JP2012099300A - Contact structure and switch device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a contact structure and a switch device that can improve contact reliability.SOLUTION: The contact structure having a fixed contact and a moving contact capable of releasing contact with the fixed contact includes a substrate, and a lid joined over a peripheral portion to a surface of the substrate so as to form a closed space having a plurality of intercommunicating compartments and sealing in gas, and provided with diaphragms at ceiling portions of the compartments. The fixed contact is disposed on the surface of the substrate serving as a bottom portion of each of one or more of the plurality of compartments, and the moving contact is disposed inside the diaphragm serving as the ceiling portion of each of the one or more compartments.

Description

  The present invention relates to a contact structure and a switch device having a fixed contact and a movable contact that can be moved toward and away from the fixed contact.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) technology for creating a mechanism structure, a sensor, a circuit component, and the like using semiconductor processing technology is drawing attention. This MEMS technology is also applied to the field of relays and switches, and these devices are sometimes collectively referred to as switch devices.

  Generally, in a switch device having a contact (movable contact and fixed contact), when a foreign substance adheres to the contact surface or an oxide film is formed, an electrical connection is not established when the contact is operated. In some cases, the contact reliability may be reduced. As a conventional countermeasure against such contamination, there is one in which contact reliability is improved by providing a cover (or a protective layer) and sealing the contact so that contaminants do not adhere to the contact.

  However, when a cover is provided for the entire switch device, there are problems such as reduced contact reliability due to contamination during processing and contact surface oxidation, an increase in the number of parts, complicated processes, and increased external dimensions. there were.

  On the other hand, as an example of a technique for sealing only the contacts (movable contact and fixed contact), a space sealed by the glass substrate and the diaphragm is formed, and an electrode (fixed contact) is provided on the surface of the glass substrate, A contact metal (movable contact) is provided in the recess of the diaphragm. When the diaphragm is bent by an external force, the contact metal is electrically connected to the electrode, and when the diaphragm is restored, the contact metal is separated from the electrode, There is a semiconductor pressure switch that is not connected to the semiconductor pressure switch (for example, Patent Document 1).

  As another example of the sealing technology, a fixed contact is disposed on the upper surface of the base, a movable contact that is detachably opposed to the fixed contact is disposed on the lower surface of the actuator, and a voltage is applied between the base and the lower surface of the actuator. In some micro relays, in which a movable contact is brought into and out of contact with a fixed contact by electrostatic attraction generated by application, the fixed contact and the movable contact are sealed by a cover integrally joined to a peripheral edge of the upper surface of the base. (For example, patent document 2).

  Furthermore, as another example of the sealing technique, an electrode (fixed contact) is provided on the substrate, a charge storage electrode (movable contact) is provided on the diaphragm, and an electrostatic force is generated between the electrode and the charge storage electrode. There is a switch that elastically deforms the diaphragm (for example, Patent Document 3).

  Even with such a sealing technology, the fixed contact and the movable contact may stick when they are ON, and may have to be peeled off with a large force when shifting to the OFF state (non-connected state). It was a factor to decrease.

  Further, in the conventional electrostatic capacity type relay, when the distance between the fixed contact and the movable contact at the time of OFF is large, the distance between the driving electrodes is often increased in proportion thereto, and the driving voltage is increased. . In addition, when the distance between the fixed contact and the movable contact is small, there is a problem that the possibility of occurrence of a leakage current is increased or the insulation is deteriorated.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-187883 JP 11-219652 A JP 2007-157511 A

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the diaphragm is deformed when ON, the gas in the sealed space is compressed. Therefore, the diaphragm is deformed by applying a large external force, or the sealed space is depressurized. The force required for gas compression must be reduced. However, if the inside of the sealed space is in a vacuum state or a state close thereto, a large force is required to expand the sealed space in the low pressure state when switching from the ON state to the OFF state, which causes a decrease in contact reliability. There was a problem.

