WO2012099383A2 - Probe block - Google Patents

Probe block Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2012099383A2
WO2012099383A2 PCT/KR2012/000415 KR2012000415W WO2012099383A2 WO 2012099383 A2 WO2012099383 A2 WO 2012099383A2 KR 2012000415 W KR2012000415 W KR 2012000415W WO 2012099383 A2 WO2012099383 A2 WO 2012099383A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
sheet
leaf spring
block
coupled
body block
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/KR2012/000415
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2012099383A3 (en
Inventor
Jun Soo Cho
Jong Hyun Park
Original Assignee
Pro-2000 Co. Ltd.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from KR1020120005093A external-priority patent/KR101241804B1/en
Application filed by Pro-2000 Co. Ltd. filed Critical Pro-2000 Co. Ltd.
Publication of WO2012099383A2 publication Critical patent/WO2012099383A2/en
Publication of WO2012099383A3 publication Critical patent/WO2012099383A3/en

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
    • G01R1/00—Details of instruments or arrangements of the types included in groups G01R5/00 - G01R13/00 and G01R31/00
    • G01R1/02—General constructional details
    • G01R1/06—Measuring leads; Measuring probes
    • G01R1/067—Measuring probes
    • G01R1/06705—Apparatus for holding or moving single probes
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
    • G01R1/00—Details of instruments or arrangements of the types included in groups G01R5/00 - G01R13/00 and G01R31/00
    • G01R1/02—General constructional details
    • G01R1/06—Measuring leads; Measuring probes
    • G01R1/067—Measuring probes
    • G01R1/073—Multiple probes
    • G01R1/07307—Multiple probes with individual probe elements, e.g. needles, cantilever beams or bump contacts, fixed in relation to each other, e.g. bed of nails fixture or probe card
    • G01R1/07342—Multiple probes with individual probe elements, e.g. needles, cantilever beams or bump contacts, fixed in relation to each other, e.g. bed of nails fixture or probe card the body of the probe being at an angle other than perpendicular to test object, e.g. probe card

