JP2011237404A - Probe film for probe block and manufacturing method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A probe block probe film capable of effectively inspecting a display panel in which fine electrodes are arranged at high density and capable of reducing pin mistakes during the inspection process, and a method of manufacturing the same.
A method of manufacturing a probe block probe film includes a signal line portion 151 and a plurality of probe portions 150 each including a contact bump 152 formed so as to protrude from the signal line portion 151 by using a photolithography method. It includes a probe portion forming step for forming the substrate portion at a set interval, a film bonding step for bonding the upper surface of the probe portion 150 to the film portion 170, and a substrate removing step for removing the substrate.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a probe block probe film and a method for producing the same.

The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) production process consists of a cell process for making a display panel, and a driver, backlight, light guide plate and polarizing plate are assembled with the display panel produced in the cell process. It is roughly divided into the module assembly process that produces finished products.

Here, the display panel is an image display device in which the surfaces on which the source electrode and the gate electrode are formed are arranged facing each other on the substrate, and after the liquid crystal material is put between the substrates, the voltage is applied to both electrodes. Is applied to generate an electric field, and liquid crystal molecules are moved by the generated electric field to change the light transmittance, thereby expressing an image.

At this time, a display inspection probe unit (hereinafter referred to as a “probe unit”) performs an inspection on the display panel produced in the cell process, thereby confirming the presence or absence of a defect that may occur in the manufacturing process.

For example, the probe unit includes TFT (Thin Film Transistor), TN (Twisted Nematic), STN (Super Twisted Nematic), CSTN (Color Super Twisted Nematic), DSTN (Double Super Twisted Nematic), and organic EL (Electro Luminescence). A test electrical signal is applied to the electrode (or pad) of the display panel to check whether the display panel operates normally without causing a pixel error.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional probe unit for inspecting a display panel.

As shown in FIG. 1, the probe unit 10 is located on the display panel 20 and inspects whether each cell is abnormal. At this time, the probe unit 10 applies an electrical signal to the electrode of the display panel 20, receives the output signal, and transmits it to the inspection system.

Through such a process, the display panel 20 is inspected for defects such as point defects, line defects, and spot defects that may occur in the manufacturing process.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional probe unit.

As shown in FIG. 2, the probe unit 10 generally includes a probe block 12, a PCB unit 16, and a head block 14.

The probe block 12 performs an inspection process by bringing a probe into contact with an electrode of the display panel 20, applying an electrical signal, and detecting an output signal thereby. Here, the probe block 12 can be formed integrally with a TCP (Taped Carrier Package) block (not shown), and such a TCP block sends an electrical signal received from the PCB unit 16 to the probe block 12. introduce.

The head block 14 moves the probe block 12 up and down or fixes it at a fixed position so that the probe of the probe block 12 contacts the electrode of the display panel 20 with an appropriate physical pressure.

The PCB unit 16 generates an electrical signal for inspecting each cell of the display panel 20 and transmits it to the probe block 12 through the film 18.

On the other hand, recently, the number of high-quality display panels has been continuously increasing, and as a result, the need for a probe block having a probe for inspecting a high-density display panel has increased.

However, since the diameter of the probe configured in the above-described conventional probe block is at least about 300 micrometers, there is a limit to inspecting a display panel in which fine electrodes are arranged at high density. In particular, it has been difficult to produce a high-density probe block having uniformly and accurately arranged probes due to technical limitations in processing the probes.

In addition, in the case of a probe configured with a conventional probe block, the probe is worn when the tip of the probe contacts the display panel, and the display panel is not accurately inspected, or the probe is replaced at an appropriate time. There was an inconvenience of having to. In addition, a pin miss may occur due to the individual vertical movement of the probe.

One embodiment of the present invention effectively inspects a display panel in which fine electrodes are arranged at a high density by forming the probe portions at a high density and uniformly using a photolithography method. Another object of the present invention is to provide a probe film for a probe block and a method for manufacturing the same that can reduce pin mistakes during an inspection process because the probe portion is not fluid.

Also, in one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of contact bumps are collectively formed on the probe portion according to each signal line so that the contact position is changed from the worn contact bump to the next contact bump. An object of the present invention is to provide a probe film for a probe block and a method for manufacturing the same, which can continuously perform an inspection process for a display panel using the next contact bump without replacing the worn contact bump.

Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of signal line portions having different lengths are alternately arranged at regular intervals, thereby minimizing the interference of electrical signals that may be caused by a high voltage difference. It is an object of the present invention to provide a probe film for a probe block and a method for producing the same.

As a technical means for solving the above technical problem, a method for manufacturing a probe block probe film for inspecting a display panel according to the first aspect of the present invention projects from a signal line portion and a signal line portion. A probe portion forming step for forming a plurality of probe portions each including the formed contact bumps at a set interval on the substrate by using a photolithography method, and joining the upper surface of the probe portion to the film portion A film bonding step and a substrate removal step of removing the substrate.

A probe block probe film for inspecting a display panel according to the second aspect of the present invention is formed to protrude from a signal line part and a signal line part, and to be in contact with a plurality of electrodes provided on the display panel. A plurality of probe parts each including a bump and a film part bonded to the upper surface of the probe part are included.

According to the problem-solving means of the present invention described above, the photolithography method is used to form the probe portion at a high density and uniformly at the same time, so that a display panel in which fine electrodes are arranged at a high density is effective. In addition, since there is no fluidity of the probe portion, pin mistakes during the inspection process can be reduced.

Further, according to the problem solving means of the present invention described above, a plurality of contact bumps are collectively placed on the probe portion according to each signal line so that the contact position is changed from the worn contact bump to the next contact bump. Since it is formed, the inspection process for the display panel can be continuously performed using the next contact bump without replacing the worn contact bump.

In addition, according to the problem solving means of the present invention described above, since a plurality of signal line portions having different lengths are alternately arranged at regular intervals, the interference of electrical signals that may occur due to a high voltage difference is prevented. Can be minimized.

It is the whole block diagram of a probe unit for inspecting the conventional display panel. It is a perspective view of the conventional probe unit. It is a figure which shows the probe unit by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the front-end | tip part of a probe block. It is a figure which shows the front-end | tip part of a probe block. It is a figure which shows the front-end | tip part of a probe block. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the probe unit of FIG. 3. 1 is a perspective view of a probe film according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the probe film of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating signal line portions formed in a certain pattern and contact bumps protruding from the signal line portions according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a whole flowchart of the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a detailed flowchart of the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks by one Example of this invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a signal line portion formed in the steps of FIGS. 11 a to 11 k and a plurality of contact bumps formed to protrude from the signal line portion.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can be easily implemented. However, the present invention can be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Further, parts not related to the description for clearly explaining the present invention in the drawings are omitted, and like parts are denoted by like reference numerals throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when one part is “coupled” to another, this is not only “directly coupled”, but “electrically coupled” with other elements in between. "Is included. Also, where a part “includes” any component, this means that other components may be included rather than other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

FIG. 3 shows a probe unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4a-4c show the tip of the probe block. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the probe unit of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the probe unit 200 of the present invention includes a head block 210, a probe block 220, and a crimping block 230.

The head block 210 is coupled to the upper portion of the probe block 220 to move and fix the probe block 220 up and down so that the probe portion of the probe block 220 contacts the electrode of the display panel with an appropriate physical pressure.

The probe block 220 is coupled to a probe block main body 222 including an inclined protrusion 224, and a lower surface of the inclined protrusion 224. The probe block 220 extends and protrudes from the tip of the inclined protrusion 224, and contacts the electrode of the display panel. And a second plate 242 that supports the probe film 100 in contact with the upper surface of the protruding probe film 100 that is coupled to the upper surface of the inclined protrusion 224 and extends. Here, the probe block 220 may further include a fixing block 250 that is coupled to the upper surface of the second plate 242 and fixes and supports the second plate 242.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 a, the tip A of the probe block 220 is coupled to the lower surface of the first plate 241 and the first plate 241 coupled to the lower surface of the inclined protrusion 224. The probe film 100 that is in contact with the electrode of the display panel to apply a signal and the upper surface of the inclined protrusion 224 are coupled to the upper surface of the first plate 241 to contact the top surface 241 of the first plate. -1 to support a second plate 242. At this time, the front end portion 242-1 of the second plate 242 can contact the front end portion 241-1 of the first plate 241 at an inclined angle.

As shown in FIG. 4 b, in another embodiment, the tip portion A ′ of the probe block 220 has the above-described first plate 241 interposed between the lower surface of the inclined protrusion 224 and the probe film 100. First, the probe film 100 is coupled to the lower surface of the inclined protrusion 224 and extended from the tip of the inclined protrusion 224, and the tip 242-2 of the second plate 242 protrudes and extends. It may be configured in an extended form so as to be in contact with the upper surface.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4c, in another embodiment, the tip A ″ of the probe block 220 is formed by integrally forming the first plate 241 and the second plate 242, and the lower surface of the first plate 241. Alternatively, the probe film 100 may be combined.

