Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R1/00—Details of instruments or arrangements of the types included in groups G01R5/00 - G01R13/00 and G01R31/00
  • G01R1/02—General constructional details
  • G01R1/06—Measuring leads; Measuring probes
  • G01R1/067—Measuring probes
  • G01R1/07—Non contact-making probes
  • G01R1/071—Non contact-making probes containing electro-optic elements
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
  • G01R31/28—Testing of electronic circuits, e.g. by signal tracer
  • G01R31/2801—Testing of printed circuits, backplanes, motherboards, hybrid circuits or carriers for multichip packages [MCP]
  • G01R31/2806—Apparatus therefor, e.g. test stations, drivers, analysers, conveyors
  • G01R31/2808—Holding, conveying or contacting devices, e.g. test adapters, edge connectors, extender boards

Definitions

• the invention relates to a switching device for electrical contact testing of assembled and unpopulated printed circuit boards, comprising at least one planar support layer, a first electrode assembly and a functional layer, wherein the support layer is elastically recoverable deformable and wherein the functional layer is disposed on the first electrode assembly.
• the invention further relates to a method for producing such a switching device.
• printed circuit boards are preferably used, are applied to the electronic components and components in further steps.
• the printed circuit boards are preferably formed by a carrier layer and by printed conductors applied thereon. Since the reliability of the electrical connections of the printed circuit board has an essential significance for the function of the electronic circuit constructed thereby, each printed circuit board is tested for electrical conductivity after the manufacturing process. In particular, the conductivity of each individual connection line and the vias is checked.
• a test adapter has a plurality of longitudinally spring-mounted resiliently mounted contact needles.
• the arrangement of the contact pins on the test adapter is chosen according to the points to be tested of the circuit board. In particular, this means that for each printed circuit board to be tested, a separate test adapter must be made. During the test procedure, the test adapter is pressed against the printed circuit board, so that the spring-loaded test needles apply sufficient contact pressure and thus establish reliable electrical contact with the printed conductor to be tested.
• the required contact pressure is a significant disadvantage of the known methods, since this can lead to damage, in particular also to destruction of the printed conductor track to be tested. Since more and more highly integrated electronic components are used to construct electronic circuits, an ever-increasing number of connection lines must be accommodated on the printed circuit board, with the result that that the tracks are getting thinner and thus more sensitive to mechanical stress.
• the contact pressure required for establishing the electrical connection with the test needle can now be sufficient for the printed conductor to be damaged or destroyed.
• test devices are known in which there are at least two test needles which can be controlled in the plane of the circuit board surface to be tested.
• the test needles are selectively positioned by means of a coordinate positioning device over the printed conductors to be tested, then the test needles are pressed onto the printed conductor and the passage between the measuring points is measured.
• This training has the advantage that individually to be configured test procedures can be performed because no test adapter with fixed test needles is required.
• this training also again has the disadvantage that the required contact pressure of the test needles can damage or destroy the conductor track to be tested.
• EP 1 317 674 B1 discloses a test device for testing printed circuit boards for their functional capability, in which the carrier layer of the test adapter is formed by a flexible photoconductive polymer film.
• the document discloses that a photoconductive layer is applied directly on at least one side of the circuit board. The photoconductive
• Layer is electrically insulating, but becomes electrically conductive by illuminating with a laser beam in a localized area.
• an electrical voltage is then applied to the electrodes which are applied to the photoconductive layer, and the two end points of the conductor track are illuminated by a laser beam.
• the laser beam is thereby deflected by a laser source over several mirrors targeted to selectively illuminate sections on the circuit board can.
• the photoconductive layer in the illuminated area becomes electrically conductive, the then flowing current can thus be evaluated as an indicator of a functional trace.
• the disadvantage here is that a laser source must be present, which must be deflected via a complex deflection system, in particular a plurality of exactly controllable mirrors.
