International Business Machines Corporation

Lannie R Bolde

Peter Alfred Gruber

James H Covell

David Charles Olson

Chon Cheong Lei

Michael T Peets

William Louis Brodsky

Hilton T Toy

David L Edwards

Lewis Sigmund Goldmann

Mark William Kapfhammer

David Hirsch Danovitch

Ryan Elsasser

Gregory M Johnson

Guy Paul Brouillette

Jac Anders Burke

Donn Allan Lord

Peter H Berasi

Howard D Hutchinson

Juan C Jeri

Christopher Wayne Whittaker

James H Covell Ii

James Hennekens

John S Groman

Kevin C Gallagher

Peter M Gruber

A cable assembly is used to connect elements of a computing system. The cable assembly may include a first cable and a connector. The first cable includes an external portion having a first conductor, an electromagnetic (EMC) shielding jacket for the first conductor and a connector disposed at an end of the first conductor. Further, the first cable includes an internal portion comprising a second conductor and a connector disposed on an end of the second conductor. However, the internal portion lacks an EMC shielding jacket for the second conductor. The external portion of the first cable and the internal portion of the first cable form a continuous cable. The connector device comprises a shield area configured to electrically couple with a chassis of a node of a computer system and a retainer configured to physically couple the cable assembly with the chassis. The connector is configured to electrically couple the external portion of the first cable with the chassis, and wherein the external portion of the first cable meets the internal portion of the first cable at the connector device.

Hybrid cable assembly

A cassette for insertion and removal of an edge-connected printed circuit card connectable to a server chassis is disclosed. The cassette includes a housing comprising a bottom wall having at least one elongated slot and a catch formed thereon. The cassette further includes a connector sub-assembly overlying the bottom wall having an edge connector socket formed thereon and configured to receive the edge-connected printed circuit card. The cassette further includes a guide sub-assembly underlying the bottom wall having a spring latch formed thereon. The spring latch is operable in a first state to engage the catch to prevent movement of the connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly relative to the housing. The spring latch is operable in a second state to clear the catch to permit the connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly to slide in unison in the at least one elongated slot.

Printed circuit card assembly connectable to a server chassis

Hybrid cable assembly having shielded and unshielded portions

A lift mechanism is provided. The lift mechanism includes a frame having a base, a spine extending from the base and a table, adjustment units configured to permit table adjustments, an attachment mechanism by which the table is attachable to a rack frame and a driving unit configured to drive a load relative to the rack frame.

Lift mechanism

A method and structure is disclosed for detaching a chip from a substrate that delays the delivery of shear force to the chip until the connectors attaching the chip to the substrate are soft enough that the delivery of shear force will not damage the chip's connectors. More particularly, the shear force is created by a bimetallic disk that, when heat is applied, is transformed into shearing force. The shearing force is delayed by a delaying device until the connectors connecting the chip to the substrate are soft enough that the application of shear force will separate the chip from the substrate without damaging the chip's connectors. The delaying device includes a physical gap that may be adjusted to control when the shear force is applied to the chip.

Method and apparatus for removing known good die

A solder feeding device having a reservoir, a drive unit, a first lead, and a second lead is provided. The reservoir melts solid solder wire into molten solder, while the drive unit selectively feeds the solid solder wire into the reservoir. The first and second leads are in electrical communication with the drive unit. The first lead is positioned in the reservoir so that it electrically communicates with the second lead through the molten solder when the molten solder reaches a triggering level, but so that it does not electrically communicate with the second lead when the level is below the triggering level. The drive unit feeds the solid solder wire into the reservoir based upon a state of electrical communication between the first and second leads.

Feed devices and methods for injection molded solder systems

A method and apparatus for separating a semiconductor device from a substrate in a fixture with a shearing element, wherein the semiconductor device is attached to the substrate by solder connections to form an assembly, includes using the shearing element to apply a loading force to the semiconductor device. The assembly of the substrate and the semiconductor device are loaded into the fixture with the shearing element proximate the semiconductor device, and heating the solder connections of the assembly in the fixture are heated proximate the substrate to a predetermined temperature by applying a heat source to a surface of the substrate distal from the semiconductor device.

