Patent ID: 12218017

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference toFIG.1, a cross-sectional perspective view of a first embodiment of a glass carrier having a protection structure of the present invention is presented. The glass carrier having a protection structure1includes a glass body11and a first protection layer12A. The glass body11includes a top surface111, a bottom surface112, and a lateral surface113. In this embodiment, the top surface111is a carrying surface of the glass body11. The first protection layer12A fully covers the lateral surface113of the glass body11; in other words, the first protection layer12A surrounds the glass body11. The first protection layer12A is made of a hard material with a stiffness coefficient higher than a stiffness coefficient of the glass body11. In this embodiment of the present invention, the first protection layer12A is made of materials such as titanium nitride (TiN), chromium nitride (CrN), or diamond like carbon (DLC). As such, through having protection of the first protection layer12A with stiffness coefficient higher than the stiffness coefficient of the glass body11, the lateral surface113of the glass body11is protected from being chipped from bumping. In the present embodiment, a thickness of the first protection layer12A is greater than or equal to 100 nanometers (nm).

With reference toFIG.2, a cross-sectional perspective view of a second embodiment of the glass carrier having a protection structure of the present invention is presented. In the second embodiment, the glass carrier having a protection structure1further includes a second protection layer13A. The second protection layer13A covers the first protection layer12A. The second protection layer13A is made of a soft material with a stiffness coefficient lower than the stiffness coefficient of the glass body11. In this embodiment, the second protection layer13A is made of epoxy.

Through having protections of both the first protection layer12A with stiffness coefficient higher than the stiffness coefficient of the glass body11and the second protection layer13A with stiffness coefficient lower than the stiffness coefficient of the glass body11, when the hard material of the first protection layer12A is bumped, a stress of the bump is prevented from penetrating into the glass body. In other words, the stress of the bump is more easily defused with the soft material of the second protection layer13A, rather than staying focused and becoming an internal stress for the glass body11. Furthermore, with the stress defused, the lateral surface113of the glass body11is also prevented from being chipped by the bump. In the present embodiment, a thickness of the second protection layer13A is greater than or equal to 30 nm.

With reference toFIG.3, a cross-sectional perspective view of a third embodiment of the glass carrier having a protection structure of the present invention is presented. In the third embodiment, a glass body14is rectangular. The glass body14includes a top surface141, a bottom surface142, and a lateral surface143. Similar to the first embodiment and the second embodiment, here in the third embodiment, a first protection layer12B also covers the lateral surface143of the glass body14in the glass carrier having a protection structure1. In the third embodiment, the top surface141is also the carrying surface of the glass body14. A second protection layer13B also additionally covers the first protection layer12B over the lateral surface143of the glass body14. However different from the first embodiment and the second embodiment, here in the third embodiment the glass body14is cuboid. In the third embodiment, the first protection layer12B covers the lateral surface143, a part of the top surface141, and a part of the bottom surface142of the rectangular glass body14. In the first and second embodiments respectively, the lateral surface113of the glass body11is an arced surface, and so the first protection layer12A and the second protection layer13A both cover the lateral surface113. In other words, an edge of the lateral surface143of the glass body14is free to be at a normal angle rather than being required to be grinded into the arced surface to be covered with the first protection layer12A and the second protection layer13A.

With reference toFIGS.4A and4B, flow charts of a manufacturing method of the glass carrier having the protection structure of the present invention are presented. The manufacturing method of the present invention includes the following steps:

InFIG.4A, providing the glass body11; and

InFIG.4B, mounting the first protection layer12A over the lateral surface113of the glass body11. The first protection layer12A is the hard material with the stiffness coefficient higher than the stiffness coefficient of the glass body11.

Regarding the aforementioned embodiments, the manufacturing method of the present invention further includes the following step:

Mounting a circuit board structure15on the top surface111of the glass body11of the glass carrier having a protection structure1.

With reference toFIG.4C, a perspective view of mounting the second protection layer13A is presented. The manufacturing method of the present invention further includes a step of:mounting the second protection layer13A on the first protection layer12A for strengthening the glass body11. The second protection layer13A has a stiffness coefficient lower than the stiffness coefficient of the glass body11.

Regarding the current embodiment corresponding toFIGS.4A to4C, the first protection layer12A of the present invention is mounted through a protection film. InFIGS.5A to5C, flow charts are presented for mounting the protection film16in regards to the current embodiment. In another embodiment of the present invention, a protection shell is mounted over the circuit board structure15and the glass body11, exposing only the lateral surface113of the glass body11through the protection shell. This way the first protection layer12A can cover the lateral surface113of the glass body11solely without covering other surfaces. Furthermore, since the point is to cover the first protection layer12A over the lateral surface113of the glass body11, the manufacturing method of the present invention further includes the following step before the step of mounting the first protection layer12A around the lateral surface113of the glass body11:mounting the protection film16over the circuit board structure15.

Instead of mounting the protection film16over the circuit board structure15, the manufacturing method of the present invention can also use the following steps:mounting the protection shell over the circuit board structure15and the glass body11, exposing only the lateral surface113of the glass body11; andonce the first protection layer12A is mounted, removing the protection shell.

With reference toFIG.4D, in regard to the aforementioned steps, the following steps clarify an order of steps adopted in this embodiment:Step S1: providing the glass body11;Step S2: mounting the circuit board structure15on the top surface111of the glass body11;Step S3: mounting the protection shell over the circuit board structure15and the glass body11, exposing only the lateral surface113of the glass body11through the protection shell;Step S4: mounting the first protection layer12A over the lateral surface113of the glass body11through the protection shell;Step S5: mounting the second protection layer13A on the first protection layer12A for strengthening the glass body11; andStep S6: removing the protection shell.

