US4352715A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Detector array module fabrication
Assignee: Irvine Sensors Corp
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Filing: 1980-11-17
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Granted: 1982-10-05
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Expires: 2000-11-17
Abstract
Abstract A photo-detector array module is disclosed wherein: (a) the focal plane array of photo-detectors is in electrical contact with thin film conductors supported on thin ceramic layers extending perpendicular to the focal plane, and (b) sub-module structures, each composed of such layers, have complementary shapes (such as "O-shaped" and "I-shaped") to provide "component wells" for electronics within the three dimensional space defined at one end by the two-dimensional area of the focal plane. In order to fabricate such a module satisfactorily, a method is disclosed in which each unimaged layer (i.e., layer whereon the thin film conductors have not yet been photo-delineated) is individually laminated to the prior structure, and the photo-delineation process on the unimaged layer includes an optical alignment step to insure alignment of the thin film conductors on each layer with those on preceding layers.
Inventors
- 👤 John C. Carson
- 👤 Paul F. Dahlgren
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 09:07
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10F; H10F77/00; H10F77/93; H10F39/00; H10F39/10; H10F39/107; H05; H05K; H05K1/00; H05K1/02; H05K1/0266; H05K1/03; H05K1/0306; H05K2201/00; H05K2201/03; H05K2201/0332; H05K2201/0335; H05K2201/0355; H05K2201/09; H05K2201/09145; H05K2201/0919; H05K3/00; H05K3/40; H05K3/403; H05K3/46; H05K3/4611; H05K3/4626; H05K3/4629; H05K3/4638; H05K3/4644; H05K3/4679; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/10; Y10T156/1089
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
143 words
That method of fabricating a photo-detector mosaic array module which has a focal plane at one end adapted to support and provide electrical connections to the photo-detectors in the mosaic array, and which comprises a plurality of electrical-circuit-supporting layers extending at right angles to the focal plane, which method comprises: forming separately a plurality of electrical-circuit-supporting layers each of which has electrical circuitry thereon terminating in a plurality of closely spaced electrical leads at the focal plane end of said layer; securing the layers together with the electrical circuitry located between contiguous layers and arranged to provide a mosaic array pattern of electrical contact points on the focal plane end of the layered structure; and emplacing a multiplicity of individual photo-detectors on the focal plane of the layered structure, each detector being in direct electrical contact with one of the electrical contact points.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
143 words
That method of fabricating a photo-detector mosaic array module which has a focal plane at one end adapted to support and provide electrical connections to the photo-detectors in the mosaic array, and which comprises a plurality of electrical-circuit-supporting layers extending at right angles to the focal plane, which method comprises: forming separately a plurality of electrical-circuit-supporting layers each of which has electrical circuitry thereon terminating in a plurality of closely spaced electrical leads at the focal plane end of said layer; securing the layers together with the electrical circuitry located between contiguous layers and arranged to provide a mosaic array pattern of electrical contact points on the focal plane end of the layered structure; and emplacing a multiplicity of individual photo-detectors on the focal plane of the layered structure, each detector being in direct electrical contact with one of the electrical contact points.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
59 words
The module fabricating method of claim 1 wherein each electrical contact point on the focal plane is formed equi-distant from each of four adjacent electrical contact points on the focal plane, two of such adjacent points being located on the same layer, and each of the other two adjacent points being located on one of the two adjacent layers.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The structure fabricating method of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each electrical contact point on the focal plane is formed at a distance of approximately 4 mils from each adjacent focal plane contact point.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The structure fabricating method of any of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the layered structure is built up by securing one layer at a time to the next layer in the structure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
58 words
The structure fabricating method of any of claims 1, 2 or 3 to which is added the step of: using optical alignment during the layer-securing operation in order to insure that each electrical lead at the focal plane of the layered structure is in a predetermined exact spatial relationship with the other electrical leads at the focal plane.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
155 words
That method of fabricating a photo-detector mosaic array module which has a focal plane at one end adapted to support and provide electrical connections to the photo-detectors in the array, and which comprises a plurality of electrical-circuit-supporting layers extending at right angles to the focal plane, which method comprises: forming separately a plurality of electrical-circuit-supporting layers, each of which provides an imperforate substrate; forming on each of said layers electrical circuitry terminating at the focal plane end of said layer in a plurality of closely spaced electrical contact points; and securing the layers together to form a structure in which the electrical circuitry is embedded between the layers and in which the focal plane electrical contact points on each layer are in a predetermined exact spatial relationship with the focal plane electrical contact points on the other layers, thereby providing a focal plane array of such contact points each adapted to contact an individual photo-detector.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
155 words
That method of fabricating a photo-detector mosaic array module which has a focal plane at one end adapted to support and provide electrical connections to the photo-detectors in the array, and which comprises a plurality of electrical-circuit-supporting layers extending at right angles to the focal plane, which method comprises: forming separately a plurality of electrical-circuit-supporting layers, each of which provides an imperforate substrate; forming on each of said layers electrical circuitry terminating at the focal plane end of said layer in a plurality of closely spaced electrical contact points; and securing the layers together to form a structure in which the electrical circuitry is embedded between the layers and in which the focal plane electrical contact points on each layer are in a predetermined exact spatial relationship with the focal plane electrical contact points on the other layers, thereby providing a focal plane array of such contact points each adapted to contact an individual photo-detector.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
48 words
The module fabricating method of claim 6 wherein each electrical contact point is equally spaced from each of the four nearest electrical contact points on the focal plane, two of which are on the same layer, and two of which are located, respectively, on the two contiguous layers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
39 words
The module fabricating method of claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the center-to-center spacing between each electrical contact point and each of the four nearest electrical contact points on the focal plane is not substantially greater than 0.004 inch.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
46 words
The module fabricating method of claim 6 or claim 7 to which the following step is added: forming on the focal plane after the layers have been secured together a multiplicity of individual photo-detectors, each in individual electrical contact with one of the electrical contact points.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
43 words
The module fabricating method of claim 8 to which the following step is added: forming on the focal plane after the layers have been secured together a multiplicity of individual photo-detectors, each in individual electrical contact with one of the electrical contact points.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1985-10-04 | 1986-04-05 | 1986-10-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-10-04 | 1990-04-05 | 1990-10-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-10-04 | 1994-04-05 | 1994-10-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |