Reprogrammable circuit board with alignment-insensitive support for multiple component contact types
First Claim
1. A method for manufacturing a multi-chip module comprising a substrate on which a plurality of components can be affixed, wherein the substrate can be electronically programmed to establish signal-conducting interconnections between specified component contacts, the method comprising determining a position of components affixed to the substrate through using contact detection circuitry build into said programmable circuit board, and using said position in programming said signal-conducting interconnections between specified component contacts.
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a system that programmably interconnects integrated circuit chips and other components at near-intra-chip density. The system'"'"'s contact structure allows it to adapt to components with a wide variety of contact spacings and interconnection requirements, the use of releasable attachment means allows component placement to be modified as needed, the system identifies the contacts and the components to facilitate specifying the inter-component connections, and the system provides signal conditioning and retiming to minimize issues with signal integrity and signal skew.
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Citations
22 Claims
- 1. A method for manufacturing a multi-chip module comprising a substrate on which a plurality of components can be affixed, wherein the substrate can be electronically programmed to establish signal-conducting interconnections between specified component contacts, the method comprising determining a position of components affixed to the substrate through using contact detection circuitry build into said programmable circuit board, and using said position in programming said signal-conducting interconnections between specified component contacts.
- 15. A method of prototyping a multi-chip system using a programmable circuit board adapted to receive and programmably interconnect a plurality of components, the method comprising automatically recognizing an identity of at least one of said components by probing component contacts on said programmable circuit board.
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18. A method of manufacturing a multi-chip system using a programmable circuit board having alignment-insensitive micro-contacts for receiving contacts of said components and being adapted to receive and programmably interconnect a plurality of components, the method comprising manually placing said components on said substrate without alignment guides, wherein said components are operational within said multi-chip system as manually positioned.
- 19. A method of manufacturing a multi-chip system using a programmable circuit board having alignment-insensitive contacts for receiving contacts of said components and being adapted to receive and programmably interconnect a plurality of components, without having the positions of said components predetermined, the method comprising automatically discovering, through using contact detection circuitry build into said programmable circuit board, which ones of said programmable circuit board contacts are in electrical contact with said component contacts, and selectively connecting said programmable circuit board contacts to an interconnecting path for said component contacts to other devices.
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22. A method of manufacturing a multi-chip system comprising:
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prototyping the multi-chip system using a substrate on which a plurality of components can be affixed, wherein the substrate can be reversibly electronically programmed to establish signal-conducting interconnections between specified component contacts without having those interconnections pass through reprogrammable interconnection components affixed to said substrate; determining from said prototyping interconnect data defining contacts and interconnects of a production circuit board for said multi-chip system; and manufacturing said multi-chip system using said production circuit board.
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Specification