KR102734676B1 - Conductive particles for electrical test, connector for electrical test and fabrication method of conductive particles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a conductive particle, and is used in a test connector that is arranged between a test device and a test apparatus and electrically connects a terminal of the test device and a pad of the test apparatus, the conductive particle being distributed in a plurality within an elastic insulating material so that when the test device is in contact with each other, the conductive particle comes into contact with each other to form a conductive path for transmitting an electrical signal, the conductive particle including: a body part having a flat lower surface arranged on a lower surface, the width of which decreases upward from the lower surface, and made of a conductive material; and a protrusion part that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the body part and is integrally connected to the body part, the width of which is narrower than the lower surface of the body part, and made of a conductive material, wherein the body part has a curved surface part that becomes rounder toward the top from the lower surface.

Description

Conductive particles for electrical test, connector for electrical test and fabrication method of conductive particles

The present invention relates to conductive particles used to perform electrical testing by electrically connecting a test device to a test apparatus, a test connector, and a method for manufacturing the conductive particles.

For electrical testing of a test device, a connector that electrically connects the test device and the test apparatus is widely used in the field. The connector transmits an electrical signal of the test apparatus to the test device, and transmits an electrical signal of the test device to the test apparatus. As such a connector, a conductive rubber sheet is known in the field.

The conductive rubber sheet can be elastically deformed by an external force applied to the device to be tested. The conductive rubber sheet has a plurality of conductive parts that electrically connect the device to be tested and the test apparatus and transmit electric signals, and an insulating part that separates and insulates the conductive parts. The insulating part can be made of hardened silicone rubber.

Figure 1 illustrates a technology for a conventional conductive rubber sheet. The conductive rubber sheet (10) is composed of a conductive portion (11) and an insulating portion (12), and the conductive portion (11) is configured such that a plurality of spherical conductive particles (11a) are arranged in the thickness direction within the silicone rubber.

These spherical conductive particles (11a) are configured so that the contact area with other conductive particles or the terminal of the device to be tested is almost point contact, so the contact area is low, and accordingly, not only is the electrical connection ability low, but the bonding strength with the silicone rubber is also low, so there is a problem that the conductive particles (11a) are easily detached from the conductive portion (11) during repeated inspection processes.

Figure 2 illustrates a technology for a conventional conductive rubber sheet (20), in which the conductive portion (21) is configured such that a plurality of columnar conductive particles (21a) are arranged in the thickness direction within the silicone rubber.

These columnar conductive particles (21a) have a problem that, when manufactured into a connector, the elasticity of the rubber sheet is lower overall compared to a sheet manufactured into spherical particles. That is, since the conductive particles are formed into a columnar shape, they can come into surface contact with other adjacent columnar particles or terminals of a device to be tested, so the contact area increases, and the electrical connection capability is superior to that of spherical conductive particles. However, due to the characteristics of the columnar particles that are elongated in one direction, the elasticity of the rubber sheet as a whole is reduced. Accordingly, when an external force is applied, the elastic deformation of the conductive rubber sheet becomes somewhat difficult, and in some cases, the external force, for example, the pressure applied from the device to be tested, cannot be sufficiently absorbed.

FIG. 3 illustrates conductive particles used in other conventional conductive rubber sheets, and FIG. 4 illustrates a method for manufacturing the conductive particles of FIG. 3.

The conductive particle (31a) illustrated in Fig. 3 is formed in a ring shape, and since the central hole is filled with silicone rubber, it has excellent bonding strength with silicone rubber, and due to the characteristics of the ring shape, it is possible to make line or surface contact with other adjacent conductive particles or terminals of a device to be tested, so that the contact area increases, and accordingly, the electrical connection ability and durability are excellent.

The conductive particles (31a) illustrated in FIG. 3 are manufactured using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechnical System) manufacturing technology to be manufactured in a shape desired by the designer. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 4, after preparing a silicon wafer substrate (40) (FIG. 4(a)), a photoresist layer (41) is applied to the substrate (40) (FIG. 4(b)), the photoresist layer (41) is patterned to form a predetermined groove (42) (FIG. 4(c)), a plating layer (31a') is formed in the groove (42), and then the upper surface of the plating layer (31') is flattened to manufacture conductive particles (FIG. 4(d)). Thereafter, the conductive particles are separated by removing them from the photoresist layer (41), thereby obtaining predetermined conductive particles.

According to the conventional method for manufacturing ring-shaped conductive particles, the thickness of the photoresist layer must be thicker than the thickness of the desired conductive particles, which increases the consumption of photoresist, and also requires a planarization process (CMP) to ensure a uniform shape and surface treatment of the conductive particles, which increases the overall cost and lowers productivity.

In addition, since the surface of the particles is smooth and uneven, there is a disadvantage in terms of adhesion to silicone rubber.

In addition, in the case of conductive particles manufactured using MEMS manufacturing technology, it is possible to additionally form a plating layer on the upper and lower surfaces using a highly conductive material. However, when a plating layer is formed on the upper and lower surfaces, a plating layer is not formed on the side surfaces, so a metal material with low conductivity is directly exposed on the side surfaces of the conductive particles. Accordingly, when the side surfaces come into contact with other conductive particles, the contact resistance increases, which causes a problem in that the overall electrical connection ability of the conductive rubber sheet is reduced.

