US3766616A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Microresonator packaging and tuning
Assignee: Statek Corp
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Filing: 1972-03-22
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Granted: 1973-10-23
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Expires: 1992-03-22
Abstract
Abstract A piezoelectric tuning fork microresonator advantageously is mounted in a package having a transparent region through which the microresonator can be tuned using a laser beam selectively to remove portions of weights provided on the tuning fork tine ends. The laser, located external to the package, may be controlled automatically in response to the output of an oscillator circuit using the microresonator as a frequency standard. The package also may house electronic microcircuitry and may include a capacitor using the package wall as a dielectric. When used with the microresonator in an oscillator circuit, the capacitor enables the frequency to be adjusted slightly by shorting together capacitor plate sections on the outside of the package. A batch fabrication technique is disclosed for automatically assembling many such packages on a single scored, optionally transparent substrate.
Inventors
- 👤 J Staudte
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:35
CPC Classifications
H; H03; H03H; H03H3/00; H03H3/007; H03H3/02; H03H3/04; B; B23; B23K; B23K26/00; B23K26/351; G; G04; G04D; G04D3/00; G04D3/0002; G04D3/0035; G04D3/0069; G04F; G04F5/00; G04F5/04; G04F5/06; G04F5/063; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/42; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49004
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
A process for tuning a microresonator having a tuning fork configuration comprising a base portion and two tines extending therefrom, said tuning fork configuration having no dimension greater than 500 mils, each of said tines having thick film metal weights thereon, said microresonator being contained in a package at least a portion of which is transparent, comprising: operating said microresonator as the frequency standard of an oscillator circuit, utilizing a laser beam external to said package to project a beam through said transparent portion for selective removal of a portion of said thick film metal weights to tune said operating microresonator, and coNtrolling said laser beam in response to the output frequency of said oscillator circuit.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
116 words
A process for tuning a microresonator having a tuning fork configuration comprising a base portion and two tines extending therefrom, said tuning fork configuration having no dimension greater than 500 mils, each of said tines having thick film metal weights thereon, said microresonator being contained in a package at least a portion of which is transparent, comprising: operating said microresonator as the frequency standard of an oscillator circuit, utilizing a laser beam external to said package to project a beam through said transparent portion for selective removal of a portion of said thick film metal weights to tune said operating microresonator, and coNtrolling said laser beam in response to the output frequency of said oscillator circuit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
127 words
A process for batch fabricating a plurality of microresonator packages, each of said packages having a housing with a transparent region and a microresonator having a tuning fork configuration comprising a base portion and two tines extending therefrom, each of said tines having thick film metal weights thereon, comprising the steps of: scoring a sheet of substrate material to define an array of package segments, mounting one of said microresonators on each of said segments and providing connections thereto, placing individual covers over each of said microresonators and attaching said covers to each of said segments to form said microresonator packages, and individually tuning said microresonators using a laser beam projected through the transparent regions to remove selectively portions of said weights, after said covers are attached.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
127 words
A process for batch fabricating a plurality of microresonator packages, each of said packages having a housing with a transparent region and a microresonator having a tuning fork configuration comprising a base portion and two tines extending therefrom, each of said tines having thick film metal weights thereon, comprising the steps of: scoring a sheet of substrate material to define an array of package segments, mounting one of said microresonators on each of said segments and providing connections thereto, placing individual covers over each of said microresonators and attaching said covers to each of said segments to form said microresonator packages, and individually tuning said microresonators using a laser beam projected through the transparent regions to remove selectively portions of said weights, after said covers are attached.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A process according to claim 2 further comprising the step of; mounting other components on each of said segments and interconnecting said components to the microresonator on each of said segments, prior to attaching said covers.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
A process according to claim 2 wherein said step of mounting comprises; providing an adhesive on selected areas of each segment, placing a microresonator on said adhesive, and curing said adhesive after microresonators have been placed on substantially all of said segments.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
83 words
A process according to claim 2 wherein said step of attaching comprises; providing adhesive on each segment in a pattern surrounding said microresonator, placing a cover on the adhesive pattern of each segment, each cover having a hole therethrough, curing said adhesive, providing an alloy in the hole of each cover, and heating said sheet with all covers in place, in a vacuum or inert atmosphere, to melt said alloy thereby plugging each of said holes to complete hermetic sealing of each package.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
A process according to claim 5 including the steps of; pre-aging said microresonators subsequent to said attaching step but before said tuning step, and severing said scored sheet to separate said packages subsequent to said tuning step.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-10-22 | 1977-04-23 | 1977-10-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-10-22 | 1981-04-23 | 1981-10-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-10-22 | 1985-04-23 | 1985-10-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |