Systems, methods and devices for inter-substrate coupling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016128192-A1
Application number	US-201414527521-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 29, 2014
Priority date	Oct 29, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Inter-substrate coupling and alignment using liquid droplets can include electrical and plasmon modalities. For example, a set of droplets can be placed on a bottom substrate. A top substrate can be placed upon the droplets, which uses the droplets to align the substrates. Using the droplets in a capacitive or plasmon coupling modality, information or power can be transferred between the substrates using the droplets.

First claim

1 . A system comprising:
a first chip including a first capacitive coupling element; a second chip including a second capacitive coupling element; and a liquid droplet disposed between the first capacitive coupling element and the second capacitive coupling element to create a capacitor, wherein properties of the first chip, the second chip, and the liquid droplet are selected to minimize a surface energy of the liquid droplet at a spacing between the first chip and the second chip when the liquid droplet is located between and in contact with the first chip and the second chip such that the first chip and the second chip are separated at a droplet location by a defined distance.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first chip comprises a first dielectric layer disposed between the first capacitive coupling element and the liquid droplet.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the second chip comprises a second dielectric layer disposed between the second capacitive coupling element and the liquid droplet.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid droplet comprises a conductive liquid.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the conductive liquid comprises a liquid metal.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the liquid metal reacts with the first capacitive coupling element or the second capacitive coupling element.

7 - 9 . (canceled)

10 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the conductive liquid comprises a nonmetallic liquid including conductive particles.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid droplet comprises a non-conductive liquid.

12 - 53 . (canceled)

54 . A system comprising:
a first electronic circuit substrate including a first non-contact communication element and a first plurality of liquid droplet contact areas; a second electronic circuit substrate including a second non-contact communication element and a second plurality of liquid droplet contact areas; and a plurality of liquid droplets, each of the plurality of liquid droplets disposed between a corresponding pair of the first plurality of liquid droplet contact areas and the second plurality of liquid droplet contact areas, wherein properties of the first plurality of liquid droplet contact areas, the second plurality of liquid droplet contact areas, and the plurality of liquid droplets are selected to minimize a surface energy of the plurality of liquid droplets at a spacing between the first electronic circuit substrate and the second electronic circuit substrate when the plurality of liquid droplets are located between the first electronic circuit substrate and the second electronic circuit substrate such that the first electronic circuit substrate and the second electronic circuit substrate are separated by a defined distance and aligned with the first non-contact communication element aligning with the second non-contact communication element.

55 - 68 . (canceled)

69 . The system of claim 54 , wherein the first non-contact communication element comprises a conducting pad.

70 . The system of claim 69 , wherein the conducting pad makes direct electrical contact with a liquid droplet from the plurality of liquid droplets.

71 . The system of claim 69 , wherein the conducting pad forms a half-capacitor.

72 . The system of claim 69 , wherein the conducting pad comprises half of a plasmonic waveguide.

73 . The system of claim 54 , wherein at least some of the first plurality of liquid droplet contact areas comprise a variation in a surface of the first electronic circuit substrate.

74 . The system of claim 73 , wherein the variation comprises a first material defining the at least some of the first plurality of liquid droplet contact areas surrounded by a second material.

75 . The system of claim 74 , wherein the first material is formed from a material configured to attract a droplet.

76 . The system of claim 74 , wherein the second material is formed from a material configured to repel a droplet.

77 . The system of claim 74 , wherein the first material comprises a material having a wetting angle less than 90 degrees.

78 - 99 . (canceled)

100 . A first electronic circuit substrate for use in a modular electronic system, the first electronic circuit substrate comprising:
a first non-contact communication element; and a liquid droplet contact area; wherein properties of the liquid droplet contact area are selected to:
minimize a surface energy of a liquid droplet located between the first electronic circuit substrate and a second electronic circuit substrate at a spacing between the first electronic circuit substrate and the second electronic circuit substrate such that the first electronic circuit substrate and the second electronic circuit substrate are separated by a defined distance; and
align the first non-contact communication element with a second non-contact communication element of the second electronic circuit substrate.

101 - 126 . (canceled)

127 . The first electronic circuit substrate of claim 100 , further comprising one or more additional liquid droplet contact areas.

128 . The first electronic circuit substrate of claim 127 , wherein the liquid droplet contact area and at least one of the one or more additional liquid droplet contact areas vary in size to provide varying degrees of alignment.

129 . The first electronic circuit substrate of claim 128 , wherein the liquid droplet contact area or at least one of the one or more additional liquid droplet contact areas further comprise a first set of liquid droplet contact areas configured for coarse alignment of the first electronic circuit substrate to the second electronic circuit substrate.

130 . The first electronic circuit substrate of claim 129 , wherein the liquid droplet contact area or at least one of the one or more additional liquid droplet contact areas further comprise a second set of liquid droplet contact areas configured for fine alignment of the first electronic circuit substrate to the second electronic circuit substrate.

131 . The first electronic circuit substrate of claim 130 , wherein the coarse alignment of the first set of liquid droplet contact areas enables the second set of liquid droplet contact areas to perform the fine alignment.

132 . The first electronic circuit substrate of claim 100 , further comprising an interlayer disposed between the first electronic circuit substrate and the second electronic circuit substrate, the interlayer having a via configured to contain the liquid droplet.

133 . The first electronic circuit substrate of claim 132 , wherein the interlayer is removable from the first electronic circuit substrate and the second electronic circuit substrate.

134 . The first electronic circuit substrate of claim 132 , wherein the interlayer is affixed to the first electronic circuit substrate.

135 - 138 . (canceled)

139 . A method comprising:
disposing a liquid droplet between a first capacitive coupling element on a first electronic circuit substrate and a second capacitive coupling element on a second electronic circuit substrate to create a capacitor between the first electronic circuit substrate and the second electronic circuit substrate; and selecting properties of the first electronic circuit substrate

Assignees

• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Duncan William David
• Hyde Roderick A
• Kare Jordin T
• Mcwilliams Thomas M
• Weaver Thomas Allan
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• H10W90/722

  between stacked chips · CPC title

• H10W90/297

  characterised by the through-semiconductor vias [TSVs] in the stacked chips · CPC title

• H10W90/293

  characterised by non-galvanic coupling between the chips, e.g. capacitive coupling · CPC title

• H10W72/9415

  relative to the surface, e.g. recessed, protruding · CPC title

• H10W72/07254

  changes in dispositions · CPC title