Meanwhile, in order to perform side plating of conductive particles, a barrel plating method can be used separately after separating the conductive particles to which MEMS technology has been applied. However, as the size of the conductive particles becomes smaller, the phenomenon of the conductive particles clumping together during the plating process may occur, which increases the difficulty of the process and may increase the overall cost.

The present invention has been created to solve the above-described problems, and has a technical object of providing conductive particles for electrical inspection, a connector for inspection, and a method for manufacturing the conductive particles, which are easy to manufacture and can be manufactured at low cost and have improved conductive performance.

The inspection connector of the present invention to achieve the above-described technical purpose is:

It is used in a test connector that is placed between a test device and a test apparatus and electrically connects the terminal of the test device and the pad of the test apparatus to each other, and is a conductive particle that is distributed in large numbers within an elastic insulating material and forms a conductive path for transmitting an electrical signal by contacting each other when the test device is in contact.

A flat bottom surface is arranged on the bottom surface, and a main body portion made of a conductive material whose width decreases upward from the bottom surface; and

A protrusion that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the main body and is integrally connected to the main body, has a narrower width than the lower surface of the main body, and is made of a conductive material,

The above main body part,

A curved surface is formed that is rounded from the bottom to the top.

In the above challenging particles,

A flat surface parallel to the bottom surface may be provided on the upper part of the above main body.

In the above challenging particles,

The upper part of the above main body has a convex curved shape, so that the main body can have an overall hemispherical shape.

In the above challenging particles,

The main body of the above challenging particle

It can have any of the following shapes: bar, grid, triangle, star, S-shape, and double S-shape.

In the above challenging particles,

The main body of the above challenging particle is,

It can have any one of the following shapes: H type, X type, O type, C type, S type, N type, V type, W type, Z type, and + type, or a shape in which multiple of each shape are connected continuously.

In the above challenging particles,

The above main body part,

It can be composed of multiple layers of different materials.

In the above challenging particles,

The other materials mentioned above are,

It may include ferromagnetic metal materials, high-elasticity metal materials, and high-conductivity metal materials.

In the above challenging particles,

The above protrusions may be configured in multiple numbers spaced apart from each other.

In the above challenging particles,

A plurality of protrusions may be spaced at equal intervals relative to the center of the bottom surface of the main body.

In the above challenging particles,

The outer surface of the main body, except for the bottom surface, may be coated with a high-conductivity layer.

In the above challenging particles,

The lower surface of the above protrusion may be coated with a high-conductivity layer.

In the above challenging particles,

A concave space can be formed inwardly between the main body and the protrusion.

The inspection connector of the present invention to achieve the above-described technical purpose is:

In a test connector that is placed between the terminal of the test device and the pad of the test device to electrically connect the terminal and the pad to each other,

A conductive part in which a number of conductive particles are distributed in the thickness direction within an elastic insulating material at each location corresponding to the terminal of the test device,

It is composed of an insulating part that supports and insulates the above-mentioned challenging part,

The above challenging particles are,

A flat bottom surface is arranged on the bottom surface, and a main body portion that decreases in width upward from the bottom surface and is made of a conductive material; and

A protrusion is formed by protruding downward from the lower surface of the main body and is integrally connected to the main body, has a narrower width than the lower surface of the main body, and is made of a conductive material.

The above main body part can be formed with a curved surface that is rounded from the bottom to the top.

The method for manufacturing conductive particles of the present invention for achieving the above-described purpose is a method for manufacturing conductive particles that are used in a test connector that is arranged between a test device and a test apparatus and electrically connects a terminal of the test device and a pad of the test apparatus to each other, and a plurality of conductive particles are distributed in an elastic insulating material so that they come into contact with each other when the test device is in contact to form a conductive path for transmitting an electrical signal.

(a) a step of preparing a substrate;

(b) a step of forming a molding layer on the substrate;

(c) a step of forming a groove for particle formation by removing at least a portion of the above molding layer;

(d) a step of forming a first plating layer inside the groove for forming particles;

(e) a step of forming a second plating layer integrally connected to the first plating layer around the particle forming groove and having a width that decreases as it goes upward; may be included.

In the above manufacturing method,

(e) After step,

(f) may further include a step of removing the forming layer.

In the above manufacturing method,

In step (a), a conductive coating layer can be formed on the substrate.

In the above manufacturing method,

After step (f),

(g) A step of removing a conductive coating layer formed on the substrate may be further included.

In the above manufacturing method,

Between steps (c) and (d) above,

(c-1) A step of forming a third plating layer by plating a highly conductive material thinner than the thickness of the molding layer may be further included.

In the above manufacturing method,

After step (e) above,

(e-1) A step of plating a highly conductive metal on the second conductive layer may be further included.

In the above manufacturing method,

At step (d),

The first plating layer can be formed by plating different metal materials separately, so that different materials are laminated in multiple layers.

In the above manufacturing method,

At step (e),

The second plating layer can be formed by plating different metal materials separately, so that different materials are laminated in multiple layers.