  In addition, when applying a configuration that prevents malfunction due to vibration or shock by adjusting the thickness of the diaphragm or the depth of the recess, the contact reliability cannot be ensured, or if the adjustment cannot be made for some reason. Therefore, it is desirable to provide another means for preventing malfunction.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a contact structure and a switch device capable of improving contact reliability.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a first aspect of the present invention is a contact structure having a fixed contact and a movable contact that can be moved toward and away from the fixed contact, and has a substrate and a plurality of compartments communicated with each other. And a lid having a peripheral portion bonded to the surface of the substrate so as to form a sealed space filled with gas and having a diaphragm provided on a ceiling portion of each of the compartments, and the plurality of compartments The fixed contact is provided on the surface of the substrate serving as the bottom of each of the one or more compartments, and the movable contact is provided inside the diaphragm serving as the ceiling of each of the one or more compartments. Is a contact structure.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a contact structure having a fixed contact and a movable contact that can be moved toward and away from the fixed contact, the substrate and a pair of compartments communicated with each other, and gas is enclosed. And a lid body having a peripheral portion bonded to the surface of the substrate so as to form a sealed space and having a diaphragm provided on a ceiling portion of each of the compartments, and serving as a bottom portion of each of the pair of compartments. The contact structure is characterized in that the fixed contact is provided on the surface of the substrate, and the movable contact is provided inside the diaphragm which becomes the ceiling of each of the pair of compartments.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a switch device including the contact structure according to the first or second aspect and an actuator for operating the movable contact.
Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is the switch device according to the third aspect, characterized in that the actuator is arranged outside the sealed space.
Furthermore, a fifth aspect of the present invention is the switch device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the actuator has a swing mechanism that alternately presses the two diaphragms.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the plurality of compartments are filled with gas so as to maintain an appropriate distance between the fixed contact and the movable contact, the occurrence of malfunction due to vibration or impact is reduced. ing. When the diaphragm which is the ceiling part of one of the plurality of compartments is pressed to bring the movable contact into contact with the fixed contact, the gas exits the compartment and enters the other compartment, so that the force pushing the diaphragm is reduced. Also, when moving the movable contact away from the fixed contact, the gas flows from the other compartment into the compartment, and a force is applied to push up the diaphragm, so the movable contact can be separated from the fixed contact more reliably. It becomes.

  Further, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, in order to turn on both the contacts, a large pressing force for simultaneously compressing the gas in both the branch chambers is required, thereby reducing the possibility of malfunction. It becomes possible.

  Further, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the actuator operates the movable contact so that the gas exits from the compartment provided with the movable contact, enters the other compartment, pushes up the diaphragm of the other compartment, and so on. Therefore, the movable contact in the chamber can be reliably separated from the fixed contact.

  Furthermore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by disposing the actuator outside the sealed space, it becomes possible to improve the sealing performance of the sealed space, and a substance such as a volatile gas released from the actuator. Contamination due to can be prevented. Furthermore, since the process up to sealing can be shortened, the possibility of contamination by the processing process and the formation of an oxide film by the heating process can be reduced. In addition, the sealed space can be reduced in size.

  Furthermore, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, if one of the diaphragms is pressed to turn on the contact, the other diaphragm is pushed up, so the contact on the other side is more reliably maintained in the OFF state. can do. Thereby, it is possible to reliably reduce malfunctions due to vibration and impact.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the contact structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the switch apparatus which combined the contact structure and the actuator. It is a conceptual diagram of a contact structure. It is a conceptual diagram when a movable contact is made to contact a fixed contact. It is a fragmentary perspective view when the inner surface side of a diaphragm is seen from diagonally. It is a fragmentary sectional view of a contact structure. It is a flowchart which shows the creation process of a contact structure. It is a figure which shows notionally each creation process of a contact structure. It is sectional drawing of the switch apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the switch apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the switch apparatus which fractured | ruptured the diaphragm and showed the interior of a compartment conceptually. It is sectional drawing of a switch apparatus when a voltage is applied between drive electrodes. It is a disassembled perspective view of the switch apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of a contact structure. It is sectional drawing of a switch apparatus when a movable contact is operated. It is sectional drawing of a switch apparatus when a movable contact is separated from a fixed contact. It is a layout view of the branch chamber according to the fifth embodiment. It is a figure which shows the variation of the pressing operation of a compartment, and is a figure showing whether it is pressing by the presence or absence of hatching.

  Next, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
A contact structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a configuration of a switch device using the contact structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a contact structure, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a combination of the contact structure and an actuator.

  The switch device according to this embodiment is a combination of a contact structure and an actuator 60.

<Contact structure>
First, the configuration of the contact structure will be briefly described. The contact structure has a substrate 10, a movable part 20, a fixed contact 30, and a movable contact 40. The material of the substrate 10 and the manufacturing process thereof will be described later. The movable part 20 is formed of a diaphragm (thin film). Hereinafter, the movable part 20 may be referred to as a diaphragm. Diaphragm 20 is formed using a material capable of obtaining an etching rate difference from Si in the etching of process description S108 described later, such as metal, Si, SiN, SiC, SiO2, and high-concentration doped Si. Since the movable contact 40 is provided on the inner surface (lower surface in FIG. 2) of the diaphragm 20, it is desirable that the diaphragm 20 be formed of an insulator. If an insulator is provided on the inner surface of the diaphragm 20 and a movable contact is provided on the insulator, the diaphragm 20 may be formed of a conductor. However, it must not be a substance that emits pollutants such as volatile substances.

