International Business Machines Corporation

Apple Inc.

Ronald L Hering

David L Edwards

David Clifford Long

Kenneth Charles Marston

Patrick Anthony Coico

Jason Scott Miller

Eric B Hultmark

Benjamin V Fasano

Jeffrey Allen Zitz

Frank Louis Pompeo

James H Covell

Sundar M Kamath

Karl Joseph Puttlitz

Howard D Hutchinson

Michael J Emmett

Lewis S Goldman

Sushumna Iruvanti

Raed A Sherif

Glenn Graham Daves

Carl R Peterson

Gaetano Paolo Messina

David Charles Olson

Armando S Cammarano

Richard F Shortt

Barrie C Campbell

Enrique C Abreu

A cam-action expanding standoff connector and related method are disclosed for mounting a circuit board. The standoff connector includes a body and a plurality of mounting members having interior longitudinally-extending camming portions for engagement by a cam. A cam is configured to be positioned within the mounting members in a first position in which the mounting members are not expanded against the interior of a mounting opening and in a second position in which the cam engages the camming portions to expand the plurality of mounting members against the interior of the mounting opening. Since the camming action is horizontal only (purely radial), practically no vertical forces are applied to the circuit board and a best-fit alignment between a circuit board and heatsink can be established and maintained.

Circuit board cam-action standoff connector

A flexible plate for securing a microchip surface to the surface of a cooling device. The flexible plate allows for z-directional movement between the microchip subassembly having a circuit board and a semiconductor substrate, and the cooling device. The flexible plate is a compact, single piece design that provides constraints in alignment in the x-, y-, and theta-directions, while allowing for z-direction compliance and tilt compliance. The flexible plate has tabs for mounting the microchip subassembly and tabs for mounting the cooling device. The microchip tabs are opposite one another and the cooling device mounting tabs are opposite one another. The flexible plate is a one-piece construction made from sheet metal, plastic, or metal castings. The flexible plate has a band with all the tabs mounted on the inside of the band, or one set of tabs mounted on the outside of the band.

Flexure plate for maintaining contact between a cooling plate/heat sink and a microchip

An expanding standoff connector is disclosed including a collar having a slit through a wall of the collar, a tapered interior surface and an exterior surface configured to engage an interior of a mounting opening of the circuit board. A fastener including a threaded portion and a substantially cone shaped portion configured to mate with the tapered interior surface of the collar is placed within the collar and advanced to expand the collar to mount the circuit board. A related method for mounting a circuit board is also disclosed. Since the expansion is horizontal only (purely radial), a more uniform radial expansion from top-to-bottom of the collar is applied to the circuit board and a best-fit alignment between a circuit board and heatsink can be maintained.

Expandable standoff connector with slit collar and related method

An integrated circuit module, a land grid array module, and a method for forming the module, include a substrate, which mounts one or more chips or discrete electronic components, and a cap for covering the substrate, and including at least one protrusion coupled to the cap for limiting the amount of flexing of the substrate during actuation. The at least one protrusion can be either rigidly fixed to the cap or adjustably inserted through the cap.

Stress resistant land grid array (LGA) module and method of forming the same

An apparatus and a method for removing a bonded lid from a substrate of variable size including nesting jaws to support and secure the substrate; and gripping jaws to grip the lid; wherein, in operation, the gripping jaws pivot with respect to the nesting jaws and create a, peeling action which separates the lid from the substrate with minimum force and without damage to the substrate or attached semiconductor devices.

Apparatus and method for removing a bonded lid from a substrate

A fixture and process for assembly of semiconductor modules. Each module comprises a substrate and a cover attached to the substrate. The fixture comprises a baseplate adapted to accept the substrate and a spring-loading device containing a shape memory alloy spring engaging the cover. The shape memory alloy spring exerts a lesser force at room temperature and an elevated force at the bonding temperature of the bonding agent used to attach the cover to the substrate. The process comprises the steps of (a) loading she module into an assembly fixture and aligning a shape memory alloy spring over the module at room temperature; (b) placing the fixture and module into a heating chamber; (c) heating the fixture and module to a temperature sufficient for bonding and above the shape memory alloy spring transition temperature range so that the spring exerts an elevated force on the module; and (d) cooping the fixture and module below the transition temperature so that the spring exerts a lesser amount of force on the module, and disengaging the springs at the lower temperature.

Process and apparatus for improved module assembly using shape memory alloy springs

A book-like fixture and method for assembly of a plurality of multi-layered ceramic packages including a substrate and a cap. The fixture has a baseplate, a removable tray, an alignment plate for precisely aligning the caps with the substrates, a compression plate, and a plurality of compression devices designed to uniformly distribute compressive force on the plurality of packages. The fixture is preferably adapted for use of removable trays conforming to the Joint Electronics Design Engineering Council Tray Standard. The compression devices preferably have a spring, preferably a detachable leaf spring, and a compression plate placed over each cap. The structure of the fixture allows replacement of the springs and other modifications to allow assembly of multi-layered ceramic packages of differing dimensions. The structure of the fixture also allows stacking one on top of another.

Method for assembling a multi-layered ceramic package

Fixture for multi-layered ceramic package assembly

A thermal conduction module for cooling one or more integrated circuit chips mounted on a substrate is described. At least one shim is disposed between the base plate and the cover plate of the module to establish a predetermined dimension between the cover plate and the integrated circuit chips mounted on the substrate for insertion of a thermal paste. The shims may be metal, engineered plastic, or thermally and electrically conductive or nonconductive creep resistant materials able to withstand the stress and load within the module over time. The shim may be a plurality of shims having the same thickness or a plurality of shims having a multiplicity of thicknesses. Most preferably, the shim conforms to the periphery of the cover plate or base plate. A method of determining the proper shim thickness is also described wherein an initial reading of the thickness of the cover plate and base plate of the module is obtained. A second reading of the thickness of the module is obtained after the substrate, mounted with at least one integrated circuit chip, is placed onto the base plate followed by a temporary spacer and the cover plate. One or more shims are selected which are equal to the difference between the initial reading and the second reading. The cover plate is removed and the spacer is replaced with the appropriate shim. The cover plate is then fastened to the base plate. Also described is a kit for fixing the thermal paste gap dimension in electronic modules comprising a base plate, cover plate, and a plurality of shims having a multiplicity of thicknesses.

Electronic module adjustment design and process using shims

Growing community of inventors

Pleasant Valley, NY, United States of America

Ronald L Hering