The conductive particle of the present invention has a main body having a flat bottom portion and a protrusion protruding from the bottom surface of the main body portion, so that surface contact is possible when it comes into contact with another conductive particle, thereby improving electrical conductivity due to an increase in the contact area.

In addition, since the conductive particles of the present invention are formed by plating the main body higher than the photoresist, the thickness of the photoresist for particle manufacturing can be made thinner than before, and thus there is an advantage in that the overall manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In addition, the conductive particles of the present invention can be configured by laminating various materials by using different materials in the plating process, so there is an advantage in that conductive particles having various physical properties can be easily manufactured.

Figure 1 is a drawing showing a conventional inspection connector.
Figure 2 is a drawing showing a conventional inspection connector.
Figure 3 is a drawing showing a conventional challenging particle.
Figure 4 is a drawing of a manufacturing process for the challenging particles of Figure 3.
FIG. 5 is a drawing showing an inspection connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is an operating diagram of Figure 5.
Fig. 7 is a drawing showing another arrangement form of the inspection connector of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of conductive particles used in the inspection connectors of Figures 5 to 7.
Figure 9 is a plan view, side view, and back view of the challenging particle of Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a drawing showing various cross-sectional views of a challenging particle.
Fig. 11 is a drawing showing a method for manufacturing the challenging particles of Fig. 8.
FIGS. 12 to 16 are drawings showing conductive particles according to one embodiment of the present invention coming into contact with each other within an inspection connector.
Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a conductive particle according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 18 is a drawing showing a method for manufacturing the challenging particles of Fig. 17.
FIG. 19 is a plan view, a side view, and a back view of a conductive particle according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 20 is a drawing showing a challenging particle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 21 is a drawing showing a challenging particle according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 22 is a drawing showing a conductive part provided with the conductive particles of Fig. 21.
FIG. 23 is a drawing showing various embodiments of the challenging particles of the present invention.

The embodiments of the present disclosure are provided for the purpose of explaining the technical idea of the present disclosure. The scope of rights according to the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments presented below or the specific description of these embodiments.

All technical and scientific terms used in this disclosure, unless otherwise defined, have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. All terms used in this disclosure have been selected for the purpose of more clearly describing this disclosure and are not selected to limit the scope of rights under this disclosure.

The expressions “including,” “comprising,” “having,” and the like, used in this disclosure, should be understood as open-ended terms implying the possibility of including other embodiments, unless otherwise stated in the phrase or sentence in which the expression is included.

The singular forms described in this disclosure may include plural meanings unless otherwise stated, and the same applies to the singular forms recited in the claims.

The expressions “first,” “second,” etc. used in this disclosure are used to distinguish between multiple components, and do not limit the order or importance of the components.

In this disclosure, when a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that said component can be directly connected or connected to said other component, or can be connected or connected via a new other component.

The directional designator "upward" as used in this disclosure is based on the direction in which the connector is positioned with respect to the inspection device, and the directional designator "downward" means the opposite direction of upward. It should be understood that the directional designator "upward/downward" as used in this disclosure includes the upward direction and the downward direction, but does not mean a specific direction among the upward direction and the downward direction.

The embodiments are described with reference to examples illustrated in the attached drawings. In the attached drawings, identical or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals. In addition, in the description of the embodiments below, the description of identical or corresponding components may be omitted. However, even if the description of a component is omitted, it is not intended that such a component is not included in any embodiment.

The embodiments described below and the examples illustrated in the attached drawings relate to a connector positioned between two electronic devices to electrically connect the two electronic devices. In an application example of the connector of the embodiments, one of the two electronic devices may be a test device, and the other of the two electronic devices may be a test target device tested by the test device, but the application examples of the connector are not limited thereto. The connector of the embodiments may be used to contact any two electronic devices that require electrical connection to perform electrical connection. When the connector of the embodiments is used in a test device and a test target device, the connector of the embodiments may be used for electrical connection between the test device and the test target device during electrical testing of the test target device. As an example, the connector of the embodiments may be used for final timely testing of the test target device in a post-process during the manufacturing process of the test target device. However, the application examples of the test to which the connector of the embodiments is applied are not limited to the aforementioned tests.

Fig. 5 illustrates an example of application of a connector (100) according to one embodiment. Fig. 5 illustrates exemplary shapes of a connector (100), an electronic device on which the connector (100) is placed, and an electronic device in contact with the connector (100), for the purpose of explaining the embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, a connector (100) according to one embodiment is placed between two electronic devices to perform electrical connection between the two electronic devices through contact. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, one of the two electronic devices may be a test device (140), and the other may be a test target device (150) tested by the test device (140). During an electrical test of the test target device (150), the connector (100) contacts the test device (140) and the test target device (150), respectively, to electrically connect the test device (140) and the test target device (150) to each other.

The device to be inspected (150) may be a semiconductor package, but is not limited thereto. The semiconductor package is a semiconductor device in which a semiconductor IC chip, a plurality of lead frames, and a plurality of terminals (151) are packaged in a hexahedral shape using a resin material. The semiconductor IC chip may be a memory IC chip or a non-memory IC chip. As the terminal (151), a pin, a solder ball, or the like may be used. The device to be inspected (150) illustrated in FIG. 5 has a plurality of hemispherical terminals (151) on its lower side.

