International Business Machines Corporation

Mark James Jeanson

Matthew Stephen Doyle

Gerald Keith Bartley

Darryl John Becker

Mark Owen Maxson

Matthew Stephen Kelly

Stephen Michael Hugo

Joseph Paul Kuczynski

Philip Raymond Germann

Dong Chen

Alan G Gara

Timothy Jerome Tofil

Mark Kenneth Hoffmeyer

Martin Ohmacht

Gerard Vincent Kopcsay

George Russell Zettles, Iv

Jeffrey N Judd

Jordan Ross Keuseman

Jonathan Michael Allen

Henry Michael Newshutz

Paul William Coteus

David Clifford Long

Eric J Campbell

John Richard Dangler

Philip Heidelberger

Todd Edward Takken

Don Alan Gilliland

Thomas M Gooding

Thomas Mario Cipolla

James A Busby

Matthias Augustin Blumrich

Phillip Duane Isaacs

Michael J Fisher

Christopher Michael Marroquin

Arthur J Higby

Rudolf Adriaan Haring

Christopher Lee Tuma

Edward N Cohen

Matthew Roger Ellavsky

Don Darrell Reed

Richard A Swetz

Thomas A Liebsch

Brandon Edward Schenck

Daniel J Littrell

Ross L Franke

Richard Holmquist

An apparatus for tin whisker isolation and detection includes a substrate having a plurality of pads for connecting to an electronic component placed on the substrate, and a shield placed on a surface of the substrate. The shield includes a plurality of cavities aligned over the plurality of pads. A plurality of sensing components each associated with one of the plurality of cavities are configured for sensing an electrically conductive growth from a corresponding pad of the plurality of pads. A plurality of circuit connections are each configured to connect one of the sensing components to detection circuitry. The detection circuitry is configured to receive one or more sensing signals from one or more of the sensing components and detect an electrically conductive growth from the corresponding pad based on the one or more sensing signals.

Apparatus and method for tin whisker isolation and detection

A method, printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), and device comprising a PCBA are disclosed. The method includes obtaining a material comprising silver halide grains, incorporating the material into a PCBA having at least one component in contact with the material, detecting a variation in electrical properties of the at least one component that is above a threshold variation and, in response, enacting a data protection response. The PCBA includes a material comprising silver halide grains, at least one component in contact with the material, and a monitoring component. The monitoring component is configured to detect a variation in electrical properties of the at least one component that is above a threshold variation and, in response, enact a data protection response.

X-ray sensitive materials for data protection

An inductor structure is provided that is positioned within a via of a printed circuit board. The inductor structure includes a via extending through a printed circuit board. The inductor structure includes at least one coil of an electrically conductive material beginning at a first opening to the via continuously present on a sidewall of the via encircling a center of the via extending to a second opening of the via opposite the first opening of the via. It further includes at least electrode present in contact with an end of the coil at said first or second opening.

Creating inductors, resistors, capacitors and other structures in printed circuit board vias with light pipe technology

Aspects of the invention include receiving a printed circuit board (PCB) having one or more of mounting pads thereon, determining a stencil for applying a solder paste to the one or more mounting pads, the stencil having a smallest aperture for a component requiring a standoff, determining a maximum threshold size for standoff particles based on the smallest aperture, determining a first concentration of the standoff particles based on the smallest aperture, determining a minimum threshold size for standoff particles to create the standoff for the component, determining a second concentration of the standoff particles to create a three-standoff seating plane for the component, introducing the standoff particles to the solder paste, the standoff particles in the solder paste having a concentration between the first concentration and the second concentration, and a size between the maximum threshold size and the minimum threshold size.

Creating a standoff for a low-profile component without adding a process step

A method of attaching an integrated circuit (IC) package to a printed circuit board (PCB) with a set of direct current (DC) blocking capacitors includes: applying a conductive attachment material to a first set of attachment pads located on a first planar surface of the IC package; aligning the set of DC blocking capacitors in accordance with corresponding positions of the first set of attachment pads; attaching the set of DC blocking capacitors to the IC package by: positioning the aligned set of DC blocking capacitors so that a first surface of a first DC blocking capacitor of the set of DC blocking capacitors is adjacent to a corresponding attachment pad of the first set of attachment pads; and connecting the conductive attachment material to the IC package and to the first surface of the first DC blocking capacitor to create an IC package assembly.

Direct current blocking capacitors and method of attaching an IC package to a PCB

An electrical apparatus that includes: an electronic substrate having a plurality of pads for connecting to an electronic component placed on the electronic substrate; a shield placed on a surface of the electronic substrate, the shield having a plurality of openings with the plurality of openings aligned over the plurality of pads and at least a portion of each of the plurality of openings being conductive; connection means to connect the conductive portions of each of the plurality of openings to a fault detect and error handling circuit; and the fault detect and error handling circuit to detect a short circuit between at least one of the conductive portions and the pad aligned with the opening containing the at least one of the conductive portions.