(Contact mechanism)
In the following description, what includes the fixed contact 30 and the movable contact 40 that can be moved toward and away from the fixed contact 30 may be referred to as a contact mechanism. In this contact structure, a pair of contact mechanisms are provided. Since both contact mechanisms are the same, one contact mechanism will be described as a representative.

  The fixed contact 30 is provided on the surface 11 of the substrate 10. The movable contact 40 is provided on the inner surface 21 of the diaphragm 20. The fixed contact 30 and the movable contact 40 are shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view when the inner surface side of the diaphragm is viewed obliquely, and FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the contact structure.

(Lid)
A lid 20 a that forms a sealed space 50 between the substrate 10 and the substrate 10 is provided. The lid 20a and the diaphragm 20 are integrally formed of an elastic thin film. The diaphragm 20 may be formed separately from the lid 20a. In the following description, the lid 20a may be referred to as the diaphragm 20. Details of the sealed space 50 will be described later.

(Diaphragm)
When the diaphragm 20 is deformed by pressure received from an actuator 60 described later, the movable contact 40 comes into contact with the fixed contact 30. The diaphragm 20 is formed so as to protrude outward (upward in FIG. 2) in a dome shape. On the outer surface 22 of the diaphragm 20, a pair of pressed parts 23 to be pressed by the actuator 60 are provided. Each pressed portion 23 is formed in a convex shape upward in FIG. A corrugated portion 24 is integrally formed on the diaphragm 20. The corrugated portion 24 is formed in a plurality of concentric waveforms centering on the dome-shaped top region. The pressed part 23 and the corrugated part 24 are shown in FIG.

  When the diaphragm 20 is formed of a conductor or when high insulation is required, an insulating layer 26 is provided on the diaphragm 20, and the metal of the movable contact 40 is provided on the insulating layer 26.

(substrate)
The substrate 10 is formed using any material of Si, glass, and ceramic. However, when Si is used and higher electrical insulation is required, it is necessary to use high resistance Si or to provide SiO2 or SiN as an insulating layer on the surface. A through wire 33 (see FIG. 2) including the through electrode 31 is provided on the substrate 10, and the fixed contact 30 is wired to the back surface 12 side of the substrate 10 by the through wire 33. Thereby, there is no need to provide wiring on the surface 11 of the substrate 10 and no step due to the wiring occurs on the surface 11, so that the peripheral portion 27 of the diaphragm 20 can be joined to the surface 11 of the substrate 10 without gaps.

(Sealed space)
By directly joining the peripheral portion 27 of the lid 20a to the surface 11 of the substrate 10 formed in a flat plate shape, a sealed space 50 is formed between the substrate 10 and the lid 20a. The sealed space 50 is divided into a compartment 50R located on the right side and a compartment 50L located on the left side in FIG. A diaphragm 20 formed in a dome shape is provided on the ceiling of each of the compartments 50R and 50L. As an example of the direct bonding method, anodic bonding is used. Details of the anodic bonding will be described later. The sealed space 50 may be provided by forming a recess in the substrate 10. Hereinafter, the pair of compartments 50R and 50L will be referred to as a sealed space 50 when collectively described.

  The sealed space 50 is filled with an inert gas so as to have an internal pressure of about atmospheric pressure, for example. The reliability (sealing property) of the sealed space 50 is improved by the wiring by the through electrode 31 and the sealing by direct bonding, and contamination of the surface 11 can be prevented. Thereby, contact reliability is also improved. Further, by using an inert gas, it is possible to prevent an oxide film from being formed on the contact surface.

  As described above, the contact mechanisms including the fixed contact 30 and the movable contact 40 are provided inside the pair of compartments 50R and 50L, respectively. A ventilation portion 51 is provided between the pair of compartments 50R and 50L. The gas confined in both the compartments 50R and 50L can go back and forth by the ventilation portion 51. The pair of compartments 50R and 50L and the ventilation portion 51 described above constitute a sealed space that isolates the contacts from the outside.

  In the above contact structure, the one provided with the pair of compartments 50R and 50L is shown, but not limited to this, three or more compartments may be provided. In this case, a contact mechanism is provided in each of one or more of the three or more compartments. The sealed space 50 is constituted by three or more compartments and a ventilation portion 51 communicating between them, and isolates the contacts from the outside.

<Actuator>
Next, the actuator 60 of the switch device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of the contact structure, and FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram when the movable contact is brought into contact with the fixed contact. 3 and 4, the insulating layer 26 is omitted.

  The actuator 60 has a swing mechanism that operates the movable contact 40 by alternately pressing the two diaphragms 20. The actuator 60 is provided outside the sealed space 50 (upward in FIG. 2). The actuator 60 includes a magnetic body plate 61, a pair of coils 62, a permanent magnet 63, a magnetic body 64, a spacer 65, and a fulcrum portion 66.

