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AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsMark Kenneth Hoffmeyer, Daniel Scott Johnson
Estimating the term…
An apparatus, program product and method for processing circuit boards containing area array surface treated bonding sites, such as noble metal terminal pads of a Land Grid Array (LGA) assembly. The circuit board includes a plurality of apertures patterned about the bonding site for form a footprint. A protective cover shaped to conform to the footprint includes posts registered to removably fit into the apertures. The protective cover remains overlaid on the circuit board during fabrication processes such as solder screen printing, rework, and washing, and then removed. Thus, contamination from the fabrication processes is avoided, as well as eliminating possible sources of contamination from use of adhesive tape for protection.
A method for processing a circuit board, the circuit board including an area array bonding site, the method comprising:
An assembly comprising:
A method of fabricating a protective cover for processing a circuit board, the circuit board including an area array bonding site on a surface of the circuit board, the circuit board further including a plurality of apertures forming a footprint on the surface of the circuit board, the method comprising:
A cover for protecting an area array bonding site on a surface of a circuit board, the circuit board having a plurality of apertures, the cover comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.