Circuit inspection device

Abstract

A circuit inspection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of needle portions disposed toward a first surface of a substrate including a plurality of circuits and in contact with the plurality of circuits, a plurality of plate portions spaced apart from a second surface of the substrate, the second surface being in an opposite direction of the first surface, wherein one of the needle portions or the plate portions applies a voltage to the circuits, and a determination portion for determining whether the circuits are abnormal by the voltage applied to the circuits, wherein the plurality of needle portions are moved in an inspection direction and in contact with the circuits in different regions of the first surface, the plurality of plate portions are disposed to face different regions of the second surface, at least one of the plurality of needle portions is disposed in a region adjacent to an end portion of the first surface, and at least one of the plurality of plate portions is disposed in a region adjacent to an end portion of the second surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a circuit inspection device. Background Technology

[0002] Various control devices and electronic components can be incorporated into many electronic products.

[0003] Among them, chip-on-film (COF) is a type of tape-on-film bonding (TAB) made as an alternative to wire bonding. It plays the role of exchanging signals with external electronic components by connecting the chip and the film. It is mainly used in televisions (TV), monitors, laptops, etc., and recently it has been widely used in high-performance display products such as automotive displays and smartphones.

[0004] In this case, in order to prevent defective products from leaving the factory, the circuit of the substrate is inspected. Generally, this can be done by contacting the tip with the circuit, applying voltage, and receiving the applied voltage on the opposite side to check if the circuit is abnormal.

[0005] However, in order to check whether a circuit is abnormal by sensing the voltage applied to the circuit, high accuracy and prevention of judgment errors caused by noise are required, so a means to meet this requirement is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] This disclosure is made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the purpose of this disclosure is to improve the accuracy of checking whether a circuit is abnormal.

[0008] The problems to be solved by this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand from the following description other problems not described herein.

[0009] Technical solution

[0010] A circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure for achieving the above-described objectives includes: a plurality of pins configured to face and contact a first surface of a substrate including a plurality of circuits; a plurality of plates configured to be spaced apart from a second surface of the substrate, the second surface being located in the opposite direction to the first surface; and a determination unit, wherein any one of the pins and plates applies a voltage to the circuit, and the determination unit determines whether the circuit is abnormal based on the voltage applied to the circuit, wherein the plurality of pins move along an inspection direction and contact the circuit in different regions of the first surface, the plurality of plates are configured to face different regions of the second surface, at least one of the plurality of pins is disposed in a region adjacent to an end of the first surface, and at least one of the plurality of plates is disposed in a region adjacent to an end of the second surface.

[0011] Multiple plates may be formed to extend in the inspection direction, at least one of the multiple plates may have different widths in the first direction, and the first direction may be perpendicular to the second direction from the first surface toward the second surface or from the second surface toward the first surface and the inspection direction.

[0012] The plurality of needles may include: a first probe disposed in a region adjacent to one end of the first surface; a second probe disposed in a region adjacent to the other end of the first surface; and a third probe disposed in a first direction between the first probe and the second probe.

[0013] The third probe may include a 3-1 probe positioned adjacent to the first probe in a first direction and a 3-2 probe positioned adjacent to the second probe in a first direction.

[0014] The first probe and probe 3-2 can move together in the inspection direction, and the second probe and probe 3-1 can move together in the inspection direction.

[0015] The plurality of panels may include: a first panel disposed in a region adjacent to one end of the second surface; a second panel disposed in a region adjacent to the other end of the second surface; and a third panel disposed in a first direction between the first panel and the second panel.

[0016] The plurality of panels may also include a fourth panel disposed in the first direction between the first panel and the third panel or between the second panel and the third panel.

[0017] At least a portion of at least one of the plurality of needle portions may overlap with any one of the plurality of plate portions in the second direction.

[0018] At least one of the multiple plate portions may not overlap with the multiple needle portions in the second direction.

[0019] The needle may include: a contact portion that contacts the circuit; a drive portion configured to move the contact portion along the inspection direction; and an elastic portion disposed between the contact portion and the drive portion.

[0020] The diameter of the end of the contact portion facing the substrate can be less than 16 μm.

[0021] The elastic part can provide elastic force from the driving part toward the substrate to the contact part, and the contact part can sequentially contact the circuit or the substrate during the movement through the driving part.

[0022] Multiple needles can move along the inspection direction on a first surface and apply voltage to the circuit, while multiple plates can sense the voltage applied to the circuit on a second surface.

[0023] Multiple plates can apply voltage to multiple circuits disposed on the second surface in a direction from the second surface toward the first surface, and multiple needles can move along the inspection direction on the first surface and sense the voltage of the circuits in contact with the multiple needles.

[0024] Technical effect

[0025] The circuit inspection apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure for solving the above-mentioned problems can improve the accuracy of inspections to determine whether a circuit is abnormal.

[0026] The effects of this disclosure are not limited to those described above; other effects not described will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

[0027] Furthermore, the effects of this disclosure can be described in more detail in the detailed description of this disclosure, and are not necessarily limited to the effects described above. Attached Figure Description

[0028] A better understanding of these embodiments will be achieved by reading the detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present application described below, along with the overview described above, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings to illustrate the present disclosure.

[0030] However, it should be understood that this application is not limited to the exact arrangements and means shown.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating a general overview of a circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating the needle portion of a circuit testing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating a board portion of a circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the first operation of a circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating a second operation of a circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the condition of the first surface of a circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating the condition of the second surface of a circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the movement of the needle portion of a circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating the needle portion and board portion of a circuit inspection apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating the elastic portion of a circuit testing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating the elastic portion during the inspection process of a circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating the circuit overlap of a circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating a circuit disconnection in a circuit checking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an example of applying a circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to another type of substrate; Figure 15 This is a diagram illustrating the circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure for inspecting the circuits of another type of substrate; and Figure 16 This is a diagram illustrating a circuit inspection apparatus according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0032] This disclosure can be modified in various ways and has various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated and described in detail in the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit this disclosure to the specific embodiments, but should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, or substitutions falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. In describing this disclosure, detailed descriptions of relevant known techniques have been omitted where it is determined that such detailed descriptions may obscure the gist of this disclosure.

