KR101326718B1 - Contact-type film probe module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a contact type film probe module that can easily control the elasticity of a probe sheet for applying an electrical signal to pads of a liquid crystal display cell. The present invention consists of a body block, an insulating probe sheet and a slide. The probe sheet has a fixing part fixed to the body block and a variable part extending from the end of the fixing part so as to be deformable, and a plurality of bumps are formed on the surface of the variable part in contact with a plurality of pads to apply an electric signal. The plurality of preliminary bumps are formed to be adjacent to the plurality of bumps on the surface of the variable part in order to apply an electrical signal to the plurality of pads. The slide is mounted on the body block so as to move linearly, and the variable part is given a preload so that the end of the variable part is fixed to convexly deformed toward the plurality of pads to retain elasticity. According to the present invention, the elasticity of the probe sheet for applying an electrical signal to the pads of the LCD cell can be controlled by the movement of the slide to improve the connectivity and reliability between the bumps and the pads, and to simplify the elasticity of the probe sheet. And precise control. In addition, preliminary bumps may be additionally provided in the probe sheet to quickly cope with interruption of the test due to the damage of the bumps, thereby improving productivity.

Description

Contact type film probe module {CONTACT-TYPE FILM PROBE MODULE}

The present invention relates to a probe module, and more particularly, a contact type film probe module that can easily control the elasticity of a probe sheet for applying an electrical signal to pads of a display cell. It is about.

Flat displays such as thin film transistor-liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), organic electroluminescence (EL), and the like are manufactured through numerous processes. The TFT-LCD manufacturing process is divided into a TFT process, a color filter (CF) process, a cell process, and a module process. In the cell process, an LCD cell, that is, a panel, is made of two glasses, which have undergone a TFT process and a CF process. The LCD cell has a plurality of pads at its edges. In the module process, a polarizing plate, a printed circuit board (PCB), a backlight unit, etc. are attached to an LCD cell to finally produce a TFT-LCD panel. The pads and the PCB are connected by a Tape Carrier Package (TCP). TCP includes Tape Automatic Bonding (TAB) and Chip on Film (COF).

Meanwhile, a probe station is a device that tests an LCD cell before mounting an LCD driver IC. The probe module of the probe station applies an electrical signal to a data / gate line of the LCD cell to test for defects. When the probe of the probe module is configured in the form of a needle or a blade, there is a disadvantage in that damage to the LCD cell occurs frequently during the test.

In order to solve such damage of the LCD cell, a contact type film probe module using a probe sheet composed of a flexible film has been developed. Contact type film probe module is Korean Patent No. 10-0972049 "Probe unit for panel test", Patent No. 10-0979478 "Mems film type probe contactor and a probe block having the same" and Patent No. 10-1063184 Many patent documents such as "Probe unit for COG panel inspection" are disclosed.

However, the conventional contact type film probe module as described above has a problem in that poor contact between bumps and pads of the probe sheet is frequently generated. Therefore, there is a need to control the elasticity of the probe sheet to bring the bumps of the film into contact with the pads at an appropriate pressure.

The present invention is to solve the various problems as described above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel contact type film probe module that can control the elasticity of the probe sheet to improve connectivity and reliability between bumps and pads.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a contact type film probe module that can easily and accurately control the elasticity of the probe sheet.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a contact type film probe module which is further provided with preliminary bumps and can quickly cope with interruption of the test due to damage.

According to one aspect of the invention, a contact type film probe module is provided. Contact type film probe module according to the invention, the body block; A fixing portion fixed to the body block, a variable portion extending from the end of the fixing portion so as to be deformable, and a plurality of bumps are formed on the surface of the variable portion in contact with a plurality of pads to apply an electric signal. An insulating probe sheet having a plurality of preliminary bumps formed on a surface of the variable part so as to be adjacent to the plurality of bumps to apply an electrical signal to the plurality of pads; It is mounted so as to move linearly to the body block, the variable portion includes a slide that is fixed to the end of the variable portion to retain the elasticity is convex deformed toward a plurality of pads given a preload.

In addition, an insulating layer is formed between the plurality of bumps and the plurality of preliminary bumps. The body block includes a base having a fixing part fixed to a lower surface thereof; The hinge is rotated about the base, and the slide is slid to form a folder mounted to move linearly.

Contact type film probe module according to the present invention, by controlling the elasticity of the probe sheet for applying an electrical signal to the pads of the LCD cell by the movement of the slide can improve the connectivity and reliability between the bumps and the pads, The elasticity of the probe sheet can be controlled simply and accurately. In addition, the preliminary bumps may be additionally provided in the probe sheet to rapidly cope with interruption of the test due to the damage of the bumps, thereby improving productivity.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a contact type film probe module according to the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a rotating state of the folder in the contact type film probe module according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is a front view showing the configuration of the probe sheet in the contact type film probe module according to the present invention.
4 (a) and 4 (b) are partially sectional views for explaining the operation of the slide in the contact type film probe module according to the present invention.

Other objects, specific advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the contact type film probe module according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the contact type film probe module according to the present invention includes a body block 10. Body block 10 is composed of a base (Base: 20), a folder (Folder: 30) and a hinge (Hinge: 40). The rear end of the folder 30 is connected to the base 20 so as to rotate about the hinge 40. Hinge 40 is configured to be able to adjust the rotation angle of the folder 30 relative to the base 20 by the operation of the knob (Knob) (42).

