Lucent Technologies Inc.

At+t Corp.

At&t Bell Laboratories

At&t Ipm Corp.

At&t Laboratories, Limited

Mark T McCormack

Sungho Jin

Ho S Chen

Thomas H Tiefel

Greg E Blonder

Ramamoorthy Ramesh

Gregory Peter Kochanski

Yiu-Huen Wong

Brijesh Vyas

Donald Winslow Murphy

Robert A Boie

Larry Allen Marcus

Apurba Roy

Henry M O'Bryan, Jr

James C Wadlington

Warren W Rhodes

John E Graebner

Chang-Beom Eom

Michael E Badding

Ashraf W Lotfi

In accordance with the invention, an electronic device having one or more contact pads is placed in contact with a carrier sheet bearing an array of transferable solder particles. Heat is applied to adhere the solder to the contact pads, and solder is selectively transferred onto the contact pads. In a preferred embodiment the solder-carrying medium comprises elastomeric material and the solder particles comprise solder-coated magnetic particles. Application of a magnetic field while the elastomer is curing produces a regular array of solder coated particles. Using this method, devices having smaller than conventional contact structures can be readily interconnected.

Method for interconnecting an electronic device using a transferable

The present invention provides a position-sensing system which employs sensors incorporating magnetoresistive materials. The position of a magnetic information input member is determined through the resistance change of the magnetoresistive sensor in response to the magnetic field from the magnetic information input member. Exemplary magnetoresistive materials are lanthanum manganites having high magnetoresistive ratios. Two-dimensional position sensing systems for graphics tablets are also described.

Position sensing systems including magnetoresistive elements

A high-strength Pb-free solder alloy, based on the Sn--Ag--Zn system, is disclosed. The Pb-free solder alloy contains, in weight percent, 0.2-0.6% Zn, 1-6% Ag, one or both 0.2-0.6% In and 0.2-0.6% Bi, and the balance Sn. The addition of Zn significantly improves the mechanical strength and creep resistance of e.g., Sn--3.5% Ag eutectic solder while maintaining substantially the same level of ductility. The increase in strength is as much as 48% over that of the Sn--3.5% Ag alloy. This strengthening from the Zn additions is attributed to a uniform solidification structure and a substantial refinement of the precipitates in the alloy. Essentially all of the added Zn resides in the more corrosion-resistant, Ag-based, intermetallic precipitates, leaving the Sn-rich matrix primarily free of Zn in solid solution.

Article comprising a Pb-free solder having improved mechanical properties

A novel and advantageous cathode structure for a field emission display apparatus is disclosed. A given pixel comprises a multiplicity of spaced apart emitter bodies on a support. A given emitter body comprises diamond and/or rare earth boride, and has a relatively sharp geometrical feature that facilitates electron emission from the emitter body. By way of example, the emitter body comprises diamond bodies grown on a support, or it comprises a pre-existing diamond particle that was placed on the support. Such emitter bodies generally can be provided easily and at low cost, and typically have naturally occurring sharp geometrical features such as points and edges. We have also discovered that appropriately grown rare earth boride films of thickness 30 nm or less may substantially improve electron emission from emitter bodies, and some preferred embodiments of the invention comprise a cathode structure that comprises a thin layer of, e.g., LaB.sub.6 on the emitter bodies. Methods of making cathodes according to the invention are also disclosed.

Display apparatus comprising diamond field emitters

According to the present invention, an article of manufacture is provided having at least one region which includes a lead-free solder composition. The lead-free solder composition comprises an alloy of at least 50 wt. % tin and 7-30 wt. % zinc. An effective amount of silver is added to increase the ductility of the resultant alloy at least 25% over the ductility of the binary eutectic tin-zinc alloy. In a further embodiment, the present invention provides alloys useful in articles comprising lead-free solder compositions. The alloys include at least (8.0+y) wt. % zinc, 0.25 y to 0.5 y wt. % silver and at least 50 wt. % tin where y is from 0.2 to 22.

Lead-free alloys for use in solder bonding

Electronic devices having at least two components with mating contact pads are provided with high-aspect-ratio solder joints between the mating pads. These joints ar formed by placing a composite solder medium containing solder wires in an electrically insulating matrix such that at least two solder wires are in contact with the mating pads, and fusing the wires to the pads. The insulating matrix with remainder of solder wires is then optionally removed from between the said at least two components. The composite solder medium is formed by preparing an elongated body of solder wires in an insulating matrix and cutting off slices of the composite solder medium, the solder wires having a high-aspect-ratio of length to their diameter. Alternatively sheets of the composite solder medium are prepared by magnetically aligning solder coated magnetic particles into columns arranged transverse of an insulating matrix and heating sufficiently to fuse the solder in each column into a continuously conducting solder path.

Solder medium for circuit interconnection

In accordance with the invention, an electronic device having one or more contact pads is adhered to an array of transferable solder particles on a removable carrier sheet. The carrier is removed, as by dissolving, leaving solder selectively adhered to the contact pads. In a preferred embodiment the solder-carrying medium is water soluble, and the solder particles comprise solder-coated magnetic particles. Application of a magnetic material while the medium is drying or curing, produces a regular array of solder-coated particles. Using this method, devices having smaller than conventional contact structures can be readily interconnected.