• Another disadvantage is that the photoconductive layer rests directly on the conductor tracks of the printed circuit board. Due to inaccuracies in the illumination with the laser beam or by control effects, it may happen that a larger portion of the photoconductive layer is illuminated and thus becomes electrically conductive, which can lead to an electrical contacting of adjacent conductor tracks.
• the object of the invention is therefore to improve the known test device to the effect that with an integrated test device, a determination of the quality of the connecting line, in particular the conductivity, is possible.
• the functional layer is formed from at least one of the group comprising a layer of a photosensitive material, a quantum detector, a photoresistor, and that over the functional layer at least one source of electromagnetic radiation is arranged, wherein the emitted electromagnetic radiation acts predominantly in the direction of the functional position.
• This design has the advantage that the illumination of the functional position and thereby the production of an electrical contact between the conductor track and the electrode arrangement takes place directly through the contact device itself. In particular, no external bulbs and complex deflection systems are required for the production of an electrical contact, whereby a compact design can be realized.
• Another advantage is that the source of electromagnetic radiation is very close to the photo-sensitive material and thus a very precise demarcated area is illuminated, which significantly reduces the risk of unwanted illumination of adjacent sections.
• An appropriately designed functional position has the advantage that it is electrically non-conductive without or with only low illumination and is electrically conductive by illumination with light of appropriate wavelength and intensity in the illuminated section. It is of particular advantage that the non-illuminated section remains electrically insulating. In particular, due to the lack of functional Ie ensured situation that there is no short circuit of the first electrode assembly with the circuit board to be tested.
• the photosensitive material may be formed by an organic semiconductive material, for example by poly (p-phenyl-vinyl) (PPV). However, it is also inorganic semiconducting material used, for example. Hg-selenide or Cd-sulfide, which can be adjusted by influencing the production parameters, the crystal size and thus the quantum-specific absorption rate.
• organic semiconductive material for example by poly (p-phenyl-vinyl) (PPV).
• PVP poly (p-phenyl-vinyl)
• inorganic semiconducting material for example. Hg-selenide or Cd-sulfide, which can be adjusted by influencing the production parameters, the crystal size and thus the quantum-specific absorption rate.
• Transistor arrangement formed of a plurality of transistors is formed.
• a transistor is a controllable semiconductor component, in particular a targeted control of the current flow through the component is possible.
• this advantageous property also makes it possible to determine the quality of the connection line, ie the determination of the electrical conductivity.
• a carrier layer which is formed from an organic material has the particular advantage that the switching device according to the invention can be produced in a particularly cost-effective and efficient manner.
• this training has the further advantage that both the production, as well as the disposal or destruction of the claimed trained trained contact device significantly less problems in terms of environmental impact.
• Preferred is a design as a plastic film which, for example, is available as a rolled product and thus enables a particularly efficient production of the switching device.
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• PEN Polyethylennaphta- lat
• the carrier layer is designed to be electrically insulating, since in this way electrically conductive components of the switching device can optionally be applied directly to the carrier layer without the need for additional work steps or insulating layers.
• a transparent or semitransparent carrier layer is advantageous with regard to monitoring or logging of the contact test procedure.
• the possibility during the electrical contact test operation additionally to carry out an optical control of the formed conductor tracks of the printed circuit board, or to apply printed or printed features such as, for example, inscriptions to their correct formation.
• the illumination of the source of electromagnetic radiation can also be monitored or logged in order to create an optical protocol of the contact tests carried out or to constantly monitor the functionality of the radiation sources.
• a transparent or semitransparent carrier layer has the further advantage that the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the source still acts on the functional position even when the carrier layer, with respect to the effective range of the source, is located between the source and the functional position.
• the first electrode arrangement comprises at least one electrically conductive electrode, wherein a design as a strip electrode is particularly preferred.
