EP3797432B1 - Method for producing a plurality of resistance on a ceramic substrate - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing a multiplicity of resistor modules, each of which comprises a carrier with a group of resistor elements, at the ends of which a respective first and second electrical connection is provided. document US2014055228A1 describes a method for producing a plurality of resistor modules, each comprising a carrier with a group of resistor elements, at the ends of which a respective first and second electrical connection is provided.

Processes of this type are used to produce resistor modules that are used in electrical components and / or electrical devices and can be conductively connected to the circuits of the components or devices by means of the electrical connections. The resistor modules can have at least two resistor elements which are formed on one side of a carrier in strips arranged parallel to one another. For example, the strips of the resistor elements can be twice as wide as they are long, which usually results in a roughly square shape for the resistor modules. For use in ever smaller components or devices, it may be necessary to reduce the size of the resistor modules accordingly. With the known methods, however, it has so far not been possible to produce resistor modules whose dimensions, expressed in length times width, are less than 0.8 mm × 0.6 mm.

It is therefore the object of the invention to create a method by means of which a large number of scaled-down resistor modules can be produced in a cost-effective, reliable and efficient manner.

1. a) Bereitstellen einer Trägerplatte, die eine Oberseite und eine Unterseite aufweist;
2. b) Ausbilden einer Vielzahl von Streifen eines Widerstandsmaterials an der Unterseite der Trägerplatte, die entlang einer Querrichtung ein erstes Ende und ein zweites Ende aufweisen, in einem regelmäßigen Muster dergestalt, dass entlang einer Längsrichtung, die senkrecht zu der Querrichtung verläuft, eine jeweilige Reihe von Streifen des Widerstandsmaterials gebildet ist und dass mehrere derartiger Reihen in Querrichtung nebeneinander angeordnet sind;
3. c) Ausbilden einer Vielzahl von Zonen eines elektrisch leitenden Materials an der Unterseite der Trägerplatte, die entlang der Querrichtung ein erstes Ende, einen Zwischenbereich und ein zweites Ende aufweisen, in einem regelmäßigen Muster dergestalt, dass entlang der Längsrichtung eine jeweilige Reihe von Zonen des elektrisch leitenden Materials gebildet ist und dass mehrere derartiger Reihen in Querrichtung nebeneinander angeordnet sind, wobei die Reihen von Streifen des Widerstandsmaterials und die Reihen von Zonen des elektrisch leitenden Materials in Querrichtung abwechselnd angeordnet sind, und wobei, mit Ausnahme von Randbereichen der Trägerplatte, die Streifen des Widerstandsmaterials an ihren ersten Enden mit dem ersten Ende einer jeweiligen Zone des elektrisch leitenden Materials überlappen und an ihren zweiten Enden mit dem zweiten Ende einer jeweiligen Zone des elektrisch leitenden Materials überlappen;
4. d) Durchtrennen der Trägerplatte durch regelmäßige Querrichtungsschnitte entlang der Querrichtung, erste Längsrichtungsschnitte entlang der Längsrichtung und zweite Längsrichtungsschnitte entlang der Längsrichtung dergestalt, dass die Querrichtungsschnitte zwischen Gruppen von einander zugeordneten, in Längsrichtung zueinander benachbarten Streifen des Widerstandsmaterials verlaufen, dass ferner die ersten Längsrichtungsschnitte die ersten Enden von den Zwischenbereichen einer jeweiligen Reihe von Zonen des elektrisch leitenden Materials abtrennen, und dass die zweiten Längsrichtungsschnitte die zweiten Enden von den Zwischenbereichen einer jeweiligen Reihe von Zonen des elektrisch leitenden Materials (insbesondere der vorgenannten Reihe oder einer anderen Reihe) abtrennen, so dass entlang der Querrichtung abwechselnd eine jeweilige Widerstandsbaueinheit und ein jeweiliger Restabschnitt der Trägerplatte gebildet ist, der abgetrennte Zwischenbereiche einer Reihe von Zonen des elektrisch leitenden Materials aufweist.

