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Patent US5629838A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5629838A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Apparatus for non-conductively interconnecting integrated circuits using half capacitors
Assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc
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Filing: 1994-06-24
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Granted: 1997-05-13
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Expires: 2014-06-24
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for constructing, repairing and operating modular electronic systems utilizes peripheral half-capacitors (i.e., conductive plates on the outside of the modules) to communicate non-conductively between abutting modules. Such systems provide lower cost, improved testability/repairability and greater density than conventional modular packaging techniques, such as printed circuit boards and multi-chip modules. The non-conductive interconnection technique of the invention can be applied to all levels in the packaging hierarchy, from bare semiconductor dies to complete functional sub-units. Numerous exemplary systems and applications are described.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas F. Knight
- 👤 David B. Salzman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 05:27
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W72/00; H10W72/851; G; G01; G01R; G01R31/00; G01R31/28; G01R31/302; G01R31/3025; G01R31/312; G01R31/317; G01R31/3181; G01R31/3185; G01R31/318505; G01R31/318513; H10W44/00; H10W44/601; H10W70/00; H10W70/60; H10W70/611; H10W90/00; H10W90/20; H10W90/293; H10W90/401; H10W72/071; H10W72/072; H10W72/07251; H10W72/20; H10W72/50; H10W72/551; H10W72/552; H10W72/5522; H10W74/00; H10W90/701; H10W90/731; H10W90/734; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S257/00; Y10S257/924
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
167 words
An apparatus for interconnecting electronic circuits comprising: a lower substrate having substantially planar lower and upper surfaces, said upper surface having a plurality of half-capacitors and a plurality of lines connected to said half-capacitors; an upper substrate having a substantially planar lower surface, said lower surface having a plurality of half-capacitors and a plurality of lines connected to said half-capcitors; said lower and upper surface substrates being affixed such that: (i) said upper surface of said lower substrate is adjacent to said lower surface of said upper substrate and (ii) an extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate extends beyond and is not adjacent to said upper surface of said lower substrate; and a spacer having upper and lower half-capacitors; said spacer being positioned such that: (i) its upper half-capacitor communicates a signal to a half-capacitor on said extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate and (ii) its lower half-capacitor is substantially aligned with said lower surface of said lower substrate.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
167 words
An apparatus for interconnecting electronic circuits comprising: a lower substrate having substantially planar lower and upper surfaces, said upper surface having a plurality of half-capacitors and a plurality of lines connected to said half-capacitors; an upper substrate having a substantially planar lower surface, said lower surface having a plurality of half-capacitors and a plurality of lines connected to said half-capcitors; said lower and upper surface substrates being affixed such that: (i) said upper surface of said lower substrate is adjacent to said lower surface of said upper substrate and (ii) an extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate extends beyond and is not adjacent to said upper surface of said lower substrate; and a spacer having upper and lower half-capacitors; said spacer being positioned such that: (i) its upper half-capacitor communicates a signal to a half-capacitor on said extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate and (ii) its lower half-capacitor is substantially aligned with said lower surface of said lower substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said spacer includes a plurality of upper and lower half-capacitors.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein a plurality of said upper half-capacitors communicate with half-capacitors on said extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said spacer includes a conductive path between said upper and lower half-capacitors.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the half-capacitors on said spacer are larger than the half-capacitors on said lower surface of said upper substrate, so as to accomodate misalignment between said spacer and said upper substrate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
87 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising: a second extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate extending beyond and not adjacent to said upper surface of said lower substrate; and a second spacer having upper and lower half-capacitors; said second spacer being positioned such that: (i) its upper half-capacitor communicates with a half-capacitor on said second extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate and (ii) its lower half-capacitor is substantially aligned with said lower surface of said lower substrate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
45 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 6, further comprising a plurality of conductive paths in said first spacer, second spacer and upper substrate, said conductive paths being configured so as to provide a capacitive path between said lower half-capacitors of said first and second spacers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said substrates and said spacers are bonded together to form a modular unit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said first and/or second substrate includes active devices.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 6, further including a third substrate and two additional spacers.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 6, further including a plurality of additional substrates and spacers.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-05-12 | 2000-11-11 | 2001-05-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-05-12 | 2004-11-11 | 2005-05-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-05-12 | 2008-11-11 | 2009-05-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |