TWI828410B - Electrical connection device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection device which can inhibit poor contact between an electrode terminal of an inspected body and a circuit pattern. The electrical connection device of the present invention is provided with a rigid insulating support substrate and a rigid conductive circuit pattern. The support substrate has a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to each other, and a first side surface and a second side surface extending from the first main surface toward the second main surface respectively and being opposite to each other. A circuit pattern is arranged in the first main surface. The circuit pattern extends from a first edge of the support substrate to which the first main surface and the first side connect, toward a second edge of the support substrate to which the first main surface and the second side connect.

Description

electrical connection device

The present invention relates to an electrical connection device used for inspecting characteristics of an object to be inspected.

An electrical connection device is used to inspect the electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected, such as a liquid crystal panel. The electrical connection device has a circuit pattern that electrically connects electrode terminals arranged on the object to be inspected and the inspection device. In the inspection of the electrical characteristics of the object under inspection, the electrical signal is transmitted between the object under inspection and an inspection device such as a tester through the circuit pattern of the electrical connection device. During inspection, one end of the circuit pattern of the electrical connection device is in contact with the electrode terminal arranged on the object to be inspected, and the other end of the circuit pattern is electrically connected to the inspection device. In the electrical connection device, a plurality of circuit patterns are arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of electrode terminals of the object under inspection.

[Prior technical literature]

[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2846851

In conventional electrical connection devices using conductive leads formed on a resin film as a circuit pattern, the resin film tends to bend due to contamination of foreign matter, etc., resulting in poor contact between the circuit pattern and the electrode terminals of the object to be inspected. problem.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection device capable of suppressing poor contact between an electrode terminal of an object under inspection and a circuit pattern.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an electrical connection device is provided, which includes a rigid insulating support substrate and a rigid conductive circuit pattern. The support substrate has a first main surface and a second main surface that are opposite to each other, and a first side surface and a second side surface that are opposite to each other from the first main surface toward the second main surface. The circuit pattern is arranged on the first main surface. The circuit pattern extends from a first side of the supporting substrate connecting the first main surface and the first side surface toward a second side of the supporting substrate connecting the first main surface and the second side surface.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical connection device capable of suppressing poor contact between an electrode terminal of an object under inspection and a circuit pattern.

1: Electrical connection device

10:Support substrate

11: First main surface

12: Second main surface

13:First side

14:Second side

15: First side

16: Second side

20:Circuit pattern

21:First end

22:Second end

25:Coating material

30:Probe block

40:Wiring board

41:Connection terminal

50: Check device

100: Object to be inspected

101:Electrode terminal

200:Circuit pattern substrate

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the structure of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the structure of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view showing the structure of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a circuit pattern.

FIG. 5A is a schematic front view (Part 1) for explaining the manufacturing method of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5B is a schematic side view (Part 1) for explaining the manufacturing method of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a schematic front view (Part 2) for explaining the manufacturing method of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6B is a schematic side view (Part 2) for explaining the manufacturing method of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a schematic front view (Part 3) for explaining the manufacturing method of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7B is a schematic side view (Part 3) for explaining the manufacturing method of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

8 is a schematic front view showing an example of inspection using the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view showing an example of inspection using the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a connection state between a circuit pattern and a wiring substrate of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the connection state between the circuit pattern and the wiring substrate of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the following drawings, the same or similar symbols are assigned to the same or similar parts. Here, each figure is a schematic diagram only, and each part The length, thickness ratio, etc. will be different from the actual product. In addition, each drawing will contain different parts such as size relationships and proportions.

The electrical connection device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is used for inspecting the electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected. The electrical connection device 1 includes a rigid insulating support substrate 10 and a circuit pattern 20 arranged on the support substrate 10 . Here, the hardness of the "rigid body" is such that when the electrical connection device 1 comes into contact with the object under inspection during inspection of the electrical characteristics of the object under inspection, bending or deformation hardly occurs. In other words, the mechanical strength of the supporting substrate 10 is such that the electrical connection device 1 does not bend or deform due to the stress applied to the supporting substrate 10 when the electrical connection device 1 comes into contact with the object to be inspected.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the thickness direction of the support substrate 10 is defined as the Z direction. In Figure 1, the Z direction is the up and down direction of the paper surface, the X direction is the left and right direction of the paper surface, and the Y direction is the depth direction of the paper surface. FIG. 1 is a front view of the electrical connection device 1 when viewed from the Y direction. FIG. 2 is a side view of the electrical connection device 1 when viewed from the X direction. FIG. 3 is a top view of the electrical connection device 1 when viewed from the Z direction.