The crimping block 230 is detachably coupled to the lower part of the probe block 220. The pressure-bonding block 230 includes a pressure-bonding block main body portion 231 housed in a recess formed in the lower portion of the probe block 220, a coupling protrusion 232 formed to protrude to one side of the main body portion 231, and a pressure-bonding block main body portion 231. A connection film 233 that extends from the lower portion of the connection protrusion 232 and is connected to the probe film 100 by pressing on the upper surface of the connection protrusion 232.

Here, the connection film 233 is mounted with a drive IC (Drive Integrated Circuit) (not shown) for inspecting the display panel. Such a driving IC applies an electrical signal to each electrode of the display panel and detects an output to detect whether or not the display panel is defective. The connection film 233 may be implemented as a chip on film.

Hereinafter, the probe film 100 described above will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a probe film according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the probe film of FIG.

6 and 7, the probe film 100 attached to the display panel inspection probe block is formed to protrude from the signal line portion 151 and the signal line portion 151, and includes a plurality of pieces provided in the display panel. A film 170 is bonded to the upper surfaces of a plurality of probe parts 150 each including contact bumps 152 that are in contact with the electrodes.

Here, the probe part 150 is formed in a lump at regular intervals using a photolithography method.

The contact bump 152 of the probe unit 150 is a part that contacts a plurality of electrodes provided in the display panel. Here, the contact bump 152 may be an asymmetrical rhombus in which the width (a ′) of the front end portion 153 is formed wider than the width of other portions and the height (b ′) decreases in the vertical direction. . That is, the contact bump 152 has the largest height (b ′) at the point where the vertical line (c ′) and the width direction line (a ′) of the tip 153 intersect, and the height increases in the vertical direction. Can be a decreasing form.

Then, the signal line unit 151 of the probe unit 150 applies an electrical signal to the display panel through the contact bump 152 in contact with the display panel, and transmits an output signal thereby to the inspection system. Such contact bumps 152 and signal line portions 151 can be arranged in the form of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating signal line portions formed in a certain pattern according to an embodiment of the present invention and contact bumps formed protruding from the signal line portions.

As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of contact bumps 152 may be formed to protrude from a plurality of signal line portions 151a and 151b having different lengths. Here, the signal line portions 151a and 151b are retracted from the first signal line portion 151a formed to the first length, the first signal line portion 151a, and shorter than the first signal line portion 151a. Second signal line portions 151b formed in a second length, and the first signal line portions 151a and the second signal line portions 151b may be alternately arranged.

Here, the same signal is transmitted to the signal line portion having the same length, and a voltage difference between the signal line portion 151a formed in the first length and the signal line portion 151b formed in the second length is increased. It can be 20V-40V. As described above, the signal line portions 151a and 151b are alternately arranged at regular intervals, thereby minimizing the interference of electrical signals that may be generated by the voltage difference.

Since a plurality of contact bumps 152 project from the signal line portion, the inspection process for the display panel can be effectively performed using the next contact bump without the need to replace the worn contact bump. .

More specifically, the contact bump 152 is formed in the above-mentioned asymmetrical rhombus, and the position of the contact can be smoothly changed from the worn contact bump to the next contact bump. The inspection process for the display panel is continuously performed using the next contact bump without replacement.

In addition, the above-described probe unit 150 is formed collectively at a constant interval using a photolithography method, and the contact bumps and the signal line unit do not flow and are arranged uniformly and accurately. Pin mistakes can be reduced when testing the display panel. Hereinafter, the method for producing the probe block probe film will be described more specifically with reference to FIG.

FIG. 9 is an overall flowchart of a method for producing a probe block probe film according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 9, in order to manufacture the probe block probe film of the present invention, first, a plurality of probe parts 150 each including a signal line part and a contact bump formed so as to protrude from the signal line part are formed by photolithography. A method is used to form all at once at a set interval on the substrate (step S1001). This step S1001 corresponds to steps S1101 to S1108 described later.

Next, the upper surface of the probe unit 150 is joined to the film unit (step S1002). This step S1002 corresponds to steps S1109 to S1110 described later.