[0033] Although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various components, the aforementioned components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

[0034] The terminology used in this application is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, singular expressions include plural expressions. In this application, it should be understood that terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to specify the presence of features, quantities, steps, operations, components, portions, or combinations thereof described in the specification, without precluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, components, portions, or combinations thereof.

[0035] Furthermore, throughout the specification, when described as “connected,” this means not only that two or more components are directly connected, but also that two or more components are indirectly connected through other components, that they are not only physically connected but also electrically connected, or that they are integrally connected despite being referred to by different names depending on their location or function.

[0036] Furthermore, when a component is described as being formed or positioned "above (upper) or below (lower)" of another component, "above (upper)" or "below (lower)" includes not only the case where the two components are in direct contact with each other, but also the case where one or more other components are formed or positioned between the two components. Additionally, when expressed as "above (upper)" or "below (lower)," it can include not only the upward direction based on a single component, but also the downward direction.

[0037] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure that can specifically achieve the purpose of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] First, before describing the circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when describing the background of the circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of miniature light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for driving a display or a first panel for displaying an image, a second panel for supplying power to the first panel, and a third panel connecting the first panel and the second panel can be provided, and the power transmitted from the second panel can be supplied to the first panel.

[0039] Therefore, in the description of the third panel connecting the first panel and the second panel and the circuit inspection apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the substrate 10 is only supplied with power smoothly when there are no defects in the circuit 11 to be connected to the first panel and the second panel, and since the circuit 11 has a micron- or nanon-scale microstructure due to the characteristics of the microcircuit 11, it must be inspected.

[0040] Furthermore, for the substrate 10, as will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, the circuit 11 on the first surface 12, which is the upper surface of the substrate 10, and the circuit 11 on the second surface 13, which is the lower surface of the substrate 10, can be connected to each other through vias 14, and it is necessary to check whether all connected circuits 11 are abnormal.

[0041] Furthermore, although the description is based on a third panel that connects the first panel and the second panel, there may be cases where only the first panel is used and the circuit 11 for power supply can be mounted on the first panel and operated. In addition, during the inspection of the circuit 11, there may be a defect that the voltage sensed from the circuit 11 is too weak to be accurately inspected.

[0042] The circuit inspection apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure can effectively solve the above-mentioned background and problems, which will be explained in more detail below.

[0043] First, such as Figure 1 As shown, the circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a plurality of pins 100 configured to face and contact a first surface 12 of a substrate 10 including a plurality of circuits 11; and a plurality of plates 200 spaced apart from a second surface 13 of the substrate 10, the second surface 13 being located in the opposite direction to the first surface 12. Here, in the description of the present disclosure, either the pins 100 or the plates 200 can apply a voltage to the circuits 11.

[0044] For example, the needle portion 100 can be a power supply portion that applies voltage to the circuit 11, and the plate portion 200 can be a power receiving portion that receives the voltage applied to the circuit 11. In this case, the needle portion 100 can be connected to a power supply device for applying voltage, and the plate portion 200 can be a sensor for receiving voltage. Alternatively, the plate portion 200 can be a power supply portion that applies voltage to the circuit 11, and the needle portion 100 can be a power receiving portion that receives the voltage applied to the circuit 11. In this case, the plate portion 200 can be connected to a power supply device for applying voltage, and the needle portion 100 can be a sensor for receiving voltage.

[0045] However, in the description of this disclosure, in order to prevent misunderstanding of the circuit inspection apparatus according to the embodiments of this disclosure, it will be described based on the case that the needle 100 is the power supply unit and the board 200 is the power receiving unit. The case where the needle 100 is the power receiving unit and the board 200 is the power supply unit will be described separately below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] Based on this, when describing the needle portion 100 as the power supply unit and the board portion 200 as the power receiving unit, the circuit inspection apparatus according to the embodiments of this disclosure may further include a determination unit. This determination unit, when a voltage applied through the plurality of needle portions 100 is transmitted to the plurality of circuits 11, senses the current corresponding to the transmitted voltage through the plurality of board portions 200 and determines whether the plurality of circuits 11 are abnormal. Here, although it has been described that the determination unit senses the current based on the voltage, the determination unit can sense the voltage, can sense changes in capacitance, and can determine whether the circuit 11 is abnormal using various values ​​used to determine whether the circuit 11 is abnormal.

[0047] This can be understood to also include applying a current based on the voltage applied by the plurality of pins 100. However, to avoid confusion in the description, the plurality of plate portions 200 are described as sensing voltages and the plurality of pins 100 are described as applying voltages, but this disclosure is not to be construed as limited thereto and can be understood and implemented in various ways for checking whether the circuit 11 is abnormal.

[0048] On the other hand, the plurality of needles 100 can move along the inspection direction in different regions of the first surface 12, and the plurality of needles 100 can move along the inspection direction and contact the plurality of circuits 11 to apply voltage. In addition, the plurality of plate portions 200 can be configured to be spaced apart from the second surface 13 in the first direction and configured to face different regions of the second surface 13.

[0049] Furthermore, at least one of the plurality of needle portions 100 may be disposed in a region adjacent to the end of the first surface 12, and at least one of the plurality of plate portions 200 may be disposed in a region adjacent to the end of the second surface 13.

[0050] More specifically, refer to Figure 1 Any one of the plurality of needle portions 100 can be configured to be adjacent to the left or right side of the substrate 10, and any one of the plurality of plate portions 200 can be configured to be adjacent to the left or right side of the substrate 10.

