KR20140062550A - Interposer and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

In the present invention, disclosed is an interposer having a structure which maintains the shape of a terminal without variation in elasticity in the terminal and prevents the terminal from being separated from a housing even though external force is repeatedly applied to the terminal, and a method of manufacturing same. An interposer according to the present invention includes a substrate on which a plurality of conductive patterns is formed; a housing formed of an insulating material and disposed in a state corresponding to the substrate; and at least one terminal independently disposed in an inner space of the housing, and having one region exposed to an outside of the housing to be electrically connected to a conductive pattern of the substrate and another region exposed to an outside of the housing to be electrically connected to an external substrate. The terminal includes a fixing part whose one region exposed to an outside of the housing and an adhesion part extending from the fixing part in the state of being fixed to the housing. In addition, the housing includes a terminal exposed space spaced apart from a terminal exposed space adjacent thereto by a predetermined interval, and has upper and lower ends opened so that the adhesive part of the terminal is exposed to an outside.

Description

[0001] Interposer and method for manufacturing same [0002]

The present invention relates to an interposer and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an interposer having a structure capable of simplifying a manufacturing process and preventing deformation of a terminal and a method of manufacturing the same.

Generally, a board to board type connector is used to realize an electrical connection between an external device and a printed circuit board. This board-to-board type connector electrically connects a Flexible Printed Circuit Board ("FPCB") with a conductive pattern to a printed circuit board.

The connector used for electrically connecting the FPCB to the printed circuit board is relatively bulky and has a problem in that the volume of the electronic device on which the connector is mounted becomes large. Further, it is necessary to arrange a plurality of contacts in the housing of the connector in a state in which a minute gap is maintained, and in the case where deformation occurs in any one of the contacts, complete electrical connection between the FPCB and the printed circuit board can not be expected.

As an kind of external cable, an interposer (of course, connected to an external device), which is directly mounted on a printed circuit board and electrically connected to a pattern of the printed circuit board without using the connector having the above- Is being used. This interposer is electrically and electrically connected to the pattern of the printed circuit board by a clamp mounted on a printed circuit board (e.g., a "surface mount clamp" of the patent application 10-2012-0115618 filed by the present applicant) It is fixedly connected.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an interposer having a structure in which a terminal is not detached from a housing while maintaining the shape of the terminal without changing the elasticity of the terminal even when an external force is repeatedly applied to the terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an interposer having a structure capable of obtaining an insulation effect without including additional constituent members such as an insulating tape.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method capable of simply manufacturing an interposer having the above-described functional and structural features.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interposer comprising: a substrate on which a plurality of conductive patterns are formed; A housing made of an insulating material and arranged in correspondence with the substrate; And at least one terminal electrically connected to the external substrate, wherein the at least one terminal is exposed to the outside of the housing to expose the outside of the housing to the conductive pattern of the substrate and another portion to the outside of the housing .

Here, the terminal is composed of a fixed portion in which a portion of the terminal is exposed to the outside of the housing in a state of being fixed to the housing, and a connecting portion extending from the fixed portion. In addition, the housing includes a terminal exposure space, wherein the terminal exposure space maintains a predetermined gap with another adjacent terminal exposure space, and the upper and lower ends are opened to expose the junction of the terminal to the outside.

In addition, the housing may further include a connection space disposed between adjacent two terminal exposure spaces.

On the other hand, a solder ball is formed on the upper surface of each of the terminals exposed to the outside of the housing, so that the terminal is electrically connected to the pattern of the substrate through the solder ball.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an interposer mounted on an external substrate through a clamp, the method comprising: fabricating a terminal assembly having a structure in which terminals are connected to a frame; Forming a housing in the terminal assembly in a state in which the terminal assembly is disposed on the mold, and a part of the fixed portion of the terminal and the joint are discharged to the outside through the molding process; Removing the frame of the terminal assembly through the cutting process and separating the housing with each terminal being independently disposed therein; And bonding the terminal to the conductive pattern of the substrate.

The terminal assembly used in the method of the present invention may comprise an outer frame and a connecting frame connecting adjacent terminals disposed within the outer frame and connecting the outermost terminal to the outer frame.

In addition, the housing manufactured by the method of the present invention is disposed between a terminal exposure space exposing a part of the terminal to the outside and a connection space for exposing a part of the connection frame of the terminal assembly to the outside, .

Here, the housing separating step may be performed by cutting and removing the connection frame and the outer frame of the terminal assembly exposed through the connection space of the housing.

In particular, the step of bonding the terminal to the conductive pattern of the substrate includes the steps of: forming a solder ball on the fixed portion of the terminal exposed to the outside of the housing; And electrically connecting the conductive pattern to the fixed portion of the terminal through the solder ball, thus resulting in a final interposer.

The interposer according to the present invention can maintain the shape without changing the elasticity of the terminal even when an external force is repeatedly applied, and also the junction state between the housing and the terminal is not released.