With reference toFIGS.5A to5C, flow charts describing the step of mounting the first protection layer12A around the lateral surface113of the glass body11in a first embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention are presented. In this embodiment, the present invention further includes the following steps:

InFIG.5A, mounting the protection film16on a top surface151and a lateral surface152of the circuit board structure15, and mounting the protection film16on the bottom surface112of the glass body11.

InFIG.5B, mounting the first protection layer12A on the top surface151and the lateral surface152of the circuit board structure15, and mounting the first protection layer12A around the lateral surface113and the bottom surface112of the glass body11. Note that since the protection film16already covers the bottom surface112of the glass body11, here the first protection layer12A covers the protection film16on the bottom surface112of the glass body11.

InFIG.5C, removing the protection film16. In other words, remove the protection film16on the top surface151and the lateral surface152of the circuit board structure15along with the first protection layer12A mounted on the protection film16, and also remove the protection film16on the bottom surface112of the glass body11along with the first protection layer12A mounted on the protection film16.

With reference toFIGS.6A to6C, flow charts describing the step of mounting the first protection layer12A around the lateral surface113of the glass body11in a second embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention is presented. In this embodiment, the present invention further includes the following steps:

InFIG.6A, mounting the protection film16on the top surface151and the lateral surface152of the circuit board structure15.

InFIG.6B, mounting the first protection layer12A on the top surface151and the lateral surface152of the circuit board structure15, and mounting the first protection layer12A around the lateral surface113of the glass body11.

InFIG.6C, removing the protection film16. In other words, remove the protection film16on the top surface151and the lateral surface152of the circuit board structure15along with the first protection layer12A mounted on the protection film16. In comparison to the first embodiment of the manufacturing method described inFIGS.5A to5C, here in the second embodiment described inFIGS.6A to6Cthe manufacturing method avoids mounting the protection film16and the first protection layer12A on the bottom surface112of the glass body11. This decreases manufacturing cost by decreasing material used in the manufacturing process.

Furthermore, in another embodiment of the present invention, the first protection layer12A can also be directly mounted on the bottom surface112of the glass body11, without having to mount the protection film16and to then remove the first protection layer12A on the bottom surface112of the glass body11as previously described. In another embodiment of the present invention, other protective materials may be additionally mounted on the bottom surface112of the glass body11apart from the first protection layer12A.

In this embodiment, the protection film16is a dry film. The dry film allows the protection film16to be easily removed from the glass body11along with the first protection layer12A.

In this embodiment, the first protection layer12A is mounted around the lateral surface113of the glass body11by sputtering. In another embodiment of the present invention, the first protection layer12A is mounted around the lateral surface113of the glass body11by roll coating.

With reference toFIG.7, a cross-sectional perspective view of mounting the first protection layer12A on a chipped glass carrier in the present invention is presented. Since the chipping of the glass body11includes internal damages inside the glass body11or external minuscule cracks on the glass body11, human eyes might fail to detect these damages. For ease of demonstration, the chipping damages of the glass body11are significantly enlarged inFIG.7to provide a perspective view. In this embodiment, the first protection layer12A and the second protection layer13A are both still mounted around the lateral surface113of the glass body11despite the lateral surface113of the glass body11has been damaged. With an adhesive force created by the first protection layer12A and the second protection layer13A mounted on the glass body11, the chipping damages of the lateral surface113are controlled from expanding. On the other hand, even if the glass body11sustains visible chipping damages and cracks, by mounting the first protection layer12A and the second protection layer13A, the chipping damages and cracks would be covered and enveloped. This way the present invention is able to aesthetically improve how the glass body11looks.

With reference toFIG.8, a top perspective view of mounting the circuit board structure15on the glass carrier11is presented. In practice, a manufacturing process of the circuit board structure15is a large scale manufacturing process. In other words, a large scale circuit board structure contains a plurality of the circuit board structures15, and the large scale circuit board structure is mounted on the glass body11. The large scale circuit board structure along with the glass body11would need to be cut into multiple smaller units with the following step:

Cutting the glass body11into multiple smaller units. Each of the smaller units includes a glass unit and the circuit board structure15mounted on the glass unit. A glass unit is a smaller unit of the glass body11. In other words, the step splits the plurality of the circuit board structures15to be the circuit board structure15placed on each of the multiple glass units.

During a process of cutting the glass body11, the glass body11might be chipped due to fragility of glass material, and therefore protection layers are only mounted on the glass body11after the glass body11has been cut into each of the glass units. The first and second protection layers are mounted on the glass unit same way as previously described, and therefore further description is hereby omitted to avoid redundancy.

In conclusion, the manufacturing method of the present invention provides a fast, simple, and low-cost way of manufacturing the glass carrier having the protection structure. By mounting the first protection layer around the lateral surface of the glass body, in other words, by surrounding the glass body with the first protection layer, the present invention increases an ability of the glass body to resist deformation and chipping. Furthermore, apart from deploying the hard material of the first protection layer to resist surface deformation, heat, chemicals, and instability, the present invention further mounts the second protection layer as a soft material on the first protection layer. With aforementioned protection layers made of both hard and soft materials, an overall protection of the glass body is strengthened, and reliability of the glass carrier made of the glass body is increased.