TWI732732B - Memory card structure and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A memory card structure and a method for manufacturing the structure are disclosed. The structure includes a substrate, a controller, a memory and a molded plastic body. The substrate includes a first surface, a second surface, a through hole, and metal contacts, the thorough hole is formed through the first and second surfaces, and the metal contacts are disposed on the first surface. The controller and memory are disposed on the first or second surface, and electrically connected to the metal contacts. The molded plastic body covers a portion of the first surface, the second surface, the through hole, the controller and the memory, and the metal contacts are exposed from the molded plastic body. Therefore, the memory card structure can have better structural strength and waterproof.

Description

Memory card structure and manufacturing method thereof

The invention relates to a memory card structure and a manufacturing method thereof, in particular to a memory card structure with better structural strength and waterproofness and a manufacturing method thereof.

It has been decades since the memory card came out, and it has been developed into a variety of specifications to adapt to different electronic devices (such as smart phones, digital cameras, computers); in addition, the storage capacity and transmission speed of the memory card have also been continuously improved.

In contrast, the structure of the memory card has not changed significantly. It basically uses a hollow housing to fix the substrate in it. However, due to insufficient structural strength, the hollow shell is easily damaged or broken due to external force extrusion, bending or impact. In addition, the hollow shell is usually composed of two parts, and there is a gap between them, which cannot be completely sealed, so that moisture, sand and dust, etc. can enter the shell. Therefore, the memory card is usually not suitable for use in places with high humidity or sandy dust (such as beaches), and it is easy to damage the controller, memory and other parts inside the casing.

In summary, in the technical field related to memory cards, there are still some problems to be improved.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a memory card structure and a manufacturing method thereof, so that the memory card structure has better structural strength, is not easily damaged by external forces, and also has better waterproof and dustproof properties.

To achieve the above objective, the memory card structure provided by the present invention includes: a substrate including a first surface, a second surface, at least one through hole and a plurality of metal contacts, the through hole penetrates the first surface and the On the second surface, the metal contacts are provided on the first surface; a controller and a memory are provided on one of the first surface and the second surface, and are electrically connected to the metal contacts Points; and a plastic package covering a part of the first surface, the second surface, the through hole, the controller and the memory, wherein the metal contacts are exposed outside the plastic package.

In one embodiment, the memory card structure further includes at least one shielding layer disposed on one of the first surface and the second surface and partially covering the through hole.

In one embodiment, the substrate includes a plurality of through holes, one of the through holes is partially covered by the shielding layer, and the other of the through holes is completely covered by the shielding layer.

In one embodiment, the memory card structure further includes at least one metal layer disposed on one of the first surface and the second surface, wherein the metal layer is located at one of the openings of the through hole Side, or around the opening.

In one embodiment, the substrate includes a plurality of through holes, and the opening areas of the through holes are different from each other.

In an embodiment, the through hole is a circular hole, an oval hole or a rectangular hole.

In order to achieve the above objective, the manufacturing method of the memory card structure proposed by the present invention includes: providing a substrate, wherein the substrate includes a first surface, a second surface, at least one through hole and a plurality of metal contacts, the through hole Passing through the first surface and the second surface, the metal contacts are disposed on the first surface; a controller and a memory are disposed on one of the first surface and the second surface; The substrate is placed in a mold; a plastic is poured into the mold to cover a part of the first surface, the second surface, the through hole, the controller, and the memory, wherein the plastic passes through the through hole The holes flow from one of the first surface and the second surface to the other; and curing the plastic to form a plastic package, wherein the metal contacts are exposed outside the plastic package.

In one embodiment, the manufacturing method further includes flowing the plastic onto the second surface, and then flowing onto the first surface through the through hole.

In one embodiment, the manufacturing method further includes flowing the plastic onto the first surface, and then flowing onto the second surface through the through hole.

In one embodiment, the manufacturing method further includes flowing the plastic onto the first surface and the second surface, and then flowing into the through hole.

In one embodiment, the manufacturing method further includes disposing at least one shielding layer on one of the first surface and the second surface, and making the shielding layer partially cover the through hole, so as to reduce the penetration of the plastic The flow rate in the hole.

In one embodiment, the manufacturing method further includes disposing at least one metal layer on one of the first surface and the second surface, and positioning the metal layer on one side of an opening of the through hole or surrounding the Opening to increase the flow rate of the plastic in the through hole.