[0051] Here, the plurality of needles 100 may include: a first probe 101 configured to be adjacent to one side region of the first surface 12, a second probe 102 configured to be adjacent to the other side region of the first surface 12, and third probes 103 and 104 disposed in a first direction between the first probe 101 and the second probe 102, and the third probes 103 and 104 may include a 3-1 probe 103 configured to be adjacent to the first probe 101 and a 3-2 probe 104 configured to be adjacent to the second probe 102.

[0052] In this case, based on Figure 1 One side region of the first surface 12 may be the region adjacent to the left end of the substrate 10, based on Figure 1 The other side of the first surface 12 may be the region adjacent to the right end of the substrate 10. That is, the first probe 101, the second probe 102, the 3-1 probe 103 and the 3-2 probe 104 may be configured to face different regions of the first surface 12 and to be spaced apart from each other in the first direction.

[0053] Here, the first direction can refer to a bidirectional direction including the direction from the first probe 101 toward the second probe 102 and the direction from the second probe 102 toward the first probe 101. Alternatively, the first direction can refer to a bidirectional direction including the direction from the first panel 201 toward the second panel 202 and the direction from the second panel 202 toward the first panel 201. Furthermore, the first direction can be perpendicular to the inspection direction.

[0054] Furthermore, as described above, the first probe 101, the second probe 102, the 3-1 probe 103, and the 3-2 probe 104 can be power supply units that apply voltage.

[0055] In addition, the plurality of panels 200 may include: a first panel 201 configured to be adjacent to one side region of the second surface 13, a second panel 202 configured to be adjacent to the other side region of the second surface 13, and a third panel 203 disposed in a first direction between the first panel 201 and the second panel 202.

[0056] In addition, such as Figure 1 As shown, at least a portion of at least one of the plate portions 200 may overlap with at least one of the needle portions 100 in the second direction, and at least one of the plate portions 200 may not overlap with the plurality of needle portions 100 in the second direction. (Refer to...) Figure 1 At least a portion of the first panel 201 may overlap with the first probe 101 in the second direction, at least a portion of the second panel 202 may overlap with the second probe 102 in the second direction, and the third panel 203 may not overlap with the needle 100 in the third direction. This may be because the patterns of the circuits 11 disposed on the first surface 12 and the second surface 13 are different.

[0057] Here, the second direction can refer to a bidirectional direction including the direction from the first surface 12 toward the second surface 13 and the direction from the second surface 13 toward the first surface 12, and the second direction can be perpendicular to the inspection direction and the first direction.

[0058] In addition, the first panel 201, the second panel 202 and the third panel 203 can be power receiving parts that sense the voltage applied to the circuit 11, i.e., sensors.

[0059] Furthermore, in the circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of pin portions 100 configured to face the first surface 12 contact the first surface 12 or a plurality of circuits 11, but a plurality of plate portions 200 configured to face the second surface 13 may be configured to be spaced apart from the second surface 13 in a second direction.

[0060] Furthermore, although multiple needles 100 have been described including a first probe 101, a second probe 102, a third probe 103, and a third probe 104, any one of the multiple needles 100 can be the first probe 101, another of the multiple needles 100 can be the second probe 102, and yet another of the multiple needles 100 can be the third probe 103 or 104. This is only for the purpose of better understanding when describing multiple needles 100. The needles 100 and the first probe 101, the second probe 102, the third probe 103, and the third probe 104 do not necessarily refer to different objects.

[0061] Furthermore, although the plurality of panel portions 200 have been described as including a first panel 201, a second panel 202, and a third panel 203, any one of the plurality of panel portions 200 may be the first panel 201, another of the plurality of panel portions 200 may be the second panel 202, and yet another of the plurality of panel portions 200 may be the third panel 203. This is only for the purpose of better understanding when describing the plurality of panel portions 200. The panel portion 200 and the first panel 201, the second panel 202, and the third panel 203 may not refer to different objects.

[0062] Reference Figure 2 Describe it in detail, such as Figure 2 As shown, the first probe 101, the second probe 102, the third probe 103, and the fourth probe 104 can move along the inspection direction and can contact multiple circuits 11. Since the first panel 201, the second panel 202, and the third panel 203 are configured to face the second surface 13, the first panel 201, the second panel 202, and the third panel 203 can be configured to be invisible when viewed from the first surface 12.

[0063] Here, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a driving region 16 for setting a driving IC can be formed on the second surface 13, and the ends of a portion of a plurality of circuits 11 can be jointly disposed in the driving region 16.

[0064] However, since voltage is applied to the first surface 12 via the needle 100 and voltage is sensed on the second surface 13 via the plate 200, the arrangement of the needle 100 and the arrangement of the plate 200 can be different in the first direction. Preferably, the needle 100 facing the first surface 12 can contact the end of the circuit 11 on the first surface 12, wherein the end of the circuit 11 on the second surface 13 overlaps with the plate 200 in the second direction.

[0065] For example, the ends of multiple circuits 11 on the second surface 13 that contact the first probe 101 may overlap with the first panel 201 or the third panel 203 in the second direction, and the ends of multiple circuits 11 on the second surface 13 that contact the second probe 102 may overlap with the second panel 202 or the third panel 203 in the second direction.

[0066] That is, the arrangement of the plurality of needles 100 may be affected by the arrangement of the plurality of plates 200. More specifically, the positions of the plurality of needles 100 and the plurality of plates 200 can be changed according to the positions of the ends of the plurality of circuits 11 on the first surface 12 and the ends of the plurality of circuits 11 on the second surface 13.

[0067] On the other hand, refer to Figure 3 Describe multiple board sections 200, such as Figure 3 As shown, multiple panels 200, specifically, the first panel 201, the second panel 202 and the third panel 203 can be spaced apart in a first direction and are configured to face different areas of the second surface 13.

