Abstract: Thermally conductive, sinterable, adhesive compositions, free of fugitive solvents, that include a powder of a relatively high melting point metal or metal alloy, a powder of a relatively low melting point metal or metal alloy powder and a thermally curable adhesive flux composition that comprises (i) a polymerizable fluxing agent; (ii) an inerting agent to react with the fluxing agent at elevated temperature, rendering it inert. The fluxing agent preferably comprises a compound with formula RCOOH, wherein R comprises a moiety having one or more polymerizable carbon-carbon double bonds. Optionally, the inventive compositions also include (a) a diluent that is capable of polymerizing with the fluxing agent's polymerizable carbon-carbon double bonds; (b) free radical initiators; (c) a curable resin; and (d) crosslinking agents and accelerators.

Abstract: A simplified process for flip-chip attachment of a chip to a substrate is provided by pre-coating the chip with an encapsulant underfill material having separate discrete solder columns therein to eliminate the conventional capillary flow underfill process. Such a structure permits incorporation of remeltable layers for rework, test, or repair. It also allows incorporation of electrical redistribution layers. In one aspect, the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are placed at an angle to the substrate and brought into contact with the pre-coated substrate, then the chip and precoated encapsulant are pivoted about the first point of contact, expelling any gas therebetween until the solder bumps on the chip are fully in contact with the substrate. There is also provided a flip-chip configuration having a complaint solder/flexible encapsulant understructure that deforms generally laterally with the substrate as the substrate undergoes expansion or contraction.

Abstract: A simplified process for flip-chip attachment of a chip to a substrate is provided by precoating the chip with an encapsulant underfill material having separate discrete solder columns therein to eliminate the conventional capillary flow underfill process. Such a structure permits incorporation of remeltable layers for rework, test, or repair. It also allows incorporation of electrical redistribution layers. In one aspect, the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are placed at an angle to the substrate and brought into contact with the pre-coated substrate, then the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are pivoted about the first point of contact, expelling any gas therebetween until the solder bumps on the chip are fully in contact with the substrate. There is also provided a flip-chip configuration having a complaint solder/flexible encapsulant understructure that deforms generally laterally with the substrate as the substrate undergoes expansion or contraction.

Abstract: A simplified process for flip-chip attachment of a chip to a substrate is provided by precoating the chip with an encapsulant underfill material having separate discrete solder columns therein to eliminate the conventional capillary flow underfill process. Such a structure permits incorporation of remeltable layers for rework, test, or repair. It also allows incorporation of electrical redistribution layers. In one aspect, the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are placed at an angle to the substrate and brought into contact with the pre-coated substrate, then the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are pivoted about the first point of contact, expelling any gas therebetween until the solder bumps on the chip are fully in contact with the substrate. There is also provided a flip-chip configuration having a complaint solder/flexible encapsulant understructure that deforms generally laterally with the substrate as the substrate undergoes expansion or contraction.

Abstract: A simplified process for flip-chip attachment of a chip to a substrate is provided by pre-coating the chip with an encapsulant underfill material having separate discrete solder columns therein to eliminate the conventional capillary flow underfill process. Such a structure permits incorporation of remeltable layers for rework, test, or repair. It also allows incorporation of electrical redistribution layers. In one aspect, the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are placed at an angle to the substrate and brought into contact with the pre-coated substrate, then the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are pivoted about the first point of contact, expelling any gas therebetween until the solder bumps on the chip are fully in contact with the substrate. There is also provided a flip-chip configuration having a complaint solder/flexible encapsulant understructure that deforms generally laterally with the substrate as the substrate undergoes expansion or contraction.

