The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.

Axsun Technologies, Inc.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Energen, Inc.

Livia M Racz

Gary B Tepolt

Jeffrey C Thompson

Thomas A Langdo

Andrew J Mueller

Mona Masghati

Dale C Flanders

Robert L Payer

Scott Albert Uhland

Peter S Whitney

Melissa Alyson Smith

Mordechai Rothschild

Chandrashekhar H Joshi

Stanley R Shanfield

Sumanth Kaushik

Douglas W White

Seth M Davis

Dennis Burianek

A wafer-scale satellite bus and a manner of making the same include using wafer reconstruction techniques to stack functional diced circuits onto each other and bond them. The disclosed techniques allow for a variety of functions in each die, including providing, without limitation: ground-based communications, attitude and propulsion control, fuel tanks and thrusters, and power generation. The wafers are initially manufactured according to a common wafer design that provides electrical and power interconnects, then different wafers are further processed using subsystem-specific techniques. The circuits on differently-processed wafers are reconstructed into a single stack using e.g. wafer bonding. Surface components are mounted, and the circuitry is diced to form the final satellites. Mission-specific functions can be incorporated, illustratively by surface-mounting, to the bus at an appropriate stage of assembly, on-wafer circuitry or instrument packages for performing these functions.

Wafer-scale satellite with integrated propulsion and attitude control

Electronic modules are formed by encapsulating microelectronic dies within cavities in a substrate.

Electronic modules

Electronic modules and methods for forming the same

In accordance with a method for forming an interposer, a fill hole is formed in a first side of a substrate and a cavity is formed in a second side. The cavity is in fluidic communication with the fill hole. A plurality of posts is formed in the cavity, and an encapsulant is injected through the fill hole into the cavity to encapsulate the plurality of posts. In accordance with a method of thermal management, an electronic component and a heat sink are disposed on opposing sides of an interposer that includes a plurality of encapsulated posts.

Interposers, electronic modules, and methods for forming the same

Microelectronic dies are thinned according to a variety of approaches, which may include bonding the dies to a substrate under vacuum, disposing a film over the dies and the substrate, and/or changing a center of pressure during thinning.

Die thinning processes and structures

A method for forming a device, comprising providing a first substrate carrying a first set of components disposed in a first encapsulating layer over the first set of components, providing a second substrate carrying a second set of components disposed in a second encapsulating layer over the second set of components, bonding the first and second substrates and functionally interconnecting at least one of the predefined components in the first set of components with at least one of the components in the second set of components.

Systems and methods for high density multi-component modules

Magnetostrictive actuator. The actuator includes a flexible substrate and a magnetostrictive film on the substrate. The shape of the flexible substrate is altered in the presence of a magnetic field.

Magnetostrictive thin film actuator

An optical component adapted for attachment to an optical bench or submount has an alignment feature that is used in the positioning of the optical component relative to the optical bench. This alignment feature is formed in an exterior wall of the optical component. Further, according to the preferred embodiment, the alignment feature has a re-entrant sidewall . This last characteristic facilitates the identification of precise location of the alignment by a vision system, for example, thus, allowing the accurate placement and installation of the optical component on the optical bench

Reentrant alignment features for optical components

12 of 12 An optical component is adapted for pick-and-place-style installation on an optical submount or bench and compatible with a chuck of a bonder that picks-up the optical component, places it on the optical bench, and then typically solder bonds the optical component to the bench. In the current implementation, this optical component comprises an optical element, such as an optical fiber, lens, or MOEMS device, that is attached to a plastically deformable mounting structure. The optical component has a bench-attach surface that is used to bond the optical component to an optical bench. Further, the optical component has a bonder chuck engagement surface to which a bonder chuck attaches to manipulate the optical component, such as install it, on the optical bench.

Bonder chuck and optical component mounting structure interface

Mounting and alignment structures for optical components allow optical components to be connected to an optical bench and then subsequently aligned, i.e., either passively or actively, in a manufacturing or subsequent calibration or recalibration, alignment or realignment processes. The structures comprise quasi-extrusion portions. This portion is &ldquo;quasi-extrusion&rdquo; in the sense that it has a substantially constant cross section in a z-axis direction as would be yielded in an extrusion manufacturing process. The structures further comprise at least one base, having a laterally-extending base surface, and an optical component interface. At least one armature connects the optical component interface with the base. In the preferred embodiment, the base surface is securable to an optical bench.

Mounting and alignment structures for optical components

An optical component is adapted for pick-and-place-style installation on an optical submount or bench and compatible with a chuck of a bonder that picks-up the optical component, places it on the optical bench, and then typically solder bonds the optical component to the bench. In the current implementation, this optical component comprises an optical element, such as an optical fiber, lens, or MOEMS device, that is attached to a plastically deformable mounting structure. The optical component has a bench-attach surface that is used to bond the optical component to an optical bench. Further, the optical component has a bonder chuck engagement surface to which a bonder chuck attaches to manipulate the optical component, such as install it, on the optical bench.

Growing community of inventors

Belmont, MA, United States of America

Livia M Racz