[0068] In this case, the first panel 201 can be configured to face the area adjacent to one side of the second surface 13, the second panel 202 can be configured to face the area adjacent to the other side of the second surface 13, and the third panel 203 can be disposed between the first panel 201 and the second panel 202 in a first direction.

[0069] Here, refer to Figure 1 The first panel 201 can sense the voltage transmitted from the first probe 101, the second panel 202 can sense the voltage transmitted from the second probe 102 and the 3-2 probe 104, and the third panel 203 can sense the voltage transmitted from the first probe 101, the second probe 102, the 3-1 probe 103, and the 3-2 probe 104. That is, at least one of the plurality of plate portions 200 can receive all the voltages transmitted from the plurality of needle portions 100 disposed toward the first surface 12, but this is only an example of an embodiment according to the present disclosure and is not necessarily limited to what has been described.

[0070] Furthermore, as described above, the first panel 201, the second panel 202, and the third panel 203 have different objects corresponding to each other based on their respective sensed voltages. Therefore, the first panel 201, the second panel 202, and the third panel 203 may have different lengths in the first direction.

[0071] For example, when the width of the first panel 201 in the first direction is defined as the first width W1, the width of the second panel 202 in the first direction is defined as the second width W2, and the width of the third panel 203 in the first direction is defined as the third width W3, at least one of the first width W1, the second width W2, and the third width W3 can be different.

[0072] This is because, as mentioned above, the voltage sensed by each of the plurality of plates 200 is different from the voltage sensed by each of the plurality of pins 100 corresponding to each of the plurality of plates 200, thereby enabling a smoother and more precise inspection.

[0073] On the other hand, based on the above description, when describing the movement of the plurality of needles 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, multiple needles 100 can be moved along the inspection direction, thus being provided as a pair of needles 100.

[0074] Specifically, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4The first probe 101 and the third probe 104 can move together along the inspection direction. Therefore, the determination unit can determine whether the plurality of circuits 11 on the first surface 12 and the second surface 13 are abnormal by sensing voltages via the first panel 201, the second panel 202, and the third panel 203. (Refer to...) Figure 1 and Figure 5 The second probe 102 and the third probe 104 can move together along the inspection direction. Therefore, the determination unit can use the second panel 202 and the third panel 203 to determine whether the multiple circuits 11 on the first surface 12 and the second surface 13 are abnormal.

[0075] In particular, since the first probe 101 and the 3-2 probe 104 are located in the opposite direction of the first direction and adjacent to the end of the substrate 10, and the second probe 102 and the 3-1 probe 103 are located in the opposite direction of the first direction and adjacent to the end of the substrate 10, it is possible to more clearly check whether the circuit 11 is abnormal.

[0076] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, when the first probe 101 and the 3-2 probe 104 contact the plurality of circuits 11 and move along the inspection direction, the first probe 101 and the 3-2 probe 104 can apply voltage to the contacted circuits 11. The plurality of plate portions 200 facing the second surface 13 can sense the voltage transmitted to the plurality of circuits 11 disposed on the second surface 13, and the determination unit can determine whether the circuit 11 is abnormal based on the information transmitted from the plurality of plate portions 200.

[0077] After the initial inspection is performed by the first probe 101 and the 3-2 probe 104 as described above, the second probe 102 and the 3-1 probe 103 can move along the inspection direction and come into contact with the plurality of circuits 11. The second probe 102 and the 3-1 probe 103 can apply voltage to the contacted circuits 11. The plurality of board portions 200 facing the second surface 13 can sense the voltage transmitted to the plurality of circuits 11 disposed on the second surface 13, and the determination unit can determine whether the circuit 11 is abnormal based on the information transmitted from the plurality of board portions 200.

[0078] Thus, the plurality of needles 100 can be provided as at least one or more pairs of needles 100 and can be moved along the inspection direction, and the inspection can be performed a number of times corresponding to the number of pairs of needles 100 provided as a plurality of needles 100. For example, in the detailed description of this disclosure, the inspection can be performed as a first process of moving the first probe 101 and the 3-2 probe 104 and a second process of moving the second probe 102 and the 3-1 probe 103.

[0079] When described in more detail based on the first surface 12 and the second surface 13, a plurality of circuits 11 may be disposed on the first surface 12, the plurality of circuits 11 may be electrically connected to the second surface 13 through vias 14 formed in the substrate 10, and a coating 15 may be formed on a portion of the plurality of circuits 11. Here, the coating 15 may be formed in various locations depending on the nature of the substrate 10 or the product, and is not necessarily limited to what is shown. The coating 15 formed on the first surface 12 can prevent damage caused by the plurality of circuits 11 being exposed to the outside.

[0080] like Figure 6 As shown, the first probe 101 and the second probe 102 can be disposed in the region adjacent to one end and the other end of the first surface 12, the third probe 103 can be disposed adjacent to the first probe 101, and the fourth probe 104 can be disposed adjacent to the second probe 102. However, the plurality of needles 100 may not be disposed in the region where the plurality of circuits 11 are disconnected in the first direction.

[0081] Thus, voltage is applied to the plurality of pins 100 that are in contact with the plurality of circuits 11 on the first surface 12, and the voltage applied to the circuits 11 can transmit the voltage to the circuits 11 on the second surface 13 through the vias 14.

[0082] Therefore, on the second surface 13, as Figure 7 As shown, voltages applied to the first surface 12 can be sensed at multiple plate portions 200. Here, the first plate 201 can be positioned adjacent to one end of the second surface 13, the second plate 202 can be positioned adjacent to the other end of the second surface 13, and the third plate 203 can be positioned between the first plate 201 and the second plate 202. Furthermore, the second surface 13 and the multiple plate portions 200 can be positioned at a predetermined separation distance L from each other, and this allows for a clearer determination of whether the circuit 11 is malfunctioning: by positioning the multiple plate portions 200 adjacent to the multiple circuits 11 during voltage sensing, errors such as overvoltage sensing due to contact and voltage interference between adjacent circuits 11 caused by the multiple plate portions 200 are prevented.