In order to make the above objectives, technical features, and advantages more obvious and understandable, a detailed description will be given below with a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The following will specifically describe specific embodiments according to the present invention; however, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the present invention can still be practiced in many different forms of embodiments, and the scope of protection of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to what is stated in the specification. Presenter.

Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form "one" used in this article also includes the plural form, and the orientation (such as front, back, up, down, inside, outside, etc.) is a relative orientation, which can be remembered The definition of the use state of the card structure does not indicate or imply that the memory card structure requires a specific structure, operation, or manufacture, nor should it be understood as a limitation of the present invention.

Please refer to Figures 1A to 1D. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a memory card structure 1 is proposed. The memory card structure 1 can be a memory card of various specifications, such as micro SD, etc., and it is basically It includes a substrate 10, a memory 20, a controller 30, and a plastic encapsulation body 40; the technical content of each component is described in order as follows.

Please refer to FIGS. 2A and 2B together. The substrate 10 is a printed circuit board or the like with conductive circuits or conductive structures (not shown) on or in it. The substrate 10 includes a first surface 100 and a second surface. The surface 200, at least one through hole 300 and a plurality of metal contacts 400, the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 are arranged opposite to each other along the thickness direction of the substrate 10, and can also be referred to as the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate 10. At least one through hole 300 penetrates through the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 (along the thickness direction of the substrate 10), that is, one opening of the through hole 300 is provided on the first surface 100, and the other opening is provided on the second surface 200 on; or it can be said that the through hole 300 exists in the substrate 10. In addition, in this embodiment, the substrate 10 includes a plurality of through holes 300, which can be arranged in at least one row along the width direction of the substrate 10; and if the substrate 10 only includes one through hole 300 (not shown), the through holes 300 The hole 300 may be a through groove extending along the width direction of the substrate 10.

The metal contacts 400 are disposed on the first surface 100 and connected to the conductive circuit or structure of the substrate 10; when the memory card structure 1 is inserted into a memory card slot (not shown), the metal contacts 400 400 can be in contact with the contacts (not shown) of the memory card slot to form an electrical connection.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, the memory 20 and the controller 30 are disposed on one of the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 and are electrically connected to the metal contacts 400. In detail, in general, the controller 30 and the memory 20 are both disposed on the second surface 200 of the substrate 10, instead of the first surface 100 where the metal contacts 400 are located, because the second surface 200 can provide more Multiple areas, easy to set up the controller 30 and the memory 20. In other embodiments, all or one of the controller 30 and the memory 20 can also be disposed on the first surface 100 of the substrate 10 in response to different circuit layout requirements.

The controller 30 may be an integrated circuit chip (IC chip), etc., and the memory 20 may be a flash memory chip, etc. The controller 30 is used to control the data access of the memory 20; in addition, the controller 30 and the memory The 20 may have a stacked structure, or the controller 30 may be stacked on the memory 20. The controller 30 and the memory 20 can be electrically connected to the metal contact 400 through the conductive circuit or structure of the substrate 10.

Except for the through hole 300, the technical content and implementation of the above-mentioned substrate 10, the controller 30 and the memory 20 should be those with ordinary knowledge in the art should be known.

Please refer to FIGS. 1A to 1D again. The plastic package 40 of the memory card structure 1 covers (covers) a portion of the first surface 100 of the substrate 10, the second surface 200, the through hole 300, the controller 30, and the memory. 20. The metal contacts 400 are exposed outside the plastic package 40. In more detail, the molded body 40 is an integrated structure formed by curing plastic such as resin, and the resin may be a thermosetting resin such as epoxy resin. The plastic package 40 is integrally molded by injection molding or the like, and covers elements such as the substrate 10.

The plastic package 40 covers a part of the first surface 100, but not all, that is, the area 150 where the metal contacts 400 of the first surface 100 are located is not covered, and the metal contacts 400 are exposed. The plastic package 40 can cover all of the second surface 200, and can also cover all of the side surfaces of the substrate 10 between the first surface 100 and the second surface 200, but the feasibility of partially covering the second surface 200 or the side surface is not excluded. When the plastic package 40 covers the through hole 300, it fills the through hole 300. The controller 30 and the memory 20 are covered by the plastic package 40 and cannot be directly observed. In addition, the plastic-encapsulated body 40 directly touches and covers these elements, and there should be no gap between them.

