Derivative works — US Patent 9859202

Defensive Disclosure of Derivative Inventions

Publication Date: May 1, 2026
Reference Patent: U.S. Patent 9,859,202 ("Spacer connector")
Field: Semiconductor Packaging, Microelectronics, System Integration.
Abstract: This document discloses a series of derivative inventions and improvements upon the core technology described in U.S. Patent 9,859,202. The purpose of this disclosure is to place these variations into the public domain, thereby establishing them as prior art to render obvious any future patent claims on these specific implementations. The disclosures herein are described in sufficient detail to enable a Person Having Ordinary Skill in the Art (PHOSITA) to practice the inventions.

Axis 1: Material & Component Substitution

Derivative 1.1: Flexible Spacer Connector for Conformal Electronics

Enabling Description: The rigid core substrate (11) of the '202 patent is substituted with a flexible, high-temperature polyimide or liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) film. The metal pillars (15) are formed using a semi-additive plating process (SAP) to create meandering or serpentine copper traces through laser-drilled microvias in the polymer film. This allows the entire spacer connector to flex and conform to non-planar surfaces. The protruding bottom ends (155) are formed as compressible, C-shaped springs plated with gold over nickel, designed to make reliable contact with a corresponding pad on a flexible substrate without requiring solder, enabling repeated flexure. This structure is suitable for wearable electronics and flexible displays where components must bend.

Mermaid Diagram:

graph TD
    subgraph Top Flexible Substrate
        A[Bottom Pads]
    end
    subgraph Flexible Spacer Connector
        B(Flexible Core Substrate - Polyimide)
        C{Serpentine Copper Pillars}
        D(Top Metal Pads)
        E(Protruding C-Spring Contacts)
        B -- houses --> C
        C -- connects to --> D
        C -- forms --> E
    end
    subgraph Bottom Flexible Substrate
        F[Top Pads]
    end
    subgraph Mounted Component
        G[Flexible OLED/Sensor]
    end

    A --> D
    E --> F
    Bottom_Flexible_Substrate -- houses --> G

Derivative 1.2: High-Conductivity Ceramic Spacer for Thermal Management

Enabling Description: The core substrate (11) is replaced with a high thermal-conductivity ceramic, such as Aluminum Nitride (AlN) or Beryllium Oxide (BeO), to act as a heat spreader. The metal pillars (15) are formed from a copper-molybdenum (CuMo) composite, providing a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) closely matched to the ceramic substrate and attached silicon dies, reducing thermally-induced stress. The pillars are fabricated by co-sintering the metal powder with the ceramic green sheet. The protruding bottom ends (155) are capped with a high-melting-point solder alloy (e.g., Gold-Tin, AuSn 80/20) for use in high-power applications like RF power amplifiers or laser diode modules, where efficient heat dissipation away from the chip is critical.

Mermaid Diagram:

graph LR
    subgraph RF Module
        Chip[GaN Power Amplifier]
        Spacer[Ceramic Spacer Connector]
        HeatSink[System Heat Sink]

        Chip -- mounted on --> Spacer
        Spacer -- conducts heat to --> HeatSink

        subgraph Spacer
            direction TB
            Core(AlN Ceramic Core)
            Pillars(CuMo Composite Pillars)
            Protrusions(AuSn Solder Tips)
            Core -- contains --> Pillars
            Pillars -- terminate in --> Protrusions
        end
    end
    Chip -- Electrical Path --> Pillars
    Protrusions -- Electrical/Thermal Path --> HeatSink

Axis 2: Operational Parameter Expansion

Derivative 2.1: Cryogenic Spacer Connector for Quantum Computing

Enabling Description: This variation is designed for operation at cryogenic temperatures (< 4K). The core substrate (11) is fabricated from high-purity silicon to perfectly match the CTE of the chips and surrounding substrates, preventing mechanical failure during thermal cycling. The metal pillars (15) are made from a superconductor, such as niobium or a niobium-titanium alloy, deposited via physical vapor deposition (PVD) into etched through-silicon vias (TSVs). This eliminates resistive heating and signal loss for the sensitive quantum bits (qubits). The protruding ends (155) form direct-bond interconnects, where polished niobium surfaces are brought into contact under vacuum and pressure, forming a hermetic, superconducting electrical path without solder.