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a probe block, and more particularly, to a probe block including one or more leaf springs for use in testing a panel including one or more rows of pads.
  • a flat-panel display panel refers to a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and the like.
  • LCDs include thin film transistor-(TFT-), twisted nematic- (TN-), super twisted nematic- (STN-), color super twisted nematic- (CSTN-), double super twisted nematic- (DSTN-), and organic electro luminance (EL)-type displays.
  • TFT- thin film transistor-
  • TN- twisted nematic-
  • STN- super twisted nematic-
  • CSTN- color super twisted nematic-
  • DSTN- double super twisted nematic-
  • EL organic electro luminance
  • Such panels are mounted as a display for small communication devices, such as mobile phones, as well as for large electronic appliances.
  • a probe block is used in checking the presence of a pixel error in such a small LCD panel.
  • the pixel density has increased, and with the reduction in size of the LCD panels, there is an increasing need for probe blocks having a narrow pitch.
  • Prior art probes may include a needle type probe formed of a tungsten or rhenium-tungsten wire, a blade-type probe formed of nickel or beryllium copper, a film-type probe which is fabricated by etching a copper plate or other conductive material being applied to a polymide film, a hybrid-type probe which is formed by injecting a conductive medium using a semiconductor fabrication process, a pogo-type probe formed of a pogo pin for creating spring tension, and an MEMS-type probe using a semiconductor MEMS fabrication process.
  • a conventional probe block for testing an LCD panel generally has a needle in the form of wire, and the needle is fixedly bonded to the probe block via epoxy resin.
  • the needle is fixedly bonded to the probe block via epoxy resin.
  • probe pins it is difficult for probe pins to make accurate physical contact with contact points of an LCD panel due to the impact during the process of test, and the probe block absorbs the impact in all directions, which is generated when the probe block contacts the LCD panel.
  • the probe pins may be bent or deformed by the impact, causing an error in test results.
  • a blade-type probe may have an electric signal noise and fail to directly contact a contacting portion of a flat-panel display panel, and hence the amount of overdrive can be increased, resulting in a physical force that hinders the stable electric test.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a probe block including one or more leaf springs, instead of an elastic object, for use in testing a panel including at least one row of pads.
  • the present invention provides a probe block for testing a panel including a plurality of rows of pads, the probe block including: a body block configured to have a bottom surface inclined downward in a direction to contact the panel; a plurality of leaf springs configured to be stacked stepwise on the bottom surface of the body block, to have ends protruding outward more than an end of the body block 110 and having bottom surfaces located on the same plane and to have elasticity; and a sheet configured to be coupled to the leaf springs while enclosing ends of the leaf springs and to have electrode lines arranged on an insulating film so as to contact the pads for testing the panel, wherein each of the leaf springs exerts an elastic force and a pressure to a contacting portion between corresponding electrode lines of the sheet and a corresponding row of pads of the panel.
  • each of the leaf springs may be formed to be flat and located at a contacting portion between corresponding electrode lines of the sheet and a corresponding row of pads of the panel.
  • the sheet may be coupled to a top surface of a topmost leaf spring and a bottom surface of the body block while an end of the sheet is coupled to a bottom surface of a bottommost leaf spring, or to be coupled to be coupled to a bottom surface of a bottommost leaf spring while an end of the sheet is coupled between a top surface of a topmost leaf spring and a bottom surface of the body block.
  • the sheet may be a TAB IC which is connected to the electrode lines and equipped with a driver IC that is bonded to a surface of the sheet facing the bottom surface of the body block to deliver a driving signal to the panel and when the sheet is coupled between the top surface of the topmost leaf spring and the bottom surface of the body block while the end of the sheet is coupled to the bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring, the bottom surface of the body block has an insertion groove into which the driver IC is inserted to be protected.
  • the body block may include a plurality of pins that protrude from the bottom surface and each of the leaf springs is configured to have a plurality of grooves into which the pins are inserted so as to determine positions at which the leaf spring is combined to the bottom surface of the body block.
  • the probe block may include a cover block configured to be coupled to the bottom surface of the body block to protect the sheet and the flexible circuit board, wherein the sheet is electrically connected to a flexible circuit board to deliver a test signal.
  • the present invention further provides a probe block for testing a panel including a row of pads, the probe block including: a body block configured to have a bottom surface inclined downward in a direction to contact the panel; a leaf spring configured to be coupled to the bottom surface of the body block, to have an end protruding outward more than an end of the body block, and to have elasticity; and a sheet configured to be coupled to the leaf spring while enclosing the end of the leaf spring, and to have electrode lines arranged on an insulating film so as to contact the pads for testing the panel, wherein the leaf spring exerts an elastic force and a pressure to a contacting portion between the electrode lines of the sheet and the pads of the panel.
