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AssigneeMicroFab Technologies, Inc.
InventorsDonald J. Hayes, Michael T. Boldman, David B. Wallace
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus for producing solidified solder balls and for ejecting generally spherical-shaped drops of liquid solder through a controlled atmosphere to impact on a surface to be wetted is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a preload reservoir to hold and maintain solder in a liquid state, an ejection chamber to hold and maintain the solder in a liquid state, a connection between the preload reservoir and the ejection chamber to allow liquid solder in the preload reservoir to be transferred to the ejection chamber while maintaining the oxides in the preload reservoir, a device to pressurize the ejection chamber with an inert gas and an ejection device operatively connected to receive liquid solder from the ejection chamber and to eject generally spherical-shaped drops of liquid solder to a specific location on a surface to be wetted. Structure is included to provide an atmosphere of inert gas between the ejection device and the specific location on a surface to be wetted. The method includes the steps of maintaining solder in a liquid state in a reservoir, transferring solder in the liquid state from the reservoir to an ejection chamber, maintaining the transferred solder in a liquid state in the ejection chamber, pressurizing the ejection chamber with an inert gas, transferring solder in the liquid state from the ejection chamber to an ejection device, ejecting generally spherical-shaped drops of liquid solder from said ejection device to a specific location on a surface to be wetted. An atmosphere of inert gas is provided between the ejection device and the specific location on a surface to be wetted.
The method of applying generally spherical-shaped drops of liquid solder through a controlled atmosphere to a surface to be wetted comprising the steps of:
The method of ejecting generally spherical-shaped drops of liquid solder through a controlled atmosphere to produce solidified solder balls of spherical shape comprising the steps of:
The method set forth in 11 further including the steps of:
The method of applying generally spherical-shaped drops of liquid solder through a controlled atmosphere to a surface to be wetted comprising the steps of:
The method of ejecting generally spherical-shaped drops of liquid solder through a controlled atmosphere to produce solidified solder balls of spherical shape comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.