Abstract:
A method and apparatus for manufacturing or assembling a plurality of printed circuit boards to reduce rework at a printed circuit board assembly facility, which may include the following: cutting a first solder paste stencil based on a first solder paste stencil data set on a solder paste stencil cutting machine or device; utilizing the first stencil to apply solder paste to a first printed circuit board at a manufacturing or assembly facility; identifying a solder paste error condition with solder paste error information on the first printed circuit board; transmitting the solder paste error information for remote analysis; generating an adjusted first data set; transmitting the adjusted first data set to the printed circuit board manufacturing or assembly facility; utilizing the adjusted first data set to cut another solder paste stencil based on the adjusted stencil data; and utilizing the adjusted first solder paste stencil to manufacture a second printed circuit board without the solder paste error condition.
Abstract:
An optical device having a variable index of refraction across its surface includes a light transmissive material with a plurality of regions in the light transmissive material. Each region has an index of refraction which is different from the remainder of the material. The regions may be arranged in the surface of the material such that the density of the regions on the surface varies across the surface. Each region may be a bore, including a hole that extends through the light transmissive material. Variations in the density of the regions or bores as well as the depth and shape of the bores may be utilized to create variations of the refractive index within the light transmissive material.
Abstract:
A monolithic microelectronic array structure includes a microelectronic integrated circuit array having a first plurality of microelectronic integrated circuit elements each deposited on a front side of a substrate. The substrates are physically discontinuous so that each substrate comprises a substrate island which is physically separated from the other substrate islands. The monolithic microelectronic array structure optionally includes a first plurality of input/output elements with a respective input/output element associated with and directly connected to each of the microelectronic integrated circuit elements, and a second plurality of electrically conductive interconnects extending between the microelectronic integrated circuit elements of adjacent substrate islands. The monolithic microelectronic array structure may be planar, or it may be curved.
Abstract:
An imaging device (10) has a plurality of unit cells that contribute to forming an image of a scene. The imaging device includes a layer of semiconductor material (16), for example silicon, that has low noise photogate charge-mode readout circuitry (20, 21, 26, 28) (e.g., CCD or CMOS readout circuitry and structures) that is disposed upon a first surface (18) of the layer. A second, opposing surface of the layer is a radiation admitting surface of the layer. The layer has a bandgap selected for absorbing electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths shorter than about one micrometer and for generating charge carriers from the absorbed radiation. The generated charge carriers are collected by the photogate charge-mode readout circuitry. A thermal sensing element (22) is disposed above and is thermally isolated from the first surface of the layer. The thermal sensing element may be, by example, one of a bolometer element, a pyroelectric element, or a thermopile element. A layer (12) of narrower bandgap semiconductor material can also be employed with this invention, wherein the layer of narrower bandgap semiconductor material (such as InGaAs or HgCdTe) is atomically bonded to the second surface along a heterojunction interface that is continuous or apertured across the second surface. The bonded layer is used to absorb NIR and visible light.
Abstract:
A microelectronic device includes a substrate device and a dark mirror coating overlying one side of the substrate device. The dark mirror coating has a via therethrough to the substrate device. The dark mirror coating has a plurality of alternating layers of dielectrics and metals. Each metallic layer has an electrically nonconducting region adjacent to the vias, preferably formed by anodizing the metallic layers after deposition.
Abstract:
An infrared (IR) microlens array has a plurality of microlenses (12) aligned with respective IR detector array pixels (6) to focus incoming IR radiation onto the pixels (6) to improve the efficiency of IR detection, and a gas molecule getter grating (14) inside a vacuum-sealed Dewar assembly that houses the detector array (4) increases the surface area of the getter (15) to improve the efficiency of removing residual gas molecules from the Dewar assembly.
Abstract:
Carbonaceous materials are thermally upgraded in a pressurized steam environment to remove moisture and other byproducts. A variety of water/solid separation devices may be employed in a process vessel to maximize moisture removal from the upgraded charge. Heating media inlet nozzles and process chamber vents are strategically positioned at the process vessel wall to minimize short circuiting of heating media to vessel outlet vents and to continuously separate hot water removed from the charge and condensed steam, such that the upgraded material removed from the process vessel is not discharged with accompanying free moisture. After upgrading, the charge may be rehydrated to improve its stability during shipping and storage.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for manufacturing or assembling a plurality of printed circuit boards to reduce rework at a printed circuit board assembly facility, which may include the following: cutting a first solder paste stencil based on a first solder paste stencil data set on a solder paste stencil cutting machine or device; utilizing the first stencil to apply solder paste to a first printed circuit board at a manufacturing or assembly facility; identifying a solder paste error condition with solder paste error information on the first printed circuit board; transmitting the solder paste error information for remote analysis; generating an adjusted first data set; transmitting the adjusted first data set to the printed circuit board manufacturing or assembly facility; utilizing the adjusted first data set to cut another solder paste stencil based on the adjusted stencil data; and utilizing the adjusted first solder paste stencil to manufacture a second printed circuit board without the solder paste error condition.
Abstract:
A focal plane array (FPA) of infrared (IR) radiation detectors (20), such as an array of microbolometers, includes an active area (20A) containing a plurality of IR radiation detectors, a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) (12) that is mechanically and electrically coupled to the active area and, disposed on the ROIC, a plurality of heater elements (30A) that are located and operated so as to provide a substantially uniform thermal distribution across at least the active area. The FPA further includes a plurality of temperature sensors (30B), individual ones of which are spatially associated with one of the heater elements for sensing the temperature in the vicinity of the associated heater element for providing closed loop operation of the associated heater element. In one embodiment pairs of the heater elements and associated temperature sensors are distributed in a substantially uniform manner across at least a top or a bottom surface of the ROIC, while in another embodiment pairs of the heater elements and associated temperature sensors, or only the heater elements, are distributed in accordance with a predetermined thermal profile of the FPA. The plurality of heater elements may each be composed of a silicon resistance, and the plurality of temperature sensors may each be each composed of a silicon temperature sensor.
Abstract:
A method of locating a predetermined variation in the surface of a film such as selected depression or elevation on a film deposited on a surface and for measuring the depth of the depression or height of the elevation comprising the steps of establishing a datum plane based on the average level of the surface of the film, scanning the surface of the film with a laser beam until a predetermined variation from said datum plane is located, on the surface of the film, incrementally stepping the laser beam around and across the located variation, measuring the beam reflected at various points along the variation to determine the contour of the variation by establishing the slope of the variation between various measurements, establishing the apex of an elevation or bottom of a depression by determining when the measured slope goes to zero, and measuring the height of the established apex or depth of the established bottom of the depression with respect to the established datum plane of the film.