Therefore, the plastic package 40 is an integrally formed solid structure, rather than an assembled hollow structure. Therefore, the plastic package 40 can have better structural strength and is not easily damaged or deformed due to external forces, thereby properly protecting the substrate 10 and the controller 30. And memory 20. In addition, the plastic encapsulation body 40 covers most of the substrate 10 and extends into the through hole 300 of the substrate 10. Therefore, the plastic encapsulation body 40 and the substrate 10 can have a better bonding strength, and can withstand greater impact force without separation. Furthermore, there is substantially no gap between the plastic package 40 and the substrate 10, so it is difficult for moisture or sand to invade and contact the controller 30 and the memory 20; therefore, the memory card structure 1 should be able to reach IP68 after being tested. The high waterproof and dustproof rating.

Next, the manufacturing method of the memory card structure according to other preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. The manufacturing method can manufacture the same or similar memory card structure 1 of the above-mentioned preferred embodiment. Therefore, the technical content of the manufacturing method is the same as that of the memory card. The technical content of Structure 1 can be referenced and applied mutually, and the same parts will be omitted or simplified.

Please refer to the process shown in Figure 6, the manufacturing method of the memory card structure basically includes four steps S201 to S204, and the schematic diagrams of these steps are shown in Figures 7A to 7B, respectively.

Specifically, when the memory card structure 1 is manufactured, first, as shown in FIG. 7A, a substrate 10 is provided (step S201). The substrate 10 has been manufactured in advance, and the controller 30 and the memory 20 (as shown in FIG. 3) have been previously disposed on one of the first surface 100 and the second surface 200. In other words, step S201 is not the manufacture and assembly of the substrate 10, the controller 30, and the memory 20, but the preparation of the manufactured and assembled substrate 10, the controller 30, and the memory 20 for subsequent steps.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the substrate 10 with the controller 30 and the memory 20 is placed in a mold 70 (step S202); the mold 70 may be a mold for injection molding, including an upper mold and a lower mold , And a cavity is formed between the upper mold and the lower mold, and the cavity corresponds to the shape and size of the plastic package 40. When the substrate 10 is placed in the mold 70, the area 150 where the metal contacts 400 on the first surface 100 are located can be contacted and covered by the mold 70.

Thereafter, as shown in Figure 7C, a plastic 45 is poured into the mold 70 to cover a part of the first surface 100, the second surface 200, the through hole 300, the controller 30 and the memory 20 (as shown in Figure 3). ), wherein the plastic 45 flows from one of the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 to the other through the through hole 300 (step S203). The plastic 45 is a raw material of the plastic package 40 and is a molten liquid, so it can flow in the mold 70. The plastic 45 flows onto the second surface 200 first, and then flows onto the first surface 100 through the through hole 300. The plastic 45 is continuously injected into the cavity of the mold 70 to fill the cavity. Since the area 150 of the first surface 100 of the substrate 10 is covered by the mold 70, the plastic 45 cannot cover the area 150 and the metal contact 400.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 7D, the plastic 45 is cured to form the plastic package 40, wherein the metal contacts 400 are exposed outside the plastic package 40 (step S204). After the plastic 45 is filled in the mold 70, its temperature will gradually decrease and become solid. Then, after the plastic 45 is cured, it can be taken out of the mold 70 together with the substrate 10. In this way, an integrally formed and solid plastic package 40 can be obtained, and the plastic package 40 and the substrate 10 are tightly combined.

In addition, in step S202, the flow sequence of the plastic 45 in the mold 70 can be adjusted in various ways according to the design or production requirements of the mold 70. For example, the gate of the mold 70 can be located below the first surface 100, so that the plastic 45 can first flow onto the first surface 100, and then flow onto the second surface 200 through the through hole 300; or, the pouring of the mold 70 The port can be located above the second surface 200 and below the first surface 100, so that the plastic 45 can flow onto the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 at the same time, and then flow into the through hole 300.

It should also be noted that, in step S203 shown in FIG. 7C, if the plastic 45 flows into the first surface 100 through the through hole 300 too quickly or too much, it may cause damage on the first surface 100 and the second surface 200. The pressure difference of the plastic 45 is too large or uneven, which causes the substrate 10 to deform. Deformation of the substrate 10 may cause defects such as poor electrical properties of the package. If the plastic 45 flows into the first surface 100 through the through-hole 300 too slowly or too little, the plastic 45 on the upper and lower sides of the substrate 10 will also have improper pressure. When the memory body 20 has a stacked structure, the flow of the plastic 45 will be hindered, which may also cause improper pressure on the plastic 45 above and below the substrate 10.