The inspection device (140) can inspect the electrical characteristics, functional characteristics, operating speed, etc. of the device to be inspected (150). The inspection device (140) can have a plurality of pads (141) capable of outputting electrical test signals and receiving response signals within a board on which inspection is performed. The connector (100) is arranged on the upper side of the inspection device (140) and can be arranged so that the conductive portion (110) is in contact with the pad (141) of the inspection device (140). The terminal (151) of the device to be inspected (150) is electrically connected to the pad (141) of the corresponding inspection device (140) through the connector (100). The connector (100) electrically connects the terminal (151) of the device to be inspected (150) and the pad (141) of the inspection device (140) corresponding thereto in the vertical direction, thereby inspecting the device to be inspected (150) by the inspection device (140).

Most of the connector (100) can be made of an elastic insulating material, and the connector (100) can have elasticity in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. When an external force is applied downward to the connector (100) in the vertical direction, the connector (100) can be elastically deformed in the downward direction and the horizontal direction. The external force can be generated when a pusher device (not shown) pushes the device to be tested (150) toward the inspection device (140). By this external force, the terminal (151) of the device to be tested (150) and the connector (100) can be brought into vertical contact, and the pad (141) of the connector (100) and the inspection device (140) can be brought into vertical contact. When the external force is removed, the connector (100) can be restored to its original shape.

This inspection connector (100) consists of a conductive part (110) and an insulating part (120).

The above conductive portion (110) is a plurality of conductive particles (111) distributed in the thickness direction (up and down direction) within an elastic insulating material at each position corresponding to the terminal (151) of the device to be tested (150). The conductive portion (110) has a cylindrical shape and has a number corresponding to the number of terminals (151) of the device to be tested (150), and a plurality of them are arranged horizontally spaced apart from each other.

The elastic insulating material constituting the conductive portion (110) is preferably a polymer material having a crosslinked structure. Various materials can be used as the curable polymer material forming material that can be used to obtain such an elastic insulating material, and specific examples thereof include conjugated diene rubbers such as polybutadiene rubber, natural rubber, polyisoprene rubber, styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber, and acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber and hydrogenated products thereof, block copolymer rubbers such as styrene-butadiene-diene block copolymer rubber and styrene-isoprene block copolymer and hydrogenated products thereof, chloroprene rubber, urethane rubber, polyester rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, silicone rubber, ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber, and ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer rubber.

In the above, when weather resistance is required for the obtained inspection connector (100), it is preferable to use something other than conjugated diene rubber, and particularly, from the viewpoint of molding processability and electrical properties, it is preferable to use silicone rubber.

As the silicone rubber, a crosslinked or condensed liquid silicone rubber is preferable. The liquid silicone rubber may be any of a condensed type, an addition type, a type containing a vinyl group or a hydroxyl group, etc. Specifically, dimethyl silicone raw rubber, methyl vinyl silicone raw rubber, methyl phenyl vinyl silicone raw rubber, etc. can be mentioned.

The above conductive particles (111) are combined within an elastic insulating material. A plurality of conductive particles (111) come into contact within a conductive portion (110) to form a conductive path in the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the conductive particles (111) have an overall mushroom-like shape and are composed of a main body (112) and a protrusion (113).

The above main body (112) may be configured to have a flat bottom surface arranged on the lower surface and a width that decreases upward from the bottom surface, and may be made of a conductive material. A flat surface (112a) parallel to the bottom surface may be provided at the upper center as the top of the main body (112).

The side of the main body (112) may have a surface shape in which the width of the lower side increases compared to the upper side. Accordingly, when in contact with an adjacent conductive particle (111), it is possible to easily slide along the surface, thereby increasing the elastic deformation rate of the conductive part (110). That is, when an external force is applied by the inspection device (150), the conductive part (110) is easily elastically deformed, thereby sufficiently absorbing the applied force.

However, the shape of the main body (112) is not limited to this, and it is also possible to have an overall hemispherical shape without a flat surface (112a) in the upper center.

The main body (112) may be composed of a magnetic metal material such as iron, cobalt, nickel, or an alloy thereof, or a material containing these metals, but is not limited thereto, and a material with excellent elasticity may be used. A nickel-cobalt alloy material may be applied as a material with excellent elasticity, but is not limited thereto.

The main body (112) may be entirely made of one metal material or one alloy material, or a ferromagnetic metal material exhibiting magnetism and a highly conductive metal material or a highly elastic metal material having excellent conductivity may be alternately laminated or arranged in various laminated manners. The highly conductive material may be a material having excellent conductivity such as gold, silver, palladium, rhodium, or copper. Fig. 10(a) shows a main body (112) formed of one material, and Fig. 10(b) shows a main body (112) formed by alternately laminating a magnetic layer (1121) and a highly conductive layer (1122).

For example, in Fig. 10(b), the main body (112) may be integrally arranged in a state in which a magnetic layer (1121) such as nickel and a high-conductivity layer (1122) such as copper are alternately laminated. In this case, when different materials are laminated and arranged, the functions of the magnetic body and the high-conductivity layer can be implemented simultaneously with only one main body (112), and thus, there is an advantage in that various electrical characteristics can be achieved. At this time, the magnetic layer (1121) facilitates the collection of conductive particles (111) by magnetic force, and the high-conductivity layer (1122) can lower the resistance when in contact with other conductive particles (111).

