Methods for mounting components on convoluted three-dimensional

Abstract

There is disclosed a method of mounting a pressure transducer on a convoluted three-dimensional structure as for example a turbine blade. The method first forms a groove on a surface of a blade. The groove is formed at a given length and depth in order to accommodate a plurality of components. The groove is then filled with a ceramic material so that the top of the groove is aligned with the top surface of the structure. The entire structure is then coated with a first layer of a ceramic material which layer also covers the filled groove. Suitable conductors are then placed on the coated surface so that they span and overlie the groove. The structure is then coated with a second layer of ceramic material and the coating covers the conductors thereby serving to embed the conductors between the first and second layers. A second groove is then formed in the first and second layers which second groove overlies the first groove and which extends into the first groove. The formation of the second groove operates to separate or cut the conductors as overlying the first groove. Then ceramic material from the second layer is removed on each side of the second groove to expose the separated end surfaces of the conductors. The pressure transducer which is an integrated circuit is then placed into the second groove, and one now bonds the component terminals of the pressure transducer to the exposed conductor surfaces. In this manner both the wires leading from the transducer and the transducer itself are beneath the surface of the structure and do not interfere with the surface contours of the structure while further allowing testing of the same in all operating environments.