  The magnetic plate 61 is disposed above both of the compartments 50R and 50L and is placed on both of them. The magnetic body 64 is disposed above the magnetic body plate 61, and the magnetic body plate 61 and the magnetic body 64 form a magnetic closed circuit. The pair of coils 62 is wound around the magnetic body 64. The permanent magnet 63 is provided in a space between the pair of coils 62. The fulcrum portion 66 is provided at the lower end portion of the permanent magnet 63 and supports the center of the magnetic plate 61. The lower end portion of the permanent magnet 63 is an N pole, for example.

  When the coil 62 is not energized, both ends of the magnetic body 64 become S poles and both ends of the magnetic body 61 become N poles due to the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 63. In general, the strength of magnetic force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between magnetic poles. Accordingly, the magnetic force acting on the narrower distance between the end of the magnetic body 64 and the end of the magnetic body plate 61 is larger than the magnetic force acting on the wider distance, so The end portion of 61 is separated from the pressed portion 23 of the diaphragm 20 and is in the OFF state, and in the wider interval, the end portion of the magnetic plate 61 is pressed to the pressed portion 23 of the diaphragm 20 and is turned on. Continue to maintain state. In the ON state where the end of the magnetic plate 61 presses the convex pressed portion 23, the end of the magnetic plate 61 does not touch the diaphragm 20.

  Next, the operation of this contact structure will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the coil 62 is energized so that the right end of the magnetic body 64 is the south pole and the left end of the magnetic body 64 is the north pole, the right end of the magnetic body 64 is on the right side of the magnetic body plate 61. The ends are pulled together, and the left end of the magnetic body 64 pushes out the left end of the magnetic plate 61. Accordingly, the magnetic plate 61 performs a seesaw operation in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 around the fulcrum 66, and the left end of the magnetic plate 61 moves the pressed portion 23 of the diaphragm 20 on the side of the compartment 50L. Press (see FIG. 4).

  When the left end of the magnetic plate 61 presses the pressed portion 23 of the diaphragm 20 on the compartment 50L side, the compartment 50L is compressed, and the movable contact 40 in the compartment 50L contacts the fixed contact 30 and is in the ON state. It becomes. At this time, the inert gas flows from the compartment 50L through the vent 51 to the compartment 50R.

  As a result, a force acts in the direction of pushing up the movable contact 40 in the compartment 50R, so that malfunction due to vibration or impact at the time of OFF is reduced.

  The operation of the contact structure in which the left contact is turned on and the right contact is turned off by causing the magnetic plate 61 to perform a seesaw operation in the counterclockwise direction has been described. Next, the operation of the contact structure in which the right contact is turned on and the left contact is turned off by performing a seesaw operation on the magnetic plate 61 in the clockwise direction will be described.

  When the coil 62 is energized so that the left end of the magnetic body 64 is an S pole and the right end of the magnetic body 64 is an N pole, the left end of the magnetic body 64 is on the left side of the magnetic plate 61. The ends are pulled close, and the right end of the magnetic body 64 pushes out the right end of the magnetic plate 61. Accordingly, the magnetic plate 61 performs a seesaw operation in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2 around the fulcrum portion 66, and the right end of the magnetic plate 61 presses the pressed portion 23 of the diaphragm 20 on the side of the compartment 50R. To do.

  Thereby, the compartment 50R is compressed, and the movable contact 40 in the compartment 50R comes into contact with the fixed contact 30 and is turned on. At this time, the inert gas flows from the compartment 50R through the vent 51 to the compartment 50L. As a result, a force acts in the direction in which the movable contact 40 in the compartment 50L is pushed up, so that malfunction due to vibration or impact at the time of OFF is reduced.

  As described above, if any one of the contacts is turned on, the other contact is turned off, and it is possible to reliably reduce malfunction due to vibration or shock at the time of turning off. The diaphragm 20 is formed of a thin film and can easily control mechanical characteristics such as durability, spring characteristics such as an elastic coefficient, and a distance between the fixed contact 30 and the movable contact 40.

  Next, the process of creating the contact structure according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing process of the contact structure, and FIG. 8 conceptually shows each creation process of the contact structure.

  The manufacturing process includes lid body creation (S101 to S103), substrate creation (S104 to S106), bonding (S107), and support body removal (S108). Details of each step will be described in order.

<Cover creation: S101 to S103>
[S101] (Cover body shape creation)
A shape that is the outer shape of the lid is created by Si etching on the Si wafer. Although it is possible to make the wafer other than the Si wafer, Si is preferable in consideration of the ease of processing for removing the support in Step S108.