[0083] For example, when multiple board portions 200 contact multiple circuits 11 on the second surface 13 and sense voltage, voltage is transmitted from the pin portion 200 that contacts the adjacent circuit 11, causing the sensed voltage value in the circuit 11 required for inspection to decrease. This may lead to a false judgment that the circuit 11 is faulty even though it is not faulty. Furthermore, when an overvoltage caused by conduction is sensed as the board portion 200 contacts the circuit 11, a false judgment may occur that the circuit 11 is faulty even though it is a normal circuit 11.

[0084] That is, in order to enable the plurality of board portions 200 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure to clearly determine whether the circuit 11 is abnormal while preventing the above-mentioned problems, preferably, the plurality of pin portions 100 can be made to contact the plurality of circuits 11 on the first surface 12, while the plurality of board portions 200 are spaced apart from the plurality of circuits 11 on the second surface 13.

[0085] On the other hand, since the multiple needles 100 that contact the multiple circuits 11 move along the inspection direction, there is a problem: due to wear at the tip of the needle 100, it simultaneously contacts a pair of adjacent circuits 11 during contact, making it difficult to definitively check whether the circuits 11 are open. Therefore, as Figure 8 As shown, the needle portion 100 may include: a contact portion 110 that contacts the circuit 11 of the substrate 10; a drive portion 120 that moves the contact portion 110 along the inspection direction; and an elastic portion 130 disposed between the contact portion 110 and the drive portion 120 and providing elasticity to the contact portion 110.

[0086] Here, the contact portion 110 extends from the drive portion 120 toward the circuit 11, resulting in a narrower diameter. Furthermore, the diameter of the end of the contact portion 110 that contacts the circuit 11 can be 16 μm or less to prevent errors caused by adjacent circuits 11 simultaneously contacting the contact portion 110, but this is not necessarily limited to the described content. Additionally, preferably, the contact portion 110 can be formed of a rigid material that lacks ductility. This is because when elasticity is present due to the elasticity provided by the elastic portion 130, the contact portion 110 may bounce back during its movement along the inspection direction from the contacted circuit 11 to another circuit 11, thus preventing proper inspection.

[0087] Furthermore, the drive unit 120 can be connected to the contact unit 110 via the elastic part 130, allowing it to move along the inspection direction and reference... Figure 8 It can move in a direction from right to left.

[0088] On the other hand, the elastic portion 130 can provide elasticity to the contact portion 110 to prevent wear caused by the rigid contact portion 110 moving in the inspection direction and contacting the multiple circuits 11; the contact portion 110 can be rigid and contact the circuits 11, and can be elasticized by the elastic portion 130 and move in the inspection direction, and can contact the multiple circuits 11. That is, the elastic portion 130 can prevent rapid wear of the end of the contact portion 110.

[0089] On the other hand, although the above description states that the multiple needles 100 are power supply units and the multiple plate units 200 are power receiving units, the multiple needles 100 can be power receiving units and the multiple plate units 200 can be power supply units.

[0090] Specifically, refer to Figure 9When describing a view viewed along the first direction, such as Figure 9 As shown, based on the first probe 101 and the first panel 201, the first probe 101 can move along the inspection direction, the contact portion 110 can contact the circuit 11, the first panel 201 can be configured to be spaced apart from the substrate 10 along the second direction, and can simultaneously apply voltage to multiple circuits 11 along the inspection direction.

[0091] Thus, when voltage is applied simultaneously to multiple circuits 11 from the first panel 201, and the first probe 101 can contact the circuit 11 and receive voltage as it moves, it can prevent the following situation: the probe 101, which normally contacts the circuit 11, can simultaneously contact a pair of circuits 11 or multiple circuits 11, thereby being judged as abnormal even though there is no malfunction in the circuit 11.

[0092] Specifically, when a voltage is pre-applied from the first probe 101 and received by the first panel 201, if the first probe 101, to which the voltage is applied, tilts excessively due to the movement of the drive unit 102 or bounces up due to elasticity, the following problem may occur: the voltage is applied to multiple circuits 11 simultaneously or with a very small time difference, so that the first panel 201 repeatedly senses the voltage in multiple circuits 11.

[0093] However, when the first probe 101 of the circuit inspection apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is a power receiving part, the applied voltage can be transmitted only when multiple circuits 11 are in contact with the first probe 101. Therefore, even if the contact occurs with a very short time difference, it is possible to more clearly determine whether the voltage has been received. Furthermore, even if the first probe 101 is in contact with multiple circuits 11, the voltage can be received from the circuit 11 that first physically contacts the first probe 101, thereby more clearly checking whether the circuit 11 is abnormal.

[0094] Thus, the needle portion 100 can be used as a receiving portion instead of a power supply portion, and the plate portion 200 can be used as a power supply portion instead of a receiving portion; as long as the circuit inspection apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure maintains the characteristic of keeping the plate portion 200 spaced apart from the substrate 10 to minimize errors in the circuit inspection process and providing an elastic portion 130 to minimize wear of the contact portion 110 that moves along the inspection direction and contacts the circuit 11, the needle portion 100 and the plate portion 200 can be limited to and not interpreted as power supply and receiving portions.

[0095] On the other hand, in the circuit inspection apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, during the process of the end 111 of the contact portion 110 moving along the inspection direction by the drive portion 120, the elastic portion 130 can continuously apply pressure toward the substrate to the contact portion 110, and the contact portion 110 can effectively prevent the phenomenon of bouncing due to the elasticity of the contact portion 110 alone during the process of separating from the circuit 11, as in the prior art.

[0096] Specifically, such as Figure 10 As shown, when the contact portion 110 contacts the circuit 11 of the substrate 10 while moving along the inspection direction via the drive portion 120, the elastic portion 130 can provide pressure through elasticity, so that the contact portion 110 can contact the circuit 11 more effectively, and the end portion 111 of the contact portion 110 can effectively contact the circuit 11.