Electrical apparatus having tin whisker sensing and prevention

An electronic system can be used to monitor temperature. The electronic system can include a characterized dielectric located adjacent to a plurality of heat-producing electronic devices. The electronic system can also include a leakage measurement circuit that is electrically connected to the characterized dielectric. The leakage measurement circuit can be configured to measure current leakage through the characterized dielectric. The leakage measurement circuit can also be configured to convert a leakage current measurement into a corresponding output voltage. A response device, electrically connected to the leakage measurement circuit can be configured to, in response to the output voltage exceeding a voltage threshold corresponding to a known temperature, initiate a response action.

Leakage characterization for electronic circuit temperature monitoring

Disclosed aspects relate to connector structures and a card. A first connector structure is to join a first subset of a set of electrical connections. A second connector structure is to join a second subset of the set of electrical connections. The card manages the set of electrical connections and is located between the first and second connector structures to connect with the first and second connector structures.

Electrical connection management using a card

An interconnect device may include a first center conductor of a first material that has a first durometer. The first center conductor may be surrounded by a first inner dielectric ring, which may be surrounded by a conductive region of a second material having a second durometer. The second durometer may be different from the first durometer. The conductive region may have a first end that defines a first plane and a second end that defines a second plane. An outer dielectric ring may surround the conductive region. The first center conductor may have a first bulb and a second bulb, the first bulb may extend in a direction away from the second plane and beyond the first plane, and the second bulb may extend in a direction away from the first plane and beyond the second plane.

Chip interconnect devices

An optical electromagnetic radiation (EM) emitter and receiver are located upon a printed circuit board (PCB) glass security layer. A predetermined reference flux or interference pattern, respectively, is an expected flux or reflection pattern of EM emitted from the EM emitter, transmitted by the glass security layer, and received by the EM receiver. When the PCB is subject to an unauthorized access thereof the optical EM transmitted by glass security layer is altered. An optical monitoring device that monitors the flux or interference pattern of the optical EM received by the EM receiver detects a change in flux or interference pattern, in relation to the reference flux or reference interference pattern, respectively, and passes a tamper signal to one or more computer system devices to respond to the unauthorized access. For example, one or more cryptographic adapter card or computer system functions or secured crypto components may be disabled.

Secure crypto module including optical glass security layer

Disclosed is a device for detecting non-intrusive inspections. The device includes an electrical component with a first end cap and a second end cap. Additionally, the device includes an x-ray sensitive material electrically coupling the first end cap and the second end cap. The x-ray sensitive material has a first state having a first conductivity and a second state having a second conductivity. The sensing material is configured to transform from the first state to the second state when exposed to an initiating voltage.

X-ray sensitive device to detect an inspection

A direct current (DC) blocking capacitor can be used with an integrated circuit (IC) package. The DC blocking capacitor can include a first electrically conductive planar surface having a first area and a second electrically conductive planar surface having a second area greater than the first area. The second planar surface is in a parallel planar orientation to the first planar surface. The DC blocking capacitor can also include a first set of electrically conductive plates electrically connected to the first planar surface and a second set of electrically conductive plates electrically connected to the second planar surface. The second set of electrically conductive plates is interleaved with and electrically insulated from the first set of electrically conductive plates by a dielectric material.

Direct current blocking capacitors

Creating in-via routing with a light pipe is disclosed. A resist layer is applied over a layer of conductive material provided in a via. A light pipe is inserted into the via. The surface of the light pipe includes at least one masked portion and at least one unmasked portion. A portion of the resist layer is exposed with light emitted from the unmasked portions of the light pipe. Portions of the conductive layer corresponding to the exposed portion of the resist layer are then removed to create the in-via routing.

Creating in-via routing with a light pipe

A method for forming passive electrical devices that includes depositing a photo reactive layer over a sidewall of a via that extends through a printed circuit board; inserting a light pipe having a mask configured to provide a passive electronic device geometry within the via to an entire depth of the via; and exposing the photo reactive layer to radiation provided by the light pipe to provide a pattern having the passive electronic device geometry on the sidewall of the via.

Disclosed herein are solder mask formulations that include a liquid photo imagable solution and a solution of functionalized diamondoids. Also disclosed are semiconductor fabrication methods that include applying a described solder mask formulation to a semiconductor device.

Ruggedized solder mask material

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, MN, United States of America

Mark James Jeanson