  • a bottom surface of the end of the leaf spring may be formed to be flat and located at a contacting portion between the electrode lines of the sheet and the pads of the panel.
  • a probe block provides an elastic force using a leaf spring that is coupled to a bottom surface of a body block, instead of an elastic object inserted into the body block to exert an elastic force to a point of contact with the body block, and thus a problem which may occur when the elastic object that is compressed and inserted into the body block is replaced can be prevented.
  • the probe block includes one or more stepwise-stacked leaf springs, thereby being capable of easily testing a panel including a plurality of rows of pads.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of a probe block according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exploded cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a partial cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1 when testing a panel.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of a probe block according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exploded cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5.
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a combined cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5.
  • FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a partial cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5 when testing a panel.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of a probe block 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exploded cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a partial cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1 when testing a panel.
  • probe block 100 to test a panel 170 that includes a plurality of rows of pads may include a body block 110, a plurality of leaf springs 120 and 130, and a sheet 140.
  • the body block 110 may have a top surface coupled to a bottom surface of a manipulator (not shown) and a bottom surface inclined downward in a direction to contact the panel 170.
  • the bottom surface of the body block 110 may have an insertion groove 115 into which the driver IC is inserted to be protected.
  • the body block 110 may further include a plurality of pins 117 protruding from the bottom surface of the body block 110.
  • Each of the pins 117 may be inserted into a corresponding each of a plurality of grooves 125 and 135 that are formed on the leaf springs 120 and 130 so that positions at which the leaf springs 120 and 130 are coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110 can be determined.
  • the leaf springs 120 and 130 may be stacked stepwise on the bottom surface of the body block 110.
  • the leaf springs 120 and 130 may be elastic and in the form of a plate.
  • the leaf springs 120 and 130 may be spring steel.
  • the sheet 140 that has electrode lines arranged on an insulating film may be coupled to the leaf springs 120 and 130 while enclosing ends of the leaf springs 120 and 130.
  • the stepwise stacked leaf springs 120 and 130 may have the ends which protrude outward more than an end of the body block 110 and which have bottom surfaces located on the same plane.
  • the bottom surface of the end of each of the leaf springs 120 and 130 may be located at a contacting portion between the sheet 140 and a corresponding row of pads (for example, PAD1 and PAD2) of the panel 170.
  • the bottom surface of the end of each of the leaf springs 120 and 130 may be flat as shown in FIG. 4, and allow the electrode lines on the sheet 140 to be in surface-to-surface contact with the pads (for example, PAD1 and PAD2) of the panel 170.
  • the panel 170 includes a first row of pads PAD1 and a second row of pads PAD2, and hence two leaf springs 120 and 130 are coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110.
  • the bottom surface of the end of the leaf spring 130 may exert an elastic force and a pressure to the contacting portion between the electrode lines of the sheet 140 and the first row of pads PAD1 of the panel 170, thereby allowing the electrode lines of the sheet 140 to contact the first row of pads PAD1.
  • the bottom surface of the end of the leaf spring 120 may exert an elastic force and a pressure to the contacting portion between the electrode lines of the sheet 140 and the second row of pads PAD2 of the panel 170, thereby allowing the electrode lines of the sheet 140 to contact the second row of pads PAD2. Accordingly, the panel 170 including a plurality of the rows of pads PAD1 and PAD2 can be tested.
  • the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and the number of leaf springs that are coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110 may be varied with the number of rows of pads on the panel 170. For example, if there are three rows of pads on the panel 170, the bottom surface of the body block 110 may be coupled to three leaf springs.
  • the leaf springs 120 and 130 may include a plurality of grooves 125 and 135 at positions corresponding to positions at which a plurality of the pins 117 are coupled to the body block 110 to protrude from the bottom surface of the body block 110.
  • the pins 117 may be inserted into the grooves 125 and 135 to determine the positions of the leaf springs 120 and 130 to be coupled to the body block 110.
  • the sheet 140 may be coupled between a top surface of the topmost leaf spring and a bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring while enclosing the ends of all leaf springs.
  • the sheet 140 may be coupled between the topmost leaf spring 120 and the bottom surface of the body block 110 and may have an end coupled to a bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring 130 wherein the end encloses the ends of the leaf springs 120 and 130.