• An advantage is an embodiment in which the first electrode arrangement is arranged on a flat side of the carrier layer. Since the carrier layer is elastically deformable deformable, the electrode arrangement formed according to the claim can be optimally adapted to the surface structure of the printed circuit board to be contacted. This is, for example, then of particular advantage when an already assembled printed circuit board is to be tested. It is assumed that the deformations remain within the material-specific limit values, ie that the embossed deformation does not lead to irreversible material damage.
• a second electrode arrangement is provided, which is formed by at least one electrically conductive electrode.
• This design allows a compact, integrated arrangement or construction of the switching device according to the invention.
• an embodiment is particularly preferred as a strip electrode, since the desired resolving power can be set in a targeted manner by the width of the strip electrode.
• the strip electrodes of the first electrode arrangement and the strip electrodes of the second electrode arrangement are arranged such that the strip electrodes are rotated in the plane of their longitudinal extension relative to one another, preferably by 90 °.
• the electrode arrangements are arranged such that the functional layer is located between the first and second electrode arrangements and has electrical contact therewith at least in sections. It is thus ensured that, for example, both a quantum detector and a transistor of the transistor arrangement have electrical contact with at least one electrode of the first and second electrode arrangement.
• the electrode of the first and / or the electrode of the second electrode arrangement is connected by an electrically insulated connection line to a connection region.
• This design has the advantage that standardized and thus universally usable connection means for electrical connection of the switching device, for example, can be used with an evaluation device. Since all of the electrical connection lines required for carrying out the contacting test are available in a connection region, modularization is possible; in particular, such a design enables a simple and rapid replacement of the switching device.
• the at least one electrode of the first and / or second electrode arrangement is designed to be transparent or semitransparent. This advantageous embodiment achieves an electrically conductive contacting of the functional layer with simultaneous optical control or access of electromagnetic radiation.
• the electrodes are preferably formed from indium tin oxide (ITO), but all materials known to those skilled in the art from the group of transparent and conductive oxides (TCO) can be used.
• a particularly advantageous development is obtained if electrically conductive contact points are arranged on the second electrode arrangement or on the functional layer. Through these contact points a defined contact with the circuit board is ensured, and thus prevents inadvertent contact, for example, an adjacent conductor.
• a simply constructed connection tester can be formed, in which the contact points are arranged directly on the functional layer.
• those portions of the functional layer can be made electrically conductive, the contact points contact the end points of the test track to be tested and thus by determining the Stromflus- ses, the electrical contact to be tested.
• an electrically insulating layer may be applied to the functional layer or to the second electrode arrangement, so that an electrically conductive contact of the switching device with the object to be tested can be produced only via the contact points.
• connection region has an electronic multiway switch, which is formed, for example, by a transistor matrix.
• An electronic multi-way switch is able to selectively connect a plurality of input lines to at least one output line, whereby the number of lines to be connected from the switching device to the outside, for example to an evaluation unit, can be drastically reduced.
• connection region has a coupling connection means.
• This design allows a rapid change of Heidelbergvo ⁇ chtung, which is particularly advantageous in an automated manufacturing device for printed circuit board production.
• the coupleable connecting means can be formed by a known from the prior art connecting means, which is advantageous for the widest possible and universal use.
• plug-in connectors can be used, such as those used in the electrical contacting of printed circuit boards.
• An embodiment in which the source of electromagnetic radiation is formed by an organic semiconductor device, in particular by an oLED, has the very special advantage of achieving a significant cost saving in the production of the switching device according to the invention. Another advantage is that both the production and the disposal of oLEDs bring about a much lower environmental impact than is the case with inorganic LEDs. It is also advantageous that oLEDs are able to follow the elastic deformations of the carrier layer without damage, resulting in an improved adaptation of the switching device to the surface structure of the conductor track.
• the source of electromagnetic radiation is formed by a plurality of structured arranged light sources.
• a plurality of bulbs it is possible, for example, to position the switching device without high alignment costs on the circuit board to be tested and then to control the corresponding test points targeted.
