesses, masking regions of the conductive material with a further patterned dielectric layer, electroplating solder materials onto regions of the conductive material exposed by the mask, removing the mask and portions of the conductive material by selective etching and reflowing solder away from at least a portion of the surfaces of the apertured dielectric layer. Uniformity of electroplating within blind apertures is enhanced by a combination of fluid jet sparging and cathode agitation. Excess conductor material in the resulting solder deposit can be avoided by replacing conductor material with a constituent component of a solder material in an immersion bath prior to electroplating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1997
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles Francis Carey, Kenneth Michael Fallon, Voya Rista Markovich, Douglas Oliver Powell, Gary Paul Vlasak, Richard Stuart Zarr
  • Patent number: 5650595
    Abstract: The present method employs a first plating resist for forming circuit lines on a carrier substrate. While the plating resist is still in place a metal, such as nickel, is deposited on top of the circuit lines. A second plating resist is employed for plating solder on the circuit lines at solder sites. At this stage additional solder can be deposited at each solder site to provide or supplement the necessary low melt solder required for forming a solder joint. The first and second resists along with solder thereon are then stripped and copper foil on the carrier substrate is etched away around the circuit lines. A soldermask is then formed on the carrier substrate over the circuit lines except for circuit lines in the chip sites. The soldermask has a single large opening at each chip site which has lateral dimensions which are slightly larger than the lateral dimensions of the chip to be connected at the chip site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1997
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Rudolf Bentlage, Kenneth Michael Fallon, Lawrence Harold White