Patents by Inventor Michael Livingston Shipman

Michael Livingston Shipman 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).

  • X-ray detectable encapsulation material and method for its use
    Patent number: 5982631
    Abstract: A method and encapsulation material for encapsulating the solder joints of an IC device mounted on the substrate of an electronic circuit assembly. The encapsulation material is formulated to be sufficiently opaque to x-radiation to enable the use of x-radiation imaging techniques to detect air pockets and voids in the encapsulation material that might degrade the fatigue life properties of the solder joints encapsulated by the encapsulation material. For the purpose of enhancing the fatigue life properties of the solder joints, the encapsulation material contains a filler material dispersed in a polymeric material, such as an epoxy, such that the encapsulation material is characterized by a coefficient of thermal expansion approximately equal to that of the solder joints. The filler material contains a sufficient amount of an element to render the encapsulation material opaque to x-radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.
    Inventors: Philip Harbaugh Bowles, Michael Livingston Shipman
  • Method of inspecting integrated circuit solder joints with x-ray detectable encapsulant
    Patent number: 5891754
    Abstract: A method and encapsulation material for encapsulating the solder joints of an IC device mounted on the substrate of an electronic circuit assembly. The encapsulation material is formulated to be sufficiently opaque to x-radiation to enable the use of x-radiation imaging techniques to detect air pockets and voids in the encapsulation material that might degrade the fatigue life properties of the solder joints encapsulated by the encapsulation material. For the purpose of enhancing the fatigue life properties of the solder joints, the encapsulation material contains a filler material dispersed in a polymeric material, such as an epoxy, such that the encapsulation material is characterized by a coefficient of thermal expansion approximately equal to that of the solder joints. The filler material contains a sufficient amount of an element to render the encapsulation material opaque to x-radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.
    Inventors: Philip Harbaugh Bowles, Michael Livingston Shipman