The object is achieved by a method according to claim 1, in particular comprising the steps:

1. a) providing a carrier plate which has an upper side and a lower side;
2. b) Forming a plurality of strips of a resistor material on the underside of the carrier plate, which strips have a first end and a second end along a transverse direction, in a regular pattern such that a respective row of Strips of the resistance material is formed and that a plurality of such rows are arranged in the transverse direction next to one another;
3. c) Forming a plurality of zones of an electrically conductive material on the underside of the carrier plate, which have a first end, an intermediate region and a second end along the transverse direction, in a regular pattern such that a respective series of zones of the electrically conductive material is formed and that several such rows are arranged in the transverse direction next to one another, the rows of strips of the resistance material and the rows of zones of the electrically conductive material are arranged alternately in the transverse direction, and wherein, with the exception of edge regions of the carrier plate, the strips of Resistive material overlap at their first ends with the first end of a respective zone of the electrically conductive material and at their second ends overlap with the second end of a respective zone of the electrically conductive material;
4. d) severing the carrier plate by regular transverse cuts along the transverse direction, first longitudinal cuts along the longitudinal direction and second longitudinal cuts along the longitudinal direction in such a way that the transverse cuts are between Groups of mutually associated, longitudinally adjacent strips of the resistance material run, furthermore that the first longitudinal-direction cuts separate the first ends from the intermediate regions of a respective row of zones of the electrically conductive material, and that the second longitudinal-direction cuts the second ends from the intermediate regions of a respective row separate from zones of the electrically conductive material (in particular the aforementioned row or another row) so that a respective resistor module and a respective residual section of the carrier plate is formed alternately along the transverse direction, which has separated intermediate areas of a series of zones of the electrically conductive material.

In the method according to the invention, the resistance material and the electrically conductive material are applied to the carrier plate in a regular manner in strips or zones, the applied resistance material and the applied electrically conductive material overlapping in certain areas. These overlapping areas serve as electrical connections of the resistor modules, by means of which the resistor modules can be conductively connected to the electrical component or device.

Separation, ie the formation of individual resistor modules, takes place at the end of the process, with suitable cuts severing the carrier plate in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction, specifically in such a way that a large number of resistor modules are produced at the same time. The transverse direction and the longitudinal direction define two reference directions running perpendicular to one another and do not necessarily designate a longitudinal shape of the carrier plate, the strips of the resistor material, or the resistor module.

By separating the intermediate areas of the zones of the electrically conductive material, residual sections of the carrier plate are formed, which are indeed produced as rejects during the manufacturing process. However, through a suitable choice of the first and second longitudinal cuts, the size of the electrical connections of the resistance elements formed can be determined in a simple manner and in particular minimized independently of the (not arbitrarily reduced) size of the zones of the electrically conductive material. Furthermore, the intermediate regions of the zones of the electrically conductive material allow the electrical resistance to be tested prior to the separation according to an advantageous embodiment which will be explained below.

According to the method according to the invention, the rows of strips of the resistance material and the rows of zones of the electrically conductive material are arranged alternately next to one another in the transverse direction, but not necessarily in the same number. For example, with the exception of edge regions of the carrier plate, a respective row of zones of the electrically conductive material can be arranged between two rows of strips of the resistance material, the number of rows of strips of the resistance material corresponding in particular to the number of rows of zones of the electrically conductive material can. Alternatively, however, it is also possible that, with the exception of edge regions of the carrier plate, two respective rows of zones of the electrically conductive material are arranged between two rows of strips of the resistance material, the number of rows of zones of the electrically conductive material in particular being twice as large how the number of rows of strips of the resistor material can be. In the latter case, only one of the two ends of a respective zone of the electrically conductive material ultimately overlaps a strip of the resistance material, while the other end of the respective zone is cut off in step d) and thus does not serve to contact a strip of the resistance material.

By a suitable choice of the length and width and the mutual spacings between adjacent strips of the resistance material and the mutual spacings between adjacent zones of the electrically conductive material, resistor modules of the most varied of sizes can be produced.

The method does not impose any restrictions on the dimensions of the resistor modules. In particular, the method can be used to produce resistor modules that are characterized by small dimensions and can also be used in components or devices that require a particularly compact design of the resistor modules, such as mobile phones, smartphones, smartwatches, hearing aids or similar devices.

Preferred embodiments can be found in the dependent claims and the description.