The support substrate 10 is an insulating substrate. The support substrate 10 has a first main surface 11 and a second main surface 12 that are opposite to each other, and a first side surface 13 and a second side surface 14 that are opposite to each other from the first main surface 11 toward the second main surface 12 respectively. The supporting substrate 10 is a rigid substrate. For example, the supporting substrate 10 is an insulating ceramic substrate.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the angle between the first side 13 and the first main surface 11 is an acute angle, and the angle between the first side 13 and the second main surface 12 is an obtuse angle. Furthermore, the angle formed by the second side surface 14 and the first main surface 11 is an acute angle, and the angle formed by the second side surface 14 and the second main surface 12 is an obtuse angle. In other words, when viewed from the X direction, the first side 13 and the second side 14 of the support substrate 10 are opposite to each other. It is arranged obliquely on the first main surface 11 and the second main surface 12 to form a frustum shape. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1 , the angles formed by other side surfaces other than the first side surface 13 and the second side surface 14 and the first main surface 11 and the second main surface 12 may also be right angles.

The circuit pattern 20 is arranged on the first main surface 11 of the supporting substrate 10 . The circuit pattern 20 extends from the first side 15 of the supporting substrate 10 toward the second side 16 of the supporting substrate. The first side 15 of the support substrate 10 is the connecting side between the first main surface 11 and the first side surface 13 . The second side 16 of the supporting substrate 10 is the connecting side between the first main surface 11 and the second side surface 14 . The circuit pattern 20 is electrically conductive and rigid. The material of the circuit pattern 20 has a hardness that is approximately the same as that of the supporting substrate 10 . For example, the circuit pattern 20 is made of conductive ceramics.

In addition, in the electrical connection device 1 shown in FIG. 1 , the first main surface 11 of the support substrate 10 has an uneven shape, and the area where the circuit pattern 20 is arranged (hereinafter simply referred to as the "arrangement area") is a convex portion. An area adjacent to the arrangement area of the first main surface 11 and in which the circuit pattern 20 is not arranged (hereinafter simply referred to as the “isolation area”) is a recessed portion that is recessed toward the second main surface 12 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , a covering material 25 with higher conductivity than the circuit pattern 20 can be formed on the surface of the circuit pattern 20 . The covering material 25 is, for example, a metal material. By forming the covering material 25 on the surface of the circuit pattern 20, the resistance of the circuit pattern 20 in transmitting electrical signals can be reduced. Here, if the resistance value of the circuit pattern 20 allows inspection of the object to be inspected even without the coating material 25 , the coating material 25 does not need to be formed on the surface of the circuit pattern 20 . When the covering material 25 is not formed, the manufacturing cost and manufacturing time of the electrical connection device 1 can be reduced, etc.

During inspection of the object to be inspected, the first end portion 21 of the circuit pattern 20 disposed on the first side 15 of the support substrate 10 comes into contact with the electrode terminal disposed on the object to be inspected. The second end portion 22 of the circuit pattern 20 arranged on the second side 16 of the supporting substrate 10 is electrically connected to an inspection device such as a tester. As shown in Figure 3 As shown, the circuit pattern 20 includes a stripe pattern extending from the first side 15 toward the second side 16 of the supporting substrate 10 . Therefore, in the front view shown in FIG. 1 , the circuit pattern 20 has a comb shape.

As shown in FIG. 3 , on the first side 15 and the second side 16 of the supporting substrate 10 , compared with the separated area of the supporting substrate 10 where the circuit pattern 20 is not laminated, the end surface of the arrangement area of the laminated circuit pattern 20 of the supporting substrate 10 is Extends further to the outside. When the circuit pattern is a resin film, each circuit pattern deforms according to the uneven shape of the electrode terminal of the object to be inspected. Therefore, the circuit patterns around a certain circuit pattern are deformed by the stretching of the circuit pattern that deforms according to the uneven shape. , thus causing the problem of poor contact between the circuit pattern and the electrode terminal. According to the electrical connection device 1, since the contact state between a specific first end portion 21 and the electrode terminal does not affect the contact state between other first end portions 21 and the electrode terminal, the above-mentioned circuit pattern and The problem of poor contact of the electrode terminals occurs.

