Patent Application
20080084016
The aforementioned and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings:
Preferred embodiments of a support jig for a chip product according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
The slide plate 20 can move between a locking position where a tested object is locked on the substrate 10 and a release position away from the locking position. In the present embodiment, the support jig includes pressurizing springs 30 as a holding means for causing the slide plate 20 to hold the tested object at the locking position.
The substrate 10 is formed as a flat plate with the same shape as a wafer used in a manufacturing apparatus. In the present embodiment, the substrate 10 is formed of stainless steel with a thickness of 2 mm. Stainless steel is used as the substrate 10 to achieve a predetermined strength for the substrate 10 and to form the substrate 10 as a conductive member that does not become electrically charged since the tested objects may be tested using an electron microscope. It should be obvious that depending on how the support jig is used, metal materials aside from stainless steel can be used for the substrate 10, and in some cases it is also possible to use a non-conductive material.
A setting concave portion 13 for disposing the slide plate 20 is provided in the center of one surface of the substrate 10. The setting concave portion 13 is formed with a rectangular planar form in accordance with the shape of the slide plate 20 that also has a rectangular planar form. In the present embodiment, the setting concave portion 13 is formed so that the longitudinal direction of the setting concave portion 13 is parallel with an orientation flat portion 10a provided on the substrate 10.
The tested object is supported by being sandwiched from the front and rear between an inner surface of a front edge 20a of the slide plate 20 and an inner surface of a front edge 13a of the setting concave portion 13. The setting concave portion 13 is produced with a suitable length in the front-rear direction to provide sufficient space for disposing the tested object and to allow the slide plate 20 to move in the front-rear direction inside the setting concave portion 13. Note that both side surfaces in the length direction of the setting concave portion 13 act as guide surfaces when the slide plate 20 slides in the front-rear direction.
The depth of the setting concave portion 13 and the thickness of the slide plate 20 are set so that when the slide plate 20 has been set in the setting concave portion 13, the upper surface of the substrate 10 and the upper surface of the slide plate 20 have a uniform height. Although the thickness of the slide plate 20 is set at 1 mm and the depth of the setting concave portion 13 is set at 1 mm in the present embodiment, the thickness of the slide plate 20 and the depth of the setting concave portion 13 can be set as appropriate. The thickness of the slide plate 20 should also preferably be set approximately equal to the thickness of the tested object set on the support jig.
Openings 11a, 11b, and 11c are formed in front of and behind the setting concave portion 13 and in the center of the setting concave portion 13. When the support jig is manufactured using stainless steel, the support jig will be heavy compared to a ceramic wafer and a silicon wafer of the same thickness and the same shape. By forming the openings 11a, 11b, and 11c, the weight of the support jig can be reduced, thereby making the support jig easier to handle. However, when a tested object is supported on the substrate 10 and the required machining and testing are carried out on the sample, it is necessary to avoid deformation of the substrate 10, such as warping. Accordingly, the sizes and formation positions of the openings 11a, 11b, and 11c need to be set so that the substrate 10 does not deform.
A convex edge portion 14 that has the same height as the upper surface of the substrate 10 is provided at a rear side edge of the setting concave portion 13. Spring setting portions 15a and 15b on which the pressurizing springs 30 are set are provided on both sides of the convex edge portion 14. The spring setting portions 15a and 15b are formed so that the height from the bottom surface of the setting concave portion 13 is equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the spring material used for the pressurizing springs 30 and so that the spring setting portions 15a and 15b are formed slightly lower than the outer surface of the substrate 10.
Engagement holes 16a and 16b that allow the slide plate 20 to move forward and backward in a state where the slide plate 20 engages the substrate 10 are provided at the rear of both side edges in the longitudinal direction of the setting concave portion 13.
The engagement holes 16a and 16b are formed with planar forms that extend lengthwise in the front-rear direction of the substrate 10 and have rear portions that protrude somewhat outward to the sides of the substrate 10.
The slide plate 20 is formed of stainless steel in the same way as the substrate 10 and as described earlier is formed with a rectangular planar form. Locking tabs 22a and 22b that engage the engagement holes 16a and 16b are provided at the rear end on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the slide plate 20. The locking tabs 22a and 22b are formed so as to protrude outward from the side edges of the slide plate 20 at a lower position than the upper surface of the slide plate 20, and are formed with a planar form that can be inserted from above into the wide portions 161 that are part of the engagement holes 16a and 16b. The side surface of the front edge 20a of the slide plate 20 is formed so as to be tapered with the upper part protruding forward.