Then, the substrate is removed (step S1003). This step S1003 corresponds to step S1111 described later.

A more specific process and detailed manufacturing order of the method for manufacturing the probe film shown in FIG. 9 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11a to 11k.

FIG. 10 is a detailed flowchart of a method for manufacturing a probe block probe film according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 11a to 11k are diagrams illustrating steps for explaining a method for manufacturing a probe block probe film according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11a, the first photoresist layer 120 formed on the silicone (Si) substrate 110 (hereinafter referred to as “substrate”) is patterned to form a pattern having a constant width (c ′). (Step S1101). Here, the corresponding width (c ′) may be formed to correspond to the length of the contact bump 152. More specifically, the first photoresist layer 120 is patterned using a mask pattern by exposing the exposed photoresist layer using a UV exposure apparatus or the like using a pre-defined mask layer and performing a phenomenon process on the exposed photoresist layer. Can do.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, using the first photoresist layer 120 as a mask, the substrate 110 is etched to form contact bump regions 122 (S1102). More specifically, a contact bump region 122 is formed by etching the substrate 110 at a predetermined depth using the first photoresist layer 120 as a mask by using a DRIE (Deep silicon Reactive Ion Etching) process. Can do.

Here, the DRIE process may be performed in the order of, for example, a polymer deposition stage, a polymer etching stage, and a silicone etching stage. The set depth may vary depending on the asymmetric diamond shape of the contact bump 152. That is, the point at which the vertical line (c ′) and the line (a ′) in the width direction of the tip intersect is etched deepest. See FIGS. 6 and 7 above for this.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11C, a seed layer 130 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 110 and the upper surface of the first photoresist layer 120 exposed by forming the contact bump region 122 (step S1103). Here, the seed layer 130 can be formed by sputtering a Ti (eg, 50 nm) and Cu (eg, 100 nm) seed metal. More specifically, the seed layer 130 can be formed in a process of sputtering Cu after sputtering Ti.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11d, the second photoresist layer 140 is patterned on the seed layer 130 to form the signal line region 142 (step S1104). Here, the second photoresist layer 140 is exposed by an ultraviolet exposure apparatus or the like using a mask layer that is defined in advance so that the signal line region 142 is formed, and a phenomenon process is performed on the exposed photoresist layer. It can be patterned by a mask pattern.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11e, the contact bump region 122 and the signal line region 142 are filled with a conductive material 144 (step S1105). Here, this step S1105 is performed in the process of plating at least one metal of Ni, NiCo, NiFe, and NiW.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11f, the probe unit 150 is formed by flattening the upper surfaces of the regions 122 and 142 filled with the conductive material 144 (step S1106). Here, the upper surfaces of the regions 122 and 142 filled with the conductive material 144 can be planarized by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. At this time, one end 151 of the probe unit 150 is used as a signal line unit, and the other end 152 formed to protrude from the one end 151 is used as a contact bump.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11g, the second photoresist layer 140 described above is removed (step S1107). Here, the second photoresist layer 140 may be removed by any one of an ashing process, a wet removal process, and an O ₂ plasma method.

Also, as shown in FIG. 11h, the seed layer 131 exposed by removing the second photoresist layer 140 is removed (step S1108). Here, the corresponding seed layer 131 may be removed through a dry etching process or a wet etching process.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11i, an adhesive 160 is applied to the upper surface of the probe unit 150 (step S1109). At this time, the adhesive 160 may be applied by performing epoxy spreading, and the adhesive 160 may be applied collectively to the upper surface of the first photoresist layer 120 according to the process method. Can do.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11j, the film portion 170 is bonded to the adhesive 160 (step S1110).

Further, as shown in FIG. 11k, the substrate 110 is removed to complete the production of the probe film (step S1111). Here, the first photoresist layer 120 can be removed together. At this time, the substrate 110 and the first photoresist layer 120 can be removed by a wet etching process. The wet etching process may be performed using a KOH solution or a TMAH (tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide) solution, which is an alkaline solution capable of etching the silicone. For example, wet etching can be performed at a temperature of 65 ° C. using a 44 wt% KOH (potassium hydroxide) solution. In addition, isopropyl alcohol can be added to the KOH solution used in the wet etching process.

In contrast, the substrate 110 and the first photoresist layer 120 may be removed by a dry etching process such as DRIE.