Abstract: A simplified process for flip-chip attachment of a chip to a substrate is provided by pre-coating the chip with an encapsulant underfill material having separate discrete solder columns therein to eliminate the conventional capillary flow underfill process. Such a structure permits incorporation of remeltable layers for rework, test, or repair. It also allows incorporation of electrical redistribution layers. In one aspect, the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are placed at an angle to the substrate and brought into contact with the pre-coated substrate, then the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are pivoted about the first point of contact, expelling any gas therebetween until the solder bumps on the chip are fully in contact with the substrate. There is also provided a flip-chip configuration having a complaint solder/flexible encapsulant understructure that deforms generally laterally with the substrate as the substrate undergoes expansion or contraction.

Abstract: A simplified process for flip-chip attachment of a chip to a substrate is provided by pre-coating the chip with an encapsulant underfill material having separate discrete solder columns therein to eliminate the conventional capillary flow underfill process. There is also provided a flip-chip configuration having a flexible tape lamination for underfill encapsulation. With this configuration, the complaint solder/flexible encapsulant understructure absorbs the strain caused by the difference in the thermal coefficients of expansion between the chip and the substrate and provides enhanced ruggedness.

Abstract: A simplified process for flip-chip attachment of a chip to a substrate is provided by pre-coating the chip with an encapsulant underfill material having separate discrete solder columns therein to eliminate the conventional capillary flow underfill process. There is also provided a flip-chip configuration having a flexible tape lamination for underfill encapsulation. With this configuration, the complaint solder/flexible encapsulant understructure absorbs the strain caused by the difference in the thermal coefficients of expansion between the chip and the substrate and provides enhanced ruggedness.

Abstract: A thermally curable adhesive composition that includes a fluxing agent that also acts as an adhesive is provided. The composition includes: (a) a fluxing agent represented by the formula RCOOH, wherein R comprises a moiety having two or more carbon--carbon double bonds; (b) optionally, an effective amount of a crosslinkable diluent; (c) optionally, an effective amount of a source of free radical initiators; and (d) optionally, an effective amount of a resin to react with remnant carboxylic acid moieties. The composition can be applied directly onto the surface(s) of devices that are to be joined electrically and mechanically. These devices include, printed circuit substrates, connectors, components, cables, and other electrical devices having metallization patterns to be soldered together by means of a solder-bumped pattern on one or both surfaces. Alternatively, a solder paste, comprising solder powder mixed with the fluxing agent of the present invention can be used.

Abstract: A simplified process for flip-chip attachment of a chip to a substrate is provided by pre-coating the chip with an encapsulant underfill material having separate discrete solder columns therein to eliminate the conventional capillary flow underfill process. Such a structure permits incorporation of remeltable layers for rework, test, or repair. It also allows incorporation of electrical redistribution layers. In one aspect, the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are placed at an angle to the substrate and brought into contact with the pre-coated substrate, then the chip and pre-coated encapsulant are pivoted about the first point of contact, expelling any gas therebetween until the solder bumps on the chip are fully in contact with the substrate. There is also provided a flip-chip configuration having a complaint solder/flexible encapsulant understructure that deforms generally laterally with the substrate as the substrate undergoes expansion or contraction.

Abstract: A thermally curable adhesive composition that includes a fluxing agent that also acts as an adhesive is provided. The composition includes: (a) a fluxing agent represented by the formula RCOOH, wherein R comprises a moiety having two or more carbon-carbon double bonds wherein in one embodiment, at least one is within an acrylate or methacrylate group, and which may further contain at least one aromatic moiety; (b) optionally, an effective amount of a crosslinkable diluent; (c) optionally, an effective amount of a source of free radical initiators; and (d) optionally, an effective amount of a resin to react with remnant carboxylic acid moieties. By employing an acrylate, methacrylate, or phenol in the structure of the adhesive flux, the cure temperature and moisture absorption characteristics can be significantly improved. The composition can be applied directly onto the surface(s) of devices that are to be joined electrically and mechanically.

