Electronic circuit unit comprising a circuit board useful for mobile phones or the like, and a method of manufacturing the same

Abstract: The electronic circuit unit (7) of the present invention is provided with the broad width lands (4a) and the thin width lands (4b) tied with the broad width lands (4a), which are configured by a solder resist (5) that is formed on the surface of the circuit board (1). Owing to this configuration, the solders (12) placed on the thin width lands (4b) are drawn toward the broad width lands (4a), which increases the quantity of the solder build-up (6) on the broad width lands (4b), and accompanied with this increase, swells the heights of the solder build-up (6) on the broad width lands (4b). Thus, the electronic circuit unit (7) of the present invention ensures the soldering.

Description: The present invention relates to an electronic circuit unit suitable for use in mobile phones or the like, and a method of manufacturing the same. The conventional electronic circuit unit will be explained with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. A circuit board 21 has a plurality of cutout sections 21b formed on the end faces 21a thereof and conductive patterns 22 formed on the upper side thereof, and on the cutout sections 21b are formed end-face electrodes 23 that are connected to the conductive patterns 22. Further, electronic components (not illustrated) such as resistors, capacitors, and the like are mounted on the circuit board 21 in a state that the electronic components are connected to the conductive patterns 22, and thus an electronic circuit unit 24 is configured with the one circuit board 21. Further, as shown in Fig. 7, a printed board 25 serving as a mother board includes conductive wiring patterns 26 formed on the surface thereof and a plurality of lands 27 for soldering, which are formed on the ends of the conductive wiring patterns 26. As shown in Fig. 7, the electronic circuit unit 24 is mounted on the printed board 25 as the mother board of the mobile phone or the like, and the end-face electrodes 23 provided on the circuit board 21 of the electronic circuit unit 24 are bonded onto the lands 27 provided on the printed board 25 through solders 28, whereby the electronic circuit unit 24 is connected to the conductive wiring patterns 26 on the printed board 25, and at the same time it is mounted to the printed board 25. With regard to the method for mounting the electronic circuit unit 24 to the printed board 25, first, cream solders (not illustrated) are applied on the lands 27, as shown in Fig. 7. Next, the electronic circuit unit 24 is mounted on the printed board 25 in a state that the end face electrodes 23 are located on the cream solders, and the printed board 25 having the electronic circuit unit 24 mounted in this state is carried into a heating furnace, whereby the cream solders are melted to bond the end face electrodes 23 to the lands 27 through the solders 28. However, in these mounting structure and method, since the soldering is made with cream solders applied on the lands 27 on the printed board 25, this method is difficult to make sufficient buildup of the solders 28, and also difficult to secure good wettability of the solders 28 to the end-face electrodes 23. Further, when the circuit board 21 is warped due to a temperature variation, aged deterioration, or the like, both ends of the circuit board 21 are lifted up as shown in Fig. 7; and especially in such a warped circuit board 21, the cream solders have difficulty to wet the end face electrodes 23. Thus, in the conventional electronic circuit unit, since the soldering is made with the cream solders applied on the lands 27 on the printed board 25, sufficient buildup of the solders 28 is difficult to be made, so that good wettability of the solders 28 to the end face electrodes 23 cannot be achieved, which is a problem to be solved. Further, with regard to the circuit board 21 having a warp, the wettability of the cream solders to the end face electrodes 23 becomes still worse, which is another problem. According to the present invention there is provided an electronic circuit unit comprising a circuit board having conductive patterns on one face thereof and conductive lands connected to said conductive patterns on the other face thereof, wherein electronic components such as resistors and capacitors and the like, connected to said conductive patterns are mounted on the one face of said circuit board, characterised in that a solder resist is provided on the other face of said circuit board, and is configured in such a way that it exposes, on said lands, broad width lands linked to one or more thin width lands, a solder buildup being formed on said broad width lands. Preferably, the broad width lands are circular. The broad width lands may be formed near the end faces of the circuit board. The invention further provides a method of manufacturing such an electronic circuit unit, the method comprising the steps of: applying cream solder on said broad width lands and on said thin width lands, as well as on said solder resist surrounding said broad width and thin width lands. