Method and system for manufacturing an electrical insulating body for a test contactor, manufacturing kit for an electrical insulating body for a test contactor and electrical insulating body for a test contactor

Abstract

Method for manufacturing an electrical insulating body (10) for a test contactor for contacting an electronic component, the method comprising the following steps: (a) Manufacturing, using a rapid technology, an insulating body pre-product (12) based on model data of the insulating body, (b) Obtaining location information relating to at least one electrical contact element which is provided on the insulating body (10) for contacting the electronic component, and (c) Machining the insulating body pre-product (12) based on the location information and contact element information of the at least one electrical contact element to form a receptacle (16) for the at least one electrical contact element in and / or on the insulating body pre-product, wherein the following step is further provided between steps (a) and (c): - Providing a carrier (30) having a template (32) corresponding to the insulation body pre-product (12) produced in step (a), and positioning the insulation body pre-product (12) in the template (32).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for manufacturing an electrical insulating body for a test contactor for contacting an electronic component, a manufacturing kit for an electrical insulating body for a test contactor and an electrical insulating body for a test contactor.

[0002] A test contactor enables the electrical contacting of an electronic component, such as a semiconductor component, in order to subject the electronic component to a functional test. The test contactor can be configured to perform the functional test itself or to be electrically connected to a test system that performs the functional test, in which case the test contactor provides an electrical connection between the electronic component and the test system.

[0003] The test contactor typically has an insulating body designed to hold the electronic component. For example, the insulating body can be designed as a base onto which the electronic component is placed. Furthermore, the insulating body has electrical contact elements to make electrical contact with the electronic component's terminals. These electrical contact elements can be, for example, pin contacts or similar. The insulating body also serves to electrically isolate the electrical contact elements from one another. Additionally, during the functional test, the electronic component is electrically controlled via these electrical contact elements.

[0004] A test contactor should ideally support a wide variety of electronic components and be adaptable to future developments in electronic components. This may require adapting the test contactor's insulating body, for example, to the shape of the electronic component and / or the layout of its electrical connections. Therefore, it is desirable to manufacture electrical insulating bodies for test contactors quickly, cost-effectively, and easily.

[0005] Publication JP 2015-215228 A concerns the provision of a test contact and a test method for a semiconductor device package, enabling the reliability of a characteristic test to be ensured even when the number of external terminals of the semiconductor device package is increased. The test contact includes a lid for covering a contactor substrate from above, forming a chamber with the contactor substrate. An air supply device is used to introduce gas into the chamber. The lid includes an air supply hole for the gas supplied by the air supply device. The contact substrate includes an air outlet hole. A semiconductor device package can be placed on top of the contact substrate. The area of ​​the end of the air supply hole on the side of the chamber is larger than the total area of ​​the air outlet hole on the top of the contact substrate.

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and a system for manufacturing an electrical insulating body for a test contactor for contacting an electronic component, enabling quick and easy manufacturing of such an insulating body.

[0007] According to a first aspect, this task is solved by a method for manufacturing an electrical insulating body for a test contactor for contacting an electronic component, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (a) Manufacturing, using rapid technology, an insulating body pre-product based on model data of the insulating body, (b) Obtaining location information relating to at least one electrical contact element provided on the insulating body for contacting the electronic component, and (c) Machining the insulating body pre-product based on the location information and contact element information of the at least one electrical contact element to form a receptacle for the at least one electrical contact element in and / or on the insulating body pre-product.

[0008] Advantageously, the proposed method enables the electrical insulating body to be manufactured quickly and easily. "Rapid technology" refers in particular to methods for the rapid production of components or prototype components. This includes, in particular, additive manufacturing processes that operate on a layer-by-layer material deposition and preferably without the use of a mold. A 3D printing process is preferably used as the rapid technology. However, other methods, such as laminated object modeling, polyamide casting, or selective laser melting, are also conceivable. The material from which the insulating body or the insulating body precursor is manufactured is preferably an electrically insulating material.

[0009] The insulating body or insulating body precursor can be designed, in particular, as a base that can be arranged in a test contactor to accommodate an electronic component through the insulating body. An electronic component is understood to be, in particular, a semiconductor component, for example, a chip, system-on-a-chip (SoC), or sensor.

