John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.

Tamer International, Ltd.

John Fluke Co., Inc.

I Macit Gurol

Roy W Chapel, Jr

Gary M Bang

Apparatus for agglomerating and drying particulate material, including an agglomerator (4) for forming and discharging wet granules of a predetermined size or smaller, and a dryer (12). The agglomerator utilizes a rotary blade assembly (100) that repeatedly impacts and cuts the wet mixture of material to be agglomerated, which is forced radially outward through the blade assembly under centrifugal and air pressure force. Wet granules pass through an annular screen (104) where they reach a predetermined maximum size. The dryer has an inlet (50) for wet granules from the agglomerator, an outlet (78) for granules having passed through the dryer, and one or more baffles (64) within the dryer defining a spiral path through which the granules pass from the dryer inlet towards the dryer outlet. The baffles are configured such that their pitch increases with distance from the dryer inlet, whereby the cross-sectional area of the spiral path increases toward the dryer outlet.

Agglomerating and drying apparatus

A cermic substrate supports a thin or thick film electronic circuit hermetically enclosed by a vitreous glass covering sealed to the ceramic substrate by a heat fused vitreous sealing glass. The vitreous sealing glass is screened onto the vitreous glass covering in a composition comprising a binder material and a liquifier. The electronic circuit is trimmed by a laser beam directed through the vitreous glass covering as one of the final process steps after completion of those process steps which tend to affect the resistivity of the resistive element; process steps such as high temperature baking and soldering of component parts.

Method of making a hermetically sealed electronic component

A ceramic substrate supports a thin or thick film electronic circuit hermetically enclosed by a vitreous glass covering sealed to the ceramic substrate by a heat fused vitreous sealing glass. The vitreous sealing glass is screened onto the vitreous glass covering in a composition comprising a binder material and a liquifier. The electronic circuit is trimmed by a laser beam directed through the vitreous glass covering as one of the final process steps after completion of those process steps which tend to affect the resistivity of the resistive element; process steps such as high temperature baking and soldering of component parts.

Hermetically sealed electronic component

A transparent switch array is disclosed that includes a relatively flexible or pliant sheet having a number of vertically-extending conductive column elements mounted in spaced apart parallel relationship with a relatively rigid backplate that includes a number of horizontally extending conductive row elements so that the intersecting row and column elements, in effect, form a matrix of rectangular touch-pressure activated switches. A relatively thin, flat electrical cable that is interposed between two edge regions of the backplate and the flexible sheet provides a portion of the peripheral backplate-flexible sheet spacing, with thin adhesive strips establishing the interelement spacing along the other two border regions. An array of small transparent elastomeric dots or beads that are deposited on one surface of the pliant sheet in effect outline the individual switch elements and maintain the pliant sheet in noncontacting, closely spaced orientation with the backplate. Compressive U-shaped spring clips, spaced along the periphery of the switch array, maintain the components in proper position and ensure good electrical contact between the conductive row and column elements and solderless connections between the electrical cable and the conductive elements of the backplate and the flexible sheet.

Touch sensitive transparent switch array

A process for producing thermally isolated semiconductor die and die produced by the process, plus improved apparatus using the die are disclosed. The process generally comprises the steps of: forming a desired semiconductor component or circuit in a semiconductor wafer (preferably a silicon wafer of &lt;100&gt; crystal orientation) having a protective layer (SiO.sub.2) on one surface; forming platinum silicide contact windows in said protective layer where external connections to the semiconductor component or circuit is necessary; forming support leads of a layer of adhesive material (which also may have resistive properties, such as Nichrome) and a layer of a structurally strong metal of high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity (preferably 304 stainless steel) along predetermined paths extending outwardly toward the edge of the die from said contact windows; simultaneously with the forming of the adhesive layer of said support leads, forming one or more thin film resistors in predetermined regions of said die atop said SiO.sub.2 protective layer, if desired; removing said SiO.sub.2 protective layer from a region defined by said support leads, an island or islands in which said semiconductor component or circuit and said resistors are formed and a surrounding frame; and, removing said silicon from the region between said island or islands and said frame. The resulting semiconductor die comprises a frame surrounding one or more islands in which semiconductor components or circuits are formed, and which support resistors, if included. The islands are entirely supported by the support leads extending between the frame and the islands. In addition to providing support, the support leads also provide for electrical connection to the semiconductor components or circuits and to the resistors. The semiconductor die may be mounted in a package that also forms part of the invention. The package includes a ceramic substrate having an aperture in its center and alignment mesas and ridges on one surface. The ceramic substrate is formed so as to be mounted on the metal header of a conventional semiconductor canister housing. Depending upon their specific nature the resulting die are useful in and/or improve a variety of electrical apparatus. They are particularly useful as the dual RMS sensor element of an RMS converter. They can also be formed so as to be useful as radiation sensors. Or, they can be formed so as to provide a thermal platform whose temperature is controlled and stabilized at a predetermined value. All of these dies and the improved circuits resulting from their use also form part of the invention.

Thermally isolated monolithic semiconductor die

A process for producing thermally isolated monolithic semiconductor die and die produced by the process, plus improved apparatus using the die are disclosed. The process generally comprises the steps of: forming a desired semiconductor component or circuit in a semiconductor wafer (preferably a silicon wafer of &lt;100&gt; crystal orientation) having a protective layer (SiO.sub.2) on one surface; forming platinum silicide contact windows in said protective layer where external connections to the semiconductor component or circuit is necessary; forming support leads of a layer of adhesive material (which also may have resistive properties, such as Nichrome) and a layer of a structurally strong metal of high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity (preferably 304 stainless steel) along predetermined paths extending outwardly toward the edge of the die from said contact windows; simultaneously with the forming of the adhesive layer of said support leads, forming one or more thin film resistors in predetermined regions of said die atop said SiO.sub.2 protective layer, if desired; removing said SiO.sub.2 protective layer from a region defined by said support leads, an island or islands in which said semiconductor component or circuit and said resistors are formed and a surrounding frame; and, removing said silicon from the region between said island or islands and said frame. The resulting semiconductor die comprises a frame surrounding one or more islands in which semiconductor components or circuits are formed, and which support resistors, if included. The islands are entirely supported by the support leads extending between the frame and the islands. In addition to providing support, the support leads also provide for electrical connection to the semiconductor components or circuits and to the resistors. The semiconductor die may be mounted in a package that also forms part of the invention. The package includes a ceramic substrate having an aperture in its center and alignment mesas and ridges on one surface. The ceramic substrate is formed so as to be mounted on the metal header of a conventional semiconductor canister housing. Depending upon their specific nature the resulting die are useful in and/or improve a variety of electrical apparatus. They are particularly useful as the dual RMS sensor element of an RMS converter. They can also be formed so as to be useful as radiation sensors. Or, they can be formed so as to provide a thermal platform whose temperature is controlled and stabilized at a predetermined value. All of these dies and the improved circuits resulting from their use also form part of the invention.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

I Macit Gurol