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view from the upper side of a preferred embodiment of an electronic circuit unit; Fig. 2 is a perspective view from the lower side of the electronic circuit unit of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view to show a structure for mounting the electronic circuit unit to the printed board of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an illustration to explain a method of manufacturing the electronic circuit unit of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an illustration to explain a method of mounting the electronic circuit unit to the printed board of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a perspective view from the upper side of a conventional electronic circuit unit; and Fig. 7 is a sectional view to show a conventional structure for mounting the electronic circuit unit to the printed board. With reference to Fig. 1 through Fig. 5. A circuit board 1 configured with one or plural sheets has a plurality of cutout sections 1b formed on end faces 1a thereof. The circuit board 1 has conductive patterns 2 formed on the upper side thereof, and also end face electrodes 3 connected with the conductive patterns 2 are formed on the cutout sections 1b. Moreover, conductive lands 4 connected with the end faces 3 are formed on the lower side of the circuit board 1. A solder resist 5 is formed on the surface of the lower side of the circuit board 1 including the conductive lands 4 by means of printing or the like. On the surface of the lands 4, circular broad width lands 4a exposed from the solder resist 5 and thin width lands 4b connected the broad width lands 4a, being exposed from the solder resist 5 are configured by means of this solder resist 5. The broad width lands 4a may be elliptical, rectangular, polygonal, or the like, and the number of the thin width lands 4b may be one or more for each of the lands 4. The broad width lands 4a are formed near the end faces 1a of the circuit board 1, and on the broad width lands 4a are formed solder buildups 6, as shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 5. Electronic components (not illustrated) such as resistors, capacitors, and the like are mounted on the circuit board 1 in a state that they are connected to the conductive patterns 2, and thus an electronic circuit unit 7 is configured with one circuit board 1. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3, a printed board 8 serving as the mother board has conductive wiring patterns 9 formed on the surface thereof and a plurality of lands 10 for soldering formed on the ends of the conductive wiring patterns 9. As shown in Fig. 3, the electronic circuit unit 7 is is mounted on the printed board 8 as the mother board of the portable telephone or the like, and the lands 4 provided on the circuit board 1 of the electronic circuit unit 7 are bonded onto the lands 10 provided on the printed board 8 through solders 11, thus the electronic circuit unit 7 is connected to the conductive wiring patterns 9 on the printed board 8, and at the same time it is fixed to the printed board 8. With regard to the method of manufacturing the electronic circuit unit 7, first, cream solders 12 are applied on the broad width lands 4a and the solder resist 5 surrounding thereof, and on the thin width lands 4b and the solder resist 5 surrounding thereof, as shown in Fig. 4. Next, the electronic circuit unit 7 thus prepared is put into a heating furnace, whereby the cream solders 12 are melted to form the solder buildup 6 on the broad width lands 4a, thus completing the manufacturing of the electronic circuit unit 7. In this manufacturing process, as the cream solders 12 are melted in the heating furnace, the cream solders 12 placed on the solder resist 5 surrounding the thin width lands 4b are drawn toward the thin width lands 4b, and at the same time, the cream solders 12 placed on the thin width lands 4b are drawn toward the broad width lands 4a by surface tension, which increases the quantity of the solder buildup 6 on the broad width lands 4a and swells the heights of the solder buildups 6. Moreover, the cream solders 12 placed on the solder resist 5 surrounding the broad width lands 4a are drawn toward the broad width lands 4a, which increases also the quantity of the solder buildup 6 on the broad width lands 4a as well as the thin width lands 4b, and further swells the heights of the solder buildup 6. New, the method of mounting the electronic circuit unit 7 to the printed board 8 will be explained. First, as shown in Fig. 5, cream solders 13 are applied on the lands 10 of the printed board 8. Next, the circuit board 1 is mounted on this printed board 8 thus prepared in a state that the solder buildup 6 is located on the cream solders 13, and the printed board 8 with the circuit board 1 thus mounted is put into a heating furnace to melt the cream solders 13 and the solder buildup 6. Thereby, the electronic circuit unit 7 is mounted to the printed board 8. In the foregoing mounting method, since