1 to 3, the probe sheet 50 is mounted under the body block 10. The probe sheet 50 extends from the distal portion 52a of the fixing portion 52 to be deformable under the fixing portion 52 and the lower portion of the fixing portion 52 attached to the base 20 and the lower portion of the folder 30. The variable part 54 is provided. The variable portion 54 is convexly curved downward to retain elasticity by applying a preload. The probe sheet 50 may be made of a flexible polymer film having an insulating property, for example, polyimide.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of bumps 60 are formed on a surface adjacent to the distal end 54a of the variable portion 54. The bumps 60 contact the pads 4 of the LCD cell 2 to apply an electrical signal. A plurality of preliminary bumps 62 are formed on the surface of the variable portion 54 so as to be adjacent to the bumps 60. A plurality of insulating layers 64 are formed between the bumps 60 and the preliminary bumps 62 to isolate the bumps 60 and the preliminary bumps 62. The bumps 60 and the preliminary bumps 62 are connected to the plurality of wires 66.

The bumps 60, the preliminary bumps 62, and the wirings 66 may be manufactured by a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) in a conductive pattern through which an electric signal flows. The wirings 66 may be formed of a titanium (Ti) layer and a copper (Cu) layer formed on the titanium layer. The bumps 60 and the preliminary bumps 62 may be composed of a wear resistant layer formed over the wires 66 so as to prevent wear due to repeated contact with the pads 4. The material of the wear resistant layer is preferably selected from nickel (Ni), nickel cobalt (Ni-Co) alloy, rhodium (Rh), gold (Ag), palladium (Pd), tin (Sn) and the like. In the present embodiment, the bumps 60 and the preliminary bumps 62 may be formed to protrude on the surface of the variable portion 54. The insulating layer 64 may be formed of a polymer, silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), or the like as a non-conductive pattern formed between the bumps 60 and the preliminary bumps 62.

1, 2, and 4 (a) and (b), the contact film probe module according to the present invention is provided with a slide (Slide: 70) that can control the elasticity of the probe sheet 60 do. The distal end 54a of the variable portion 54 is fixed to the tip of the slide 70. The slide 70 is mounted inside the body block 10 so as to be able to move linearly. The slide 70 may be mounted so as to linearly move by sliding a guide groove 32 formed in the folder 30. In addition, the slide 70 may be mounted to be linearly moved by sliding along a guide rail or a guide bar.

On the other hand, the wirings 66 of the probe sheet 50 are connected to the TCP block 102 of the probe station 100. The TCP block 102 is connected to a pogo block by a connector. The crest block is connected to a main board of the probe station 100. The connector is composed of a flexible printed circuit, and the crest block is an interface board for transmitting electrical signals between the main board of the probe station 100 and the probe module.

The operation of the contact type film probe module according to the present invention having such a configuration will now be described.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4 (a) and (b), the operator slides toward or away from the pads 4 of the LCD cell 2 which are waiting at the inspection position of the probe station 100. The elasticity of the variable part 54 is adjusted by moving 70 straightly. That is, the curvature is adjusted while the variable portion 54 is deformed as the slide 70 moves.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the slide 70 is moved away from the pads 4 of the LCD cell 2, that is, upward, the fixing portion attached to the base 20 ( The distal end 52a of the 52 and the distal end 54a of the variable portion 54 come closer, and the curvature of the variable portion 54 becomes larger. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the slide 70 is moved in a direction closer to the pads 4 of the LCD cell 2, that is, downward, the distal end 52a of the fixing portion 52 is moved. And the distal end 54a of the variable portion 54 become farther away, and the curvature of the variable portion 54 becomes smaller.

When the elasticity of the variable portion 54 is adjusted according to the movement of the slide 70 as described above, the variable portion 54 is pressed when the bumps 60 are pressed against the pads 4 of the LCD cell 2 with a vertical load. Deformation by elasticity absorbs the errors between the pads 4 and the bumps 60. Therefore, the contact between the pads 4 and the bumps 60 can be stably and accurately maintained to improve connectivity and reliability.

1 and 2, when the operator operates the knob 42 to rotate the hinge 40, the folder 30 is rotated together with the hinge 40. The attitude of the variable part 54 is changed by the rotation of the folder 30. As the posture of the variable part 54 is changed, the preliminary bumps 62 may be contacted with the pads 4. As such, the spare bumps 62 may be contacted with the pads 4 instead of the bumps 60 by the rotation of the folder 30. Thus, when the bumps 60 are damaged, the spare bumps 62 may be touched by the LCD. The test of the cell 2 can be carried out continuously. Therefore, the contact type film probe module according to the present invention can improve productivity by shortening the downtime of the test.

The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, those skilled in the art within the spirit and claims of the present invention It will be understood that various changes, modifications, or substitutions may be made thereto, and such embodiments are to be understood as being within the scope of the present invention.

10: body block 20: base
30: Folder 40: Hinge
50: probe sheet 52: fixing part
54: variable part 60: bump
62: preliminary bump 64: insulating layer
66: wiring 70: slide

Claims (4)

A body block;
A fixing part fixed to the body block and a variable part extending from the distal end of the fixing part so as to be deformable, and a plurality of bumps are formed on the surface of the variable part in contact with a plurality of pads to apply an electric signal; A probe sheet having an insulating property such that a plurality of preliminary bumps are formed on a surface of the variable part so as to be adjacent to the plurality of bumps to apply an electrical signal to the plurality of pads;
The contact type film probe module is mounted to the body block so as to move linearly, the variable portion is provided with a pre-load is a convex deformation toward the plurality of pads including a slide fixed to the end of the variable portion to retain elasticity . delete The method of claim 1,
The contact type film probe module having an insulating layer formed between the plurality of bumps and the plurality of preliminary bumps. The method of claim 1,
The body block,
A base fixed to the lower surface of the fixing part;
A contact type film probe module coupled to the hinge to rotate about the base, and is composed of a folder mounted to slide the slide is linear movement.

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