The first end portions 21 of the plurality of circuit patterns 20 correspond to the positions of the plurality of electrode terminals arranged in an array on the object to be inspected, and are arranged in a fixed arrangement on the first side 15 . For example, the distance between the first end portions 21 of the circuit pattern 20 on the first side 15 corresponds to the distance between the electrode terminals of the object to be inspected. When the electrode terminals of the object to be inspected are arranged at equal intervals, the first end portions 21 of the circuit patterns 20 are also arranged at equal intervals.

The manufacturing method of the electrical connection device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, the manufacturing method of the electrical connection device 1 described below is only an example. Of course, the electrical connection device 1 can also be manufactured by various other manufacturing methods including modifications thereof. In the following description, FIGS. 5A, 6A, and 7A are front views, and FIGS. 5B, 6B, and 7B are side views.

First, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B , a conductive rigid circuit pattern substrate 200 is bonded to the first main surface 11 of the support substrate 10 that is processed into a frustum shape when viewed from the X direction. For example, the support substrate 10 is an insulating ceramic substrate, and the circuit pattern substrate 200 is a conductive ceramic substrate. For example, the support substrate 10 and the circuit pattern substrate 200 are bonded by diffusion bonding.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B , the circuit pattern substrate 200 is processed to form a predetermined circuit pattern 20 . For example, a cutting machine or a laser is used to perform cutting processing, thereby dividing the circuit pattern substrate 200 into a plurality of circuit patterns 20 .

During the cutting process of the circuit pattern substrate 200, the circuit pattern substrate 200 is divided until it reaches the first main surface 11 of the support substrate 10, so that adjacent circuit patterns 20 are not electrically connected, and the circuit patterns 20 are formed. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A , the upper portion of the isolation area of the first main surface 11 sandwiched between the arrangement areas where the circuit patterns 20 are formed may be removed. That is, the first main surface 11 may be formed into a concave and convex shape in which the arrangement area is a convex portion and the separation area is a concave portion.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B , the covering material 25 can be formed on the surface of the circuit pattern 20 . The covering material 25 is, for example, hard gold, palladium alloy, rhodium, or the like. When the circuit pattern substrate 200 is made of conductive ceramic, the conductivity of the conductive ceramic is not as good as that of metal. Therefore, by forming the covering material 25 on the surface of the circuit pattern 20, the resistance of the circuit pattern 20 in transmitting electrical signals can be reduced.

As described above, the electrical connection device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is completed.

8 and 9 show an example of using the electrical connection device 1 for inspection of the object 100 under inspection in which the electrode terminal 101 is arranged on the main surface. The electrical connection device 1 has a probe block 30 that holds the support substrate 10 at a certain angle relative to the object 100 to be inspected. The probe block 30 holds the support substrate 10 so that the first main surface 11 is inclined at a certain angle with respect to the main surface of the object 100 to be inspected. By arranging the first main surface 11 of the support substrate 10 to be inclined relative to the main surface of the object 100, the first end portions 21 of the plurality of circuit patterns 20 are respectively connected to the plurality of electrode terminals 101 of the object 100.

Since the support substrate 10 has a frustum shape, the state in which the first end 21 of the circuit pattern 20 is connected to the electrode terminal 101 of the object 100 can be easily observed from the Z direction. Therefore, the circuit pattern 20 and the object under inspection 100 can be reliably aligned through the electrical connection device 1 .

As shown in FIG. 9 , the second end portion 22 of the circuit pattern 20 is connected to the connection terminal 41 of the wiring board 40 arranged on the probe block 30 . FIG. 9 shows an example in which the inspection device 50 is arranged on the probe block 30 . The inspection device 50 is arranged on the wiring board 40 . The inspection device 50 is electrically connected to the connection terminal 41 via the circuit wiring (not shown) of the wiring board 40 . The inspection device 50 transmits and receives electrical signals between the electrode terminals 101 of the object to be inspected 100 via the wiring board 40 and the circuit pattern 20 .

The above shows an example in which the inspection device 50 is arranged in the probe block 30 . However, the inspection device and the circuit pattern 20 arranged outside the electrical connection device 1 may also be connected through wiring or the like.