Mermaid Diagram:

sequenceDiagram
    participant QPU as Quantum Processing Unit
    participant Spacer as Cryogenic Spacer
    participant Control as Control Substrate
    QPU->>+Spacer: Transmit Qubit State Signal (via Niobium Pillar)
    Spacer->>+Control: Route Signal to Readout Electronics
    Control-->>-Spacer: Return Control Pulse
    Spacer-->>-QPU: Deliver Pulse to Qubit

Derivative 2.2: High-Frequency RF Spacer for 5G/6G Applications

Enabling Description: To operate at frequencies above 100 GHz, the standard copper pillars are redesigned as micro-coaxial structures. The core substrate (11) is a low-loss dielectric material like fused silica or a PTFE composite. Each "pillar" is a through-via containing a central signal conductor separated from a grounded shielding wall by a dielectric (air or polymer). The protruding bottom end (155) is designed as a GSM (Ground-Signal-Ground) pad configuration for impedance-matched connection to a waveguide on the bottom substrate. This design minimizes signal crosstalk and insertion loss for millimeter-wave (mmWave) signals, essential for next-generation telecommunication modules.

Mermaid Diagram:

classDiagram
  class SpacerConnector {
    +coreSubstrate : FusedSilica
    +pillars : list~MicroCoaxVia~
  }
  class MicroCoaxVia {
    +centerConductor : Copper
    +dielectric : Air/PTFE
    +shielding : GroundedCopper
    +protrudingEnd : GSMPad
  }
  SpacerConnector "1" *-- "N" MicroCoaxVia : contains

Axis 3: Cross-Domain Application

Derivative 3.1: Aerospace - Vibration-Damped Avionics Stacking

Enabling Description: In this application, the spacer connector is used to stack flight control modules. The core substrate (11) is a viscoelastic polymer composite that provides passive vibration damping. The protruding metal pillars (155) are designed as spring-loaded pogo pins that maintain positive contact force under high-G loading and mechanical shock. The entire assembly is housed in a sealed enclosure. This allows for dense, modular avionics packages where individual modules can be replaced in the field while ensuring extreme reliability in harsh environments.

Mermaid Diagram:

graph TD
    A[Flight Computer] -- Damped Connection --> B[Navigation Module]
    B -- Damped Connection --> C[Communications Module]

    subgraph Spacer Connector
        D(Viscoelastic Core)
        E{Pogo-Pin Pillars}
        F(Protruding Contact Heads)
        D -- embeds --> E
        E -- ends in --> F
    end

    A -- Uses Spacer --> B
    B -- Uses Spacer --> C

Derivative 3.2: AgTech - Modular Sensor Arrays in Vertical Farms

Enabling Description: The spacer connector is used to build reconfigurable towers of environmental sensors for vertical farming. The core substrate (11) is a transparent polycarbonate, allowing light to pass through to lower layers. The pillars (15) carry power and data (e.g., I2C, CAN bus). The protruding ends (155) are designed as friction-fit, genderless connectors, allowing farm workers to easily stack or remove sensor modules (e.g., pH, humidity, spectral sensors) without tools. The space created by the spacer allows for airflow and prevents moisture buildup between modules.

Mermaid Diagram:

erDiagram
    SENSOR_MODULE ||--o{ SPACER_CONNECTOR : "connects via"
    SENSOR_MODULE {
        string ModuleID
        string SensorType "pH, Temp, Light"
    }
    SPACER_CONNECTOR {
        string CoreMaterial "Polycarbonate"
        string PillarType "Power+Data Bus"
    }
    SENSOR_TOWER ||--|{ SENSOR_MODULE : "is composed of"
    SENSOR_TOWER {
        string TowerID
        string Location
    }

Derivative 3.3: Automotive - Battery Management System (BMS) Interconnect

Enabling Description: The spacer connector serves as an interconnect between layers of battery cells in an electric vehicle (EV) battery pack. The core substrate (11) is a fire-retardant ceramic composite. The pillars (15) are high-current-capacity copper busbars for power transfer and smaller, isolated signal pins for voltage and temperature monitoring of each cell. The protruding bottom ends (155) are shaped to be directly welded (e.g., ultrasonic or laser welding) to the battery cell terminals, providing a robust, low-resistance connection. The space created by the spacer acts as a channel for thermal management fluid or air.