[S102] (Cover thin film deposition)
A thin film serving as a lid is formed on the surface of the shape created in step S101. Although depending on the type of thin film, a method capable of relatively uniform film formation such as CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), sputtering, thermal diffusion, etc. is desirable.
[S103] (Moveable contact creation)
When the lid thin film created in step S102 is a conductor or requires high insulation, first, an insulating layer is created by CVD, sputtering, vapor deposition, etc., and then the movable contact 40 is created by plating, sputtering, vapor deposition, etc. To do. When the lid number film is an insulator and it is not necessary to provide an insulating layer, the movable contact 40 can be provided directly on the lid.

<Creation of substrate: S104 to S106>
[S104] (through hole creation)
A through hole for providing a through wiring on the substrate is created. As described above, when the substrate is made of Si and high insulation is required, thermal oxidation is performed after forming the through hole to form a SiO2 layer on the surface. The through-hole is created by machining such as cutting, but when the substrate is Si, it can also be created by etching.
[S105] (Create through wiring)
In order to use the through hole created in step S104 as a through wiring, a conductive metal is filled by plating. It can also be prepared by filling a metal paste and curing it by heat treatment.

[S106] (Fixed contact creation)
A fixed contact is created on the surface of the substrate on which the through wiring is created. Sputtering, vapor deposition, thick film printing, and the like are used as a method for creating the fixed contact.
[S107] (joining)
The lid created in steps S101 to S103 and the substrate created in steps S104 to S106 are joined. Bonding is performed in an inert gas so that the sealed space 50 is filled with the inert gas during the bonding. Furthermore, it is desirable to join in a tank in which the pressure of the inert gas can be adjusted. As a bonding method, for example, anodic bonding, glass non-lit bonding, eutectic bonding using an Au film, or the like is used.

[S108] (support removal)
After the lid and the substrate are joined, Si that is the lid support is removed. Since the lid has a complicated shape, it is desirable to perform etching by wet etching. However, it is necessary to select an etching method considering the material of the lid. Above, description about the process of producing a contact structure is complete | finished.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a contact structure according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This contact structure is basically the same as the contact structure according to the first embodiment.

  Hereinafter, components different from those of the first embodiment will be described, and description of the same components will be omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the fixed contact 30 and the movable contact 40 are provided in each of the pair of compartments 50R and 50L. However, in the second embodiment, only in one of the pair of compartments 50R and 50L, Contacts (fixed contact 30 and movable contact 40) are provided. The inside of the other compartment will be called a gas reservoir. An example in which the compartment 50R is a gas reservoir is shown in FIG. Note that the compartment provided with the contact may be referred to as the contact-side compartment, and the gas reservoir compartment may be referred to as the dummy compartment.

  In the contact structure according to the second embodiment, the sealed space 50 is filled with an inert gas, the diaphragm 20 is pushed up, and the fixed contact 30 and the movable contact 40 are kept at an appropriate distance. It is possible to reduce the occurrence of malfunction due to vibration or impact at the time of OFF. When the diaphragm 20L on the side of the compartment 50L is pressed to compress the compartment 50L and the movable contact 40 is brought into contact with the fixed contact 30 to be in the ON state, a part of the inert gas in the compartment 50L flows into the compartment 50R. The diaphragm 20 is not pressed with a large force, and a large stress is not generated on the diaphragm 20.

  In the second embodiment, the combination of the contact configuration and the gas reservoir is set to one-to-one. However, the present invention is not limited to this. May be. A multiple-to-multiple combination will be described in the fifth embodiment.

  Further, the relationship between the gas reservoir and the contact configuration may be set as follows.

  First, regarding the restoring force of the corrugated portion 24 of the diaphragm 20, the restoring force on the gas reservoir side is set to be larger than the restoring force on the contact side.

  When the contact configuration is ON and the inert gas flows from the contact-side compartment 50L through the vent 51 into the gas reservoir-side compartment 50R and the gas reservoir-side corrugated section 24 is inflated, the corrugated section 24 The resilience of increases. When the contact configuration is in the OFF state, the large restoring force of the corrugated portion 24 on the gas reservoir side causes the inert gas to flow from the gas reservoir-side compartment 50R through the ventilation portion 51 into the contact-side compartment 50L, The corrugated portion 24 of the swells reliably. As a result, it is possible to further reduce the occurrence of malfunction due to vibration or impact at the time of OFF.

  Next, regarding the volume of the sealed space 50 (filling amount of the inert gas), the volume of the compartment 50R on the gas reservoir side is set to be smaller than the volume of the compartment 50L on the contact side.