The outer surface of the main body (112) may be covered with a high-conductivity layer (115) made of a material with excellent conductive properties, such as gold, silver, palladium, rhodium, or copper. This high-conductivity layer (115) covers the upper surface and side surfaces of the main body (112), and may not be provided on the lower surface.

When the high-conductivity layer (115) is coated on the outer surface of the main body (112), the contact resistance can be reduced and the conductive performance can be improved when in contact with adjacent conductive particles (111). In particular, since the high-conductivity layer (115) is electrically connected to the high-conductivity layer (1122) inside the main body (112), the conductive performance can be further improved. In addition, the eddy current can be reduced when transmitting a high-frequency signal, so that the high-frequency signal can be transmitted well.

The above protrusion (113) protrudes downward from the lower surface of the main body (112) and is integrally connected to the main body (112). It has a narrower width than the lower surface of the main body (112) and is made of a conductive material. It is preferable that the protrusion (113) is made of the same material as the main body (112), but it is not limited thereto, and various metal materials such as magnetic, highly conductive, and elastic materials may be used as needed.

The above protrusion (113) may have a cylindrical shape having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the bottom surface of the main body (112), and a concave portion (114) that is concave inwardly may be formed between the protrusion (113) and the main body (112). Since the concave portion (114) is filled with the silicone rubber forming the conductive portion (110), the bonding strength between the conductive particles (111) and the silicone rubber can be further improved, thereby preventing the conductive particles (111) from being easily separated from the conductive portion (110).

The above protrusion (113) may be entirely made of one metal material or one alloy material, or a metal material exhibiting magnetism and a highly conductive material having excellent conductivity may be laminated and alternately arranged, or may be arranged in various laminated manners. The highly conductive material may be a material having excellent conductivity, such as gold, silver, palladium, rhodium, or copper.

In addition, the main body (112) is manufactured entirely by plating and has a hemispherical shape, so it has no unevenness, but the protrusion (113) protruding from the bottom surface of the main body (112) performs the function of unevenness, so that the bonding strength with the silicone rubber can be further increased.

The length of the protrusion (113) is not limited, but may have a smaller dimension than the main body (112), but is not limited thereto, and may have a slender column shape with a longer dimension than the main body (112) as needed.

The bottom surface of the above protrusion (113) may be covered with a high-conductivity layer (115) made of a material with excellent conductivity, such as gold, silver, palladium, rhodium, or copper. The high-conductivity layer (115) provided on the bottom surface of the protrusion (113) in this way reduces contact resistance when in contact with other adjacent conductive particles (111) and further improves conductivity.

Figure 10(c) shows a form in which the high-conductivity layer (115) entirely covers the top, side, bottom, and protrusions (113) of the main body (112). In this case, when the high-conductivity layer (115) entirely covers the main body (112) and protrusions (113), conductivity can be further improved.

The above insulating portion (120) can form a rectangular elastic region of the connector (100). A plurality of conductive portions (110) are spaced apart from each other at equal or unequal intervals in the horizontal direction by the insulating portion (120) and are insulated. The insulating portion (120) is formed as a single elastic body, and the plurality of conductive portions (110) are embedded in the insulating portion (120) in the thickness direction (up and down direction) of the insulating portion (120). The insulating portion (120) is made of an elastic polymer material and has elasticity in the up and down direction and the horizontal direction. The insulating portion (120) not only maintains the conductive portion (110) in its shape, but also maintains the conductive portion (110) in the up and down direction.

The insulating portion (120) may be formed of a cured silicone rubber material. For example, the insulating portion (120) may be formed by injecting and curing liquid silicone rubber into a mold for forming the connector (100). As the liquid silicone rubber material for forming the insulating portion (120), an addition-type liquid silicone rubber, a condensation-type liquid silicone rubber, a liquid silicone rubber containing a vinyl group or a hydroxyl group, or the like may be used. As a specific example, the liquid silicone rubber material may include dimethyl silicone raw rubber, methyl vinyl silicone raw rubber, methyl phenyl vinyl silicone raw rubber, or the like.

The method for manufacturing conductive particles (111) in the inspection connector (100) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 11 as follows.

First, a substrate (130) such as a silicon wafer, silicon, or ceramic is prepared, and then a thin conductive coating layer (130a; titanium, copper) for electroplating is formed on the surface. (Fig. 11(a))

Afterwards, a molding layer (131) is formed on one surface of the substrate (130). (FIG. 11(b)) At this time, the molding layer (131) is a photoresist layer, and is formed on one surface of the substrate (130) to a thickness thinner than the desired conductive particles (111), and accordingly, the amount of photoresist consumed is reduced, which can reduce the cost.

Thereafter, at least a portion of the above-mentioned molding layer (131) is removed to form a groove (132) for particle formation. (FIG. 11(c)) Specifically, a groove (132) of a desired shape is formed on the molding layer (131) using an exposure and development process.