Abstract: A thermally curable adhesive composition that includes a fluxing agent that also acts as an adhesive is provided. The composition includes: (a) a fluxing agent represented by the formula RCOOH, wherein R comprises a moiety having two or more carbon--carbon double bonds; (b) optionally, an effective amount of a crosslinkable diluent; (c) optionally, an effective amount of a source of free radical initiators; and (d) optionally, an effective amount of a resin to react with remnant carboxylic acid moieties. The composition can be applied directly onto the surface(s) of devices that are to be joined electrically and mechanically. These devices include, printed circuit substrates, connectors, components, cables, and other electrical devices having metallization patterns to be soldered together by means of a solder-bumped pattern on one or both surfaces. Alternatively, a solder paste, comprising solder powder mixed with the fluxing agent of the present invention can be used.

Abstract: Methods for fabricating single and multilayer printed boards which employ electronically conductive adhesive compositions are provided. The composition comprises a solder powder, a chemically protected cross-linking agent with fluxing properties and a reactive monomer or polymer as the principal components. The compositions may also comprise three or more of the following: a relatively high melting metal powder; solder powder; the active cross-linking agent which also serves as a fluxing agent; a resin; a reactive monomer or polymer; and a metal additive. Compositions comprising metal powder are ideally suited for creating the conductive paths and vias on printed circuits.

Abstract: Substrates for printed circuit boards and the like, in the form of a substrate base layer and at least one adherent layer fixedly attached thereto. The adherent layer preferably comprises a thermoplastic material having a glass transition temperature in the range of about 180.degree. and about 245.degree. C., or a thermosetting material capable of B-stage curing. The preparation of the novel substrates and printed circuits using the substrates and conductive traces formed with electrically-conductive ink compositions is also described.

Abstract: Substrates for printed circuit boards and the like, in the form of a substrate base layer and at least one adherent layer fixedly attached thereto. The adherent layer preferably comprises a thermoplastic material having a glass transition temperature in the range of about 180.degree. and about 245.degree. C., or a thermosetting material capable of B-stage curing. The preparation of the novel substrates and printed circuits using the substrates and conductive traces formed with electrically-conductive ink compositions is also described.

Abstract: Electrically conductive adhesive compositions and methods for the preparation and use thereof, in which a solder powder, a chemically protected cross-linking agent with fluxing properties and a reactive monomer or polymer are the principal components. Depending upon the intended end use, the compositions comprise three or more of the following: a relatively high melting metal powder; solder powder; the active cross-linking agent which also serves as a fluxing agent; a resin; and a reactive monomer or polymer. The compositions are useful as improved conductive adhesives, such as for attaching electrical components to electrical circuits: the compositions comprising metal powder are ideally suited for creating the conductive paths on printed circuits. The compositions for forming conductive paths may first be applied to a substrate in the desired pattern of an electrical circuit, and then heated to cure it.

Abstract: An optical data storage system employing a data-modulated writing laser beam and a non-erasing reading laser beam of predetermined wavelength along with an improved optical medium comprised of multiple layers whose optical characteristics and thicknesses are chosen in conjunction with the writing and reading laser beams to provide an anti-reflection condition for unrecorded portions of the medium and a relatively high reflectivity for recorded portions of the optical medium. A preferred optical medium includes a highly reflective aluminum layer, a fluorinated hydrocarbon polymer spacer layer overlaying the reflective layer, a nucleation layer overlaying the spacer layer and also serving as a heat insulator therefor, and a gold absorber layer overlaying the nucleation layer.

Abstract: An optical data storage system employing a data-modulated writing laser beam and a non-erasing reading laser beam of predetermined wavelength along with an improved optical medium comprised of multiple layers whose optical characteristics and thicknesses are chosen in conjunction with the writing and reading laser beams to provide an anti-reflection condition for unrecorded portions of the medium and a relatively high reflectivity for recorded portions of the optical medium. A preferred optical medium includes a highly reflective aluminum layer, a fluorinated hydrocarbon polymer spacer layer overlaying the reflective layer, and a gold absorber layer overlaying the spacer layer.