Mermaid Diagram:

graph TD
    subgraph Battery Module
        Cell_Layer_1 --> Spacer_1
        Spacer_1 --> Cell_Layer_2
        Cell_Layer_2 --> Spacer_2
        Spacer_2 --> Cell_Layer_3
    end

    subgraph Spacer_1 [Spacer Connector]
        A(Fire-Retardant Core)
        B{High-Current Pillars}
        C{Sensor Pillars}
        D(Welded Protrusions)
        A -- holds --> B
        A -- holds --> C
        B & C --> D
    end

Axis 4: Integration with Emerging Tech

Derivative 4.1: AI-Optimized Thermal Spacer

Enabling Description: This derivative integrates AI into the design phase. An AI model, trained on thermal simulation data (Finite Element Analysis), optimizes the placement, diameter, and material of each individual metal pillar (15) within the spacer substrate. The goal is to create a non-uniform pattern of pillars that actively channels heat from hotspots on the bottom chip to cooler regions of the top substrate or a heat sink. The protruding ends (155) may have varying heights, also determined by the AI, to fine-tune the thermal interface material (TIM) bond-line thickness for optimal thermal conductance. The output is a unique spacer design for each specific chip-pairing.

Mermaid Diagram:

flowchart LR
    A[Chip Layout & Power Map] --> B(AI Design Engine);
    C[Material Properties DB] --> B;
    B --> D{Generative Design Loop};
    D -- Run FEA Simulation --> E[Thermal Analysis];
    E -- Evaluate Performance --> D;
    D -- Converged Solution --> F[Optimized Pillar Layout G-Code];
    F --> G[Fabricate Custom Spacer];

Derivative 4.2: IoT-Enabled Predictive Maintenance Spacer

Enabling Description: Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors, such as strain gauges and temperature diodes, are fabricated directly onto the surface of the spacer's core substrate (11). A small microcontroller and RF transceiver are also embedded within the substrate. The metal pillars (15) provide power to this onboard circuitry. During operation, the spacer monitors the package's temperature and mechanical stress in real-time. If it detects parameters exceeding a safe threshold (indicating potential failure), it transmits a warning signal via a low-power wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth LE) to a central system manager. This enables predictive maintenance before a critical component fails.

Mermaid Diagram:

sequenceDiagram
    participant Chip as Packaged Chip
    participant Spacer as IoT Spacer
    participant Gateway as System Gateway
    loop Health Monitoring
        Spacer->>Spacer: Read embedded T°/Strain sensors
        alt Stress Threshold Exceeded
            Spacer-)+Gateway: Transmit Alert (MQTT)
            Gateway-)+Gateway: Log event & notify admin
        end
    end

Axis 5: The "Inverse" or Failure Mode

Derivative 5.1: Fusible Pillar Spacer for Over-Current Protection

Enabling Description: The protruding bottom end (155) of each metal pillar is constructed from a precisely calibrated fusible alloy (e.g., a Bismuth-Tin alloy). This tip is engineered to have a higher electrical resistance than the main copper pillar. In the event of a downstream short circuit or a massive over-current event, the I²R heating at the protruding tip will cause it to melt and open the circuit before the protected chip or substrate is damaged. This turns the spacer into a high-density, non-resettable fuse array, providing granular protection at the package level.

Mermaid Diagram:

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Normal_Operation
    Normal_Operation --> Fused_Open: Over-Current Event
    state Normal_Operation {
        description Current < I_max
    }
    state Fused_Open {
        description Protruding tip melts, circuit breaks
    }
    Fused_Open --> [*]

Combination Prior Art Scenarios

Combination with Open Compute Project (OCP) Standards: A large-scale version of the Automotive - BMS Interconnect spacer (Derivative 3.3) is designed to connect modular server blades in an OCP-compliant rack. The spacer uses a fire-retardant substrate and features blind-mate connectors on the protruding pillars that align with the OCP rack's backplane, allowing for hot-swapping of server components. The pillars carry both high-current DC power and high-speed data signals (e.g., PCIe Gen 6), conforming to the OCP electrical specifications.
Combination with MQTT Open Protocol: The IoT-Enabled Predictive Maintenance Spacer (Derivative 4.2) is configured to use the open-source MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol to publish its health data. The spacer's embedded microcontroller formats the sensor data (temperature, strain) into a JSON payload and publishes it to a specific MQTT topic, such as datacenter/rack04/server12/package_health. Any authorized MQTT subscriber can then monitor the real-time status of the semiconductor package, enabling integration with open-source dashboards like Grafana.
Combination with RISC-V ISA: A spacer connector is designed specifically for a System-in-Package (SiP) that stacks multiple RISC-V-based chiplets. The spacer's pillar layout is optimized for the AXI or TileLink bus protocols commonly used in the RISC-V ecosystem. The design itself, including the GDSII layout files for the spacer, is released as an open-source hardware project on a platform like GitHub, allowing anyone in the RISC-V community to fabricate or improve upon the spacer design for building custom multi-chiplet modules.