  • the electrode lines on the sheet 140 may be formed on a surface exposed to the outside, among all surfaces of the sheet 140, since the electrode lines should be in contact with the pads of the panel 170.
  • the sheet 140 may be a TAB IC to which the driver IC electrically connected to the electrode lines is bonded and which is coupled to a surface of the sheet 140 facing the bottom surface of the body block 110 so as to transmit a driving signal to the panel 170.
  • the TAB IC may be a TAB IC for use in a panel, or a sheet to which the driver IC is bonded by a TAB process. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the sheet 140 may be electrically connected to a flexible circuit board (FCB) 150 to transmit a test signal to the panel.
  • FCB flexible circuit board
  • the sheet 140 may be a sheet (for example, a flexible circuit board, etc.) that is not bonded with the driver IC, and in this example, the driver IC may be interposed between the sheet 140 and the FCB 150 to be electrically connected to the sheet 140 and the FCB 150.
  • the driver IC may be interposed between the sheet 140 and the FCB 150 to be electrically connected to the sheet 140 and the FCB 150.
  • FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate that the end of the sheet 140 is coupled to the bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring 130
  • the present invention is not limited thereto, and the end of the sheet 140 may be coupled to a top surface of the topmost leaf spring 120.
  • the sheet 140 may be coupled to the bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring 130 and have an end interposed between the top surface of the topmost leaf spring 120 and the bottom surface of the body block 110 wherein the end of the sheet 140 encloses the ends of the leaf springs 120 and 130. That is, in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS.
  • the sheet 140 may be a TAB IC to which the driver IC is bonded, and the TAB IC may be coupled to a surface opposite to the surface of the sheet 140 facing the bottom surface of the leaf spring 130. Since the driver IC is exposed to the outside, the bottom surface of the body block 110 may not have the insertion groove 115. If the sheet 140 is the above-described TAB IC, the sheet 140 is electrically connected to the FCB 150 and thus can transmit a test signal.
  • the sheet 140 may be, as described above, a sheet (for example, a flexible circuit board, etc.) to which the driver IC is not bonded, and in this case, the TAB IC may be interposed between the sheet 140 and the FCB 150 to be electrically connected to the sheet 140 and the FCB 150.
  • the probe block 100 may further include a cover block 160 to be fixed on the bottom surface of the body block 110 so as to protect the sheet 140 and the FCB 150.
  • the cover block 160 may protect the sheet 140 and the FCB 150 from the outside, and may be coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110 via a coupling mean 165.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of a probe block according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exploded cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5.
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a combined cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5.
  • FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a partial cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5 when testing a panel.
  • probe block 500 is different from the probe block 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 since the probe block 500 tests a panel 570 that includes a row of pads PAD.
  • the probe block 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 tests the panel 170 by contacting a plurality of pads of the panel 170 with the electrode lines of the sheet 140
  • the probe block 500 illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8 tests the panel 570 by contacting single row of pads of the panel 570 with electrode lines of the sheet 140.
  • the probe block 500 illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8 is the same as the probe block 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, excepting that only one leaf spring 120 is coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110. That is, the probe block 500 is generated by removing the leaf spring 130 from the probe block 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, and thus the descriptions of the same elements and operations as FIGS. 1 to 4 will not be reiterated.
  • the same reference numerals as FIGS. 1 to 4 indicate the same elements.
  • the sheet 140 may be coupled to the top surface and bottom surface of the leaf spring 120. That is, referring to FIGS. 5 to 8, the sheet 140 may be interposed between the top surface of the leaf spring 120 and the bottom surface of the body block 110 to be coupled thereto, and have an end coupled to the bottom surface of the leaf spring 120 to enclose an end of the leaf spring 120. Alternatively, similarly to the probe block 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the sheet 140 may be coupled to the bottom surface of the leaf spring 120, and have an end interposed between the top surface of the leaf spring 120 and the bottom surface of the body block 110 so as to enclose the end of the leaf spring 120.
  • the probe block 100 or 500 uses at least one leaf spring, instead of a conventional elastic object, to exert an elastic force and a pressure to a contacting portion between the sheet 140 and the panel 170. Consequently, it is possible to prevent problems that may occur when replacing the elastic object can be prevented, and to easily test a panel having a plurality of rows of pads as well as a panel having a single row of pads.