Die removal method and apparatus

An apparatus for removing attached die having a pivoting means, having a pivot point and first and second sides, the pivot point having a corresponding first y coordinate, the first and second sides positioned opposite to one another, said pivoting means capable of attaching to a die carrier. The apparatus also having a shaft attached to the first side of the pivoting means. The apparatus further having a counterweight attached to the second side of the pivoting means. The apparatus lastly having a clamping means capable of attaching to at least one die, the die having a corresponding second y coordinate, wherein the first y coordinate is greater than the second y coordinate.

Apparatus for removing attached die

A system for burn-in testing of integrated circuits employs a cooling module with an aperture that accommodates a standard size holder for various chips, the holder being placed in the mouth of the aperture, in contact with a flexible seal. When the module is raised to make contact from below with a socket on a test board, the seal confines the cooling fluid and contacts on the upper surface of the holder are pressed against a set of corresponding contacts on the test board.

Method and device for cooling/heating die during burn in

A method and apparatus for separating a chip from substrate where the chip is attached to the substrate by solder connections to form an assembly involve applying a loading force to drive a coil spring biased shearing element comprising a slide block with carrying a shearing blade into a loading position. Load the assembly of the substrate and the chip into a fixture with a window therethrough for the chip with the shearing blade in contact with the chip. Remove the loading force to arm the shearing blade to apply a shearing force from the shearing blade to the chip. Heat the solder connections of the assembly in the fixture to a predetermined temperature, preferably below the melting temperature of the solder at which shearing of the solder connections occurs. The shearing blade comprises a slidable plastic blade backed up by a metal blade. The shearing blades are affixed to a the slide block that is connected by a linkage to a coil spring which applies the biasing force thereto and which provides a nest for catching a chip which has been sheared away from a substrate.

Known good die removal method and apparatus

A method and apparatus for loading solder balls into a mold. Solder balls are loaded into a reservoir having multiple exit ports. A removable mold is fitted into the apparatus and the reservoir is passed across the top of the mold while solder balls are fed into cavities in the mold. After the reservoir has advanced across the mold and the mold cavities are filled with solder balls, the reservoir is reset as a roller is simultaneously guided across the mold to seat the solder balls firmly within the mold. Alternatively, the roller may be applied to the solder balls while the reservoir advances across the mold, or both as the the reservoir is advanced and when it is returned to its original position.

Method for loading solder balls into a mold

Preferred embodiments for methods of removing an integrated circuit (&ldquo;IC&rdquo;) from a substrate, where the IC is attached to the substrate by multiple solder connections are disclosed. One preferred embodiment of the inventive methods provides the steps of heating the IC and substrate to the reflow temperature for the solder connections and pulling the IC from the substrate by means of a vacuum force. Another preferred embodiment of the inventive method provides the step of shearing the IC from the substrate after the substrate and IC are heated, but before solder reflow temperature has been reached, and where the shearing force may be programmed through a computer controlled servomotor. Preferred embodiments of certain apparatus applying the inventive methods for removing an integrated circuit from a substrate are also disclosed. One preferred embodiment of the inventive apparatus includes a vented pallet to hold the substrate and IC and through which the vacuum force is applied to pull the IC from the substrate without the use of physical clamping or contact forces applied to the substrate or IC. In a further preferred embodiment of the inventive apparatus, shear elements are provided and used with a programmable servomotor for precisely controlling the forces applied to the substrate and IC as a function of time, temperature and translational distance.

A method for joining a multiplicity of multi-alloy solder columns to an electronic substrate and the structure formed by such method are disclosed. In the method, a mold plate equipped with a multiplicity of cavities is first filled by an injection molded solder technique with a high temperature solder forming a multiplicity of solder columns. The mold plate is then sandwiched between an extraction plate and a transfer plate by utilizing a multiplicity of displacement means equipped in the extraction plate to displace the multiplicity of solder columns from the mold plate into a multiplicity of apertures equipped in the transfer plate. The multiplicity of cavities in the transfer plate each has a straight opening and a flared opening. The flared opening is then filled with a low temperature solder paste to encapsulate one end of the high temperature solder column. The low temperature solder paste is then reflown on top of a conductive pad on an electronic substrate at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the high temperature solder to form a bond between the solder column and the conductive pad.

Growing community of inventors

New Paltz, NY, United States of America

Lannie R Bolde