The pressurizing springs 30 are bent so as to have U-shaped planar forms and front end portions of the pressurizing springs 30 on the side that contacts a rear edge 20b of the slide plate 20 are formed so as to be somewhat bent back toward the inside.
Seal plates 40 are formed with a suitable shape and thickness to fit into stepped concave portions 151 that are formed by the upper surfaces of the spring setting portions 15a and 15b and the upper surface of the substrate 10.
Engagement tabs 162 extend outward from inner surfaces of the engagement holes 16a and 16b. The engagement tabs 162 extend from the inner surface of the setting concave portion 13, are formed thinner than the thickness of the substrate 10, and the rear surface sides of the engagement tabs 162 are formed as stepped portions.
The locking tabs 22a and 22b are formed with suitable heights and thicknesses so that when the locking tabs 22a and 22b have been inserted into the wide portions 161 of the engagement holes 16a and 16b, the locking tabs 22a and 22b can fit under the lower surfaces (i.e., the surfaces of the stepped portions) of the engagement tabs 162. By allowing the slide plate 20 to move forward, the locking tabs 22a and 22b are inserted under the lower surfaces of the engagement tabs 162.
In this way, the slide plate 20 is energized forward in a state where the locking tabs 22a and 22b have engaged the engagement holes 16a and 16b to set the slide plate 20 in the setting concave portion 13. By sliding in a state where the locking tabs 22a and 22b engage the engagement holes 16a and 16b, the slide plate 20 can be prevented from rising above the substrate 10 when the slide plate 20 moves and the slide plate 20 can be prevented from rising when a tested object has been set on the support jig 50. The seal plates 40 cover the base ends of the pressurizing springs 30 and act so as to hold the pressurizing springs 30 so that the pressurizing springs 30 do not become displaced from their attachment positions.
As described earlier, by setting the depth of the setting concave portion 13 and the thickness of the slide plate 20 equal to the thickness of the magnetic head sliders 4, the upper surfaces of the magnetic head sliders 4 will be flush with the upper surface of the substrate 10.
The support jig for a chip product according to the present invention is characterized by disposing the various substrates such as the slide plate 20 inside one surface of the substrate 10 and within the thickness of the substrate 10 so that the entire support jig 50 is formed as a flat plate with uniform thickness in the same way as a wafer. Also, by attaching the magnetic head sliders 4 between edges of the setting concave portion 13 and the slide plate 20 it is possible for the entire support jig to have the same form as a wafer in the form of a flat plate even after the magnetic head sliders 4 have been attached. By doing so, it becomes possible to reliably carry out the required machining and testing on the magnetic head sliders 4 while using existing manufacturing equipment that carries out processing on a wafer.
By using a construction where the magnetic head sliders 4 are supported by being sandwiched inside the setting concave portion 13 by the slide plate 20, the operation of setting the magnetic head sliders 4 on the support jig 50 is easy, with it also being easy to detach the magnetic head sliders 4 after testing.
When handling extremely small products like the magnetic head sliders 4, a method that can set the products by sandwiching the products using the slide plate 20 without using adhesive is extremely beneficial in improving workability.
Also, since the magnetic head sliders 4 are not attached to a support substrate using adhesive, it is possible to reuse the magnetic head sliders 4 after testing. Since the support jig 50 is also reusable, the conventional problem of the support substrate 5 also going to waste is also avoided.
If the support jig 50 is manufactured using a conductive material such as stainless steel, it will be possible to prevent the magnetic head sliders from becoming charged even when testing is carried out using an electron microscope.
Also, by setting the mounting position of the magnetic head sliders 4 on the support jig 50 such as by setting the disposed positions of the setting concave portion 13 and the slide plate 20 in accordance with the orientation flat portion 10a of the substrate 10 as in the embodiment described above, it is possible to facilitate an operation that aligns a testing device or machining device with the magnetic head sliders.
Note that although an example where machining, testing or the like is carried out with magnetic head sliders 4 mounted on the support jig 50 has been described above, the support jig according to the present invention is not limited to being used to support magnetic head sliders and can be widely used when carrying out machining, testing, and the like on a chip product using manufacturing equipment that carries out machining or testing on a wafer. When doing so, the shape of the support jig should be designed so as to match the shape of the wafer being handled by the manufacturing equipment used to manufacture the chip product.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-272940 | Oct 2006 | JP | national |