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  • Measuring Leads Or Probes (AREA)

Abstract

A probe block for testing a panel including a plurality of rows of pads is provided. The probe block includes a body block configured to have a bottom surface inclined downward in a direction to contact the panel; a plurality of leaf springs configured to be stacked stepwise on the bottom surface of the body block, to have ends protruding outward more than an end of the body block 110 and having bottom surfaces located on the same plane and to have elasticity; and a sheet configured to be coupled to the leaf springs while enclosing ends of the leaf springs and to have electrode lines arranged on an insulating film so as to contact the pads for testing the panel, wherein each of the leaf springs exerts an elastic force and a pressure to a contacting portion between corresponding electrode lines of the sheet and a corresponding row of pads of the panel.

Description

PROBE BLOCK
The present invention relates to a probe block, and more particularly, to a probe block including one or more leaf springs for use in testing a panel including one or more rows of pads.
In general, a flat-panel display panel refers to a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and the like. LCDs include thin film transistor-(TFT-), twisted nematic- (TN-), super twisted nematic- (STN-), color super twisted nematic- (CSTN-), double super twisted nematic- (DSTN-), and organic electro luminance (EL)-type displays. Such panels are mounted as a display for small communication devices, such as mobile phones, as well as for large electronic appliances.
A probe block is used in checking the presence of a pixel error in such a small LCD panel. With the increase in resolution of LCD panels, the pixel density has increased, and with the reduction in size of the LCD panels, there is an increasing need for probe blocks having a narrow pitch. Prior art probes may include a needle type probe formed of a tungsten or rhenium-tungsten wire, a blade-type probe formed of nickel or beryllium copper, a film-type probe which is fabricated by etching a copper plate or other conductive material being applied to a polymide film, a hybrid-type probe which is formed by injecting a conductive medium using a semiconductor fabrication process, a pogo-type probe formed of a pogo pin for creating spring tension, and an MEMS-type probe using a semiconductor MEMS fabrication process.
A conventional probe block for testing an LCD panel generally has a needle in the form of wire, and the needle is fixedly bonded to the probe block via epoxy resin. Thus, there is a limitation in reducing an outside diameter of each needle in the form of wire, and such limitation makes it difficult to respond to the recent trend of highly integrated display panel.
In other words, high integration of a flat-panel display device results in the increase of the number of terminals, and considering the condition that an area of a needle holder where needles are accommodated is limited, it is difficult to arrange sufficient number of wire-type needles on the needle holder, corresponding to the number of the terminals.
In addition, in the conventional probe block, it is difficult for probe pins to make accurate physical contact with contact points of an LCD panel due to the impact during the process of test, and the probe block absorbs the impact in all directions, which is generated when the probe block contacts the LCD panel. The probe pins may be bent or deformed by the impact, causing an error in test results.
Further, if a measurement error is generated since a number of measurement ends of the probe block fail to contact a contacting portion of a flat-panel display panel, the reliability of the test cannot be ensured.
Further, a blade-type probe may have an electric signal noise and fail to directly contact a contacting portion of a flat-panel display panel, and hence the amount of overdrive can be increased, resulting in a physical force that hinders the stable electric test.
The object of the present invention is to provide a probe block including one or more leaf springs, instead of an elastic object, for use in testing a panel including at least one row of pads.
The present invention provides a probe block for testing a panel including a plurality of rows of pads, the probe block including: a body block configured to have a bottom surface inclined downward in a direction to contact the panel; a plurality of leaf springs configured to be stacked stepwise on the bottom surface of the body block, to have ends protruding outward more than an end of the body block 110 and having bottom surfaces located on the same plane and to have elasticity; and a sheet configured to be coupled to the leaf springs while enclosing ends of the leaf springs and to have electrode lines arranged on an insulating film so as to contact the pads for testing the panel, wherein each of the leaf springs exerts an elastic force and a pressure to a contacting portion between corresponding electrode lines of the sheet and a corresponding row of pads of the panel.
The bottom surface of the end of each of the leaf springs may be formed to be flat and located at a contacting portion between corresponding electrode lines of the sheet and a corresponding row of pads of the panel.
The sheet may be coupled to a top surface of a topmost leaf spring and a bottom surface of the body block while an end of the sheet is coupled to a bottom surface of a bottommost leaf spring, or to be coupled to be coupled to a bottom surface of a bottommost leaf spring while an end of the sheet is coupled between a top surface of a topmost leaf spring and a bottom surface of the body block.
The sheet may be a TAB IC which is connected to the electrode lines and equipped with a driver IC that is bonded to a surface of the sheet facing the bottom surface of the body block to deliver a driving signal to the panel and when the sheet is coupled between the top surface of the topmost leaf spring and the bottom surface of the body block while the end of the sheet is coupled to the bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring, the bottom surface of the body block has an insertion groove into which the driver IC is inserted to be protected.
The body block may include a plurality of pins that protrude from the bottom surface and each of the leaf springs is configured to have a plurality of grooves into which the pins are inserted so as to determine positions at which the leaf spring is combined to the bottom surface of the body block.
The probe block may include a cover block configured to be coupled to the bottom surface of the body block to protect the sheet and the flexible circuit board, wherein the sheet is electrically connected to a flexible circuit board to deliver a test signal.