In this embodiment, after forming and patterning the first photoresist layer 120 on the substrate 110, the substrate 110 is etched using this as a mask to form the contact bump region. The contact bump region can also be formed by stacking a plurality of photoresist layers on the substrate 110 and then etching only the plurality of photoresist layers without etching the substrate 110.

By forming the contact bump region without etching the hard substrate 110 as described above, the process can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a signal line portion formed in the steps of FIGS. 11a to 11k and a plurality of contact bumps formed to protrude from the signal line portion.

As shown in FIG. 12, the signal line portion 151 and a plurality of contact bumps 152 protruding from the signal line portion 151 can be formed at the same time in the steps of FIGS. 11a to 11k. . At this time, one contact bump 152 may be formed to protrude from the signal line portion 151.

On the other hand, the above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can be used without changing the technical idea or essential features of the present invention. It can be easily transformed into other specific forms. Thus, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not limiting. For example, each component described in a single type can be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as being distributed can be implemented in a combined form. .

The scope of the present invention should be expressed not by the above detailed description but by the scope of the claims, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the scope of claims and the equivalent concept thereof. It should be construed that the form is within the scope of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Probe film 150 Probe part 151 Signal line part 152 Contact bump 170 Film part 200 Probe unit 210 Head block 220 Probe block 230 Crimp block 241 1st plate 242 2nd plate 250 Fixed block

Claims (16)

In the method of manufacturing the probe block probe film for inspecting the display panel,
A probe portion forming step of forming a plurality of probe portions each including a signal line portion and a contact bump formed protruding from the signal line portion at a set interval on a substrate using a photolithography method;
A film joining step for joining the upper surface of the probe part to the film part;
A substrate removal step of removing the substrate;
A method for producing a probe film for a probe block, comprising: The probe part forming step includes
Forming a contact bump region by etching using the first photoresist layer patterned on the substrate as a mask;
Forming a seed layer on the upper surface of the substrate exposed by forming the contact bump region and the upper surface of the first photoresist layer;
Patterning a second photoresist layer on an upper surface of the seed layer to form a signal line portion region;
Filling the contact bump region and the signal line portion region with a conductive material;
Planarizing an upper surface of the region filled with the conductive material to form the probe portion;
The method for producing a probe block probe film according to claim 1, comprising: 3. The probe block probe film according to claim 2, wherein the contact bump region has a shape in which a width of a tip portion is wider than that of another portion and a height is reduced in a vertical direction. Method. 3. The method for manufacturing a probe block probe film according to claim 2, wherein the contact bump region is formed by a DRIE process. 3. The probe block probe according to claim 2, wherein the seed layer is formed by sputtering Ti after sputtering the contact bump region and the upper surface of the first photoresist layer. A method for producing a film. The method of manufacturing a probe film for a probe block according to claim 2, wherein an upper surface of the region filled with the conductive material is planarized by a chemical mechanical polishing process. The method of manufacturing a probe film for a probe block according to claim 2, wherein the step of filling the contact bump region and the signal line portion region with a conductive material is performed by a plating step. The film bonding step includes
Removing the second photoresist layer;
Removing the second photoresist layer to remove the exposed seed layer;
Applying an adhesive to the upper surface of the probe part and joining the film part;
The manufacturing method of the probe film for probe blocks of Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. The method of manufacturing a probe film for a probe block according to claim 2, further comprising the step of removing the first photoresist layer. The method of manufacturing a probe film for a probe block according to claim 9, wherein the first photoresist layer is removed by a wet etching process. Said second photoresist layer, ashing, wet removal process, and of the O ₂ plasma process, the production of probes film probe block according to claim 8, characterized in that it is removed in any one Method. The method according to claim 8, wherein the seed layer is removed by a dry etching process or a wet etching process. In the probe block probe film for inspecting the display panel,
A plurality of probe portions each including contact bumps that are formed to protrude from the signal line portion and the signal line portion and are in contact with the plurality of electrodes provided in the display panel;
A film part joined to the upper surface of the probe part;
A probe film for a probe block, comprising: The probe block probe film according to claim 13, wherein the probe portions are collectively formed at a set interval on a substrate using a photolithography method. The signal line section includes a first signal line section formed to a first length, and a second signal line section formed to a second length shorter than the first signal line section. Including
The probe block probe film according to claim 13, wherein the first signal line portions and the second signal line portions are alternately arranged. 14. The probe film for a probe block according to claim 13, wherein the contact bump has a shape in which a width of a tip end portion is wider than a width of another portion and a height decreases in a vertical direction.

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