According to one embodiment, the respective resistor assembly formed by severing the carrier plate comprises a portion of the carrier plate that forms the carrier of the resistor assembly, a group of strips of the resistor material that form the group of resistance elements of the resistor assembly, a number of first ends of zones of the electrical conductive material which form the first electrical connections of the resistance elements, and a number of second ends of zones of the electrically conductive material which form the second electrical connections of the resistance elements. Thus, each resistance element is electrically conductively connected in the transverse direction by overlapping its two ends with a respective end of a zone of the electrically conductive material, which serve as the respective electrical connection for connection to the electrical component or device.

The mutual distances between the transverse directional cuts and the mutual distances between the first and second longitudinal directional cuts are preferably selected such that the resistor module formed, in particular a resistor module with two resistor elements, has a width of less than 0.6 mm and a length of less than 0.8 mm, wherein the width is in particular in a range from 0.3 mm to 0.34 mm and the length is in particular in a range from 0.54 mm to 0.62 mm and the width is preferably approximately 0.32 mm and the length is preferably 0.58 mm. These small dimensions are outside the range of the resistor modules that can be produced by previous methods. In other words, resistor modules in these dimensions can be produced exclusively by the method according to the invention.

According to one embodiment, the group of strips of the resistive material comprises two strips of the resistive material. The resistor module accordingly comprises two resistor elements. However, embodiments with more than two, for example three or four, strips of the resistance material are possible. Each of the resistance elements can be separately connected to an electrical component or device or to an electrical circuit by means of the first and second ends of two zones of the electrically conductive material or the electrical connections formed thereby.

Due to the regular arrangement of the strips of the resistance material and the zones of the electrically conductive material, in particular due to the row-like arrangement of the resistance elements, different geometries of the resistance units with two or more resistance elements can be achieved in a simple manner. For this purpose, it is sufficient in the production process to change the division of the groups of adjacent strips assigned to one another and, as a result, to change the mutual spacing of the cross-directional cuts.

According to one embodiment, the strips of the resistor material of the respective resistor module formed are of the same size. In other words, the strips of the resistance material have the same widths, the same lengths and the same thicknesses. A resistor module is thus formed, the resistor elements of which have the same resistance values.

According to a further embodiment, the strips of the resistance material of the resistance module formed are of different sizes, in particular with different widths transversely to the direction of extension of the strips of the resistance material between the first end and the second end. Accordingly, the resistance values of the resistance elements of the respective resistance module formed can be of different sizes.

The arrangement of the resistance elements adjoining one another in the form of strips allows different geometries of the resistance elements with correspondingly different resistance values to be achieved in a simple manner. For this purpose, it is sufficient to change the length of the strips of the resistance material in the process and, in accordance with this, also to change the arrangement and the spacing of adjacent zones of the electrically conductive material.

The carrier plate preferably comprises a ceramic substrate which, in particular due to its electrically insulating property, prevents electrical contact between the resistance material and the electrically conductive material outside the zones of the electrically conductive material. Such carrier plates are easy to manufacture and can be manufactured inexpensively and in large numbers. In addition, the ceramic substrate enables simple and problem-free severing of the carrier plate in step d).

According to one embodiment, the resistance material and the electrically conductive material are only applied to the underside of the carrier plate. This means that the upper side of the carrier of the resistance module formed is free of resistance elements and / or electrical connections. The resistor module is thus designed for assembly and contacting in a flip-chip design. The advantage of this construction is that the resistor module can be connected directly with the electrical connections downwards to the electrical circuit of the device or component and / or can be inserted into it, whereby the attachment of further connecting wires to the resistor module or to the circuit can be dispensed with .

According to one embodiment, step b) of forming the plurality of strips of the resistance material comprises applying a metal layer to the underside of the carrier plate by cathode sputtering and locally removing the metal layer by evaporation. By means of cathode atomization, the so-called "sputtering", layers of the resistance material can be applied to the carrier plate in a small thickness, which are characterized by great uniformity and good reproducibility. This enables the production of a large number of resistance elements, the resistance values of which are all in a predetermined, narrow range.

In order to apply the resistance material in the form of a plurality of strips on the carrier plate, the resistance material can be ablated or evaporated outside the predetermined areas of the strips, for example by a laser. Using this method, the resistor material can be limited precisely and with great positional accuracy to the areas of the strips.