The present invention further provides a probe block for testing a panel including a row of pads, the probe block including: a body block configured to have a bottom surface inclined downward in a direction to contact the panel; a leaf spring configured to be coupled to the bottom surface of the body block, to have an end protruding outward more than an end of the body block, and to have elasticity; and a sheet configured to be coupled to the leaf spring while enclosing the end of the leaf spring, and to have electrode lines arranged on an insulating film so as to contact the pads for testing the panel, wherein the leaf spring exerts an elastic force and a pressure to a contacting portion between the electrode lines of the sheet and the pads of the panel.
A bottom surface of the end of the leaf spring may be formed to be flat and located at a contacting portion between the electrode lines of the sheet and the pads of the panel.
Additional features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a probe block provides an elastic force using a leaf spring that is coupled to a bottom surface of a body block, instead of an elastic object inserted into the body block to exert an elastic force to a point of contact with the body block, and thus a problem which may occur when the elastic object that is compressed and inserted into the body block is replaced can be prevented. In addition, the probe block includes one or more stepwise-stacked leaf springs, thereby being capable of easily testing a panel including a plurality of rows of pads.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of a probe block according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exploded cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a partial cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1 when testing a panel.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of a probe block according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exploded cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a combined cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a partial cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5 when testing a panel.
The invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure is thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of a probe block 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exploded cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a partial cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 1 when testing a panel.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, probe block 100 to test a panel 170 that includes a plurality of rows of pads (for example, PAD1 and PAD2) may include a body block 110, a plurality of leaf springs 120 and 130, and a sheet 140.
The body block 110 may have a top surface coupled to a bottom surface of a manipulator (not shown) and a bottom surface inclined downward in a direction to contact the panel 170. In a case where the sheet 140 is a tab IC to which a driver IC is bonded, the bottom surface of the body block 110 may have an insertion groove 115 into which the driver IC is inserted to be protected. In addition, the body block 110 may further include a plurality of pins 117 protruding from the bottom surface of the body block 110. Each of the pins 117 may be inserted into a corresponding each of a plurality of grooves 125 and 135 that are formed on the leaf springs 120 and 130 so that positions at which the leaf springs 120 and 130 are coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110 can be determined.
The leaf springs 120 and 130 may be stacked stepwise on the bottom surface of the body block 110. The leaf springs 120 and 130 may be elastic and in the form of a plate. For example, the leaf springs 120 and 130 may be spring steel. The sheet 140 that has electrode lines arranged on an insulating film may be coupled to the leaf springs 120 and 130 while enclosing ends of the leaf springs 120 and 130. As shown in FIG. 4, the stepwise stacked leaf springs 120 and 130 may have the ends which protrude outward more than an end of the body block 110 and which have bottom surfaces located on the same plane. The bottom surface of the end of each of the leaf springs 120 and 130 may be located at a contacting portion between the sheet 140 and a corresponding row of pads (for example, PAD1 and PAD2) of the panel 170. The bottom surface of the end of each of the leaf springs 120 and 130 may be flat as shown in FIG. 4, and allow the electrode lines on the sheet 140 to be in surface-to-surface contact with the pads (for example, PAD1 and PAD2) of the panel 170.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the panel 170 includes a first row of pads PAD1 and a second row of pads PAD2, and hence two leaf springs 120 and 130 are coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110. For example, the bottom surface of the end of the leaf spring 130 may exert an elastic force and a pressure to the contacting portion between the electrode lines of the sheet 140 and the first row of pads PAD1 of the panel 170, thereby allowing the electrode lines of the sheet 140 to contact the first row of pads PAD1. In addition, the bottom surface of the end of the leaf spring 120 may exert an elastic force and a pressure to the contacting portion between the electrode lines of the sheet 140 and the second row of pads PAD2 of the panel 170, thereby allowing the electrode lines of the sheet 140 to contact the second row of pads PAD2. Accordingly, the panel 170 including a plurality of the rows of pads PAD1 and PAD2 can be tested.
However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and the number of leaf springs that are coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110 may be varied with the number of rows of pads on the panel 170. For example, if there are three rows of pads on the panel 170, the bottom surface of the body block 110 may be coupled to three leaf springs.
The leaf springs 120 and 130 may include a plurality of grooves 125 and 135 at positions corresponding to positions at which a plurality of the pins 117 are coupled to the body block 110 to protrude from the bottom surface of the body block 110. In addition, as described above, the pins 117 may be inserted into the grooves 125 and 135 to determine the positions of the leaf springs 120 and 130 to be coupled to the body block 110.