• the position of the printed circuit board can be detected relative to the switching device by means of an optical recording device and then the corresponding contact points are determined therefrom. It is also advantageous that a plurality of contacting measurements can also be carried out simultaneously by appropriate control of the lighting means.
• the transistor arrangement is formed by organic transistors, since these transistors can follow the deformations of the carrier layer without damage, whereby a particularly good adaptation to the surface of the circuit board is achieved.
• the transistors are formed by organic field effect transistors (FET), which have the advantage that they can be used on the one hand as a very low-loss switch and on the other hand can form a very precisely controllable current source.
• Another advantage is a development in which a plurality of transistors of the transistor arrangement are arranged in a structured manner. As a result of this design, a high number or a high density of test contact points can be formed; in particular, if necessary, a plurality of contact tests can in turn be carried out simultaneously.
• the object of the invention also comprises a method for producing a flexible switching device comprising the steps:
• the first electrode arrangement and / or the functional layer and / or the second electrode arrangement and / or the contact points are applied by a printing method.
• a switching device produced by a printing method is, in a particularly advantageous manner, cost-effective, rationally producible, for example in a continuous process.
• printing processes can be particularly easily and quickly adapted to a new shape or a new design of the sections to be printed.
• printed structures usually have a very small layer thickness, for example in the range of a few ⁇ m, which results in a low material requirement.
• ink jet printing, screen printing, stamp printing are suitable as the printing process, but further methods are known to the person skilled in the art in order to apply liquid or pasty materials in a structured manner to a carrier layer or existing layers. In particular, methods are also known for depositing such materials from the vapor or gas phase.
• the functional position is formed by printing on organic transistors, in particular organic field-effect transistors. Since the functional position is arranged between the first and second electrode arrangement, the claimed embodiment has the advantage that the transistors can be printed directly onto the first electrode arrangement and thus form a compact, integrated switching device.
• Semiconductor components and in particular transistors are formed from a plurality of different semiconducting layers, wherein the component is formed by a plurality of structured imprinting operations.
• Printing processes have the very special advantage that it is possible to form structures which would not be possible in the field of inorganic semiconductors or which would only be very difficult and expensive to produce.
• sections can be left free in a first printing operation, in which, for example, another semiconductive material is printed in a further printing process.
• a plurality of vapor deposition steps with downstream photolithographic structuring processes are required.
• Another advantage is a development in which the functional position is formed by applying a photosensitive material, wherein on the photosensitive material organic light-emitting diodes (oLEDs) are printed. Since the OLEDs are applied to the photosensitive material, a very precise delimitation of the section to be illuminated is possible, which has the advantage that unintentional illumination of a neighboring area is prevented. In a further development, however, the OLEDs can also be printed on the second flat side of the carrier layer.
• oLEDs organic light-emitting diodes
• the electrodes of the first and / or second Elektrodenan- order are connected by printing of electrically mutually insulated connection lines with a connection area.
• FIG. 1 shows the switching device according to the invention according to a first embodiment.
• FIG. 2 shows the switching device according to the invention according to a second embodiment
• FIG. 5 shows an arrangement for contact testing of a printed circuit board.
• FIG. 1 shows a switching device 1 according to the invention comprising a carrier layer 2, a first electrode arrangement 3, a functional layer 4, a second electrode arrangement 5 and contact points 6 and sources for electromagnetic radiation 8.
• the first electrode arrangement 3 is formed, for example, by a plurality of strip electrodes and arranged on the first flat side 19 of the carrier layer 2.
• a layer of a photosensitive material for example inorganic semiconductors, and organic semiconductors such as, for example, poly (p-phenyl-vinyl (PPV) are applied to the first electrode arrangement 3.