In particular, the interposer according to the present invention can obtain an insulation effect between terminals without including a constituent member such as an insulating tape.

The method of manufacturing an interposer according to the present invention can easily manufacture an interposer having the above-described functional and structural characteristics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of an interposer according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a perspective view of the housing shown in Fig.
FIGS. 3A through 3C are step-by-step illustrations of a method of manufacturing an interposer according to the present invention; FIGS.

Hereinafter, the construction and manufacturing method of the interposer according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of an interposer according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing only a portion that is electrically connected to a printed circuit board (not shown) for convenience. In FIG. 1, the components that are in contact with each other are shown in a separated state in order to clearly illustrate each of the components.

The interposer 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a flexible printed circuit board 110 (hereinafter, referred to as "FPCB") including a conductive pattern 112 formed on a surface thereof and a contact 111 formed at an end of the conductive pattern 112, A housing 200 positioned below the FPCB 110, and a plurality of terminals 400 fixedly disposed within the housing 200. [

Here, the structure and function of the FPCB 110 are the same as the structure and function of the FPCB constituting a general interposer, and a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the housing 200 shown in FIG. 1, and a terminal (400 in FIG. 1) mounted on the housing 200 is not shown for convenience. Also, FIG. 1 shows only a part of a plurality of terminal exposure spaces 210 in which a part of the terminal 400 is exposed unlike FIG.

The housing 200 made of an insulating material includes, for example, a plurality of terminal exposure spaces 210 arranged in the form of a matrix, and each terminal exposure space 210 is spaced apart from the adjacent other terminal exposure spaces do. It should be noted that the arrangement of the plurality of terminal exposure spaces 210 should be determined according to the arrangement of the contacts 111 of the FPCB 110 and the alignment of the conductive patterns of the external printed circuit board.

Each terminal 400 is fixedly positioned in an area adjacent to the terminal exposure space 210 of the housing 200. 1, a terminal 400 is fixed in a housing 200 and is connected to a curved junction part 400 which is extended through a fixing part 410 and exposed through a terminal exposure space 210 of the housing 200, (420), the shape of the terminal (400) is not limited thereto.

The terminal exposure space 210 of the housing 200 is open at its upper and lower ends so that the terminal exposed space 210 of the terminal 200, The lower end of the part, particularly the joint part 420, is exposed to the outside of the housing 200. Here, a part of the upper part of the housing 200 corresponding to the fixing part 410 of the terminal 400 is removed, so that a part of the upper surface of the fixing part 410 of the terminal 400 is exposed to the outside.

A solder ball (300 in FIG. 1) is disposed at an upper portion in a region of the housing 200, that is, a region corresponding to the fixed portion 410 of the terminal 400. The lower end of the solder ball 300 is in contact with the exposed upper surface of the fixed portion 410 of the terminal 400 and the upper end is joined with the corresponding contact 111 formed in the plane of the FPCB 100 Top "and" bottom "are drawing standards). Thus, each terminal 400 is electrically connected to the conductive pattern 111 of the FPCB 110 through the solder ball 300. [

The interposer 100 having such a structure is fixed by a clamp so that the junction 420 of the terminal 400 exposed to the outside through the terminal exposure space 210 of the housing 200 is electrically connected to the external And is electrically connected to the external printed circuit board by contacting / bonding to the pattern / contact.

On the other hand, the housing 200 includes a connection space 211 disposed between adjacent two terminal exposure spaces 210. The function of the connection space 211 formed in the housing 200 will be described later.

The function and structural characteristics of the interposer 100 according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described below.

First, in the interposer 100 according to the present invention, a plurality of terminals 400 are independently disposed at a predetermined interval in a housing 200 made of an insulating material, and in particular, a junction 420 Is exposed to the outside of the housing 200. Therefore, unlike the structure in which all the portions of the terminals are exposed to the outside, the contact between the neighboring terminals 400 does not occur.

In addition, in the interposer 100 according to the present invention, since a plurality of terminals 400 are disposed in an isolated state in an insulating housing 200 performing a function of a substrate, it is necessary to separately use an additional insulating member such as an insulating tape There is no.

On the other hand, the terminal 400 is fixedly positioned within the housing 200, except for the portion to be connected to the external printed circuit board (i.e., the bonding portion 420). In this structure, even when an unintended external force acts on the terminal 400 in the process of mounting the interposer 100 on the external printed circuit board or separating it from the external printed circuit board through the clamp, So that the interposer 100 can maintain a normal structure.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the interposer 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

Here, as described above, the structure of the FPCB 110 is the same as that of the FPCB that constitutes a general interposer. Thus, the manufacturing process of the assembly of the housing 200 and the terminal 400 will be described below.

FIGS. 3A through 3C are diagrams showing steps of a method for manufacturing an interposer according to the present invention. Here, FIGS. 3B and 3C show the terminal assembly 410 and the housing 200 in an inverted manner to clearly show the shape of the terminal 400. FIG.