[0097] Thus, when the drive unit 120 continues to move in the inspection direction, the contact unit 110 may enter the groove 11a formed between the circuits 11, thereby not contacting the circuits 11.

[0098] However, when the elastic part 130 is not present according to the prior art, the following problem may occur during the process of the contact part 110 moving from the circuit 11 to the adjacent circuit 11: the contact part 110 bounces up due to the elasticity of the contact part 110, skips the adjacent circuit 11 and makes contact with another circuit 11.

[0099] In this case, such as Figure 11 As shown, since the circuit inspection device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure provides pressure to the contact portion 110 elastically through the elastic portion 130, the pressure is continuously applied toward the substrate 10 during the separation from the circuit 11, so the end portion 111 of the contact portion 110 can enter the groove 11a and can clearly contact the adjacent circuit 11.

[0100] That is, in the process of inspecting multiple circuits 11 that are not defective, in the prior art there may be cases where they are misjudged as defective due to their flexibility. However, in the circuit inspection apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, as described above, the end 111 of the contact portion 110 can more reliably contact the circuits 11 in sequence, thereby improving the inspection accuracy.

[0101] On the other hand, refer to Figure 12 and Figure 13 The inspection process of the circuit inspection apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure is described in detail. First, as follows: Figure 12 As shown in the figure, when circuit 11 is in the open state, noise as shown in the curve may be generated.

[0102] That is, in order to clearly check the open circuit state of circuit 11, it is necessary to prevent the needle 100 from contacting adjacent circuits 11 simultaneously, and during the contact between the needle 100 and the circuit 11, the needle 100 needs to contact only one circuit 11, so that the open circuit state can be clearly checked. In the needle 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, since the diameter of the end 111 of the contact portion 110 is relatively small, and the force towards the first surface 12 is applied by the elastic portion 130, when the contact portion 110 moves towards the adjacent circuit 11 by the driving portion 120 while in contact with the circuit 11, the phenomenon of the contact portion 110 bouncing up due to the bending between the circuits 11 can be prevented.

[0103] Therefore, power is supplied only to the portion contacted by the contact part 110, thereby effectively preventing interference between adjacent circuits 11 and allowing for easy visual inspection of noise at specific locations. In other words, as described above, it offers the advantage of easily determining the open-circuit state and improving accuracy.

[0104] Here, Figure 12 (a) to Figure 12 (d) shows models of circuit 11 with different patterns. Although the same voltage is applied to each model, the width of the noise appears different because these models have different patterns of circuit 11. Nevertheless, the location of the noise can be effectively determined by the contact portion 110, the plurality of plate portions 200 spaced apart from the circuit 11 on the second surface 13, and the elastic portion 130, and the presence of defects can be more easily identified.

[0105] On the other hand, such as Figure 13 As shown, when circuit 11 is in a short-circuit state, noise with a pattern as shown in the graph can be observed.

[0106] That is, in order to clearly check the short-circuit state of circuit 11, it is necessary to prevent the needle 100 from contacting adjacent circuits 11 simultaneously, and during the contact between the needle 100 and the circuit 11, the needle 100 needs to contact only one circuit 11 to clearly check the short-circuit state. In the needle 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, since the diameter of the end 111 of the contact portion 110 is relatively small, and a force toward the first surface 12 is applied by the elastic portion 130, the contact portion 110 can be prevented from bouncing up due to bending between the circuits 11 when it is in contact with the circuit 11 and moves toward the adjacent circuit 11 by the driving portion 120.

[0107] As a result, since power is supplied only to the portion contacted by the contact 110, interference between adjacent circuits 11 can be effectively prevented, and noise at specific locations can be more easily visually inspected. That is, as described above, short-circuit conditions can be easily checked, thereby improving inspection accuracy.

[0108] Here, Figure 13 (a) to Figure 13 (d) shows models of circuit 11 with different patterns. Although the same voltage is applied to each model, the width of the noise appears different because these models have different patterns of circuit 11. Nevertheless, the location of the noise can be effectively determined by the contact portion 110, the plurality of plate portions 200 spaced apart from the circuit 11 on the second surface 13, and the elastic portion 130, and the presence of defects can be more easily checked.

[0109] In summary, in the circuit inspection apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of pins 100 and the plurality of plate portions 200 can be configured to face different surfaces of the substrate 10, i.e., different surfaces opposite to each other. The pins 100 can contact a plurality of circuits 11 on the first surface 12, and the plate portions 200 can be configured to be spaced apart from the plurality of circuits 11 on the second surface 13. At least one of the pins 100 can be configured to face a region adjacent to an end of the first surface 12, and at least one of the plate portions 200 can be configured to face a region adjacent to an end of the second surface 13.

[0110] Furthermore, the needle 100 can clearly contact the circuit 11 on the first surface 12 through the contact portion 110, the driving portion 120 and the elastic portion 130, and can clearly determine whether the circuit 11 is abnormal through the aforementioned multiple needle portions 100, multiple plate portions 200 and elastic portion 130.

[0111] On the other hand, although this disclosure has been described above based on a substrate 10 (e.g., 2 Metal COF) on which circuits 11 are formed on each of the first surface 12 and the second surface 13, reference is made to... Figure 14 and Figure 15 The circuit inspection apparatus based on embodiments of the present disclosure is applied to a substrate 10 (e.g., 1Metal COF) on which circuit 11 is formed only on the first surface 12.

[0112] First, such as Figure 14 As shown, when this disclosure is applied to 1Metal COF where the circuit 11 is disposed on the first surface 12 of the substrate 10, the circuit 11 is not disposed on the second surface 13, and only the circuit 11 and the coating 15 are disposed on the first surface 12. The circuit inspection device according to this embodiment of the disclosure may have a similar configuration to the circuit inspection device of the above embodiment, but may further include a fourth panel 204, which is an auxiliary sensor for sensing the voltage applied to the circuit 11.