the quantity of solder on the solder buildup 6 of the electronic circuit unit 7 is ample and the heights of the solder buildups 6 are sufficient, even if there occur lift-ups on the both ends of the circuit board 1, resulting from a warp of the circuit board 1 by the influence of a temperature variation, aged deterioration, or the like, the wettability of the solders 11 between the lands 4 and the lands 10 on the printed board 8 can be made satisfactory and reliable. In a preferred embodiment of the electronic circuit unit, the solder resist 5 formed on the surface of the printed board 1 configures the broad width lands 4a and the thin width lands 4b linked with the broad width lands 4a, whereby the cream solders 12 placed on the thin width lands 4b are drawn toward the broad width lands 4a to thereby increase the quantity of the solder buildup 6 on the broad width lands 4a, and accompanied with this increase, the height of the solder buildup 6 can be made bigger on the broad width lands 4a. Therefore, the present invention can provide an electronic circuit unit that ensures the soldering. Moreover, even if there is a warp on the circuit board 1, since the height of the solder buildup 6 becomes bigger, the electronic circuit unit of the present invention can provide a satisfactory and reliable bonding of the solders 11 between the lands 4 on the circuit board 1 and the lands 10 on the printed board 8. Moreover, by making the broad width lands 4a circular, the present invention enhances the effect of surface tension of the cream solders 12, which makes it possible to further increase the heights of the solder buildups 6; and the present invention provides an electronic circuit unit that ensures the mounting. Moreover, by forming the broad width lands 4a near the end faces 1a of the circuit board 1, the present invention can provide an electronic circuit unit that ensures the bonding of the solders 11 to a warped circuit board 11. In a preferred method of manufacturing an electronic circuit unit, the cream solders 12 are applied on the broad width lands 4a and the solder resist 5 surrounding thereof, and on the thin width lands 4b and the solder resist 5 surrounding thereof; as the cream solders 12 are melted in the heating furnace, the cream solders 12 placed on the solder resist 5 surrounding the thin width lands 4b are drawn toward the thin width lands 4b, the cream solders 12 placed on the thin width lands 4b are drawn toward the broad width lands 4a by surface tension, and also the cream solders 12 placed on the solder resist 5 surrounding the broad width lands 4a are drawn toward the broad width lands 4a; and therefore, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an electronic circuit unit, which increases the quantity of the solder buildups 6 on the broad width lands 4a as well as the thin width lands 4b, and swells the height of the solder buildups 6. Moreover, by making the broad width lands 4a circular, the present invention can provide a method of manufacturing an electronic circuit unit that enhances the effect of surface tension of the cream solders 12 to form a higher solder buildup 6. Further, by forming the broad width lands 4a near the end faces 1a of the circuit board 1, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an electronic circuit unit free of troubles even if mounted to a warped circuit board 1.

Claims: An electronic circuit unit (7) comprising a circuit board having conductive patterns (2) on one face thereof and conductive lands (4) connected to said conductive patterns (2) on the other face thereof, wherein electronic components such as resistors and capacitors, and the like, connected to said conductive patterns are mounted on the one face of said circuit board, characterised in that a solder resist (5) is provided on the other face of said circuit board (1), and is configured in such a way that it exposes, on said lands, broad width lands (4a) linked to one or more thin width lands (4b), a solder buildup being formed on said broad width lands. The electronic circuit unit according to Claim 1, wherein said broad width lands are formed circular. The electronic circuit unit according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said broad width lands are formed near to the end faces of said circuit board. A method of manufacturing an electronic circuit unit as claimed in Claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: applying cream solder (12) on said broad width lands (4a) and on said thin width lands (4b), as well as on said solder resist surrounding said broad width and thin width lands. The method of manufacturing an electronic circuit unit according to Claim 4, wherein said broad width lands are formed circular. The method of manufacturing an electronic circuit unit according to Claim 4 or 5, wherein said broad width lands are formed near end faces of said circuit board.

Inventors: HARADA HIROSHI, TERASHIMA KIMINORI, HARADA, HIROSHI, TERASHIMA, KIMINORI
Applicants: ALPS ELECTRIC CO LTD, ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: H05K3
IPC codes: H05K1, H05K3