Alternatively, a mask can be applied to the underside of the carrier plate, which mask has a large number of clearances corresponding to the strips. After applying the mask, the resistor material can be vapor-deposited onto the underside of the carrier plate. Through the mask, the resistor material only comes into contact with the carrier plate at the locations of the clearances, as a result of which After the mask has been removed, a plurality of strips of the resistance material is formed on the carrier plate. In addition to the large-area application and local removal of the resistor material or the attachment of a mask, however, other methods are also conceivable for forming the strips of the resistor material.

According to one embodiment, step c) of forming the plurality of zones of the electrically conductive material comprises printing the underside of the carrier plate with an electrically conductive paste, in particular with a silver-palladium alloy. For this purpose, for example, a printing plate can be used on which the electrically conductive paste is applied in a regular pattern, the pattern corresponding to the arrangement of the zones. In particular, the pattern of the electrically conductive paste applied to the printing plate is matched to the arrangement of the strips of the resistance material.

After the formation of the multiplicity of zones of the electrically conductive material, electroplating, in particular nickel-tin electroplating, of the zones can also take place.

It goes without saying that step b) of forming the plurality of strips of the resistance material and step c) of forming the plurality of zones of the electrically conductive material can also be carried out in reverse order or partially simultaneously. The overlapping of the strips of the resistance material with the zones of the electrically conductive material can take place in such a way that the respective strip of the resistance material partially covers the respective zones of the electrically conductive material, or in such a way that the respective zones of the electrically conductive material the respective strip of the resistance material partially cover.

According to one embodiment, the carrier plate is severed in step d) by means of a laser beam. This allows a precise and efficient method of structuring the carrier plate, whereby with this technique it is also possible to carry out several severing cuts in quick succession in one work step. In general, the transverse directional cuts, the first longitudinal directional cuts and the second longitudinal directional cuts can be carried out in any order for severing the carrier plate in step d). The regular arrangement of the transverse directional cuts, the first longitudinal directional cuts and the second longitudinal directional cuts follows or corresponds to the regular pattern of the strips of the resistance material and the regular pattern of the zones of the electrically conductive material.

According to one embodiment, the electrical resistance of a respective strip of the resistance material is measured prior to the severing of the carrier plate by the first and second longitudinal cuts, in particular before step d), with contact probes on that zone of the electrically conductive material which is connected to the first end of the respective Strip of the resistance material overlaps, and are applied to that zone of the electrically conductive material which overlaps with the second end of the respective strip of the resistance material. The measured values can be checked as part of a quality control to determine whether the resistance values are in a specified nominal range or whether deviations from them can be determined. In particular, the contact probes can be Kelvin probes which measure the electrical resistance of the respective zone of the resistance material by means of the Kelvin method. Measuring the electrical resistance before cutting through the carrier plate has the advantage that the entire area of a respective zone of the electrically conductive material is available for attaching a contact probe, which is due to the small size of the resistor unit and the small size ratio between the contact probe and the respective zone of the electrically conductive material makes positioning of the contact probe considerably easier or possible in the first place.

A second aspect of the invention relates to a resistor assembly that has been produced according to a method according to the invention, with a carrier, a group of resistance elements arranged on the underside of the carrier, first electrical connections which are connected to a respective first end of the resistance elements, and second electrical connections which are connected to a respective second end of the resistor elements, the resistor module having a width of less than 0.6 mm and a length of less than 0.8 mm, the width in particular in a range from 0.3 mm to 0 , 34 mm and the length is in particular in a range from 0.54 mm to 0.62 mm. The resistor module is designed for assembly and contacting in a flip-chip design and, due to its small size, can be used in electrical components or devices that require a particularly compact design of the resistor modules, such as mobile phones, smartphones, smartwatches, hearing aids or similar devices.

Fig. 1

Schritt a) einer Ausführungsform eines erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens zur Herstellung einer Vielzahl von Widerstandsbaueinheiten;

Fig. 2

Schritt b) der Ausführungsform von Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

Schritt c) der Ausführungsform von Fig. 1;

Fig. 4

Funktionsüberprüfung der Ausführungsform von Fig. 1;

Fig. 5

Schritt d) der Ausführungsform von Fig. 1; und

Fig. 6

die Unteransicht einer Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Widerstandsbaueinheit.