The sheet 140 may be coupled between a top surface of the topmost leaf spring and a bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring while enclosing the ends of all leaf springs.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the sheet 140 may be coupled between the topmost leaf spring 120 and the bottom surface of the body block 110 and may have an end coupled to a bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring 130 wherein the end encloses the ends of the leaf springs 120 and 130. In this example, the electrode lines on the sheet 140 may be formed on a surface exposed to the outside, among all surfaces of the sheet 140, since the electrode lines should be in contact with the pads of the panel 170.
The sheet 140 may be a TAB IC to which the driver IC electrically connected to the electrode lines is bonded and which is coupled to a surface of the sheet 140 facing the bottom surface of the body block 110 so as to transmit a driving signal to the panel 170. The TAB IC may be a TAB IC for use in a panel, or a sheet to which the driver IC is bonded by a TAB process. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the sheet 140 may be electrically connected to a flexible circuit board (FCB) 150 to transmit a test signal to the panel. Alternatively, the sheet 140 may be a sheet (for example, a flexible circuit board, etc.) that is not bonded with the driver IC, and in this example, the driver IC may be interposed between the sheet 140 and the FCB 150 to be electrically connected to the sheet 140 and the FCB 150.
Although FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate that the end of the sheet 140 is coupled to the bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring 130, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the end of the sheet 140 may be coupled to a top surface of the topmost leaf spring 120. For example, the sheet 140 may be coupled to the bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring 130 and have an end interposed between the top surface of the topmost leaf spring 120 and the bottom surface of the body block 110 wherein the end of the sheet 140 encloses the ends of the leaf springs 120 and 130. That is, in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the sheet 140 encloses the ends of the leaf springs 120 and 130 from the top to the bottom thereof, but the sheet 140 may enclose the ends of the leaf springs 120 and 130 from the bottom to the top thereof, and thus the end of the sheet 140 may be coupled to the top surface of the leaf spring 140. In this example, the electrode lines on the sheet 140 may be formed on a surface exposed to the outside, among all surfaces of the sheet 140, since the electrode lines should be in contact with the pads of the panel 170.
Even in this example, the sheet 140 may be a TAB IC to which the driver IC is bonded, and the TAB IC may be coupled to a surface opposite to the surface of the sheet 140 facing the bottom surface of the leaf spring 130. Since the driver IC is exposed to the outside, the bottom surface of the body block 110 may not have the insertion groove 115. If the sheet 140 is the above-described TAB IC, the sheet 140 is electrically connected to the FCB 150 and thus can transmit a test signal. The sheet 140 may be, as described above, a sheet (for example, a flexible circuit board, etc.) to which the driver IC is not bonded, and in this case, the TAB IC may be interposed between the sheet 140 and the FCB 150 to be electrically connected to the sheet 140 and the FCB 150.
The probe block 100 may further include a cover block 160 to be fixed on the bottom surface of the body block 110 so as to protect the sheet 140 and the FCB 150. The cover block 160 may protect the sheet 140 and the FCB 150 from the outside, and may be coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110 via a coupling mean 165.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of a probe block according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exploded cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a combined cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a partial cross-sectional view of the probe block shown in FIG. 5 when testing a panel.
Referring to FIGS. 5 to 8, probe block 500 is different from the probe block 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 since the probe block 500 tests a panel 570 that includes a row of pads PAD. In other words, the probe block 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 tests the panel 170 by contacting a plurality of pads of the panel 170 with the electrode lines of the sheet 140, whereas the probe block 500 illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8 tests the panel 570 by contacting single row of pads of the panel 570 with electrode lines of the sheet 140.
The probe block 500 illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8 is the same as the probe block 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, excepting that only one leaf spring 120 is coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110. That is, the probe block 500 is generated by removing the leaf spring 130 from the probe block 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, and thus the descriptions of the same elements and operations as FIGS. 1 to 4 will not be reiterated. In addition, the same reference numerals as FIGS. 1 to 4 indicate the same elements.
In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8, since one leaf spring 120 is coupled to the bottom surface of the body block 110, the sheet 140 may be coupled to the top surface and bottom surface of the leaf spring 120. That is, referring to FIGS. 5 to 8, the sheet 140 may be interposed between the top surface of the leaf spring 120 and the bottom surface of the body block 110 to be coupled thereto, and have an end coupled to the bottom surface of the leaf spring 120 to enclose an end of the leaf spring 120. Alternatively, similarly to the probe block 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the sheet 140 may be coupled to the bottom surface of the leaf spring 120, and have an end interposed between the top surface of the leaf spring 120 and the bottom surface of the body block 110 so as to enclose the end of the leaf spring 120.
As apparent from the above description, the probe block 100 or 500 according to the exemplary embodiments uses at least one leaf spring, instead of a conventional elastic object, to exert an elastic force and a pressure to a contacting portion between the sheet 140 and the panel 170. Consequently, it is possible to prevent problems that may occur when replacing the elastic object can be prevented, and to easily test a panel having a plurality of rows of pads as well as a panel having a single row of pads.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variation can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
This invention can be applied to the manufacturing field of prove block.

