Packard Hughes Interconnect Company

Bao Le

Chris M Schreiber

Eric Dean Jensen

Haim Feigenbaum

David Bryan Swarbrick

Randy Lee Thomas

Oswaldo Ernesto Caballero

Dong Vo

A metallic or an electrical trace having a terminus and a stress relief bend formed in the trace adjacent the terminus. The electrical trace may have a portion carried by a flexible substrate to form a flexible circuit. The stress relief bend may be free floating and extend from the flexible substrate or may be encapsulated by the flexible substrate. The electrical circuit and the flexible circuit each have a generally planar portion extending in the X and Y axis, with the stress relief bend projecting into the Z axis. This allows electrical traces to be spaced with a very narrow pitch because the stress relief bend does not consume any valuable real estate on the flexible circuit or the substrate to which the electrical trace is applied.

Stress relief bend useful in an integrated circuit redistribution patch

A process using a shim stock or foil to make flexible circuits having raised pressure contact features protruding outwardly from two surfaces. A first set of raised electrical pressure contact features are made by placing a shim stock or foil of stainless-steel on a piece of soft metal or other suitable substrate and forcing a tool into the foil to form dimples in one face. Thereafter, the foil is turned over and the process repeated on the other face of the foil. The resultant foil includes a first face having a first dimple and a first bump extending outwardly from the first face. A flash coating is formed on the foil and electrical traces are deposited on the first face of the foil including into the first dimple and over the first bump. A dielectric substrate is selectively deposited over the electrical traces and the complete subassembly is removed from the foil. A flash coating is etched away and optionally a second dielectric substrate is selectively deposited over the electrical traces. The resulting flexible circuit has raised features protruding from two surfaces.

Method of making a flexible circuit with raised features protruding from

A printed-circuit-type electrical contact pad having a plurality of electrically conductive metal traces and a plurality of protuberant electrical contacts projecting from the traces. The protuberances comprise an electrically conductive elastomer having a wide base portion anchored in the end of the trace by a truncated portion of the trace upstanding from the face of the pad. A denuded tip portion of the elastomer extends from the base portion for resiliently engaging a contact site on an electrical device to which the pad is coupled. A unique process for making the aforesaid pad is disclosed and claimed.

Method of making contact pad having metallically anchored elastomeric

A variable rate pressure sensitive electrical device or switch. The switch includes a first substrate and a plurality of electrical circuit traces thereon. A first electrical trace is provided having a first set of raised contact features or bumps projecting from a prevalent planar portion of first electrical trace. At least a second electrical trace is provided having a second set of raised contact features or bumps extending above a planar portion of second electrical trace. The first and second electrical traces and associated raised contact features are constructed and arranged so that the height of the first set of raised contact features is greater than the height of the second set of raised contact features. A second substrate is provided with an electrically conductive element. At least one of the first and second substrates is deflectable and at least one of the first and second substrates is moveable with respect to the other so that the second substrate can make contact with the first set of raised contact features in a first position, and in a second position the second substrate can make contact with both sets of raised features to provide an electrical path across the first and second electrical traces.

Switch having raised contact features and a deflectable substrate

The present invention includes an integral copper column with a solder bump flip chip. An integrated circuit chip is provided having an electrical circuit and including at least two contact pads. A thin layer of barrier metallization is provided over the contact pads. A support substrate is provided having a circuit layer with raised features that include copper traces. A solder bump connects the contact pad on the integrated circuit chip and the raised features of the flex circuit to provide an integral copper column with a solder bump flip chip.

Integral copper column with solder bump flip chip

Contact pad having metallically anchored elastomeric electrical contacts

The invention includes a puncture-resistant electrostatic chuck with a flat surface and a method of making the same. The electrostatic chuck includes a conductive layer such as copper foil that is laminated to a first insulation layer such as a polyimide. A puncture-resistant layer is placed over the conductive layer and includes random or woven fibers held together by a resin. The puncture-resistant layer has an uneven topography on a top surface due to the fibers contained therein. A second insulation layer overlies the puncture-resistant layer and has a top surface which is substantially flat. The flat top surface of the second insulation layer is made by laminating layers together with a mandrel which is polished and free of irregularities such as pits, dents and high spots. Preferably the mandrel has a uniform thickness over its entire surface.

Puncture-resistant electrostatic chuck with flat surface and method of

A substrate has a plurality of circuit traces having ends which terminate in raised contacts and an integrated circuit (IC) chip has a plurality of circuit traces terminating in contact ends which engage the raised contacts when the IC chip is positioned onto the substrate. The substrate also has a plurality of raised features thereon which are higher than and spaced from the raised contacts. The raised features have tapered side surfaces for engaging vertically extending surfaces on the IC chip to guide the IC chip into place of the substrate and so that its contact ends are aligned with and engage the raised contacts.

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Santa Ana, CA, United States of America

Bao Le