[0010] The model data of the insulating body can relate to design data of the insulating body and / or the insulating body pre-product, and in particular to the spatial dimensions and / or the design of the insulating body and / or the insulating body pre-product. Preferably, the model data can be provided as CAD (computer-aided design) data.

[0011] The test contactor can be configured to perform a functional test on the mounted electronic component. The functional test can be performed by the test contactor itself or in conjunction with a test system, which is preferably electrically connectable to the test contactor. The electrical contact elements provided on the insulating body can be configured to electrically contact the electronic component, in particular its electrical terminals. The functional test of the electronic component can be performed via suitable electrical control of the electronic component or its electrical terminals.

[0012] The location information used in step (b) can, in particular, determine the intended position of the electrical contact element on the insulating body or insulating body precursor. Furthermore, the contact element information can determine design information regarding the intended electrical contact element for the formation of the corresponding receptacle. Based on the location information and the contact element information, it is thus possible to form a receptacle suitable for the electrical contact element on or in the insulating body precursor or insulating body. For example, the contact element information can determine a diameter that the receptacle must have to accommodate the electrical contact element. Accordingly, in step (c), the receptacle can be formed taking the contact element information into account.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the method further provides the following step between steps (a) and (c): - Providing a carrier having a template corresponding to the insulation body pre-product produced in step (a) and positioning the insulation body pre-product in the template.

[0014] Advantageously, the use of the carrier allows the insulating body pre-product to be moved or positioned directly during the subsequent step (c). Instead, the carrier with the insulating body pre-product positioned on it can be moved or positioned during step c).

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the carrier can have a plurality of templates, with a corresponding insulation body pre-product being positioned in each template. The machining of the insulation body pre-products positioned on the carrier can then be carried out either sequentially and / or in parallel. In other words, the insulation body pre-products are machined one after the other and / or (partially) simultaneously.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the insulation pre-product produced in step (a) has at least one positioning section for positioning the insulation pre-product in the template, wherein the positioning section is connected to the insulation pre-product by means of a predetermined breaking point. Advantageously, the positioning section enables the insulation pre-product to be positioned in the carrier exclusively in one or more predetermined orientations. The positioning section can also comprise several positioning elements.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the method further provides after step (c): - Removing the insulation body pre-product from the template or carrier and, in particular, removing the positioning section.

[0018] Advantageously, the predetermined breaking point allows the positioning section to be easily removed from the insulating body after step (c). In particular, it is not intended that the positioning section remain attached to the insulating body for use in the test contactor.

[0019] Preferably, the method provides that an area of ​​the insulating body pre-product, on which the at least one electrical contact element is provided, is free from the carrier. Advantageously, this ensures that the insulating body pre-product is accessible for step (c) to guarantee unimpeded processing of the insulating body pre-product.

[0020] Preferably, the process can be carried out at least semi-automatically. In particular, steps (a) and (c) can be performed by suitable devices that can access, for example, the model data of the insulating body and / or the location information and / or the contact element information.

[0021] Preferably, step (c) comprises drilling and / or milling. Advantageously, the recess can thus be formed by drilling and / or milling in and / or on the insulating body pre-product.

[0022] Preferably, in step (c), the recess is formed by a drilling and / or milling tool, wherein the drilling and / or milling tool is preferably actuated based on the location and / or contact element information. In other words, the use of the drilling and / or milling tool to form the recess can be controlled based on the location and / or contact element information. For example, the contact element information can include depth information that defines the depth of the recess to be formed in the insulating body pre-product, and the drilling and / or milling tool can be controlled depending on this information.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the drilling and / or milling tool can be selected based on the location and / or contact element information. In particular, a suitable drilling and / or milling tool can be selected for forming the receptacle based on the contact element information. For example, the contact element information can determine a diameter of the electrical contact element, according to which a suitable drilling tool is selected.

[0024] Preferably, the method can further provide for arranging the electrical contact element in the receptacle or for fitting the receptacle with the electrical contact element. It is understood that the electrical insulating body or the insulating body precursor can have a plurality of receptacles for a corresponding plurality of electrical contact elements, and that the plurality of receptacles can be designed according to the proposed method.

[0025] According to a second aspect, the underlying task is solved by a system for manufacturing an electrical insulating body for a test contactor for contacting an electronic component, wherein the system comprises: - a manufacturing device for producing an insulating body pre-product based on model data of the electrical insulating body, wherein the manufacturing device uses a rapid technology for producing the insulating body pre-product, and - a machining device for machining the insulating body pre-product based on location information relating to at least one electrical contact element which is provided on the insulating body for contacting the electronic component, and contact element information of the at least one electrical contact element, in order to form a receptacle for the at least one electrical contact element in and / or on the insulating body pre-product.

