Trw Limited

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Kenneth Lui

James C Lau

Richard P Malmgren

Ronald A DePace

Roy M Acker

James A Hathaway

Hans G Mesch

Maurice Lowery

Charles E Gibson

Albert F Wollner

An electrical testing device is provided for testing integrated circuits located on a wafer. The testing device employs a multi-layer test circuit having a plurality of contacts for contacting the integrated circuits on a wafer. The layers of the test circuit are embedded in a flexible transparent dielectric material which allows vertical flexing of the contacts and visual transparency through the circuit. Alignment markers are provided on the circuit and wafer and one or more viewing tubes may be used to allow a user to view the alignment markers so as to bring the circuit into proper alignment with the wafer. A microscope may further be employed with each viewing tube to provide accurate alignment examination. A stretching fixture is mounted on the circuit which enables a user to stretch the circuit to achieve a larger size when necessary.

Testing device for integrated circuits on wafer

An apparatus for mounting a waveguide window or conduction member into a housing such that a smooth gradient of the coefficient of thermal expansion exists between the housing and the window or conduction member, thereby reducing the internal stress which results from ambient temperature variations. The apparatus comprises a frame member for mounting a feedthrough member into a housing. The frame member includes a buffer section having a plurality of sections, each section having a material which progressively varies the coefficient of thermal expansion. The frame member further includes additional stress relief features and structural elements facilitating manufacture and assembly of the apparatus.

Low stress waveguide window/feedthrough assembly

An integrated waveguide/stripline signal transition structure and method for fabricating the same are provided for allowing high frequency signal transitions. The signal transition structure includes a waveguide which has a conductive cavity for guiding electromagnetic waves therethrough. A first conductive circuit layer is fabricated within the conductive cavity and is electrically connected thereto. A second conductive signal layer is fabricated within the conductive cavity and is isolated from the conductive cavity and the first conductive signal layer. A plurality of dielectric layers are provided which suspend the first and second conductive signal layers within the conductive cavity. The second conductive signal layer and the conductive cavity thereby allow for signal transitions therebetween. The first and second conductive signal layers and dielectric material are integrally fabricated on top of a removable material which is subsequently removed. In an alternate embodiment, a single dielectric layer is provided for suspending the first and second conductive signal layers. In addition, an array of signal transition structures may be integrally fabricated within a housing structure.

Integrated waveguide/stripline transition

This invention discloses a method of fabricating a plurality of diamond semiconductor wafers from a single crystal diamond semiconductor boule, where the diamond boule is grown by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Initially, a single crystal diamond seed is polished and an impurity layer is deposited on the polished seed crystal. The CVD growth process is then initiated to deposit a layer of single crystal diamond over the impurity layer to form the diamond boule. At desirable intervals, the CVD growth process is stopped and a surface of the diamond boule is polished in order to accept another impurity layer. Each impurity layer is photolithographically patterned in order to generate an alternating configuration of impurity regions and hole regions. The impurity regions and the hole regions enable the bond between the diamond layers to be weakened without causing the crystalline orientation to deviate. Once the diamond semiconductor boule is developed by this process, it can be easily sliced by a laser slicing process into a plurality of diamond semiconductor wafers along the impurity layers.

Single crystal diamond wafer fabrication

A method for trimming thin film resistors. A focused inert ion beam is employed to selectively remove portions of a resistive film deposited on a substrate.

Focused ion beam for thin film resistor trim on aluminum nitride

An integrated and automated multistation machine is provided for placement and attachment of electrically conductive interconnectors onto solar cells and the like. The machine comprises a rotatable turntable for supporting a plurality of solar cells in respective association with a corresponding plurality of operating stations and then for indexing the solar cells to the next operating stations in sequence. More particularly, the machine includes a cell loading station for transfer of a solar cell from a loading magazine and for precision placement onto one of a plurality of cell-supporting fixtures carried by the turntable. The turntable indexes the solar cells one at a time on the fixtures from the cell loading station first to a flux station whereat a liquid flux material is applied to predetermined points on the cell. The flux-bearing cell is then indexed in sequence to an interconnector dispensing station which places an interconnector at a predetermined point on the solar cell and then to an attachment station which secures the interconnector to the cell as by soldering. Additional pairs of interconnector dispensing and attachment stations may be provided for placing and attaching additional interconnectors onto the cell. The resultant cell/interconnector subassembly is then indexed to an inspection station and finally to a cell unloading station whereat the subassembly is transferred from the cell-supporting fixture and placed into an unloading magazine for removal from the machine.

Interconnector attachment machine

There is disclosed an optical mirror consisting essentially of an electrodeposited nickel-iron face sheet having a relatively low temperature coefficient of expansion on a lightweight graphite backup substrate having approximately the same temperature coefficient of expansion as the electrodeposited nickel-iron face sheet.

Optical reflector having a nickel-iron alloy reflecting surface

There is disclosed a method of electrodepositing, on a substrate, a substantially homogeneous admixture (alloy) of nickel and iron containing substantially no iron oxides and having a low temperature expansion coefficient. The method includes the steps of forming an aqueous electrolyte solution of nickel chloride and ferrous sulfate containing ferrous ions and nickel ions present in predetermined concentrations which will yield a nickel iron alloy with predetermined proportions of nickel and iron and having a low temperature expansion coefficient, and electrodepositing the nickel and iron from the solution onto a substrate using a nickel iron anode whose proportions of nickel and iron equal or substantially equal those of the alloy to be deposited, whereby the anode is electrochemically corroded by the solution at substantially 100% efficiency to continuously and uniformly maintain the proper nickel and iron proportions in the solution during the entire electrodeposition process. When electrodepositing the iron and nickel on the substrate it is important that free oxygen be excluded from the electrolyte solution. In addition, there is disclosed an optical mirror consisting essentially of an electrodeposited nickel-iron face sheet having a relatively low temperature coefficient of expansion on a lightweight graphite backup substrate having approximately the same temperature coefficient of expansion as the electrodeposited nickel-iron face sheet.

Electrodeposition of nickel-iron alloys having a low temperature

A leak-tight joint between a Kovar ceramic feed-through and an aluminum housing is obtained by electron beam welding a short length of the outside surface of the Kovar cylindrical shell of the feedthrough to a region of nickel deposited on a thin wall cylindrical tube of aluminum formed in the aluminum housing.

Growing community of inventors

Fountain Valley, CA, United States of America

Kenneth Lui