Martin Marietta Corporation

Lockheed Martin Corporation

John Walvoord

Rickey D Akins

James E Foreman

Linda Woody

An automated soldering technique and device are provided that are robust and reliable. A laser is used to heat metallic components to be soldered, and a wavelength of the laser is chosen based in light absorption characteristics of the metallic components. The laser wavelength can be, for example, about 825 nanometers. A soldering location at which the laser forms a beam spot is located at a predetermined distance away from a focus of the laser beam, so that the beam spot is defocused and has a uniform intensity across its area. The beam spot can be sized to simultaneously encompass a plurality of solder joint locations. The beam spot size and path across a plurality of solder joint locations are selected so that those portions of the solder joint locations which are touched by the beam have the same heat sinking properties. A camera is also provided coaxially with the laser beam, and a dichroic prism is positioned between the laser beam and the camera. The dichroic prism deflects laser light toward the soldering location, and passes visible light from the soldering location to the camera.

Laser soldering method

In a method for fabricating a printed circuit board on a doubly contoured or hemispherical substrate such as a radome, a coherent light source is used to form a plurality of elements of a predetermined pattern on the surface of the substrate. The substrate includes a bottom layer and a metallized layer. At least a first element of the pattern is formed by ablating the element into a resist coating or ablating the element into the metallized layer with the coherent light source. The coherent light source preferably includes an excimer laser. The substrate is then displaced relative to the coherent light source until all the elements of the predetermined pattern are formed over the entire surface of the substrate. When the pattern is ablated into the resist material, an etching technique is used to remove portions of the metallized layer from the substrate.

Ablative process for printed circuit board technology

In a method for fabricating a reusable conformal photomask for a doubly contoured hemispherical substrate such as a radome or a three-dimensional printed circuit board, a light blocking material is deposited on a shell or tool corresponding to the shape of the radome or printed circuit board. A pattern is then formed in the light blocking material, and portions of the light blocking material corresponding to the pattern are removed. The resulting pattern corresponds to the pattern to be formed on the three-dimensional printed circuit board or radome. A light transmissive layer is then deposited over the light blocking layer for support. The light blocking material and the light transmissive material comprise the reusable conformal photomask which is then removed from the shell. The reusable conformal photomask can be used to form an image of the desired pattern on the three-dimensional printed circuit board or radome.

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Orlando, FL, United States of America

John Walvoord