  When the inert gas flows into the gas reservoir side compartment 50R from the contact side compartment 50L through the vent 51 in the contact configuration ON state, even if a small amount of the inert gas flows in, the gas reservoir side Since the volume of the compartment 50R is small, the corrugated portion 24 on the gas reservoir side swells greatly and a large restoring force is generated. When the contact configuration is in the OFF state, the large restoring force of the corrugated portion 24 on the gas reservoir side causes the inert gas to flow from the gas reservoir-side compartment 50R through the ventilation portion 51 into the contact-side compartment 50L, The corrugated portion 24 of the swells reliably. As a result, it is possible to further reduce the occurrence of malfunction due to vibration or impact at the time of OFF.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11A and 11B. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the switch device, FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view of the switch device when no voltage is applied between the drive electrodes, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the switch device when a voltage is applied between the drive electrodes. is there.

  In the first embodiment, the electromagnetic actuator 60 is provided outside the sealed space 50. However, the actuator 60 is an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The actuator 60 can be implemented in various forms as long as it acts on the diaphragm 20 to operate the movable contact 40. For example, the actuator 60 can be provided inside the sealed space 50. is there.

  The actuator 60 according to the third embodiment is an electrostatic capacitance type, and has two drive electrodes 71 and 72 provided inside the sealed space 50 and arranged to face each other. One drive electrode 71 is provided on the diaphragm 20 corresponding to the ceiling of the compartment 50A. A plurality of through wirings 33 are provided on the substrate 10. The diaphragm 20 (drive electrode 71) is connected to the through electrode 31a (see FIG. 10) provided at the end of the through wiring 33. The through electrode 31 a and the diaphragm 20 are joined at the same time when the substrate 10 and the diaphragm 20 are joined. Therefore, the material of the diaphragm 20 is limited to a material having conductivity such as low resistance Si. An insulating layer 26 is formed on the inner surface 21 of the diaphragm 20, and a movable contact 40 is formed on the insulating layer 26 (see FIG. 11A).

  A through electrode 31 b (see FIG. 10) provided at the end of the through wiring 33 is connected to the drive electrode 72. The other drive electrode 72 is basically made of the same material as that of the fixed contact 30 on the surface 11 of the substrate 10 corresponding to the bottom of the compartment 50A, and is made of, for example, Au, Pt, Ru, Ag, Cu or the like. Is done. However, the fixed contact 30 does not have to be a material having high wear resistance and anti-sticking property or a material having high conductivity. The through electrodes 31 are also provided at the end portions of the other through wires 33, and the fixed contacts 30 are connected to the through electrodes 31 (see FIG. 10).

  A voltage is applied between the drive electrodes 71 and 72, and the fixed contact 30 and the movable contact 40 are brought into contact with each other using a force (electrostatic attractive force) that attracts plus and minus. In the capacitive type, the drive electrodes 71 and 72 are not brought into contact with each other during operation, so that they are not electrically connected and no power is consumed. Note that the diaphragm 20 may be provided with the insulating layer 26 and the insulating layer 26 may be provided with the drive electrode 71 so that the drive electrodes 71 and 72 can be reliably insulated during operation (see FIG. 11B).

The energy of electrostatic attraction acting between the drive electrodes 71 and 72 is expressed by the following equation.
^{W = CV 2/2 (1} )
C is a capacitance and V is a voltage. The capacitance C is expressed by the following formula.
C = εS / d (2)
ε is a dielectric constant, S is an area of the drive electrodes 71 and 72 (areas facing each other), and d is an interval.
From equations (1) and (2), it can be seen that the capacitance C increases and the electrostatic attractive energy W increases as the area S increases and the interval d decreases.

  In this embodiment, the whole ceiling part of the compartment 50A is used as the drive electrode 71, the whole bottom part of the compartment 50A is used as the drive electrode 72, and the drive electrodes 71 and 72 are arranged to face each other with a large area and at a small interval. Therefore, it is possible to increase the electrostatic capacity C and the energy W of electrostatic attraction.

  In the electromagnetic actuator 60 according to the first embodiment, the movable contact 40 is brought into contact with the fixed contact 30 by the magnetic material plate 61 pressing the pressed portion 23 of the diaphragm 20. In the capacitive actuator 60, the drive electrode 71 provided on the diaphragm 20 is operated, so that it is not necessary to provide the pressed portion 23 on the diaphragm 20 (see FIG. 10).

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a switch device according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14B. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the switch device, FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the contact structure, FIG. 14A is a sectional view of the switch device when the movable contact is operated, and FIG. 14B is a view when the movable contact is separated from the fixed contact. It is sectional drawing of a switch apparatus.

  In this embodiment, the respective configurations of the sealed space 50 and the actuator are different from those of the first embodiment, and the other configurations are basically the same. Hereinafter, different configurations will be described, and descriptions of the same configurations will be omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the sealed space 50 is divided into a pair of compartments, but in this embodiment, the sealed space 50 is divided into three as an example of a configuration in which the sealed space 50 is divided into three or more compartments. Will be explained.

