Electrical connectors – Including elastomeric or nonmetallic conductive portion – Adapted to be sandwiched between preformed panel circuit...
Utility Patent
1998-12-22
2001-01-02
Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Including elastomeric or nonmetallic conductive portion
Adapted to be sandwiched between preformed panel circuit...
C439S066000
Utility Patent
active
06168442
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES
This application is based on patent application Ser. No. 9-202165 (1997) filed Jul. 11, 1997 in Japan, the content of which is incorporated hereinto by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an anisotropic conductivity sheet having a positioning portion employed for establishing electrical connection between electrical circuit components, electrical circuit boards or the like. The present invention may be used in inspection and measurement of electrical characteristics of electric circuit components, electrical circuit boards and so on.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
In the recent years, due to down-sizing of electrical products or increasing of density of wiring, pitches between electrodes to be inspected or measured in inspection and measurement of electrical circuit components, electrical circuit boards and the like, have been becoming relatively fine. Accordingly, for example, electrical mutual connection between the electrical circuit components is established through inspection electrodes having fine inter-electrode pitch. At this time, it has become difficult to position the electrode of the electrical circuit component with the inspection electrode. In such circumstance, it is not easy to accurately contact the electrode of a conductive sheet with the inspection electrode of the electrical circuit component, electrical circuit board or the like, thereby creating difficulty in stably obtaining good electrical contact. In the foregoing background, devices a conductive sheet functioning as an electrical connecting member, which can accurately contact the electrode of the conductive sheet with the inspection electrode of the electrical circuit component, the electrical circuit board or the like with each other, and has superior electrical conduction performance in fine wiring pitch, becomes necessary.
Conventionally, in inspection and measurement of the electrical circuit component, the electrical circuit board or the like, the inspection electrode of the electrical circuit component, the electrical circuit board or the like and the electrode of the conductive sheet has to accurately contact each other. Furthermore, in fabrication of the conductive sheet having superior conduction performance in fine wiring pitch, the conductive sheet is sandwiched between resin films. On the other hand, for positioning of electrodes of an article to be measured and an inspection electrode, positioning holes on the film are used.
However, in the conductive sheet employing the resin film, since formation of the positioning hole of the film is performed by means of a punching die, when formed products of a plurality of the conductive sheets are to be obtained from a pair of dies, a plurality of holes have to be punched on the film simultaneously. At this time, due to deformation of the film, it is difficult to obtain position accuracy with respect to the predetermined position of the positioning hole. On the other hand, upon fabrication of an anisotropic conductivity sheet, the film is heated and cured under a magnetic field to form the anisotropic conductivity sheet. In this case, when a plurality of anisotropic conductivity films are formed simultaneously for mass-production, offset relative to the predetermined position can result due to various factors, such as deflection of the resin film, dimensional variation of the film and so on, in positioning relative to the predetermined position of the obtained formed product, resulting in difficulty in practical use.
On the other hand, it is possible to make it difficult to cause offset of electrode formed in each film on the die, by dividing the resin film into the individual pieces and setting the divided individual piece within the die. In this case, since positioning pins have to be set at positions corresponding to the positioning holes per the individual pieces on the die, cost for the die becomes high. Furthermore, since each film has to be set in the die in one-by-one, number of process steps is also increased.
Furthermore, when the anisotropic conductivity sheet is used as electrical connection member in a test socket for a burn-in test, a heat-cycle test and so on for finding initial failure of semiconductor element or the like, if the anisotropic conductivity sheet provided with the positioning holes in the resin film is used, position offset of the electrodes between the electrode of the anisotropic conductivity sheet and the electrode of the measurement object can be caused due to thermal expansion of the resin film causing difficulty in obtaining stable and good electrical contact. Thus, as a result, accurate measurement becomes difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an anisotropic conductivity sheet having a positioning portion which can (i) accurately position an electrode of an anisotropic conductivity sheet relative to an electrical circuit component having relatively fine inter-electrode pitch, (ii) can establish stable contact to obtain stable electrical conduction when the anisotropic conductivity sheet is employed as an electrical connection member between electrical circuit components or electrical circuit boards with each other, during inspection and measurement of the electrical circuit components or the electrical circuit board.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an isotropic conductivity sheet having the positioning portion which can accurately position an electrode of the anisotropic conductivity sheet relative to the electrode of a semiconductor element as an inspection object even in a semiconductor test over a wide use temperature range in the anisotropic conductivity sheet.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an anisotropic conductivity sheet having a positioning portion which is constructed by forming a conductive portion where conductive materials are linked in a thickness direction in an insulator, and a portion other than conductive portion is formed of elastic insulator, and has a positioning metal plate in the peripheral portion of the anisotropic conductivity sheet.
The present invention provides an anisotropic conductivity sheet with a positioning portion, the sheet comprising a conductive portion, in which conductive material is linked in a thickness direction in an insulator, and a part other than the conductive portion, the part being formed of the insulator having an elasticity, wherein a metal plate for positioning is arranged on a peripheral portion of the anisotropic conductivity sheet.
One embodiment of the anisotropic conductivity sheet with the positioning metal plate according to the present invention can attain stable electrical contact by absorbing a step difference in the thickness direction of wiring of an electric circuit board and step difference in a thickness direction due to fluctuation of accuracy and so on in the thickness direction of an electrode portion of an elastic material, to eliminate offset in a plane direction. On the other hand, due to mass production of the anisotropic conductivity sheets, it becomes possible to produce a plurality of anisotropic conductivity sheet within a pair of die to increase production.
On the other hand, by establishing electrical connection of the positioning metal plate with the ground of a measuring system, elimination of static charge in the anisotropic conductivity sheet is facilitated to achieve shielding effect of a high frequency noise.
Furthermore, in a test over a wide temperature range, by using a metal having a linear expansion coefficient less than or equal to 1×10
−5
/K, such as invar (anvar), super invar, kovar and the like, the electrode portion of the anisotropic conductivity sheet positioned under normal temperature will not be subject to the influence of position offset due to temperature difference thereby obtaining stable electrical contact.
The above and other objects, effects, features and advantages of the present invention will
Abrams Neil
JSR Corporation
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Zarroli Michael C.
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