• the second electrode arrangement 5 is applied for example, can also be formed by a plurality of strip electrodes, wherein the electrodes of the first electrode assembly and the electrodes of the second Elektrodenanord- tion in the plane of its longitudinal direction are arranged rotated against each other, preferably to
• the photosensitive material 7 is electrically conductive by illumination with a light of the corresponding wavelength and intensity in the illuminated section and thus provides an electrically conductive contact between at least one electrode of the first electrode arrangement 3 and at least one contact point 6 or one electrode of the second electrode arrangement 5 ago.
• the section-wise illumination of the photosensitive material 7 takes place with radiation sources 8, which are preferably arranged on the second flat side 18 of the carrier layer 2.
• a radiation source 8 If a radiation source 8 is electrically driven, it emits a light beam 17, which penetrates the transparent carrier layer 2 and the transparent or semitransparent electrodes of the first electrode arrangement 3 and acts on the photosensitive material 7.
• the photosensitive material becomes electrically conductive in the illuminated section and thus produces an electrically conductive connection between an electrode of the first electrode arrangement 3 and an electrode of the second electrode arrangement 5 or a contact point 6.
• Radiation sources 8 are preferably formed by organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), which are printed on the second flat side 18 of the carrier layer 2. According to a development, however, the OLEDs can also be imprinted directly on the photosensitive layer, which has the advantage that the carrier layer and the electrodes of the first electrode arrangement do not have to be transparent.
• OLEDs organic light-emitting diodes
• the measurement of the conductivity of a conductor track takes place, for example, in that a voltage is applied to one electrode of the first electrode arrangement 3 and that light source 8 is activated which is above the contact point 6 which has electrical contact with a first end of the conductor track to be tested , That electrode of the second electrode arrangement 5 whose contact point 6 has electrical contact with the second end of the conductor track to be tested is checked for electrical current flow, which is a criterion for a functional conductor track.
• the two contact points must not rest on the same electrode of the second electrode arrangement.
• the switching device 1 is transparent or semitransparent according to an embodiment, the further advantage is obtained that the switching device does not impair optical detection of the printed conductors on the printed circuit board. This makes it possible, for example, at the same time make an optical inspection of the circuit board with the electrical contact test, for example, to check the quality or position accuracy of imprints.
• the contact points 6 can also be applied directly to the functional position.
• Such a design is preferably used when conductor tracks are to be tested, the second end of which is not located on the flat side of the flat side contacted by the contact point 6; in particular, these are through-contacted interconnects or multilayer interconnects.
• FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the flexible switching device according to the invention, in which the functional layer 4 is formed by a transistor arrangement 9.
• the functional layer 4 is formed by a transistor arrangement 9.
• a first electrode arrangement 3 is applied, on which a plurality of transistors, in particular organic field-effect transistors (FET), are applied.
• FET organic field-effect transistors
• the second electrode assembly 5 is applied and thereon the electrically conductive contact points 6. Since no light exposure to a photosensitive layer is required in this embodiment, a transparent or semitransparent formation of the support layer and the electrode assemblies is not required.
• a transistor has the advantage that it has a very low contact resistance in the switched state and that the current through the transistor can be adjusted specifically, which represents a very special advantage with regard to the accuracy of the measurement.
• the individual layers and in particular the transistor arrangement are preferably applied by known methods, as has already been described in FIG. 1.
• the first electrode arrangement 3 shows an exploded view of the arrangement of the individual layers of the switching device 1.
• the first electrode arrangement 3 formed by strip electrodes is applied by means of a printing method.
• the functional layer 4 is applied to the first electrode arrangement 3, wherein according to an embodiment photosensitive material is applied and according to a further embodiment a plurality of transistors of the transistor arrangement are applied, preferably printed.
• electrodes, in particular strip electrodes, of the second electrode arrangement 5 can be applied to the functional layer, in particular printed on it.
• electrically conductive contact points 6 are applied, these contact points can also be optionally applied to the functional layer.
• the strip electrodes of the first 3 and second 5 electrode arrangement are rotated against each other, preferably by 90 °, wherein in each case a contact point 6 is arranged in the imaginary cover section.