(Sealed space)
The sealed space 50 is divided into three compartments 50A. The three compartments 50A are respectively arranged at the positions of the apexes of a substantially equilateral triangle on the surface 11 of the substrate 10 (see FIG. 12). With this arrangement, it is possible to provide a compartment 50A having a volume as large as possible in the sealed space 50 having a constant volume. The ventilation portion 51 allows the gas in one compartment 50A to communicate with the other two compartments 50A so that they can be taken in and out.

  Each of the three compartments 50A is provided with a contact (a fixed contact 30 and a movable contact 40). Each contact in the three compartments 50 </ b> A is a bridge type in which both end portions of the movable contact 40 are in contact with and separated from the pair of fixed contacts 30. One of the pair of fixed contacts 30 in each contact is connected to each other and serves as a contact on each input side. That is, each through wiring 33 is extended in three directions from the through electrode 31 that supplies power. A fixed contact 30 on each input side is connected to each through wire 33 (see FIG. 13).

  In each compartment 50A, the other of the pair of fixed contacts 30 is not connected to each other, and serves as a contact on each output side. That is, the fixed contact 30 that is a contact on each output side is connected to each through wiring 33 including the through electrode 31.

(Actuator)
The actuator 60 of the first embodiment is an electromagnetic type and has a swinging mechanism that alternately presses the two diaphragms 20, but the actuator 60 of this embodiment is an electromagnetic type, but the diaphragm It is provided every 20th.

  The actuator 60 is provided outside the sealed space 50 and includes a magnetic body plate 61, a coil 62, a magnetic body 64, a spacer 65, and a bobbin 68. A spacer 65 is provided on the lid 20a. The spacer 65 is provided with a through hole 67. The actuator 60 and the diaphragm 20 are arranged to face each other with the through hole 67 therebetween, and the actuator 60 can access the diaphragm 20 through the through hole 67.

  The magnetic plate 61 is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross-sectional shape, and has a corner portion 611, an upper end portion 612, and a lower end portion 613. The magnetic body 64 is formed in a groove-shaped cross-sectional shape, and has an intermediate portion 641 that is a groove bottom, an upper side portion 642 that is a groove wall, and a lower side portion 643. The lower side portion 643 of the magnetic body 64 is in contact with the corner portion 611 of the magnetic body plate 61. The magnetic plate 61 swings in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions around the contact portion 644. A coil 62 is wound around the intermediate portion 641 of the magnetic body 64 and the shaft portion 681 of the bobbin 68 that are arranged back to back.

(Actuator operation)
When the coil 62 is energized so that the upper end 612 of the magnetic plate 61 and the upper side 642 of the magnetic member 64 are attracted, the lower end 613 of the magnetic plate 61 swings counterclockwise around the contact portion 644. It moves, presses the pressed part 23, pushes down the diaphragm 20, and turns on the contact (the movable contact 40 is brought into contact with the fixed contact 30) (see FIG. 14A). When the coil 62 is energized so that the upper end portion 612 of the magnetic body plate 61 and the upper side portion 642 of the magnetic body 64 are repelled, the lower end portion 613 of the magnetic body plate 61 swings clockwise around the contact portion 644. It moves, leaves | separates from the to-be-pressed part 23, and restores the diaphragm 20, and makes a contact OFF operation | movement (the movable contact 40 is separated from the fixed contact 30) (refer FIG. 14B).

Since each actuator 20 is controllable, the actuator 20 can be controlled alternatively or entirely so that a part or all of the contacts are turned on.
Although it is possible to control all the contacts to be turned on, considering the internal pressure of the sealed space 50, one or two contacts can be turned on in the case of three contacts. However, if a dummy diaphragm 20 having no contact mechanism is provided and an internal space is secured, all contacts can be turned on. Further, since the inside of the sealed space 50 is set to about atmospheric pressure at the time of creation, all the contacts can be turned on from this point.

  As an example, when the contacts in one or two of the three compartments 50A are turned on, the volume of the compartment 50A to be turned on and the OFF operation are performed so as not to place an excessive load on the diaphragm 20. The relationship with the volume of the compartment 50A is preferably in the range of 1: 1 to 1: 2/3. Thus, the gas from the compartment 50A that has been turned on is received by the compartment 50A that is turned off, so that the burden on the diaphragm 20 of the compartment 50A that has been turned on can be reduced.

  As described above, in the case of a switch device having a plurality of contacts, all the contacts can be turned off. On the other hand, it is possible to turn on all the contacts only when the dummy diaphragm 20 is provided. When a plurality of contacts are simultaneously turned ON, the relationship between the volume of the sealed space 50 related to ON and the volume of the sealed space 50 related to OFF is within a range of 1: 1 to 1: 2/3. Then, the contact can be operated without imposing an excessive burden on the diaphragm 20.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG. 15 is a layout diagram of the compartments, and FIG. 16 is a diagram showing variations of the pressing operation of the compartments, and shows whether or not the compartments are pressed depending on the presence or absence of hatching.