[0026] The manufacturing device can be configured, in particular, to provide additive manufacturing of the insulation body pre-product using rapid technology, operating on a layer-by-layer material deposition process and preferably without the use of a mold. Preferably, the manufacturing device utilizes a 3D printing process to produce the insulation body pre-product. However, other processes, such as laminated object modeling, polyamide casting, or selective laser melting, are also conceivable. Furthermore, the manufacturing device can be configured to access model data of the insulation body, which is stored on or in a computer-readable format on a computer-readable medium, in order to process this data for the production of the insulation body pre-product. In particular, the manufacturing device can include at least one processor that controls the production of the insulation body pre-product based on the model data.

[0027] Preferably, the machining device can include a drilling and / or milling tool which is controlled based on the position information and / or the contact element information in order to form the receptacle for the at least one electrical contact element in and / or on the insulating body pre-product. Furthermore, the system can include a positioning device which enables relative positioning of the insulating body pre-product to the machining device.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the system comprises a carrier that has a template corresponding to the insulating body pre-product. Preferably, the positioning device can be configured to position the carrier relative to the processing device.

[0029] Furthermore, the system can include a placement device that equips the receptacle formed in the insulating body pre-product with the corresponding electrical contact element.

[0030] Furthermore, the system may include a control device designed to control the manufacturing device, the processing device and, in particular, the positioning and assembly device in order to manufacture and process the insulating body pre-product.

[0031] According to a third aspect, the underlying problem is solved by a manufacturing kit for an electrical insulating body for a test contactor for contacting an electronic component, wherein the manufacturing kit comprises: an insulating body pre-product manufactured using rapid technology, and a carrier which has a template suitable for the insulation body pre-product, into which the insulation body pre-product can be positioned.

[0032] The manufacturing set can also be further developed according to the aspects presented above.

[0033] According to a fourth aspect, the underlying task is solved by an electrical insulating body for a test contactor for contacting an electronic component, wherein the insulating body has: at least one receptacle for an electrical contact element, which is provided on the insulating body for contacting the electronic component, wherein the insulating body is manufactured using a rapid technology and the at least one receptacle is formed by drilling and / or milling.

[0034] The insulating body can also be further developed according to the aspects described above.

[0035] These and other problems, features, and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from studying the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures. It is evident that, although embodiments are described separately, individual features can be combined to form additional embodiments.

[0036] They show: Fig. 1 a representation of an insulating body, Fig. 2 a method for manufacturing an insulating body, Fig. 3 an insulating body pre-product arranged in a carrier, and Fig. 4 a system for manufacturing an electrical insulating body for a test contactor

[0037] Fig. Figure 1 shows an insulating body 10 produced according to the disclosed invention. The insulating body 10 can be used, in particular, as a base for a test contactor (not shown) that can accommodate an electronic component. Furthermore, the insulating body 10 can have one or more receptacles 16 for one or more electrical contact elements (not shown) to which the electrical contact elements can be attached. The electrical contact elements can electrically contact corresponding electrical terminals of the electronic component and electrically connect the electronic component to a test device designed for performing a functional test on the electronic component. The test device can be implemented in the test contactor and / or in a test system that can be connected to the test contactor.

[0038] The insulating body 10 can have a substantially horizontal support surface 18 onto which the electronic component can be placed. The receptacles 16 for the electrical contact elements can also be formed in or on the support surface 18. Furthermore, the support surface 18 can be bounded by a circumferential rim 20. The circumferential rim 20 also serves to limit movement of the electronic component in the horizontal direction when the insulating body 10 is in its operating position.

[0039] Furthermore, it shows Fig. 1 Two positioning sections 14 are attached to the insulation body 10, preferably laterally, by means of predetermined breaking points. The predetermined breaking points allow for easy removal of the positioning sections 14 from the insulation body 10 to obtain a final insulation body 10.