Method for interconnecting an electronic device using a removable solder

We have made the surprising discovery that small amounts of Ag below 1% by weight are effective in making Bi--Sn alloys less strain-rate sensitive without deleteriously affecting the melting character of the alloy. A Pb-free solder composition comprising at least 40% by weight Bi, between 40% and 60% Sn, and between 0.05 and 1% Ag is effective to increase the total elongation of the solder by at least 20% under the same processing conditions. Moreover the solder is free of undesirable Ag-containing phases with a melting point in excess of the 183.degree. C. melting point of the Pb--Sn binary eutectic alloy. In a preferred embodiment, the composition comprises 54.75% Bi, 45% Sn, and 0.25 % Ag.

Lead-free low melting solder with improved mechanical properties

Metals useful in the formation of hydrides for applications such as batteries are advantageously activated by hydriding/dehydriding process. This process involves repeatedly stepping the potential of metal/metal hydride electrodes in electrochemical cells. The process activates hydrogen-storing materials that are difficult to activate by conventional means.

Process for activation of metal hydrides

A magnetoresistance ratio of 200% (absolute value) or more at room temperature in a field of 6T can be achieved in a layer of material of nominal composition XMnO.sub.y (X is La and at least one of Ca, Sr and Ba, y in the range 2-3.5), if, after formation of the layer, the layer is heat treated in an oxygen-rich (O.sub.2 partial pressure greater than that of air) atmosphere, typically in flowing O.sub.2. The temperature and duration of the heat treatment are in the range 300.degree.-850.degree.C. and 10 minutes-12 hours, and are selected to result in the desired ratio of 200% or more.

Article comprising magnetoresistive material

Pb-free solder alloys based on the Sn-In-Zn system (exemplarily 86:5:9 weight %) are disclosed. Compositions can have a melting temperature in the range 183.degree. C..+-.10.degree. C. and thus can be readily substituted for conventional 40 Pb-60 Sn solder. The novel compositions also can possess superior mechanical properties, compared to the 40/60 Pb-Sn composition, and readily wets copper. Bi and/or Sb may be added to the Sn-In-Zn base to reduce the tendency for the formation of lower temperature phases.

Article comprising a PB-free solder having improved mechanical properties

Materials of composition La.sub.v X.sub.w M.sub.y Mn.sub.z O.sub.x, with x selected from Mg, Sc, Al, Zn, Cd, In and the rare earths that have an ionic radius smaller than that of La, with M selected from Ca, Sr, Ba and Pb, and with v, w, y, z and x in the ranges 0.45-0.85, 0.01-0.20, 0.20-0.45, 0.7-1.3 and 2.5-3.5, respectively, can have substantially improved magnetoresistance (MR) ratios, as compared to the corresponding X-free comparison material. In particular, the novel materials in polycrystalline (or non-epitaxial thin film) form can have relatively large MR ratios. For instance, polycrystalline La.sub.0.60 Y.sub.0.07 Ca.sub.0.33 MnO.sub.x had a peak MR ratio in excess of 10,000% (in absolute value) in a field of 6 T.

Magnetoresistive oxide material and articles comprising the material

In accordance with the present invention, a voltage proportional replication device comprises an input electromagnet responsive to an input voltage for producing a magnetic field in proportion to the input voltage; and a first magnetoresistive sensing element disposed within the field of the input electromagnet. The device further includes an adjustable source of output voltage; an output electromagnet responsive to the output voltage for producing a magnetic field in proportion to the output voltage; and a second magnetoresistive sensing element disposed within the field of the output electromagnet. A control circuit for controlling the adjustable output voltage maintains a constant ratio between the resistances of the first and second magnetoresistive elements, thereby maintaining a constant ratio between the input voltage and the output voltage.

Voltage proportional replication device using magnetoresistive sensing

Electronic devices having at least two components wire mating contact pads are provided with high-aspect-ratio solder joints between the mating pads. These joints ar formed by placing a composite solder medium containing solder wires in an electrically insulating matrix such that at least two solder wires are in contact with the mating pads, and fusing the wires to the pads. The insulating matrix with remainder of solder wires is then optionally removed from between the said at least two component. The composite solder medium is formed by preparing an elongated body of solder wires in an insulating matrix and cutting off slices of the composite solder medium, the solder wires having a high-aspect-ratio of length to the diameter. Alternatively sheets of the composite solder medium are prepared by magnetically aligning solder coated magnetic particles into columns arranged transverse of an insulating matrix and heating sufficiently to fuse the solder in each column into a continuously conducting solder path.

The present inventors have discovered that a compact, highly sensitive current sensor can be made for any inductive component having an air gap in its magnetic path by disposing a layer of magnetoresistive material in the path of the fringing magnetic field. In the preferred embodiment, a thin magnetoresistive film of La.sub.w Ca.sub.x Mn.sub.y O.sub.z on a LaAlO.sub.3 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 substrate provides a high sensitivity in the range of 1-100 mV/ampere of DC current in the inductive component. The current sensor consumes a very small amount of power and provides the desirable electrical isolation between the sensor and the active device circuit.

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Summit, NJ, United States of America

Mark T McCormack