Selectively configurable circuit board

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide thermally actuatable switches and selectively configurable circuit boards which may employ such switches. A circuit board of one embodiment includes a substrate having board leads and a plurality of electrical connectors arranged adjacent a component site. Selectively configurable circuitry may be carried by the substrate and adapted to selectively couple selected ones of the electrical connectors to selected ones of the board leads. One or more trace may be associated with each of the electrical connectors and one or more of these traces may include a thermally actuatable switch that can be selectively closed. The thermally actuatable switch may comprise a gap between two conductive lengths of the conductive trace, an exposed switch surface, and a thermally responsive member that may wet the exposed switch surface when selectively heated above an activation temperature.

1 - 36 . (canceled)  
   
   
       37 . A method of manufacturing a microelectronic device assembly including a microelectronic component and a circuit board comprising: 
 electrically coupling each of a plurality of component contacts of the microelectronic component to one of a plurality of board contacts carried by the circuit board, the circuit board carrying a plurality of configurable traces associated with the board contacts and each of the configurable traces includes at least one normally open thermally actuatable switch;    identifying a first normally open thermally actuatable switch from the plurality of normally open thermally actuatable switches; and    locally heating the first switch to selectively close the first switch to define an electrical pathway between at least one of the board contacts and at least one of a plurality of board leads carried by the circuit board.    
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the first switch includes a thermally responsive member and a gap between two conductive lengths of one of the configurable traces, selectively closing the first switch comprising heating the thermally responsive member.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the first switch includes a thermally responsive member and a gap between two conductive lengths of one of the configurable traces, selectively closing the first switch comprising heating the thermally responsive member sufficiently to cause it to flow and define an electrically conductive path between the two conductive lengths.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the first switch includes a thermally responsive member, a gap between two conductive lengths of one of the configurable traces, and an exposed gap surface, selectively closing the first switch comprising heating the thermally responsive member and causing it to wet the gap surface.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 40  wherein the thermally responsive member is heated to a temperature below a melting point of the conductive lengths.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 37  further comprising identifying a second one of the normally open thermally actuatable switches and locally heating the second switch to selectively close the second switch to define an electrical pathway between at least one of the board contacts and at least one of a plurality of board leads carried by the circuit board.