Rkd Engineering Corporation

Nisene Technology Group

Credence Technologies, Inc.

3m Innovative Properties Company

B&g International, Inc.

Kat Electronics, Inc.

Kirk Alan Martin

Vladimir Kraz

Richard A Kanishak

Fatjon Gurga

Yelena Kraz

Elis Pogace

Thomas A Brown

A system for decapsulating a portion of an encapsulated integrated circuit that includes copper elements has a container holding an etchant solution, a pump having an inlet port connected to the container holding an etchant solution, and an outlet port, a heat exchanger having an inlet port connected to the pump outlet port, and an outlet port from the heat exchanger, and control circuitry controlling temperature of the etchant to be at or below ambient temperature by controlling temperature of the heat exchanger.

Apparatus and method for decapsulating packaged integrated circuits

An inhibitor solution injector system for an IC decapsulation apparatus has a source reservoir of inhibitor solution, a fluid injection apparatus connected to the source reservoir by a fluid passage, an injection coupling having a first input passage for inhibitor solution, and a through passage for etchant solution, the input passage intersecting with the through passage, and control circuitry controlling the controlled fluid injection apparatus. The fluid injection apparatus is controlled to draw inhibitor solution from the source reservoir, and to inject inhibitor solution through the input passage into the through passage of the injection coupling.

Corrosion inhibitor injection apparatus

A decapsulation apparatus has an etch plate, an off-center etch head having an opening, a cover sealing to the etch plate forming an etching chamber, a gasket surrounding the opening, a ram sealed through the cover, a pressure-controlled source of Nitrogen or inert gas continuously purging the etching chamber at a low gas pressure, a f toggle mechanism mounted to a metal plate t, an etchant supply subsystem comprising sources of etchant solutions, an etchant solution pump, supply passages and controls to select etchants and etchant ratios, and a heat exchanger heating or cooling the etchant solution, etchant waste passages f conducting used etchant away. Etchants are mixed in the passages to the reaction region, and turbulence in the reaction region is promoted by impinging etchant solution on the encapsulated device.

Decapsulation system

A system for decapsulating a portion of an encapsulated integrated circuit that includes copper elements has one or more containers holding specific etchant solutions, a pump having an inlet port connected to the one or more containers holding specific etchant solutions, and an outlet port, a temperature-controlled metal block having a fluid inlet connected to the pump outlet port, and an outlet port from the block, and control circuitry enabling control of temperature of the metal block and operation of the pump, and flow and temperature sensors coupled to the control circuitry. Etchant temperature at the outlet of the metal block is controlled to be at or below ambient temperature by controlling the pump and temperature of the metal block, and etchant mixture is delivered via a delivery conduit to an encapsulation surface of an encapsulated integrated circuit, decapsulating a portion of encapsulated circuit, minimizing damage to the copper elements.

A method and system for decapsulating a portion of an encapsulated integrated circuit delivers etchant mixture in variable but precise, high-velocity micro-metered pulses to a single outlet port of a pump from any one of or a combination of separate inlet ports connected to separate etchant source containers holding specific etchant solutions, controls temperature of the etchant mixture by passing the etchant mixture from the outlet port through a serpentine passage in a temperature-controlled metal block, and delivers the etchant mixture from the serpentine passage of the temperature-controlled block via a delivery conduit to an encapsulation surface of the encapsulated integrated circuit.

The invention is a grounding device that grounds the wearer when the wearer is in a designated area and automatically disengages when the wearer leaves the designated area. The device may include a magnetic wriststrap connector that disengagably connects to a wriststrap terminal (or a wriststrap monitor when the terminal is integrated into the monitor). The wriststrap connector may provide an indication to the monitor of the proper mating of the connector and the terminal.

Self-disengaging wearable grounding device

A device and method for ionization control is provided. The device and method controls the ionization balance using a sensor element, a control circuit that produces output signal as a function of an input signal from the sensor and transmits that output signal to the ionizer being controlled. The device also has a mechanism for detecting rapid changes in the input signal and a mechanism for disabling changes in the control signal for the duration of presence of said rapidly-changing signal.

Method and device for controlling ionization

The invention is a grounding device that grounds the wearer when the wearer is in a designated area and automatically disengages when the wearer leaves the designated area. In more detail, the grounding device includes a wristband that is electrically coupled to a grounded object with a fastening mechanism, wherein the fastening mechanism automatically releases to separate the wristband from the grounded object if the wristband is outside of the designated area. Where the fastening mechanism includes a coupling mechanism (e.g., a wire), there may be a rotating device that retracts the coupling mechanism after the fastening mechanism is released. The device may be enhanced with a grounding device monitoring unit that monitors whether the grounding device is in use and a sensor that detects whether the operator is in the designated area, so that an alarm is triggered if the operator is in the designated area and the grounding device is not in use.

A system and method for measuring process parameters in a process machine is described. The system is synchronized to the operation of the process machine so that spurious process parameters events are filtered out.

Process parameter event monitoring system and method for process

A method and apparatus for monitoring grounding of personnel and equipment in electrostatic discharge (ESD) sensitive areas. The device generates a low voltage alternating current control signal () which is applied to personnel () and equipment () being monitored. The device further includes signal conditioning () and detection means () to distinguish static charges from the control signal and transmit an alarm () upon detection of such static charge. The method encompasses the use of an alternating current control signal to detect static charge.

Device and method of monitoring grounding of personnel and equipment in ESD-sensitive areas

A method and apparatus for etching a semiconductor die are disclosed whereby flowing an etchant material across an inactive thereof thins the semiconductor die. In one embodiment, the etchant includes a mixture of nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid, and acetic acid and turbulently flows from one edge of the semiconductor die, across the inactive surface of the semiconductor die, to an opposing edge of the semiconductor die.

Method and apparatus for etching a semiconductor die

The present invention is directed to a multiport metering pump that can completely deliver a very small volume of liquid. The multiport metering pump includes a number of ports (or valve units), each of which can be used as either an outlet valve or an inlet valve. The multiport metering pump includes: a central gallery; a displacement unit; multiple valve units; and multiple conduits that respectively connect the displacement unit and the valve units to the central gallery. The displacement unit and the valve units communicate with the central gallery, and any of the valve units can be used as an inlet valve or outlet valve for the liquid delivery.

Multiport metering pump

A vapor generation system includes a supply of liquid; an inert gas stream; an aspirator for aspirating the liquid into the gas stream; a heater for heating the gas stream upstream from the aspirator to a temperature such that aspirated liquid is vaporized in the aspirator to form an inert gas and liquid vaporous mixture; and a mixture outlet for flowing the vaporous mixture against a surface of a workpiece. In a particular application a nitrogen gas stream is heated in a heat exchanger and flows through an aspirator/evaporator to vaporize pumped pulses of hydrofluoric acid in the heated flow stream. The resultant vaporous mixture forms a suitable vaporous etchant for removing silicon dioxide contaminates from a conveyor belt which is employed to convey semiconductor wafers through a chemical vapor deposition processing chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Aptos, CA, United States of America

Kirk Alan Martin