The invention is described below using an example of an advantageous embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show, each schematically,

Fig. 1

Step a) of an embodiment of a method according to the invention for producing a plurality of resistor modules;

Fig. 2

Step b) of the embodiment of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3

Step c) of the embodiment of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 4

Functional check of the embodiment of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 5

Step d) of the embodiment of Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 6

the bottom view of an embodiment of a resistor assembly according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a section of a carrier plate 10 according to step a) of an embodiment of a method according to the invention for producing a plurality of resistor modules. The carrier plate 10 can be formed from a ceramic substrate which forms an electrically insulating carrier device for receiving a resistor material and an electrically conductive material. In Fig. 1 Arrows and the letters "Q", "L" denote a transverse direction Q and a longitudinal direction L orthogonal thereto. Here, the transverse direction Q and the longitudinal direction L define two mutually perpendicular reference directions and do not necessarily denote a longitudinal shape of the carrier plate 10 or the resistor modules formed . The carrier plate 10 comprises an upper side 12 and an underside 14, which in FIG Fig. 1 is shown in plan view.

In step b) of the method according to the invention, which is described in Fig. 2 is shown, a plurality of strips 16 of a resistor material is applied to the underside 14 of the carrier plate 10 in a regular pattern. The strips 16 are arranged in rows 18 which extend in the longitudinal direction L and are arranged next to one another with respect to the transverse direction Q. Fig. 2 shows a section of the carrier plate 10 in which, for example, sixteen strips 16 are arranged in four parallel rows 18. The arrangement of the strips 16 can be continued in both the mutually orthogonal directions Q and L in accordance with the pattern shown. The strips 16 have a first end 20 and a second end 22 along the transverse direction Q. The resistor material can be applied, for example, by cathode atomization, a so-called "sputtering" method. This technique has the advantage that the resistor material is removed can be applied in a layer of uniform thickness to the underside 14 of the carrier plate 10 and layers of small thickness can also be produced. However, other methods of applying the resistance material to the carrier plate 10 are also conceivable.

In order to apply the resistance material to the carrier plate 10 only at the locations of the strips 16, the resistance material can be applied to the carrier plate, for example, in continuous areas extending parallel along the longitudinal direction L. To form the individual strips 16 (segmentation), a laser can be used which removes or vaporizes resistance material at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction L. A precise and positionally accurate arrangement of the strips 16 can be achieved by means of this method. Alternatively, the underside 14 of the carrier plate 10 can be covered, for example, by a mask (not shown) before the application of the resistance material, which mask has clearances at the location of the strips 16 and can be made of plastic, for example. After the application of the resistance material and the subsequent removal of the mask, a regular pattern of a plurality of strips 16 of the resistance material is thus produced on the carrier plate 10. However, other methods are also conceivable, which can be used alone or in combination with a mask in order to form the strips 16 of the resistance material precisely and simply and efficiently on the carrier plate 10.

In the embodiment shown, the strips 16 of the resistor material are of equal size to one another, ie the strips 16 of the resistor material have the same widths and lengths and the same thicknesses. Accordingly, the strips 16 of the resistance material have the same electrical resistance values. In other embodiments, the strips can be of different sizes to provide strips 16 of resistive material with different electrical To generate resistance values. This can be achieved in a simple manner by varying the length of the strips along the longitudinal direction L.

Fig. 3 shows step c) of the method according to the invention, in which a plurality of zones 24 of an electrically conductive material is formed on the underside 14 of the carrier plate 10. The zones 24 of the electrically conductive material are applied in a regular pattern to the carrier plate 10, the zones 24 of the electrically conductive material being arranged in a plurality of rows 26 which extend in the longitudinal direction L and are arranged next to one another with respect to the transverse direction Q. Here, the rows 26 of the zones 24 of the electrically conductive material run parallel to the rows 18 of the strips 16 of the resistance material and alternate with them in the transverse direction Q, so that the number of rows 26 of the zones 24 of the electrically conductive material is essentially the Number of rows 18 of strips 16 of the resistor material corresponds.

