Embodiments of the present invention are directed to an in-situ warpage monitoring system and method for preventing head-in-pillow (HIP) or other potential defect escapes during a solder reflow process. In a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, a product is passed through a reflow oven. The product can include a printed circuit board (PCB). An amount of warpage of the product is measured at one or more monitoring devices positioned along the reflow oven. Each measured amount of warpage is compared to a predetermined warpage limit. The product is sorted into one of a plurality of designated lots based on the comparison. The lots can include a pass lot, a fail lot, and a marginal pass lot.

A hob apparatus includes a sensor unit configured to detect a sensor signal, an electronic signal processing unit configured to further process and/or analyze the sensor signal, and a printed circuit board, on which the sensor unit and the signal processing unit are arranged together.

This copper/ceramic bonded body includes: a copper member made of copper or a copper alloy; and a ceramic member made of nitrogen-containing ceramics, the copper member and the ceramic member are bonded to each other, in which, between the copper member and the ceramic member, an active metal nitride layer containing nitrides of one or more active metals selected from Ti, Zr, Nb, and Hf is formed on a ceramic member side, and a Mg solid solution layer in which Mg is solid-dissolved in a Cu matrix is formed between the active metal nitride layer and the copper member, and Cu-containing particles composed of either one or both of Cu particles and compound particles of Cu and the active metal are dispersed in an interior of the active metal nitride layer.

This copper/ceramic bonded body includes: a copper member made of copper or a copper alloy; and a ceramic member made of nitrogen-containing ceramics, the copper member and the ceramic member are bonded to each other, in which, between the copper member and the ceramic member, an active metal nitride layer containing nitrides of one or more active metals selected from Ti, Zr, Nb, and Hf is formed on a ceramic member side, and a Mg solid solution layer in which Mg is solid-dissolved in a Cu matrix is formed between the active metal nitride layer and the copper member, and Cu-containing particles composed of either one or both of Cu particles and compound particles of Cu and the active metal are dispersed in an interior of the active metal nitride layer.

A tool for supporting multilayer printed circuit boards during manufacture having a frame in which there is fixed a pretensed, non-electrically conductive fabric which has a thickness less than 0.1 mm and which can be accessed by its two faces. The tool allows the induction bonding of the layers at internal points of the bundle following a method in which the bundle is placed on the tool and at least one of the welding electrodes used in the welding operation is applied on the lower face of a fabric of the tool supporting the bundle. A machine especially suitable for putting the method into practice includes C-shaped magnetic cores, the arms of which are long enough to reach the internal points of the bundle.

Methods and apparatus for joining a chip with a substrate. The chip is moved by with a pick-and-place machine from a first location to a second location proximate to the substrate over a first time. In response to moving the chip in a motion path from the first location to the second location, a plurality of solder bumps carried on the chip are liquefied over a second time that is less than the first time. While the solder bumps are liquefied, the chip is placed by the pick-and-place machine onto the substrate.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to removing an adhesively-attached component from a circuit board assembly. A complementary pair of high-permeability members are positioned on opposite sides of the circuit board assembly about the adhesively-attached component. Then, a magnetic field is induced within the complementary pair of high permeability members via a coil driver generating an AC current in an inductive coil circumscribing a central pedestal of the complementary pair of high-permeability members. The magnetic field induced is directed through the adhesively-attached component via a central pedestal located proximate the adhesively-attached component. A return path for the magnetic field is provided about a periphery of the adhesively-attached component via a peripheral pedestal.

The present invention relates to an improved system and method for manufacturing flexible circuit boards (FSBs) using optical alignment and various bonding systems. The invention provides an improved process to connect together the layers of rigid-flex, flexible, and printed circuit boards while maintaining alignment of the layers prior to and possibly after a lamination step. An optical alignment system is provided, a preferred arrangement is enabled as an automated pinless bonding system (PBS), for securely gripping, aligning, transferring, and clamping, bonding and moving a bonded FSB employing a multi-axis orientation. An alternative manual optical alignment and bonding system is provided.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to removing an adhesively-attached component from a circuit board assembly. A complementary pair of high-permeability members are positioned on opposite sides of the circuit board assembly about the adhesively-attached component. Then, a magnetic field is induced within the complementary pair of high permeability members via a coil driver generating an AC current in an inductive coil circumscribing a central pedestal of the complementary pair of high-permeability members. The magnetic field induced is directed through the adhesively-attached component via a central pedestal located proximate the adhesively-attached component. A return path for the magnetic field is provided about a periphery of the adhesively-attached component via a peripheral pedestal.

The invention regards a press for soldering multilayer stacks for printed circuits, with an outer muffle that encloses soldering chambers where multilayer stacks are arranged to be heated, inducing a magnetic flux. For such purpose, the press is provided with an inductor having winding form which is arranged on a mobile piston adapted to apply a force on the multilayer stack, such to generate a magnetic flux at its interior that is spatially uniform and regular over time.