Afterwards, a third plating layer (116') is formed using a highly conductive material inside the particle forming groove (132). (FIG. 11(d)) The third plating layer (116') is a highly conductive layer (115) formed on the lower surface of the protrusion (113) and has a thickness thinner than that of the forming layer (131).

Afterwards, after forming the first plating layer (113') that becomes the protrusion (113) after manufacturing inside the particle forming groove (132), additional plating is performed to manufacture the second plating layer (112') that protrudes beyond the forming layer (131), thereby manufacturing the protrusion (113) and the main body (112) together. At this time, the second plating layer (112') is a plating layer that becomes the main body (112), is arranged around the particle forming groove (132), is integrally connected with the first plating layer (113'), and has an approximately hemispherical shape in which the width decreases as it goes upward. (Fig. 11(e))

At this time, the first and second plating layers (112', 113') can be manufactured using a single material, but it is also possible to laminate plating layers made of different materials by sequentially or alternately plating a magnetic material and a highly conductive material.

Afterwards, a high-conductivity metal (115') is plated and formed on the second plating layer (112'). (Fig. 11(f)) At this time, the plated high-conductivity metal (115') becomes a high-conductivity layer (115) covering the outer surface of the main body (112).

After the molding layer (131) is removed, the conductive coating layer (130a) of the substrate (130) is removed. Specifically, the conductive coating layer (130a) is removed from the substrate (130) by etching so that the conductive particles (111) can be separated. Thereafter, the conductive particles (111) are separated from the substrate (130). (Fig. 11(g))

The conductive particles (111) manufactured by this manufacturing method do not need to have a thickness of the molding layer (131) thicker than the thickness of the conductive particles (111) as in the past, so the overall amount of the molding layer (131) (photoresist layer) can be reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

In addition, since the conductive particles (111) are manufactured by using the protruding hemispherical portion from the molding layer (131) as is without removing it, there is an advantage in that flattening work is not required after plating.

In addition, the present invention forms a high-conductivity metal by plating a second plating layer (112') protruding from a substrate (130), so that a high-conductivity layer (115) can be coated on the side and upper surface of the main body (112). Accordingly, unlike the conventional method, a high-conductivity metal layer can be formed on the side without using a separate barrel plating method, so there is an advantage in that the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced.

The challenging particles (111) of the present invention have the following effects.

As shown in Fig. 5, with the inspection connector (100) mounted on the inspection device (140), the inspection device (150) is transported by an insert or the like and the inspection device (150) is positioned on the upper side of the inspection connector (100).

Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 6, the test device (150) is lowered so that the terminal (151) of the test device (150) can come into contact with the test connector (100). At this time, the test device (150) is pressed by a pusher (not shown) so that the conductive portion (110) is compressed downward and expanded horizontally, and the conductive particles (111) come into contact with each other to form an electrical path. Thereafter, when an electrical signal is applied from the test device (140), a predetermined electrical test is performed.

Meanwhile, although FIG. 5 illustrates that the conductive particles are arranged vertically in a certain shape, it is not limited thereto, and as illustrated in FIG. 7, the conductive particles may be arranged in various shapes. That is, although FIG. 5 illustrates a shape in which the main body is arranged vertically with the protrusions positioned at the top and the bottom, it is not limited thereto, and as illustrated in FIG. 7, it is possible for some of the conductive particles to be arranged vertically, while others are laid down or tilted, etc.

Figures 12 to 16 show examples of how a conductive particle (111) comes into contact with another conductive particle (111) or a ball-shaped terminal (151) of a device to be tested (150) during an inspection process.

First, as illustrated in Fig. 12, when the conductive particle (111) comes into contact with the ball-shaped terminal (151) of the test device (150), the sharp portion of the outer edge of the main body (112) comes into contact with the ball-shaped terminal (151), thereby easily penetrating the oxide film on the ball-shaped terminal (151) and penetrating into the inside, thereby contributing to lowering the resistance. The sharp portion coming into contact with the ball-shaped terminal (151) also has the effect of greatly increasing the contact pressure compared to a spherical shape.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 13, when the conductive particle (111) comes into contact with the ball-shaped terminal (151) of the test device (150), the sharp portion of the outer edge of the main body (112) and the sharp portion of the protrusion (113) come into contact with the ball-shaped terminal (151) together, thereby penetrating the oxide film on the ball-shaped terminal (151) and easily penetrating into the inside of the ball-shaped terminal (151), thereby contributing to lowering the resistance, and increasing the contact area, thereby improving the electrical connection capability. In particular, the protrusion (113) provided on the lower surface of the main body (112) comes into contact with the ball-shaped terminal (151), thereby having the effect of expanding the contact area.

As for the contact of the conductive particles, as shown in Fig. 14, when the conductive particles (111) come into contact with the side surfaces of the main body (112), the upper curved portion of the main body (112) is prone to slipping when the particles come into contact with each other, which improves the elasticity of the conductive portion (110), and thus increases the compressibility of the conductive portion (110), enabling sufficient absorption of the applied force.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the conductive particles (111) of the present invention may have flat bottom surfaces of the main body (112) in contact with each other. In this case, surface contact is possible, so the contact area increases, the contact resistance decreases, and thus, there is an effect of greatly improving the electrical connection capability.

