Source: https://patents.justia.com/patent/7384280
Timestamp: 2019-07-21 15:44:18
Document Index: 264129120

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 16', 'art 14', 'art 15', 'art 16', 'arts 21', 'arts 21']

US Patent for Anisotropic conductive connector and inspection equipment for circuit device Patent (Patent # 7,384,280 issued June 10, 2008) - Justia Patents Search
Justia Patents Adapted To Be Sandwiched Between Preformed Panel Circuit ArrangementsUS Patent for Anisotropic conductive connector and inspection equipment for circuit device Patent (Patent # 7,384,280)
Anisotropic conductive connector and inspection equipment for circuit device
Jul 15, 2004 - JSR Corporation
That, in which either the probe member or the anisotropically conductive sheet may be used, is known as an inspection apparatus for circuit devices. A circuit board for inspection in this inspection apparatus has inspection electrodes each having a special form. An examples thereof is illustrated in FIG. 13. The inspection electrodes 6 in this circuit board 5 for inspection each have a cocoon-shaped form and are arranged in accordance with a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the electrodes to be inspected in a state inclined at an angle of, for example, 45°.
14a, 15a Metal layers
57a Recessed portions
59a, 59b Spacers
As a material forming the support 23 provided in the first anisotropically conductive sheet 20 and the support 28 provided in the second anisotropically conductive sheet 25, is preferably used that having a coefficient of linear thermal expansion of at most 3×10−5/K, more preferably 2×10−5 down to 1×10−6/K, particularly preferably 6×10−6 down to 1×10−6/K.
A laminate material with metal layers 14a and 15a formed on both surfaces of an insulating sheet 12 is first provided as illustrated in FIG. 2.
The interiors of the respective through-holes 16H formed in the laminate material are then subjected to a plating treatment, thereby forming short circuit parts 16 connected to the metal layer 14a and the metal layer 15a and extending through in a thickness-wise direction of the insulating sheet 12 as illustrated in FIG. 4.
The metal layer 14a and the metal layer 15a are then subjected to photolithography and an etching treatment to remove a part thereof, thereby forming electrode structures 13, in each of which a front-surface electrode part 14 exposed to a front surface of the insulating sheet 12 and a back-surface electrode part 15 exposed to a back surface of the insulating sheet 12 are integrally connected to each other through the short circuit part 16 as illustrated in FIG. 5, thus producing the sheet-like connector 11.
In the top force 50, ferromagnetic substance layers 52 are formed in accordance with an arrangement pattern corresponding to a pattern of the conductive path-forming parts 21 in the intended first anisotropically conductive sheet 20 on a surface (lower surface in FIG. 6) of a ferromagnetic substance substrate 51, and non-magnetic substance layers 53 composed of portions 53b (hereinafter referred to as “portions 53b” merely) having substantially the same thickness as the thickness of the ferromagnetic substance layers 52 and portions 53a (hereinafter referred to as “portions 53a” merely) having a thickness greater than the thickness of the ferromagnetic substance layers 52 are formed at other places than the ferromagnetic substance layers 52. A difference in level is defined between the portions 53a and the portion 53b in the non-magnetic substance layers 53, whereby a recess 54 is formed in the surface of the top force 50.
In the bottom force 55 on the other hand, ferromagnetic substance layers 57 are formed in accordance with a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the conductive path-forming parts 21 in the intended first anisotropically conductive sheet 20 on a surface (upper surface in FIG. 6) of a ferromagnetic substance substrate 56, and non-magnetic substance layers 58 having a thickness greater than the thickness of the ferromagnetic substance layers 57 are formed at other places than the ferromagnetic substance layers 57. A difference in level is defined between the non-magnetic substance layers 58 and the ferromagnetic substance layers 57, whereby recessed portions 57a for forming projected portions in the intended first anisotropically conductive sheet 20 are formed in the molding surface of the bottom force 55.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, frame-like spacers 59a and 59b and a support 23 are first provided, and the support 23 is fixed and arranged at a predetermined position of the bottom force 55 through the frame-like spacer 59b. Further, the frame-like spacer 59a is arranged on the support 23.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the molding material is then charged into the recess 54 on the molding surface of the top force 50 to form a first molding material layer 20A. On the other hand, the molding material is charged into a cavity defined by the bottom force 55, the spacers 59a and 59b, and the support 23 to form a second molding material layer 20B.
The top force 50 is then arranged in alignment on the spacer 59a, whereby the first molding material layer 20A is stacked on the second molding material layer 20B, thereby forming a molding material layer 20C of a form conforming to the intended first anisotropically conductive sheet 20 as illustrated in FIG. 9.
In this inspection apparatus for circuit devices, a probe member, in which pin probes are arranged corresponding to the solder ball electrodes 2, may be used in place of the anisotropically conductive connector device 10. Therefore, the inspection electrodes 6 in the circuit board 5 for inspection each have a cocoon-shaped form and are arranged in accordance with a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the electrodes 2 to be inspected in a state inclined at an angle of, for example 45° as illustrated in FIG. 13.
(1) When the anisotropically conductive connector device according to the present invention is used in inspection of circuit devices, the electrodes to be inspected of a circuit device, which is an object of inspection are not limited to the semispherical solder ball electrodes and they may be, for example, lead electrodes or flat plate electrodes.
(2) It is not essential to provide the support in the first anisotropically conductive sheet and second anisotropically conductive sheet.
(3) The first anisotropically conductive sheet may be either that, both surfaces of which are flat, or that in which projected portions protruding from the surface of the insulating part are formed at the surfaces of the conductive path-forming parts on both surfaces thereof.
(4) The second anisotropically conductive sheet may be either that, both surfaces of which are flat, or that in which projected portions protruding from the surface of the insulating part are formed at the surfaces of the conductive path-forming parts on one surface or the other surface thereof.
(5) Any one or both of the first anisotropically conductive sheet and second anisotropically conductive sheet may be integrally bonded to the sheet-like connector.
Such an anisotropically conductive connector device can be produced by using a mold having a connector-arranging space region capable of arranging a sheet-like connector within a molding cavity as a mold for producing the first anisotropically conductive sheet or second anisotropically conductive sheet, arranging the sheet-like connector in the connector-arranging space region within the molding cavity of the mold, charging a molding material into, for example, the molding cavity in this state and subjecting the molding material to a curing treatment.
(6) In the inspection apparatus for circuit devices, a sheet-like connector, in which a plurality of electrode structures each extending through 1n a thickness-wise direction of the connector, may be further arranged on the surface on the side of the circuit device to be inspected in the first anisotropically conductive sheet to electrically connect the electrodes to be inspected of the circuit device to be inspected to the conductive path-forming parts of the first anisotropically conductive sheet through the electrode structures of the sheet-like connector. In such construction, the sheet-like connector may be provided integrally with the first anisotropically conductive sheet.
2. The anisotropically conductive connector device according to claim 1, wherein the first anisotropically conductive sheet and the second anisotropically conductive sheet are each formed by an elastic polymeric substance as a whole, and conductive particles exhibiting magnetism are contained in the conductive path-forming parts thereof.
the conductive path-forming parts in the second anisotropically conductive sheet each have a diameter smaller than a diameter of each of the conductive pathforming parts in the first anisotropically conductive sheet.
11 204176 July 1999 JP
11 273772 October 1999 JP
2000 353556 December 2000 JP
Patent number: 7384280
Patent Publication Number: 20070281516
Application Number: 11/571,935