Claims (12)

  1. A probe block for testing a panel including a plurality of rows of pads, the probe block comprising:
    a body block configured to have a bottom surface inclined downward in a direction to contact the panel;
    a plurality of leaf springs configured to be stacked stepwise on the bottom surface of the body block, to have ends protruding outward more than an end of the body block 110 and having bottom surfaces located on the same plane and to have elasticity; and
    a sheet configured to be coupled to the leaf springs while enclosing ends of the leaf springs and to have electrode lines arranged on an insulating film so as to contact the pads for testing the panel,
    wherein each of the leaf springs exerts an elastic force and a pressure to a contacting portion between corresponding electrode lines of the sheet and a corresponding row of pads of the panel.
  2. The probe block of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the end of each of the leaf springs is formed to be flat and located at a contacting portion between corresponding electrode lines of the sheet and a corresponding row of pads of the panel.
  3. The probe block of claim 1, wherein the sheet is coupled to a top surface of a topmost leaf spring and a bottom surface of the body block while an end of the sheet is coupled to a bottom surface of a bottommost leaf spring or the sheet is coupled to a bottom surface of a bottommost leaf spring while an end of the sheet is coupled between a top surface of a topmost leaf spring and a bottom surface of the body block.
  4. The probe block of claim 3, wherein the sheet is a TAB IC which is connected to the electrode lines and equipped with a driver IC that is bonded to a surface of the sheet facing the bottom surface of the body block to deliver a driving signal to the panel and when the sheet is coupled between the top surface of the topmost leaf spring and the bottom surface of the body block while the end of the sheet is coupled to the bottom surface of the bottommost leaf spring, the bottom surface of the body block has an insertion groove into which the driver IC is inserted to be protected.
  5. The probe block of claim 1, wherein the body block comprises a plurality of pins that protrude from the bottom surface and each of the leaf springs is configured to have a plurality of grooves into which the pins are inserted so as to determine positions at which the leaf spring is combined to the bottom surface of the body block.
  6. The probe block of claim 1, further comprising:
    a cover block configured to be coupled to the bottom surface of the body block to protect the sheet and the flexible circuit board,
    wherein the sheet is electrically connected to a flexible circuit board to deliver a test signal
  7. A probe block for testing a panel including a row of pads, the probe block comprising:
    a body block configured to have a bottom surface inclined downward in a direction to contact the panel;
    a leaf spring configured to be coupled to the bottom surface of the body block, to have an end protruding outward more than an end of the body block, and to have elasticity; and
    a sheet configured to be coupled to the leaf spring while enclosing the end of the leaf spring, and to have electrode lines arranged on an insulating film so as to contact the pads for testing the panel,
    wherein the leaf spring exerts an elastic force and a pressure to a contacting portion between the electrode lines of the sheet and the pads of the panel.
  8. The probe block of claim 7, wherein a bottom surface of the end of the leaf spring is formed to be flat and located at a contacting portion between the electrode lines of the sheet and the pads of the panel.
  9. The probe block of claim 7, wherein the sheet is coupled between a top surface of the leaf spring and the bottom surface of the body block while an end of the sheet is coupled to a bottom surface of the leaf spring, or the sheet is coupled to the bottom surface of the leaf spring while the end of the sheet is coupled between the top surface of the leaf spring and the bottom surface of the body block, enclosing the end of the leaf spring.
  10. The probe block of claim 9, wherein the sheet is a TAB IC which is connected to the electrode lines and equipped with a driver IC that is bonded to a surface of the sheet facing the bottom surface of the body block to deliver a driving signal to the panel and when the sheet is coupled between the top surface of the leaf spring and the bottom surface of the body block while the end of the sheet is coupled to the bottom surface of the leaf spring, the bottom surface of the body block has an insertion groove into which the driver IC is inserted to be protected.
  11. The probe block of claim 7, wherein the body block comprises a plurality of pins that protrude from the bottom surface and the leaf springs is configured to have a plurality of grooves into which the pins are inserted so as to determine positions at which the leaf spring is combined to the bottom surface of the body block.
  12. The probe block of claim 7, further comprising:
    a cover block configured to be coupled to the bottom surface of the body block to protect the sheet and the flexible circuit board,
    wherein the sheet is electrically connected to a flexible circuit board to deliver a test signal.
PCT/KR2012/000415 2011-01-21 2012-01-18 Probe block WO2012099383A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
KR20110006518 2011-01-21
KR10-2011-0006518 2011-01-21
KR1020120005093A KR101241804B1 (en) 2011-01-21 2012-01-17 probe block
KR10-2012-0005093 2012-01-17

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2012099383A2 true WO2012099383A2 (en) 2012-07-26
WO2012099383A3 WO2012099383A3 (en) 2012-11-22

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
TWI461700B (en) * 2012-08-06 2014-11-21
CN114877916A (en) * 2022-03-29 2022-08-09 中科艾科米(北京)科技有限公司 Quartz crystal oscillator probe, electronic equipment with same and application of quartz crystal oscillator probe

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20070051246A (en) * 2005-11-14 2007-05-17 주식회사 리뷰텍 Probe unit for liquid crystal display inspection equipments
JP2007139712A (en) * 2005-11-22 2007-06-07 Nhk Spring Co Ltd Probe holder and probe unit
KR101029245B1 (en) * 2010-02-03 2011-04-18 주식회사 프로이천 Probe unit for testing panel

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
TWI461700B (en) * 2012-08-06 2014-11-21
CN114877916A (en) * 2022-03-29 2022-08-09 中科艾科米(北京)科技有限公司 Quartz crystal oscillator probe, electronic equipment with same and application of quartz crystal oscillator probe

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2012099383A3 (en) 2012-11-22

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