• This training now allows a grid-like driving or querying the individual contact points.
• one electrode of the first electrode arrangement is alternately driven and all electrodes of the second electrode arrangement are interrogated. This process is repeated for all electrodes of the first electrode arrangement.
• a luminous means or by switching a transistor a portion of the functional layer becomes conductive and thus, for example, in the region of the contact point A, an electrically conductive connection of the electrode A 'to the contact point A is produced.
• By interrogating the electrode B ' can be clearly find out whether the trace between the points A and B is electrically conductive.
• all the electrodes of the second electrode arrangement 5, with the exception of the electrode A " could be interrogated so as to detect, for example, a faulty position of the conductor track covering layer, or else, for example, a short circuit of the conductor track to a second conductor track.
• connection lines 16 which are electrically insulated from one another.
• the electrodes as well as the individual layers were shown only schematically here.
• the first electrode arrangement 3, the functional layer 4 and the second electrode arrangement 5 are applied on the first flat side 19 of the carrier layer.
• an electronic multi-way switch 11 is arranged in the connection area 10.
• This multi-way switch has the task of selectively controlled to connect a plurality of input lines to one or more output lines.
• This multiway switch in particular a so-called multiplexer, is selectively activated and then connects the electrodes which are assigned to the contact points to be tested with a connection means in the connection region 10.
• this multiplexer is formed by organic semiconductor components, for example by a transistor matrix, and is printed directly onto the carrier layer by means of a printing process.
• Fig. 5 A shows a device for electrical contact testing of printed circuit boards.
• On a double-sided circuit board 12 printed conductors 13 are applied on each flat side.
• a switching device 1 is arranged on a frame 14, wherein two such frames 14 completely enclose the printed circuit board 12 to be tested, so that a closed air space 15 is formed between the switching device 1 and the printed circuit board 12.
• a negative pressure is generated in the air space 15, whereby the flexible switching device 1 adapts to the surface structure of the printed circuit board 12, as shown in Fig. 5B.
• the carrier layer is designed elastically and resettable deformable, which can be particularly well adapted to the surface of the printed circuit board to be tested.
• components can already be applied to the printed circuit board, but these do not essentially hinder a test of the printed circuit board since the switching device can adapt to the surface structure.
• the switching device according to the invention can be designed specifically for a plurality of different test arrangements, by replacing the frame 14 is a simple and quick adaptation of the test device to a modified type of the printed circuit board 12 to be tested possible. Since the switching device preferably has a coupling means that can be coupled, the electrical connection can also be adapted quickly and easily to a changed switching device.
• the switching device according to the invention achieves a significant increase in flexibility with regard to the possible test cases.
• FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the switching device, which is possibly independent of itself, wherein the same reference numerals or component designations are again used for the same parts as in the preceding FIG. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, reference is made to the detailed description in the preceding FIG.
• FIGS. 1 to 5 can form the subject of independent solutions according to the invention.
• the relevant objects and solutions according to the invention can be found in the detailed descriptions of these figures.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Electroluminescent Light Sources (AREA)
• Measuring Leads Or Probes (AREA)
• Thin Film Transistor (AREA)
• Testing Of Individual Semiconductor Devices (AREA)
• Tests Of Electronic Circuits (AREA)

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• 2008
  • 2008-10-07 AT AT0156908A patent/AT507322B1/de active
• 2009
  • 2009-10-07 US US12/998,287 patent/US9958478B2/en active Active
  • 2009-10-07 CN CN200980146934.3A patent/CN102265170B/zh active Active
  • 2009-10-07 WO PCT/AT2009/000387 patent/WO2010040161A2/de active Application Filing
  • 2009-10-07 JP JP2011530325A patent/JP2012517582A/ja active Pending
  • 2009-10-07 EP EP09756395A patent/EP2350679A2/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2015
  • 2015-11-06 JP JP2015005666U patent/JP3202798U/ja not_active Expired - Lifetime

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