Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Trw Limited

Elizabeth Twyford Kunkee

Mark Kintis

Eric L Upton

Dah-Weih Duan

David Lawrence Rollins

Lawrence J Lembo

Richard A Fields

Stephen R Perkins

Juan C Carillo, Jr

Bruce A Ferguson

Robert R Rice

Stephane Larouche

Charles M Jackson

Timothy A Vang

Martin E Roden

Chunbo Zhang

David C Scott

David V Forbes

Ming-Jong Shiau

Dino Ferizovic

James E Leight

Daniel R Scherrer

Wenshen Wang

Greta S Tsai

Laura M Woo

Mahmoud Fallahi

Peter Y M Livingston

Martn E Roden

Derek Evan Schulte

Steven R Holm

Peter Y Livingston

A microelectronics H-frame device includes: a stack of two or more substrates wherein the substrate stack comprises a top substrate and a bottom substrate, wherein bonding of the top substrate to the bottom substrate creates a vertical electrical connection between the top substrate and the bottom substrate, wherein the top surface of the top substrate comprises top substrate top metallization, wherein the bottom surface of the bottom substrate comprises bottom substrate bottom metallization; mid-substrate metallization located between the top substrate and the bottom substrate; a micro-machined top cover bonded to a top side of the substrate stack; and a micro-machined bottom cover bonded to a bottom side of the substrate stack.

Microelectronics H-frame device

An exemplary RF module includes a dielectric substrate with metal traces on one surface that connect high frequency components and provide reference ground. Other metal traces on the other surface of the substrate also provide high frequency transmission lines and reference ground. An enclosure made using semiconductor manufacturing technology is mounted to the substrate and has conductive interior recesses defined by extending walls that are connected to the reference ground. The recesses surround the respective components and provide electromagnetic shielding. The dimensional precision in the location and smoothness of the walls and recesses due to the semiconductor manufacturing technology provides repeatable unit-to-unit RF characteristics of the RF module. One way of mounting the enclosure to the substrate uses a plurality of metal bonding bumps extending outwardly from the walls to engage reference ground metal traces on the substrate. Applied pressure deforms the bonding bumps to form a metal-to-metal bond.

RF modules with an enclosure having a micromachined interior using semiconductor fabrication

A semiconductor technology implemented high-frequency channelized filter includes a dielectric substrate with metal traces disposed on one of two major surfaces of the substrate. An input and output port disposed on the substrate and one of the metal traces carrying a high-frequency signal to be filtered between the input and output port. Other of the metal traces are connected to the one metal trace at intervals along the length of the one metal trace each providing a reactance to the high-frequency signal where the reactance varies with frequency and additional traces of the metal traces serving as a reference ground for the one metal trace and the other metal traces. A silicon enclosure mounted to the substrate with a first planar surface with cavities in the enclosure that extend through the first surface, and internal walls within the silicon enclosure defining the cavities. A layer of conductive metal covers the first planar surface, cavities and the internal walls. The silicon enclosure having substantially continuous areas of metal on the first planar surface about the periphery of the silicon enclosure that engage corresponding areas of the additional traces about the periphery of the substrate. The cavities surround the respective other metal traces with the internal cavity walls engaging the additional traces adjacent the respective other metal traces to individually surround each of the other metal traces with a conductive metal thereby providing electromagnetic field isolation between each of the other metal traces.

Channelized filter using semiconductor fabrication

A microelectronics H-frame device comprising an RF crossover includes: a stack of two or more substrates, wherein a bottom surface of a top substrate comprises top substrate bottom metallization, and wherein a top surface of a bottom substrate comprises bottom substrate top metallization, wherein the top substrate bottom metallization and the bottom substrate top metallization form a ground plane that provides isolation to allow a first signal line to traverse one or more of the top substrate and the bottom substrate without being disturbed by a second signal line traversing one or more of the top substrate and the bottom substrate at a non-zero angle relative to the first signal line, at least one of the first signal line and the second signal line passing to a second level with the protection of the ground plane, thereby providing isolation from the other signal line.