Therefore, it is usually possible to adjust or control the flow rate or flow path of the plastic 45 through appropriate mold settings or process control to avoid damage to the substrate 10 or other components. In addition, according to other preferred embodiments of the present invention, the memory card structure 1 and the manufacturing method thereof may further include the following technical content to help adjust the pressure of the plastic 45 on the upper and lower sides of the substrate 10.

Please refer to FIG. 4A first. The memory card structure 1 further includes at least one shielding layer 50. The shielding layer 50 is disposed on one of the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 and partially covers the through hole 300. The shielding layer 50 may be a block or plate structure such as a dummy die, which is disposed on the first surface 100 and/or the second surface 200 and does not need to be electrically connected to the substrate 10. The size, position, and/or number of the shielding layer 50 is determined according to the number of through holes 300 to be shielded; for example, the number of shielding layers 50 may be three with different sizes, and the number of shielding layers 50 shielding the through holes 300 is also different. In addition, some through holes 300 may be partially covered by the shielding layer 50, and some through holes 300 may be completely covered by the shielding layer 50. On the other hand, some through holes 300 may not be covered by the shielding layer 50; or, all the through holes 300 are partially shielded by the shielding layer 50.

Please also refer to FIG. 7A. During manufacture, the shielding layer 50 may be provided on the substrate 10 after the substrate 10 is provided; or, the shielding layer 50 may have been provided on the substrate 10 before the substrate 10 is provided. Please also refer to Figure 7C. Then when the plastic 45 is injected into the mold 70, the shielding layer 50 reduces the opening 350 of the through hole 300, which slows the flow rate of the plastic 45 through the through hole 300, thereby reducing the plastic 45 on the underside of the substrate 10. pressure. It is also noted that if the substrate 10 only includes one through hole 300, the shielding layer 50 should not completely cover the through hole 300, otherwise the plastic 45 cannot pass through the through hole 300.

Please refer to FIG. 4B. The memory card structure 1 may further include at least one metal layer 60, which may be disposed on one of the first surface 100 and the second surface 200, and the metal layer 60 may be located in the opening 350 of the through hole 300 One side. The first surface 100 or the second surface 200 provided by the metal layer 60 is the surface to which the plastic 45 flows first, and one side of the opening 350 of the through hole 300 where the metal layer 60 is located is the side to which the plastic 45 flows first. Along the length of the substrate 10, the through hole 300 can be located between the metal layer 60 and the memory 20; in addition, the through hole 300 and the metal layer 60 can be separated, but the metal layer 60 can also contact the opening 350, or even extend to Into the through hole 300. On the other hand, the number of metal layers 60 may correspond to the number of through holes 300. In other embodiments, the number of metal layers 60 may be less than the number of through holes 300, that is, one side of some through holes 300 may not be required. The metal layer 60 is provided, or one metal layer 60 corresponds to more than two through holes 300 (the metal layer 60 may be a horizontal strip at this time).

Please refer to FIG. 4C, the metal layer 60 can also surround the opening 350 of the through hole 300, that is, the metal layer 60 has a ring shape and can contact the opening 350, but can also be separated from the opening 350.

Please also refer to FIG. 7A. During manufacturing, the metal layer 60 described above may be provided on the substrate 10 after the substrate 10 is provided, or the metal layer 60 may have been provided on the substrate 10 before the substrate 10 is provided. Please also refer to Figure 7C. When the plastic 45 is injected into the mold 70, since the metal layer 60 is not easy to adhere to the plastic 45, the plastic 45 can quickly flow through the metal layer 60, increasing the flow rate of the plastic 45 through the through hole 300. Can increase the efficiency of plastic packaging.

Referring to FIGS. 5A to 5C, the through holes 300 included in the substrate 10 of the memory card structure 1 may have different opening areas or shapes. As shown in FIG. 5A, a part of the through hole 300A has a larger opening area, and another part of the through hole 300B has a smaller opening area. As shown in FIGS. 5B to 5C, the through holes 300 may be circular holes 310 or elliptical holes 320. In addition, the plurality of through holes 300 included in the substrate 10 may also simultaneously include circular holes 310, elliptical holes 320, or rectangular holes (as shown in FIG. 5A), and the circular holes 310, elliptical holes 320, or The opening areas of the through holes 300 of the rectangular holes may also be different from each other.