The zones 24 of the electrically conductive material each have a first end 28, an intermediate region 30 and a second end 32 along the transverse direction Q, wherein, except at the edge regions of the carrier plate 10, the strips 16 of the resistance material at their first ends 20 with the overlap first end 28 of a respective zone 24 of the electrically conductive material and overlap at their second ends 22 with the second end 32 of a respective zone 24 of the electrically conductive material. The regular pattern of the zones 24 is matched to the regular pattern of the strips 16 in such a way that on each strip 16 there is an overlap area with a respective zone 24 at its first end 20 and an overlap area with a respective zone 24 at its second end 22 is formed.

The zones 24 of the electrically conductive material can for example consist of a silver-palladium alloy. The zones 24 can be attached in Form of a paste, in particular by printing the underside 14 of the carrier plate 10, are formed. For this purpose, the electrically conductive paste is applied to a printing plate (not shown) in a regular pattern corresponding to a predetermined arrangement of the zones 24. Using this technique, a large number of zones 24 of the electrically conductive material can be produced efficiently in one printing process.

The in Fig. 2 step b) shown of forming the plurality of strips 16 of resistor material and the in FIG Fig. 3 The illustrated step c) of forming the plurality of zones 24 of the electrically conductive material can also be carried out in reverse order or partially simultaneously. The overlapping of the strips 16 of the resistance material with the zones 24 of the electrically conductive material can either take place in such a way that the respective strip 16 of the resistance material partially covers the respective zones 24 of the electrically conductive material, or in such a way that the respective zones 24 of the electrically conductive material Material partially cover the respective strip 16 of the resistance material.

In Fig. 4 an optional step to check the functionality and / or to characterize the resistance modules formed is shown. For this purpose, contact probes 34, in particular Kelvin probes, are brought into contact with the zones 24 of the electrically conductive material which are assigned to a respective strip 16 of the resistance material. In Fig. 4 only the contact points of the contact probes 34 are illustrated.

The contact probes 34 are at that zone 24 of the electrically conductive material which overlaps with the first end 20 of the respective strip 16 of the resistance material, and at that zone 24 of the electrically conductive material which overlaps with the second end 22 of the respective strip 16 of the resistance material , created. The contact probes 36 are designed for this purpose, for example to measure the electrical resistance of a respective strip 16 of the resistance material and thus the electrical resistance of the respective resistance element to be formed by means of the Kelvin method. The measured values can then be used to determine whether the resistance values are in a predetermined range or whether there are any deviations.

By performing the functional test after step c) of the method and before cutting through the carrier plate 10 according to step d), the attachment of the contact probes 34 to the respective zones 24 is facilitated, since at this point in time of the method the area of the intermediate areas 30 of the zones 24 is available for this. For testing the strips 16 of the resistance material, at least one pair of contact probes 34 is required (one contact probe 34 each on both sides of the respective strip 16), and several pairs of contact probes 34 can also be used to test several strips 16 at the same time.

Fig. 5 shows step d) of the method according to the invention, in which a plurality of resistor modules 44 are separated from the carrier plate 10 occupied by rows 18 of strips 16 of the resistance material and rows 26 of zones 24 of the electrically conductive material by means of a sequence of cuts. The sequence of cuts includes transverse directional cuts 36 along the transverse direction Q, first longitudinal directional cuts 38 along the longitudinal direction L and second longitudinal directional cuts 40 along the longitudinal direction L.

The regular arrangement of the transverse directional cuts 36, the first longitudinal directional cuts 38 and the second longitudinal directional cuts 40 corresponds to the regular pattern of the strips 16 of the resistance material and the regular pattern of the zones 24 of the electrically conductive material. In this case, the cross-directional cuts 36 run between groups 42 of strips 16 of the resistance material that are assigned to one another and are adjacent to one another in the longitudinal direction L. In the embodiment described, the groups 42 each comprise two strips 16. The groups 42 can, however, also comprise more or only one strip 16. The number of strips 16 of the resistor material of the resistor modules 44 can be changed by simply adapting the cutting distances.

The first longitudinal cuts 38 separate the first ends 28 from the intermediate regions 30 of a respective row 26 of zones 24 of the electrically conductive material. By contrast, the second longitudinal cuts 40 separate the second ends 32 from the intermediate regions 30 of a respective row 26 of zones 24 of the electrically conductive material. Thus, through the sequence of cuts 36, 38, 40 along the transverse direction Q, a respective resistor module 44 and a respective remaining section 46 of the carrier plate are formed alternately. The respective remaining section 46 comprises separated intermediate areas 30 of a row 26 of zones 24 of the electrically conductive material and is no longer required after the end of the manufacturing process.