[0113] Specifically, since the circuit 11 is only formed on the first surface 12, even if the voltage is indirectly sensed through the first panel 201, the second panel 202, and the third panel 203, the sensed voltage value is too low to determine whether it is normal. Therefore, the fourth panel 204 can be further disposed between the second panel 202 and the third panel 203. Here, when the voltage value transmitted to the second panel 202 and the third panel 203 (i.e., the sensed voltage value) is too low to easily determine whether there is a malfunction, the fourth panel 204 can operate.

[0114] For example, since multiple circuits 11 are formed only on the first surface 12, when multiple circuits 11 are formed only on the first surface 12, the first panel 201, the second panel 202 and the third panel 203 are configured to face the second surface 13 where multiple circuits 11 are not formed, and a relatively low voltage value may be sensed because the flow of current on the first surface 12 is indirectly sensed.

[0115] Therefore, in order to determine whether the low voltage value is caused by the arrangement between the plurality of needles 100 and the plurality of plates 200 facing the first surface 12 and the second surface 13 respectively, a fourth panel 204 may be disposed between the second panel 202 and the third panel 203, and the fourth panel 204 may sense the voltage with a higher sensitivity than the first panel 201, the second panel 202 and the third panel 203.

[0116] In general terms, in a 1 Metal COF where multiple circuits 11 are formed only on the first surface 12, the fourth panel 204, as described above, can be used to determine with high sensitivity whether multiple circuits 11 are abnormal.

[0117] This is described as a circuit inspection apparatus limited to variations of the present disclosure. However, in the case of a 2 Metal COF where multiple circuits 11 are formed on both the first surface 12 and the second surface 13, and the circuits 11 on the first surface 12 and the circuits 11 on the second surface 13 are electrically connected to each other through vias 14 of the substrate 10, high sensitivity is ensured and it is easy to determine whether there is a defect since the multiple plate portions 200 directly face the ends of the multiple circuits 11. However, when it is necessary to specifically determine whether there is a defect, a fourth panel 204 can be used even in a 2 Metal COF, and it is not necessarily limited to what has been described.

[0118] On the other hand, such as Figure 15 As shown, in a substrate 10 in which circuit 11 is disposed on a first surface 12 and a second surface 13, driving region 16 may be formed on the second surface 13, but when circuit 11 is disposed only on the first surface 12, driving region 16 may be formed on the first surface 12.

[0119] In this configuration, the first probe 101 and the second probe 102 can be positioned at the two ends of the first surface 12 and can face different regions in the second direction. Probes 103 and 104 can be positioned to face regions adjacent to the driving region 16. This can be used to check whether the circuit 11 located in the driving region 16 is malfunctioning.

[0120] To describe this in more detail, such as Figure 15 As shown, probes 103 (3-1) and 104 (3-2) can be configured to face different regions in the first direction. However, the regions faced by probes 103 (3-1) and 104 (3-2) can be configured to be adjacent to the driving region 16 along the first direction. More specifically, probe 103 (3-1) can be understood as facing a region relatively closer to the first probe 101 than the second probe 102, and probe 104 (3-2) can be understood as facing a region relatively closer to the second probe 102 than the first probe 101. Furthermore, as described above, the fourth panel 204 can be disposed between the second panel 203 and the third panel 202 in the first direction.

[0121] On the other hand, when multiple probes 100 are moved to check whether the circuit 11 is abnormal, as described above, the first probe 101 can move together with the 3-2 probe 104 in the inspection direction, and the second probe 102 can move together with the 3-1 probe 103 in the inspection direction. This is likely because a portion of the circuit 11 is spaced apart relative to the driving region 16 in a first direction due to the driving region 16. Therefore, it is possible to more clearly check whether the circuit 11 is abnormal.

[0122] On the other hand, refer to Figure 16 A circuit inspection apparatus according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure is described, such as... Figure 16 As shown, the circuit inspection apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure can receive voltage at the needle 100 and apply voltage at the plate 200. The needle 110 may include a contact portion 1110, a driving portion 1120 and an elastic portion 1130. The diameter of the end 1111 of the needle 100 facing the substrate 10 may be less than 16 μm. The plate 200 may be configured to be spaced apart from the substrate 10 by a predetermined distance L.

[0123] Furthermore, the substrate 10 may have a configuration in which grooves 11a and circuits 11 are alternately arranged in sequence. The end 1111 of the contact portion 1110 may sequentially contact the interior of the circuit 11 and the groove 11a, and may be moved along the inspection direction by the drive portion 1120, i.e., refer to Figure 16 Moving from right to left, the board 200 can simultaneously apply voltage to multiple circuits 11.

[0124] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the needle portion 100 may further include a conductive film portion 1140, the contact portion 1110 may be made of a non-conductive material, and the voltage applied by the plate portion 200 may be received by the film portion 1140.

[0125] Furthermore, the circuit inspection device may further include a detection unit 1150 for detecting the voltage received by the membrane 1140, the detection unit 1150 being disposed at each of one end and the other end of the membrane 1140.

[0126] Furthermore, the drive unit 1120 may further include a separate fixing unit for fixing the conductive film unit 1140.

[0127] In this case, the interior of the detection unit 1150 may be provided with separate spaces for inserting one end and the other end of the conductive film unit 1120. This is only an exemplary example and is not necessarily limited to this.

[0128] As a result, in the circuit inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the end portion 1111 can directly contact the circuit 11 or the substrate 10, while in the circuit inspection apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the end portion 1111 can contact the circuit 11 or the substrate 10 when the membrane portion 1140 is disposed between the end portion 1111 and the circuit 11 or the substrate 10.

[0129] Here, the membrane portion 1140 can be configured to surround the end portion 1111, thereby preventing the end portion 1111 from directly contacting the circuit 11 and the substrate 10. Therefore, inspection can be performed effectively, and wear on the end portion 1111 of the contact portion 1110 can also be effectively prevented.

