Patent ID: 7265315
Filing Date: 2007-09-04
Classification: B23K,H01R,H05K,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method of joining terminals by soldering, comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a terminal having a flat portion and a solder joint portion, providing a substrate on which solder has previously been applied, mounting a cooling fin on said substrate, providing a laser beam source that is capable of emitting a laser beam, and providing a gas chamber that is made of a material which transmits said laser beam at least in part; (b) pressing said solder joint portion of said terminal against said solder in order to bend said flat portion, and bringing said terminal and said substrate into said gas chamber with said solder and said solder joint of said terminal in contact with each other, and filling said gas chamber with a gas including an inert gas or a gas mixture of an inert gas and a reducing gas; (c) heating said solder joint portion of said terminal by emitting said laser beam from said laser beam source so as to pass through the material of said gas chamber and by applying said laser beam to said solder joint portion; (d) stopping said heating of said solder joint portion, after immersing said solder joint portion of said terminal into said solder that is molten by said heating by utilizing springback of said flat portion; and (e) prior to said step (c), preheating said cooling fin so that said terminal is preliminarily heated via conduction through said substrate.