In addition, as illustrated in Fig. 16, since the surface of the protrusion (113) is covered with a high-conductivity layer (115), the internal material with high contact resistance is prevented from being exposed to the outside and coming into contact with the curved surface of another particle. In other words, the protrusion (113) of the conductive particle can be prevented from increasing the contact resistance by coming into contact with the upper surface of the main body (112) of another hemispherical particle.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of a conductive particle (111) has been described, but it is not limited thereto and may be modified as follows.

Fig. 17 shows a conductive particle (211) according to the second embodiment, and Fig. 18 shows a method for manufacturing the conductive particle (211) of Fig. 17.

In the first embodiment, it is exemplified that a high-conductivity layer (115) is coated on the surface of a conductive particle (111), but it is not limited thereto, and a conductive particle (211) composed only of a main body (212) and a protrusion (213) is also possible.

These conductive particles (211) are formed by coating a conductive material on a substrate (130) such as a silicon wafer, silicon, or ceramic as shown in FIG. 18 to form a conductive coating layer (not shown) (FIG. 18(a)), then applying a molding layer (131) (photoresist layer) having a thickness thinner than the desired conductive particles (211) to the substrate (130), (FIG. 18(b)), performing an exposure and development process on the substrate (130) to form a groove for particle formation, (FIG. 18(c)), forming a plating layer (211') so as to protrude upward around the groove inside the particle formation groove (132) through a plating process, (FIG. 18(d)), removing the molding layer (131) and the conductive coating layer by etching, and then separating the conductive particles (111) from the substrate (130). (FIG. 18(e))

The conductive particle (111) according to the second embodiment can have the effect of increasing the elasticity of the conductive portion (110) through a simple manufacturing process, increasing the contact area by surface contact, increasing the contact pressure on the ball-shaped terminal (151), and increasing the bonding strength with the silicone rubber by the protrusion.

Fig. 19 shows a conductive particle (311) according to the third embodiment, and illustrates that the conductive particle (311) according to the third embodiment has a plurality of protrusions (313) formed on the lower surface of the main body (312). The plurality of protrusions (313) may be spaced apart at equal intervals, but is not necessarily limited thereto. In this case, when a plurality of protrusions (313) are formed on the lower surface of the main body (112), silicone rubber can penetrate into the space between the protrusions (313) to further increase the bonding strength with the silicone rubber, and has the effect of preventing contact resistance from increasing when in contact with other conductive particles (111).

Fig. 20 shows a conductive particle (411) according to the fourth embodiment. The conductive particle (411) according to the fourth embodiment has a body part (412) having a shape of a bar extending in one direction while having a semicircular cross-section, and a protrusion (413) extending in one direction is formed on the lower surface thereof.

The conductive particle (411) according to the fourth embodiment not only greatly increases the contact area with other conductive particles (411), but also increases the contact pressure when in contact with a ball-shaped terminal, and has the effect of increasing the elasticity of the conductive portion (410) by sliding on the curved portion of the side when in contact with other conductive particles (411), and increasing the bonding strength with silicone rubber.

Fig. 21 illustrates a conductive particle (511) according to the fifth embodiment, in which a high-conductivity layer (515) is provided on the upper surface and side surface of the main body (512) of the conductive particle (511) of Fig. 20, and a high-conductivity layer (516) is provided on the lower surface of the protrusion (513). Such a conductive particle (511) has the effect of preventing a large increase in contact resistance due to the high-conductivity layers (515, 516) forming the outer layer coming into contact with other conductive particles (511) even when the main body (512) and the protrusion (513) that are in contact are made of a low-conductivity material.

Fig. 22 illustrates an example in which the conductive particles (511) of Fig. 21 are arranged inside the conductive portion (510). In this case, when the conductive particles (511) have a linear shape extending in one direction, they can be irregularly mixed inside the conductive portion (510).

FIG. 23 shows various embodiments of the conductive particles (611). The conductive particles (111) can have various shapes, such as a lattice shape (FIG. 23(a)), a triangular shape (FIG. 23(b)), a star shape (FIG. 23(c)), a tripod shape (FIG. 23(d)), an S shape (FIG. 23(e)), and a double S shape (FIG. 23(f)).

In the case of having such a shape, not only is the contact area wide when combined with other conductive particles (611), but also the conductive particles (611) can be prevented from being entangled with each other and separated from the conductive portion, and the elastic deformation of the conductive particles (611) themselves is enabled due to the internal space, or the bonding strength with the silicone rubber is increased, so that the deformation of the conductive portion as a whole is facilitated, the electrical connection ability is increased, and the effect of preventing separation from the conductive portion is achieved.

In addition, the S type (Fig. 23(e)) and double S type (Fig. 23(f)) have increased elasticity due to the shape of the conductive particles themselves, and the bonding force between the conductive particles is also excellent, so that the overall conductive portion can be easily deformed, the electrical connection ability can be increased, and the effect of preventing detachment from the conductive portion is achieved.

In the above-described embodiments, the main body of the conductive particle is exemplified as being formed in a rod shape, a grid shape, a triangle shape, and a star shape, but is not limited thereto, and may have any one shape among H type, X type, O type, C type, S type, N type, V type, W type, Z type, and + type, or a shape in which a plurality of each shape are continuously connected. In this case, the protrusion may also have a corresponding shape while being narrower than the main body.