Here, as shown in FIG. 9 , the frustum shape of the support substrate 10 can be set so that the second side surface 14 of the support substrate 10 and the main surface of the wiring substrate 40 on which the connection terminals 41 are arranged are substantially parallel. By making the second side surface 14 substantially parallel to the main surface on which the connection terminals 41 are arranged, the distance between the surface of the probe block 30 on which the wiring board 40 is arranged and the second side 16 can be reduced. As a result, the thickness of the wiring substrate 40 can be reduced and the electrical connection device 1 can be miniaturized.

The shape of the contact portion between the second end 22 and the connection terminal 41 can be appropriately set in accordance with the mounting angle of the support substrate 10 to the probe block 30 so that the second end 22 and the connection terminal 41 are easily in contact.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , similarly to the support substrate 10 , the circuit pattern 20 may be processed into a frustum shape so that the end of the circuit pattern 20 protruding outside the support substrate 10 can contact the circuit wiring of the wiring substrate 40 . The taper angle of the end portion of the circuit pattern 20 shown in FIG. 10 is different from the taper angle of the support substrate 10 . The angles are roughly the same. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11 , the end of the supporting substrate 10 may be retracted to expose the end of the circuit pattern 20 so that the end of the supporting substrate 10 and the end of the circuit pattern 20 are formed in a step shape.

As described above, the electrical connection device 1 has a structure in which the rigid circuit pattern 20 is arranged on the first main surface 11 of the rigid support substrate 10 . The electrical connection device 1 in which the supporting substrate 10 and the circuit pattern 20 are rigid bodies can suppress the bending of the circuit pattern 20 . Therefore, the electrical connection device 1 can prevent poor contact between the electrode terminal 101 of the object 100 and the circuit pattern 20 . For example, it is possible to prevent a portion of the circuit pattern 20 from being in poor contact with the electrode terminal 101 due to bending of the support substrate 10 .

(Other implementation types)

The embodiments of the present invention have been described as above. However, the discussion and drawings of the portion disclosed in the present invention should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Based on the disclosure of the present invention, various alternative implementation forms, embodiments and application techniques will be apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art.

For example, the above shows an example in which the plurality of circuit patterns 20 are stripe-like patterns extending in parallel from the first side 15 to the second side 16 . However, the intervals between the stripe patterns of the circuit pattern 20 may gradually widen from the first side 15 toward the second side 16 . Alternatively, the circuit pattern 20 may have a shape other than the stripe shape.

As such, it goes without saying that the present invention also includes various embodiments not described here. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined by the invention specific matters of the appropriate patent claims based on the above description.

1: Electrical connection device

10:Support substrate

11: First main surface

12: Second main surface

13:First side

14:Second side

20:Circuit pattern

Claims (10)

An electrical connection device is used for inspection of the object to be inspected. The electrical connection device is equipped with: A rigid insulating support substrate has a first main surface and a second main surface that are opposite to each other, and a first side and a second side that are opposite to each other from the first main surface toward the second main surface; and The rigid conductive circuit pattern is arranged on the first main surface and extends from the first side of the supporting substrate connecting the first main surface and the first side surface toward the first side of the supporting substrate connecting the first main surface. The surface extends from the second side of the aforementioned second side. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein the first ends of the plurality of circuit patterns correspond to the positions of the plurality of electrode terminals arranged on the object under inspection, and are arranged on the first side. The electrical connection device according to claim 2 further includes a probe block that holds the supporting substrate at a predetermined angle relative to the object to be inspected, so that the plurality of first end portions are respectively connected to The aforementioned plurality of electrode terminals. The electrical connection device according to claim 3, further comprising a wiring substrate disposed on the probe block and having a connection electrically connected to the second end of the circuit pattern on the second side. terminal. The electrical connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first main surface of the supporting substrate has an uneven shape, and the arrangement area where the circuit pattern is arranged is a convex portion, and is in line with the aforementioned arrangement. The separated areas adjacent to the area are recesses. The electrical connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the circuit pattern includes a stripe pattern extending from the first side toward the second side. The electrical connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a covering material having a higher conductivity than the circuit pattern is formed on a surface of the circuit pattern. The electrical connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the supporting substrate is an insulating ceramic substrate. The electrical connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the circuit pattern is made of conductive ceramics. The electrical connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the angle formed by the first side surface and the first main surface is an acute angle, and the angle formed by the first side surface and the second main surface is an acute angle. The angle between is an obtuse angle.

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