First, a terminal assembly 410 in which a plurality of terminals 400 are arranged in a matrix form is manufactured through a pressing process (FIG. 3A). The terminal assembly 410 is made of a metal material and includes a polygonal outer frame 411, a plurality of terminals 400 disposed inside the outer frame 411, a plurality of terminals 400, (Not shown). On the other hand, the surface of each terminal 400 can be coated with a material having excellent conductivity.

Here, the connection frame 412 is divided into a connection frame for connecting two adjacent terminals 400 and a connection frame for connecting the terminal 400 to the outer frame 411.

After the terminal assembly 410 thus manufactured is placed on the mold, the housing 200 is integrally formed with the terminal assembly 410 through a molding process, preferably an insert injection process (state of FIG. 3B).

Here, the mold is designed so that the housing 200 having the shape shown in Fig. 2 is manufactured. The design of such a mold is known to those skilled in the art of injection molding, and a description thereof will be omitted.

3B, the housing 200 is located in a central region of the terminal assembly 410, that is, inside the outer frame 411 in which the terminal 400 is aligned and the connection frame 412 is disposed. The terminals 400 and the connection frame 412 are exposed to the outside through the terminal exposure space 210 and the connection space 211 formed in the housing 200.

Then, the outer frame 411 and the connection frame 412 are removed through the cutting process. That is, the connection frame 412 connected to the outer frame 411 is removed through the cutting tool, and the connection frame 412 is connected to the outside of the housing 200 through the connection space 211 formed between the terminal exposure spaces 210 of the housing 200 The housing 200 shown in FIG. 3C is finally manufactured by removing the connection frame 412 connecting the exposed two adjacent terminals 400. [0064] FIG.

3). Fixed portions (410 in FIG. 1) of the respective terminals 400 are fixed in the housing 200 shown in FIG. 3C, and the joints (420 in FIG. 1) are exposed to the outside through the terminal exposure space 210. (Of course, the upper surface of the fixing portion of the terminal 400 is exposed to the outside, as described above).

A solder ball (300 in FIG. 1) is formed on the housing 200 in which the predetermined area of the assembly of the housing 200 and the terminal 400, that is, the fixing part of each terminal 400 is exposed, Is bonded to the end 111 of the pattern (112 in FIG. 1) formed in the FPCB (110 in FIG. 1) to finally produce the interposer 100 having the structure as shown in FIG.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (9)

An interposer mounted on an external substrate through a clamp,
A substrate on which a plurality of conductive patterns are formed;
A housing made of an insulating material and arranged in correspondence with the substrate;
And at least one terminal electrically connected to the external substrate, wherein the at least one terminal is exposed to the outside of the housing to expose the outside of the housing to the conductive pattern of the substrate and another portion to the outside of the housing Wherein the interposer comprises: The method according to claim 1,
The terminal is composed of a fixed portion where a part of the terminal is exposed to the outside of the housing in a state of being fixed to the housing and a connecting portion extending from the fixing portion,
Wherein the housing includes a terminal exposure space, wherein the terminal exposure space is spaced apart from the adjacent other terminal exposure space and the upper and lower ends are open to expose the junction of the terminal to the outside. 3. The interposer of claim 2, wherein the housing further comprises a connection space disposed between adjacent two terminal exposure spaces. The interposer according to claim 2, wherein a solder ball is formed on a top surface of each of the terminals exposed to the outside of the housing, so that the terminal is electrically connected to the pattern of the substrate through the solder ball. A method of manufacturing an interposer mounted on an external substrate through a clamp,
Fabricating a terminal assembly having a structure in which a terminal is connected to the frame;
Forming a housing in the terminal assembly in a state in which a terminal assembly is disposed on a mold and a part of the fixed portion of the terminal and the joint are discharged to the outside through a molding process;
Removing the frame of the terminal assembly through the cutting process and separating the housing with each terminal being independently disposed therein; And
And bonding the terminal to the conductive pattern of the substrate. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the terminal assembly comprises an outer frame and a connection frame connecting adjacent terminals disposed within the outer frame and connecting the outermost terminals to the outer frame. 7. The terminal assembly of claim 6, wherein the housing includes a terminal exposure space exposing a portion of the terminal to the outside and a connection space disposed between the two adjacent terminal exposure spaces to expose a portion of the connection frame of the terminal assembly to the outside. A method of manufacturing a pore. [6] The method of claim 5, wherein the housing separating step is performed by cutting and removing the connection frame and the outer frame of the terminal assembly exposed through the connection space of the housing. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein bonding the terminal to the conductive pattern of the substrate comprises:
Forming a solder ball on the fixed portion of the terminal exposed to the outside of the housing; And
And electrically connecting the conductive pattern to the fixed portion of the terminal through the solder ball.

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