Although the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments and modifications, and may be implemented in various ways without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

100...Inspection connector 110...Conductor
111...challenging particle 112...body
112a...flat surface 113...protrusion
114...concave 115...high-conductivity layer
120...insulating part

Claims (21)

It is used in a test connector that is placed between the test device and the test device and electrically connects the terminal of the test device and the pad of the test device to each other.
Conductive particles that are distributed in large numbers within an elastic insulating material and come into contact with each other when the device under test comes into contact, thereby forming a conductive path for transmitting an electrical signal.
A flat bottom surface is arranged on the bottom surface, and a main body portion made of a conductive material whose width decreases upward from the bottom surface; and
A protrusion that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the main body and is integrally connected to the main body, has a narrower width than the lower surface of the main body, and is made of a conductive material,
The above main body part,
A challenging particle characterized by having a curved surface formed rounded from the bottom to the top. In the first paragraph,
A conductive particle characterized in that the upper part of the main body has a flat surface parallel to the bottom surface. In the first paragraph,
A conductive particle characterized in that the upper part of the main body has a convex curved shape, so that the main body has an overall hemispherical shape. In the first paragraph,
The main body of the above challenging particle is,
A challenging particle characterized by having any one of a rod-like, lattice-like, triangular, star-like, S-shaped, and double S-shaped shape. In the first paragraph,
The main body of the above challenging particle is,
A conductive particle characterized by having one of the following shapes: H type, X type, O type, C type, S type, N type, V type, W type, Z type, and + type, or a shape in which a plurality of each shape are continuously connected. In the first paragraph,
The main body of the above challenging particle is,
A challenging particle characterized by being composed of multiple layers of different materials. In Article 6,
The other materials mentioned above are,
A conductive particle characterized by including any one of a ferromagnetic metal material, a high-elasticity metal material, and a high-conductivity metal material. In the first paragraph,
A conductive particle characterized in that the above protrusions are configured in multiple numbers spaced apart from each other. In the first paragraph,
A conductive particle characterized in that a plurality of protrusions are spaced at equal intervals relative to the center of the bottom surface of the main body. In the first paragraph,
A conductive particle characterized in that the outer surface except for the bottom surface of the main body is covered with a high-conductivity layer. In clause 1 or 9,
A conductive particle characterized in that the lower surface of the above protrusion is coated with a high-conductivity layer. In the first paragraph,
A conductive particle characterized in that a concave space is formed inwardly between the main body and the protrusion. In a test connector that is placed between the terminal of the test device and the pad of the test device to electrically connect the terminal and the pad to each other,
A conductive part in which a number of conductive particles are distributed in the thickness direction within an elastic insulating material at each location corresponding to the terminal of the test device,
It is composed of an insulating part that supports and insulates the above-mentioned challenging part,
The above challenging particles are,
A flat bottom surface is arranged on the bottom surface, and a main body portion that decreases in width upward from the bottom surface and is made of a conductive material; and
A protrusion is formed by protruding downward from the lower surface of the main body and is integrally connected to the main body, has a narrower width than the lower surface of the main body, and is made of a conductive material.
An inspection connector characterized in that the main body portion is formed with a curved surface that is rounded from the bottom to the top. It is used in a test connector that is placed between the test device and the test device and electrically connects the terminal of the test device and the pad of the test device to each other.
A method for manufacturing conductive particles that are distributed in large numbers within an elastic insulating material and contact each other when a test device is in contact to form a conductive path for transmitting an electrical signal.
(a) a step of preparing a substrate;
(b) a step of forming a molding layer on the substrate;
(c) a step of forming a groove for particle formation by removing at least a portion of the above molding layer;
(d) a step of forming a first plating layer inside the groove for forming particles;
(e) A method for manufacturing a conductive particle, characterized by including a step of forming a second plating layer that is integrally connected to the first plating layer around the particle forming groove and whose width decreases as it goes upward. In Article 14
(e) After step,
(f) A method for producing a conductive particle, characterized by further comprising a step of removing a forming layer. In Article 14,
A method for manufacturing a conductive particle, characterized in that in step (a), a conductive coating layer is formed on the substrate. In Article 16,
After step (f),
(g) A method for manufacturing conductive particles, characterized in that it further includes a step of removing a conductive coating layer formed on a substrate. In Article 14,
Between steps (c) and (d) above,
(c-1) A method for manufacturing conductive particles, characterized in that it further includes a step of forming a third plating layer by plating a highly conductive material thinner than the thickness of the molding layer. In Article 14,
After step (e) above,
(e-1) A method for manufacturing conductive particles, characterized in that it further includes a step of plating a highly conductive metal on the second plating layer. In Article 14,
At step (d),
A method for manufacturing conductive particles, characterized in that the first plating layer is formed by plating different materials separately using different metal materials, and is formed by laminating different materials in multiple layers. In Article 14,
At step (e),
A method for manufacturing conductive particles, characterized in that the second plating layer is formed by plating separately using different metal materials, so that different materials are laminated in multiple layers.

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