Other

International Business Machines Corporation

Vlastimil Frank

Allen Mark Jones

David A Boyer

In a module unit in a housing, the module unit is designed to easily slide into and out of the housing. The housing has one or more plenums through which convective air circulates around and through the module unit. A sealing mechanism seals openings that connect the module unit and one or more of the plenums. When the module unit is removed from the housing, a lift mechanism removes the sealing mechanism from the openings, and allows the module unit to be easily removed from the housing. After reinsertion of the module unit, the lift mechanism reinserts the sealing mechanism into the openings.

Airflow sealing mechanism

An induction heating module encapsulation apparatus and method for its use is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a substantially airtight chamber which is composed of ceramic or some other high temperature insulating material in which a cap and a ceramic substrate having semiconductor chips joined thereon are placed. A sealband of solder or other brazing material is placed at the periphery of the cap where the cap and substrate are to be joined. An RF coil, which serves as inductor in the apparatus, the energized by a high frequency generator, generating an electromagnetic field in the radio frequency spectrum. The RF coil is oriented to localize the inducted current at the periphery of the cap and the sealband. The inducted current is dissipated in the form of heat until the sealband is molten. The RF power is then turned off. The chamber is pressurized at this point to prevent heated air underneath the cap from breaching the integrity of the sealband by escaping through the sealband while it is in its molten state. After the sealband has been allowed to cool sufficiently to solidify, the pressure is reduced and the completed module is removed from the chamber. The entire encapsulation process requires ten to fifteen seconds per module assembly.

Module encapsulation by induction heating

An induction heating module encapsulation apparatus and method for its use is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a substantially airtight chamber which is composed of ceramic or some other high temperature insulating material in which a cap and a ceramic substrate having semiconductor chips joined thereon are placed. A sealband of solder or other brazing material is placed at the periphery of the cap where the cap end substrate are to be joined. An RF coil, which serves as inductor in the apparatus, is energized by a high frequency generator, generating an electromagnetic field in the radio frequency spectrum. The RF coil is oriented to localize the inducted current at the periphery of the cap and the sealband. The inducted current is dissipated in the form of heat until the sealband is molten. The RF power is then turned off. The chamber is pressurized at this point to prevent heated air underneath the cap from breaching the integrity of the sealband by escaping through the sealband while it is in its molten state. After the sealband has been allowed to cool sufficiently to solidify, the pressure is reduced and the completed module is removed from the chamber. The entire encapsulation process requires ten to fifteen seconds per module assembly.

A miniature variable drive pin projection mechanism is disclosed for driving a conveyer belt to transport semiconductor chips from a test point to a sequence of sorting locations. The drive wheel is mounted to an indexing shaft which is sequentially rotated in a start and stop mode. The wheel has spring-loaded pins which are radially mounted in the wheel and are spring-loaded so as to be withdrawn from the peripheral surface of the wheel. Drive means are provided to actuate the pins during only 60 degree rotation of the wheel. During the remainder of 300 degree rotation of the wheel, there is substantially frictionless engagement. The resultant mechanism significantly reduces wear, vibration and misregistration of the assembly and lengthens its operating life.

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Warrenton, VA, United States of America

Vlastimil Frank