Abstract: An anode container, electroplating system, method and object so plated. A feature of the invention is that an anode container has an interior cross-sectional area, at or near a lower end thereof, that is larger than an interior cross-sectional area of an upper end thereof. An anode-receiving container also has a body with a plurality of sides and a lower end having a larger cross-sectional interior area than an upper end. The container may also include punched out apertures positioned to provide strength to the container and an apparatus to vibrate the container coupled to a lower end of the container.

Abstract: A method for cleaning a copper-INVAR-copper laminate in an acid solution without inducing a galvanic etching of the INVAR. An initial step of the method forms a circuit element that includes a power supply, the laminate electrically coupled to a negative terminal of the power supply, and a conductive anode electrically coupled to a positive terminal of the power supply. The conductive anode may include a conductive material, such as titanium, that is preferably inert to an acid solution into which the laminate will be subsequently immersed. After turning on the power supply to a voltage between about 1 volts and about 10 volts, the laminate and conductive anode are immersed in the acid solution, so as to form a closed circuit with a voltage bias across acid copper-INVAR-copper interfaces. The voltage bias prevents galvanic action from occurring and therefore protects against galvanic etching of the INVAR.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for establishing a solder bond between a solder ball grid array and a circuit mounted on a substrate includes a bonding tool having a bonding tip for applying heat to the site of one or more of the solder balls in the solder ball grid array, a transducer for measuring displacement of the bonding tip during the bonding operation, and a signal generator responsive to the transducer for providing a signal indicative of tip displacement. The signal generated by the signal generator may be fed back to the bonding tool to optimize bonding parameters.