[0130] In addition, such as Figure 16 As shown, when the contact portion 1110 moves along the inspection direction on the substrate 10 via the drive portion 1120 and comes into contact with the circuit 11, the membrane portion 1140 can come into contact with the circuit 11 through the end portion 1111 and the elastic portion 1130, and the voltage applied from the plate portion 200 can be received through the membrane portion 1140.

[0131] On the other hand, when the membrane portion 1140 is inserted into the groove 11a and contacts the substrate 10, since the membrane portion 1140 is relatively flexible, there is a possibility that the membrane portion 1140 may spread out during movement and come into contact with adjacent circuits 11. When the membrane portion 1140 contacts adjacent circuits 11 in this manner, there is a possibility that it may be mistaken for the aforementioned open circuit condition. Therefore, the contact portion 1110 can be provided inside the membrane portion 1140, so that the end portion 1111 is pressed by the elastic portion 1130, thereby firmly fixing the membrane portion 1140.

[0132] That is, the membrane portion 1140 can be pressed toward the substrate 10 by the elasticity of the elastic portion 1130 acting on the contact portion 1110, thereby pressing a portion of the membrane portion 1110 toward the substrate 10. Since the membrane portion 1140 is fixed by the detection portion 1150, the problem of the membrane portion 1140 contacting the adjacent circuit 11 at the same time can be prevented, and the situation where the membrane portion 1140 is incorrectly determined to be in contact with the circuit 11 even though the membrane portion 1140 is inserted into the groove 11a can be prevented.

[0133] In summary, in the circuit inspection apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the contact portion 110 can be made of a rigid material, and errors and wear of the end portion 111 can be effectively prevented by the addition of a moment of inertia (in other words, the function of elasticity) by the elastic portion 130.

[0134] Furthermore, in a circuit inspection apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a conductive film portion 1140 can be used to prevent the end portion 1140 from directly contacting the circuit 11 and the substrate 10, thereby preventing wear on the end portion 1111. To address various problems such as excessive wear, simultaneous contact and separation caused by the increased integration of the circuit 11 due to the use of the end portion 111 in the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure and the end portion 1111 in another embodiment of the present disclosure in advanced devices, the diameter of the end portion 111 of the contact portion 110 or 1111 can be 16 μm or less.

[0135] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure have been described above. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that this disclosure may be implemented in other specific forms besides the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure.

[0136] Therefore, the above embodiments should be considered exemplary rather than restrictive, and thus this disclosure is not limited to the above description, but can be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A circuit testing device, comprising: Multiple needles are configured to face a first surface of a substrate including multiple circuits and to contact the multiple circuits; A plurality of plate portions, the plurality of plate portions being configured to be spaced apart from a second surface of the substrate, the second surface being located in the opposite direction to the first surface; as well as The determination unit applies a voltage to the circuit via either the needle portion or the plate portion, and determines whether the circuit is malfunctioning based on the voltage applied to the circuit. The plurality of needles move along the inspection direction in different regions of the first surface and come into contact with the circuit. The plurality of plates are configured as different regions facing the second surface. At least one of the plurality of needles is disposed in a region adjacent to the end of the first surface, and At least one of the plurality of plates is disposed in a region adjacent to the end of the second surface.

2. The circuit inspection device according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of plates are formed to extend in the inspection direction. At least one of the plurality of plates has a different width in a first direction, and The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction from the first surface toward the second surface or from the second surface toward the first surface and the inspection direction.

3. The circuit inspection device according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of needles includes: The first probe is positioned in a region adjacent to one end of the first surface; A second probe is positioned in a region adjacent to the other end of the first surface; and A third probe is disposed between the first probe and the second probe in the first direction.

4. The circuit inspection device according to claim 3, wherein, The third probe includes a 3-1 probe positioned adjacent to the first probe in the first direction and a 3-2 probe positioned adjacent to the second probe in the first direction.

5. The circuit inspection device according to claim 4, wherein, The first probe and the 3-2 probes move together in the inspection direction, and The second probe and the 3-1 probe move together in the inspection direction.

6. The circuit inspection device according to claim 2, wherein, The plurality of plates include: The first panel is disposed in a region adjacent to one end of the second surface; A second panel is disposed in a region adjacent to the other end of the second surface; and The third panel is disposed between the first panel and the second panel in the first direction.

7. The circuit inspection device according to claim 6, wherein, The plurality of panels also includes a fourth panel disposed in the first direction between the first panel and the third panel or between the second panel and the third panel.

8. The circuit inspection device according to claim 6, wherein, At least a portion of at least one of the plurality of needle portions overlaps with any one of the plurality of plate portions in the second direction.

9. The circuit inspection device according to claim 2, wherein, At least one of the plurality of plate portions does not overlap with the plurality of needle portions in the second direction.

10. The circuit inspection device according to claim 1, wherein, The needle portion includes: The contact portion makes contact with the circuit. A drive unit is configured to move the contact portion along the inspection direction; and An elastic portion is disposed between the contact portion and the driving portion.

11. The circuit pattern inspection apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The diameter of the end of the contact portion facing the substrate is 16 μm or less.

12. The circuit pattern inspection apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The elastic portion provides elastic force from the driving portion toward the substrate and toward the contact portion, and The contact portion contacts the circuit or the substrate sequentially as it moves through the drive portion.

13. The circuit checking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, The plurality of needles move along the inspection direction on the first surface and apply voltage to the circuit, and The plurality of plates sense the voltage applied to the circuit on the second surface.

14. The circuit checking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, The plurality of plates apply voltage to the plurality of circuits disposed on the second surface in a direction from the second surface toward the first surface, and The plurality of needles move along the inspection direction on the first surface and sense the voltage of the circuit in contact with the plurality of needles.

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