[0040] The insulating body 10 can be described by reference to Fig. 2. The manufacturing process is explained in more detail below. The process involves, in a first step S210, the production of an insulating body pre-product 12, which is a precursor to the one described in Fig. The insulating body 10 shown in Figure 1 is the insulating body pre-product 12. In step S210, this pre-product can be manufactured, in particular, using rapid technology. "Rapid technology" refers specifically to methods for the rapid production of components or prototype components. This includes, in particular, additive manufacturing processes that operate on a layer-by-layer material deposition and preferably without the use of a mold. A 3D printing process is preferably used as the rapid technology. However, other processes, such as laminated object modeling, polyamide casting, or selective laser melting, are also conceivable. The material from which the insulating body 10 or the insulating body pre-product 12 is manufactured is preferably an electrically insulating material in order to electrically isolate the intended electrical contact elements from one another.

[0041] Preferably, the insulation body pre-product 12 can be manufactured based on model data of the insulation body 10 and / or the insulation body pre-product 12. The model data can relate to design data of the insulation body 10 and / or the insulation body pre-product 12, and in particular to the spatial dimensions and / or the design of the insulation body 10 and / or the insulation body pre-product 12. Preferably, the model data can be provided as CAD data (computer-aided design). The manufacturing of the insulation body pre-product 12 can be carried out in step S210, in particular, based on this model data.

[0042] In a subsequent processing step S220, one or more receptacles 16 for corresponding electrical contact elements are formed in and / or on the insulating body pre-product 12. The formation of the receptacles 16 can be based on location information that specifies the position where the corresponding electrical contact element is intended. Furthermore, the formation can be based on contact element information that defines information regarding the electrical contact element intended for the receptacle 16. The receptacles 16 can thus be formed according to the location and / or the contact element information. The contact element information can, for example, specify a diameter of the electrical contact element, with the diameter of the receptacle 16 being formed according to the contact element information to ensure that the receptacle 16 can accommodate the associated electrical contact element.

[0043] The formation of the receptacles 16 can be carried out in particular by drilling and / or milling with a suitable drilling and / or milling tool.

[0044] The manufacturing process may further provide that, after step S210, the insulating body pre-product 12 is positioned on a carrier 30 for further processing, in particular for carrying out step S220.

[0045] An exemplary carrier 30 is given with reference to Fig. 3 explained in more detail. The carrier 30 can have a substrate which is essentially planar. Furthermore, one or more templates 32 are formed on the carrier 30, each having a shape corresponding to an insulating body pre-product 12. A template 32 can, in particular, be designed as a recess in the substrate to ensure the positioning of the insulating body pre-product 12 on the carrier 30 or in the template 32. In the operating position of the carrier 30, the template 32 prevents horizontal movement of the insulating body pre-product 12 positioned therein relative to the carrier 30.

[0046] Preferably, the insulation body pre-product 12 can have a positioning section 14 (as mentioned above), the shape of which is encompassed by the template 32. Advantageously, the positioning section 14 and the correspondingly designed template allow the insulation body pre-product 12 to be positioned in the carrier 30 or the template 32 exclusively in one or more predefined orientations. Using the carrier 30 for further processing has the advantage that the insulation body pre-product itself does not need to be moved. Furthermore, a large number of insulation body pre-products 12 can be positioned in the carrier 30, thus simplifying the processing of a large number of insulation body pre-products 12.

[0047] After step S220, the insulation body pre-product 12 can be removed from the carrier 30. Furthermore, the optionally provided positioning section(s) 14 can be removed from the insulation body pre-product 12 to obtain the insulation body 10.

[0048] Optionally, in step S230, the receptacle 16 or receptacles 16 can be fitted with the corresponding electrical contact elements. This fitting can be carried out while the insulating body pre-product 12 is positioned on the carrier 30. However, positioning the insulating body pre-product 12 on the carrier 30 is not mandatory for the fitting process.

[0049] With reference to Fig.Section 4 describes in more detail a system 40 for manufacturing an electrical insulating body 10. The system 40 may, in particular, include a manufacturing device 42 for producing an insulating body pre-product 12. The manufacturing device 42 may use a “rapid technology” (as described above) to produce the insulating body pre-product 12. Preferably, the manufacturing device 42 may be configured as a 3D printer.

[0050] Furthermore, the manufacturing device 42 can be configured to produce insulating body pre-product 12 based on the model data described above.