  In the fourth embodiment, all of the three diaphragms 20 have contact mechanisms, but in the fifth embodiment, two diaphragms 20 are added to the three diaphragms 20 and added. The two diaphragms 20 are dummy diaphragms 20 having no contact mechanism. Since the dummy diaphragm 20 is provided, even when all the contacts of the three diaphragms 20 are turned on, the dummy diaphragm 20 swells, so that the internal pressure in the internal space can be prevented from becoming too high.

  There are various modes for the combination of the arrangement of the contact-side compartment 50A and the dummy compartment 50B. In addition, there is also an aspect in which all are the contact chamber 50A. FIG. 15 shows a configuration in which three contact-side compartments 50A and two dummy compartments 50B are arranged.

  In the variation of the pressing operation of the compartments shown in FIGS. 16A to 16D, the compartment 50A on the contact side to be pressed is indicated by a hatched circle, and the dummy compartment 50B is indicated by a white circle. In addition, the ventilation part 51 for taking in and out gas between the compartments 50A and 50B is abbreviate | omitted and shown. Similarly to the fourth embodiment, the contact-side compartment 50A is provided with an actuator 60, and by controlling each actuator 60, the contacts of the compartment 50A are selectively turned on, and all the compartments 50A are operated. Can be turned on.

  Next, the pressing operation of each compartment in the contact-side compartment 50A and the dummy compartment 50B arranged as shown in FIG. 15 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, since the inside of the sealed space 50 is set to about atmospheric pressure at the time of creation, it is possible to simultaneously perform the OFF operation of all the contacts 50A on the contact side (see FIG. 16a).

  First, when the contact of one contact-side compartment 50A is turned on, as an example of the gas flow, a part of the gas in the pressed contact-side compartment 50A flows into the dummy compartment 50B and is pressed. However, it flows into the contact-side compartment 50A (the flow of gas is indicated by arrows in FIG. 16b).

  Next, when the contacts of the two contact-side compartments 50A are turned on, as an example of the gas flow, a part of the gas in one contact-side compartment 50A flows into the dummy compartment 50B. Further, a part of the gas in the other contact-side compartment 50A flows into the contact-side compartment 50A without being pressed (the gas flow is shown by arrows in FIG. 16c).

  Next, when all the contacts in the three contact-side compartments 50A are turned on, part of the gas in the contact-side compartment 50A flows directly into the dummy compartment 50B, or in the contact-side compartment 50A. After passing through, it indirectly flows into the dummy compartment 50B (see FIG. 16d).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Board | substrate 11 Front surface 12 Back surface 20 Diaphragm 20a Cover 21 Inner surface 22 Outer surface 23 Pressed part 24 Corrugated part 26 Insulating layer 27 Peripheral part 30 Fixed contact 31 Through-electrode 31a Through-electrode 31b Through-electrode 33 Through-wiring 40 Movable contact 50 Sealing space 50A 50L compartment 50R compartment 51 Ventilation part 60 Actuator 61 Magnetic body plate 62 Coil 63 Permanent magnet 64 Magnetic body 65 Spacer 66 Supporting point Through hole 67
68 Bobbin 71 Drive electrode 72 Drive electrode

Claims (5)

In a contact structure having a fixed contact and a movable contact that can be moved toward and away from the fixed contact,
A substrate,
A lid body having a plurality of compartments communicated with each other and having a peripheral portion joined to the surface of the substrate so as to form a sealed space in which gas is sealed, and a diaphragm is provided on a ceiling portion of each compartment;
Have
Providing the fixed contact on the surface of the substrate that is the bottom of each of one or more of the plurality of compartments;
The movable contact is provided on the inner side of the diaphragm to be the ceiling of each of the one or more compartments,
Contact structure characterized by that. In a contact structure having a fixed contact and a movable contact that can be moved toward and away from the fixed contact,
A substrate,
A lid body having a pair of compartments connected to each other and a peripheral portion thereof joined to the surface of the substrate so as to form a sealed space filled with gas, and a diaphragm provided on a ceiling portion of each compartment;
Have
Providing the fixed contact on the surface of the substrate that is the bottom of each of the pair of compartments;
Provided the movable contact on the inside of the diaphragm to be the ceiling of each of the pair of compartments,
Contact structure characterized by that. The contact structure according to claim 1 or 2,
An actuator for operating the movable contact;
A switch device characterized by comprising:   The switch device according to claim 3, wherein the actuator is disposed outside the sealed space.   The switch device according to claim 4, wherein the actuator includes a swing mechanism that alternately presses the two diaphragms.

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