Radio frequency crossover with high isolation in microelectronics H-frame device

An exemplary semiconductor technology implemented microwave filter includes a dielectric substrate with metal traces on one surface that function as frequency selective circuits and reference ground. A top enclosure encloses the substrate have respective interior recesses with deposited continuous metal coatings. A plurality of metal bonding bumps or bonding wall extends outwardly from the projecting walls of the bottom and top enclosures. The bonding bumps on the top enclosure engage reference ground metal traces on respective surface of the substrate. As a result of applied pressure, the bonding bumps and respective reference ground metal traces together with the through-substrate vias form a metal-to-metal singly-connected ground reference structure for the entire circuitry.

RF circuit and enclosure having a micromachined interior using semiconductor fabrication

An exemplary semiconductor technology implemented microwave filter includes a dielectric substrate with metal traces on one surface that function as frequency selective circuits and reference ground. Other metal traces on the other surface of the substrate also provide reference ground. Bottom and top enclosures that enclose the substrate have respective interior recesses with deposited continuous metal coatings. A plurality of metal bonding bumps or bonding wall extends outwardly from the projecting walls of the bottom and top enclosures. The bonding bumps on the bottom and top enclosures engage reference ground metal traces on respective surfaces of the substrate. As a result of applied pressure, the bonding bumps and respective reference ground metal traces together with the through-substrate vias form a metal-to-metal singly-connected ground reference structure for the entire circuitry.

Filter with an enclosure having a micromachined interior using semiconductor fabrication

An exemplary semiconductor technology implemented channelized filter includes a dielectric substrate with semiconductor fabricated metal traces on one surface, and input and output ports. A signal trace connected between the input and output port carries the signal to be filtered. Filter traces connect at intervals along the length of the signal trace to provide a reactance that varies with frequency. Ground traces provide a reference ground. A silicon enclosure with semiconductor fabricated cavities has a metal layer deposited over it. The periphery of the enclosure is dimensioned to engage corresponding ground traces about the periphery of the substrate. Walls of separate cavities enclose each of the filter traces to individually surround each thereby providing electromagnetic field isolation. Metal-to-metal conductive bonds are formed between cavity walls that engage the ground traces to establish a common reference ground. The filter traces preferably meander to minimize the footprint area of the substrate.

One embodiment is a wide stripe semiconductor waveguide, which is cleaved at a Talbot length thereof, the wide stripe semiconductor waveguide having facets with mirror coatings. A system provides for selective pumping the wide stripe semiconductor waveguide to create and support a Talbot mode. In embodiments according to the present method and apparatus the gain is patterned so that a single unique pattern actually has the highest gain and hence it is the distribution that oscillates.

Method for mode control in multimode semiconductor waveguide lasers

An exemplary miniature support has upper and lower spaced-apart engagement surfaces each having at least a portion that are parallel to each other. Two supports each with an end supporting the upper engagement surface and another end supporting the lower engagement surface. The two supports have a spring-like property so that the upper and lower engagement surfaces can repeatedly move between an uncompressed state when not engaged to provide an interconnection and a compressed state when engaged between two opposing boards to provide an interconnection between the boards. The connector is preferably made using 3-D printing and may be integrally made as part of a board also made using the same 3-D printing. The support may have upper and lower engagement surfaces and at least one of the at least two supports that are conductive to establish connectivity between the upper and lower engagement surfaces.

Resilient miniature mechanical support that can also serve as an electrical connector

A resilient electrical connector assembly includes a base PCB and stacked layers of interconnected resilient conductive structures where each structure has at least two resilient conductive strips and at least two conductive contacts. One contact is integrated with a conductive path on the base PCB and another contact pad is positioned to establish a conductive path with a target PCB when the latter is mounted parallel to the base PCB. The resilient conductive strips flex due to a compressive force exerted between the base PCB and target PCB on the stacked layers. The resilient conductive structures are formed by depositing metal to sequentially form each of the stacked layers with one contact being initially formed in engagement with the conductive path on the base PCB.

Resilient miniature integrated electrical connector

A system and method for vertically integrating heterogeneous devices into a 3D tile architecture are disclosed. The system uses high precision microelectronics fabrication techniques and known-good-die to achieve high yield to integrate devices to process radio frequency signals at microwave frequencies of approximately 300 MHz to 300 GHz and above. The inventive architecture is based on a high density of small diameter vias to manage the integrity of electrical interconnects and simplify electrical routing.

Growing community of inventors

Manhattan Beach, CA, United States of America

Elizabeth Twyford Kunkee