It goes without saying that for the severing of the carrier plate 10, the transverse directional cuts 36, the first longitudinal directional cuts 38 and the second longitudinal directional cuts 40 are generally made in any order. The severing of the carrier plate 10 can be carried out, for example, by means of a laser beam, which allows precise and efficient structuring of the carrier plate 10 in one operation.

The strips 16 of the resistance material can generally have a longitudinal shape (in particular essentially rectangular), wherein the respective longitudinal axis of the strips 16 of the resistance material can be aligned along the longitudinal direction L or along the transverse direction Q. As an alternative to this, the strips 16 of the resistance material can also have an essentially square shape, for example.

Fig. 6 shows in a bottom view, by way of example, a resistor module 44 of the plurality of resistor modules which were produced by steps a) to d) of the method explained. Each resistor assembly 44 accordingly comprises a portion of the carrier plate 10 which forms the carrier 48 of the resistor assembly 44, a group 42 of strips 16 of the resistor material which form a group of resistor elements 50 of the resistor assembly 44, a number of first ends 28 of zones 24 of the electrically conductive material, which form first electrical connections 52 of the resistance elements 50, and a number of second ends 32 of zones 24 of the electrically conductive material, which form second electrical connections 54 of the resistance elements 50. The first electrical connections 52 are connected to a respective first end of the resistance elements 50 and the second electrical connections 54 are connected to a respective second end of the resistance elements 50. Due to the arrangement of the resistor elements 50 on the underside of the carrier 48, the resistor module 44 is particularly suitable for mounting and contacting in a flip-chip design.

In the method, the mutual distances between the transverse directional cuts 36 and the mutual distances between the first and second longitudinal directional cuts 38, 40 are selected such that the resistor assembly 44 has a width of less than 0.6 mm and a length of less than 0.8 mm, the width can in particular be in a range from 0.3 mm to 0.34 mm and the length can in particular be in a range from 0.54 mm to 0.62 mm. Due to its small size, which can be achieved by the method according to the invention, the resistor module 44 can be used in electrical components or devices which require a particularly small and compact design of the resistor modules.

List of reference symbols

10

Carrier plate

12th

Top

14th

bottom

16

Strips of resistor material

18th

Row of strips 16 of resistor material

20th

first end of a strip 16 of the resistive material

22nd

second end of a strip 16 of the resistive material

24

Zone of the electrically conductive material

26th

Row of zones 24 of the electrically conductive material

28

first end of a zone 24 of the electrically conductive material

30th

Intermediate area of a zone 24 of the electrically conductive material

32

second end of a zone 24 of the electrically conductive material

34

Contact probe

36

Cross direction cut

38

first longitudinal cut

40

second longitudinal cut

42

Group of adjacent stripes

44

Resistor assembly

46

Remainder section

48

carrier

50

Resistance element

52

first electrical connection

54

second electrical connection

Q

Transverse direction

L.

Longitudinal direction

Claims (13)

1. A method of manufacturing a plurality of resistor units (44) that each comprise a carrier (46) having a group of resistor elements (50) at whose ends a respective first and second electrical terminal (52, 54) is provided, comprising the steps:

   a) providing a carrier plate (10) that has an upper side (12) and a lower side (14);

   b) forming a plurality of strips (16) of a resistor material at the lower side (14) of the carrier plate (10), that have a first end (20) and a second end (22) along a transverse direction (Q), in a regular pattern such that a respective row (18) of strips (16) of the resistor material is formed along a longitudinal direction (L) that extends perpendicular to the transverse direction (Q) and such that a plurality of such rows (18) are arranged next to one another in the transverse direction (Q);