Please also refer to Figure 7C. During manufacture, due to the different opening areas or shapes of the through hole 300, the flow rate of the plastic 45 through the through hole 300 will be different. For example, the plastic 45 can pass through the large through hole 300A in the front of the memory 20 faster. It flows to the first surface 100, so too much plastic 45 will not accumulate in front of the memory 20 and cause pressure rise. On the other hand, the plastic 45 can pass through the small through hole 300B relatively slowly, and also has the effect of controlling the flow rate of the plastic 45.

In other words, the number, size, and/or position of each of the through holes 300, the shielding layer 50, and the metal layer 60 can be adjusted according to the flow rate and flow path requirements of the plastic 45 to obtain the manufacturing High-yield plastic package body 40 and memory card structure 1. In addition, the required number, size, or position of the through holes 300, the shielding layer 50, and the metal layer 60 can be obtained by tools such as mold flow analysis.

In summary, the memory card structure proposed by the present invention has better structural strength, is not easily damaged by external forces, and also has better waterproof and dustproof properties.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that it can still implement the foregoing various embodiments. The technical solutions recorded in the examples are modified, or some or all of the technical features are equally replaced; these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

1　Memory card structure 10　Substrate 20　 memory 30　 controller 40　Plastic package 45　 plastic 50　masking layer 60　Metal layer 70　 mold 100　 first surface 150　 area 200　 second surface 300　through hole 300A　 large through hole 300B　 small through hole 310　 round hole 320　 oval hole 350　 opening 400　Metal contact S201～S204　Step

Figures 1A to 1C are respectively a front view, a rear view and a side view of a memory card structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 1D is a cross-sectional view along the AA cut line shown in Figure 1A ； Figures 2A and 2B are respectively a front view and a back view of the substrate of the memory card structure shown in Figure 1A; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the substrate, controller and memory of the memory card structure shown in Figure 1A; 4A to 5C are schematic diagrams of the structure of a memory card according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention (the plastic package is not drawn); FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a memory card structure according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 7A to FIG. 7D are schematic diagrams of the steps of the manufacturing method of the memory card structure shown in FIG. 6 respectively.

1　Memory card structure 10　Substrate 40　Plastic package 100　 first surface 150　 area 400　Metal contact

Claims (7)

A memory card structure, including: A substrate includes a first surface, a second surface, at least one through hole and a plurality of metal contacts, the through hole penetrates the first surface and the second surface, and the metal contacts are disposed on the first surface on; A controller and a memory are disposed on one of the first surface and the second surface, and are electrically connected to the metal contacts; A plastic package covering a part of the first surface, the second surface, the through hole, the controller and the memory, wherein the metal contacts are exposed outside the plastic package; and At least one metal layer is disposed on one of the first surface and the second surface, wherein the metal layer is located on one side of an opening of the through hole or surrounds the opening. The memory card structure according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a plurality of through holes, and the opening areas of the through holes are different from each other. The memory card structure according to claim 1, wherein the through hole is a circular hole, an oval hole or a rectangular hole. A manufacturing method of a memory card structure includes: A substrate is provided, wherein the substrate includes a first surface, a second surface, at least one through hole, and a plurality of metal contacts. The through hole penetrates the first surface and the second surface, and the metal contacts are disposed On the first surface, and a controller and a memory are disposed on one of the first surface and the second surface; Placing the substrate in a mold; A plastic is poured into the mold to cover a part of the first surface, the second surface, the through hole, the controller, and the memory, wherein the plastic passes from the first surface and the memory through the through hole. One of the second surfaces flows to the other; Curing the plastic to form a plastic package, wherein the metal contacts are exposed outside the plastic package; and At least one metal layer is disposed on one of the first surface and the second surface, and the metal layer is located on one side of an opening of the through hole or surrounds the opening to increase the plastic in the through hole The flow rate in. The manufacturing method of the memory card structure according to claim 4, wherein the plastic flows onto the second surface, and then flows onto the first surface through the through hole. The manufacturing method of the memory card structure according to claim 4, wherein the plastic flows onto the first surface, and then flows onto the second surface through the through hole. The manufacturing method of the memory card structure according to claim 4, wherein the plastic flows on the first surface and the second surface, and then flows into the through hole.

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