[0051] Furthermore, the system 40 includes a machining device 44 which, based on the location information and the contact element information of the at least one electrical contact element, forms one or more recesses 16 for the at least one electrical contact element in and / or on the insulating body pre-product 12. The machining device 44 may, in particular, include a drilling and / or milling tool with which the one or more recesses 16 can be formed. The machining device 44 may be designed to perform an automatic selection of the drilling and / or milling tool based on the contact element information.

[0052] System 40 may preferably use a carrier 30 to position the insulating body pre-product 12 produced by the manufacturing device 42 in a corresponding template 32 of the carrier 30. Furthermore, a positioning device 48 of system 40 may be configured to position the carrier 30 relative to the processing device 44 in order to form a receptacle 16 for an electrical contact element in and / or on the insulating body pre-product 12.

[0053] Furthermore, the system 40 can include a control device 46 that controls the manufacturing device 42, the machining device 44, and the positioning device 48 to manufacture the electrical insulating body 10. The control device 46 can access, at least in read-only mode, the model data, the location information, and the contact element information in order to control the manufacturing device 42, the machining device 44, and the positioning device 48 based on the model data, the location information, and / or the contact element information.

[0054] The system 40 can further comprise a placement device 50 designed to equip a receptacle 16 of the insulating body pre-product 12 with a corresponding electrical contact element. The control device 46 can be configured to control the placement device 50 in order to equip the receptacle 16 with the electrical contact element. Reference symbol list 10 insulating bodies 12 Insulation body precursor 14 Positioning section 16. Electrical contact element 18 contact surfaces 20 surrounding border 30 carriers 32 Template 40 System for manufacturing an electrical insulating body 42 Manufacturing device 44 Machining device 46 Control device 48 Positioning device 50 Assembly device

Claims

[1] Method for manufacturing an electrical insulating body (10) for a test contactor for contacting an electronic component, the method comprising the following steps: (a) Manufacturing, using a rapid technology, an insulating body pre-product (12) based on model data of the insulating body, (b) Obtaining location information relating to at least one electrical contact element which is provided on the insulating body (10) for contacting the electronic component, and (c) Machining the insulating body pre-product (12) based on the location information and contact element information of the at least one electrical contact element to form a receptacle (16) for the at least one electrical contact element in and / or on the insulating body pre-product, wherein the following step is further provided between steps (a) and (c): - Providing a carrier (30) having a template (32) corresponding to the insulation body pre-product (12) produced in step (a), and positioning the insulation body pre-product (12) in the template (32). [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the insulation body pre-product (12) produced in step (a) has at least one positioning section (14) for positioning the insulation body pre-product (12) in the template (32), wherein the positioning section (14) is connected to the insulation body pre-product (12) by means of a predetermined breaking point. [3] Method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising after step (c): - Removing the insulation body pre-product (12) from the template (32) and, if referring back to claim 3, further comprising removing the positioning section (14). [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a region of the insulating body pre-product (12) on which the at least one electrical contact element is provided is free from the carrier (30). [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier (30) has a plurality of templates (32) and a corresponding insulating body pre-product (12) is positioned in each template. [6] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the method is carried out at least partially automatically and / or wherein step (c) is carried out by drilling and / or milling. [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in step (c) the receptacle (16) is formed by a drilling and / or milling tool and the drilling and / or milling tool is actuated based on the location and / or contact element information. [8] Method according to claim 7, wherein a selection of the drilling and / or milling tool is made based on the contact element information. [9] System (40) for manufacturing an electrical insulating body (10) for a test contactor for contacting an electronic component, the system comprising: - a manufacturing device (42) for producing an insulating body pre-product (12) based on model data of the electrical insulating body (10), wherein the manufacturing device uses a rapid technology for producing the insulating body pre-product (12), - a machining device (44) for machining the insulating body pre-product (12) based on location information relating to at least one electrical contact element which is provided on the insulating body (12) for contacting the electronic component, and contact element information of the at least one electrical contact element, in order to form a receptacle (16) for the at least one electrical contact element in and / or on the insulating body pre-product (12), and - a carrier (30) comprising a template (32) corresponding to the insulation body pre-product (12), wherein the system (40) further comprises a positioning device (48) which positions the carrier (30) in relation to the processing device (44). [10] Manufacturing kit for an electrical insulating body (10) for a test contactor for contacting an electronic component, comprising: an insulating body pre-product (12) produced using rapid technology, and a carrier (30) which has a template (32) suitable for the insulation body pre-product (12) into which the insulation body pre-product (12) can be positioned.

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