Method and apparatus for cooling thermally massive parts in a continuous furnace
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsDavid E. Eisenmann, Peter M. Elenius, James M. Leas, Wagih M. Wazni
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for cooling thermally massive parts includes directing a chilled gas onto an electrical component travelling on the belt of a continuous furnace. The belt is divided into a series of hot and cold zones to provide thermal stressing to the electrical component to detect early life failure. As the component cools, a constant thermal stress is maintained by either lowering the temperature or increasing the flow rate of the chilled gas.
Claims31
An apparatus for thermally stressing a high thermal mass electronic component in a continuous belt furnace by impinging the component with a gas at a temperature lower than the component, comprising:
- a continuous belt furnace;
- a separate cooling zone in the furnace having an inlet and an outlet;
- means for introducing the component into the cooling zone through the inlet, moving the component through the cooling zone, and withdrawing the component from the cooling zone through the outlet;
- sensing means for determining when the component is completely within the cooling zone;
- and
- a plurality of gas jet nozzles in the cooling zone directing a chilled gas onto the component while the component is completely within the cooling zone.
A method for thermally stressing components in a continuous belt furnace, the furnace having heating and cooling zones, comprising the steps of:
- introducing a component from a heating zone into a first end of a cooling zone of the continuous belt furnace;
- sensing the position of the component in relation to the cooling zone;
- flowing a cooling gas onto the component after it is fully in the cooling zone;
- terminating the flow of cooling gas prior to the component's exit of the cooling zone, and
- withdrawing the component from a second end of the cooling zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.