   c) forming a plurality of zones (24) of an electrically conductive material at the lower side (14) of the carrier plate (10), that have a first end (28), an intermediate region (30), and a second end (32) along the transverse direction (Q), in a regular pattern such that a respective row (26) of zones (24) of the electrically conductive material is formed along the longitudinal direction (L) and such that a plurality of such rows (26) are arranged next to one another in the transverse direction (Q), wherein the rows (18) of strips (16) of the resistor material and the rows (26) of zones (24) of the electrically conductive material are arranged alternately in the transverse direction (Q), and wherein, with the exception of border regions of the carrier plate (10), the strips (16) of the resistor material overlap the first end (28) of a respective zone (24) of the electrically conductive material at their first ends (20) and overlap the second end (32) of a respective zone (24) of the electrically conductive material at their second ends (22); and

   d) cutting through the carrier plate (10) by regular transverse incisions (36) along the transverse direction (Q), first longitudinal incisions (38) along the longitudinal direction (L), and second longitudinal incisions (40) along the longitudinal direction (L) such that the transverse incisions (36) extend between groups (42) of strips (16) of the resistor material that are associated with one another and that are adjacent to one another in the longitudinal direction (L), such that furthermore the first longitudinal incisions (38) detach the first ends (28) from the intermediate regions (30) of a respective row (26) of zones (24) of the electrically conductive material, and such that the second longitudinal incisions (40) detach the second ends (32) from the intermediate regions (30) of a respective row (26) of zones (24) of the electrically conductive material so that a respective resistor unit (44) and a respective residual section (46) of the carrier plate (10) are alternately formed along the transverse direction (Q), said respective residual section (46) including detached intermediate regions (30) of a row (26) of zones (24) of the electrically conductive material.
2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the respective resistor unit (44) formed by the cutting through of the carrier plate (10) has

   - a section of the carrier plate (10) that forms the carrier (48) of the resistor unit (44);

   - a group (42) of strips (16) of the resistor material that form the group of resistor elements (50) of the resistor unit (44);

   - a number of first ends (28) of zones (24) of the electrically conductive material that form the first electrical terminals (52) of the resistor elements (50); and

   - a number of second ends (32) of zones (24) of the electrically conductive material that forms the second electrical terminals (54) of the resistor elements (44).
3. A method in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the mutual spacings of the transverse incisions (36) and the mutual spacings of the first and second longitudinal incisions (38, 40) are selected such that the respective formed resistor unit (44) has a width of less than 0,6 mm and a length of less than 0,8 mm, with the width in particular being able to be in a range from 0,3 mm to 0,34 mm and the length in particular being able to be in a range from 0,54 mm to 0,62 mm.
4. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the group (42) of strips (16) of the resistor material comprises two strips (16) of the resistor material.
5. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the strips (16) of the resistor material of the formed resistor unit (44) are of equal size.
6. A method in accordance with any one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the strips (16) of the resistor material of the formed resistor unit (44) are of different sizes, in particular with a different width transversely to the extent of the strips (16) of the resistor material between the first end (20) and the second end (22).
7. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier plate (10) comprises a ceramic substrate.
8. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the resistor material and the electrically conductive material are only applied to the lower side (14) of the carrier plate (10).
9. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein step b) of forming the plurality of strips (16) of the resistor material comprises:

   applying a metal layer to the lower side (14) of the carrier plate (10) by cathode atomization; and

   local removal of the metal layer by vaporization.
10. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein step c) of forming the plurality of zones (24) of the electrically conductive material comprises:
    printing the lower side (14) of the carrier plate (10) with an electrically conductive paste.
11. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cutting through of the carrier plate (10) in step d) takes place by means of a laser beam.
12. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical resistance of a respective strip (16) of the resistor material is measured before the cutting through of the carrier plate (10) by the first and second longitudinal incisions (38, 40), wherein contact probes (34) are applied to that zone (24) of the electrically conductive material that overlaps the first end (20) of the respective first strip (16) of the resistor material and to that zone (24) of the electrically conductive material that overlaps the second end (22) of the respective strip (16) of the resistor material
13. A resistor unit (44) that has been manufactured in accordance with a method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, comprising a carrier (48), a group of resistor elements (50) arranged at the lower side of the carrier (48), first electrical terminals (52) that are connected to a respective first end of the resistor elements (50), and second electrical terminals (54) that are connected to a respective second end of the resistor elements (50),
    wherein the resistor unit (44) has a width of less than 0,6 mm and a length of less than 0,8 mm, with the width in particular being in a range from 0,3 mm to 0,34 mm and the length in particular being in a range from 0,54 mm to 0,62 mm.

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