CN1203733C - Sheets with solder for soldering operations - Google Patents

Abstract

A solder-bearing wafer (100) is provided for connecting a first electronic device to a second electronic device. The wafer includes a substrate body having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface has a groove (115, 117) formed therein and includes a solder segment (130) disposed within the groove. The two devices are connected when the solder is heated and a foil is placed between the first and second devices.

Description

Sheets with solder for soldering operations

technical field

The present invention relates to the field of devices for connecting connectors or other electrical components to each other, and more particularly to a method of facile soldering of a first electronic device, such as a connector, to a second electronic device, such as a printed circuit board and device.

Background technique

It is often necessary and desirable for one element to be electrically connected to another. For example, multi-terminal components such as connectors are often electrically connected to a substrate such as a printed circuit board such that the terminals of the component are securely secured to contact pads formed on the substrate to make electrical connections therebetween. A preferred technique for securely securing a component terminal to a contact pad is to use solder around a specific area, such as a hole, that would normally seat a component terminal. Typically, component terminals may take the form of conductive pins that are seated in holes formed in the substrate. Solder, such as solder paste, is typically applied around each contact hole, and the solder is then heated after a conductive pin is mounted within the contact hole and protrudes through the contact hole. Heating of the solder paste causes the solder paste to flow around the conductive pins and contact holes. Cooling of the solder paste securely secures the conductive pin to a contact pad formed on the substrate.

While the use of solder paste is feasible in certain applications, there are a large number of applications where the use of solder paste is undesirable due to a number of factors including, but not limited to, the design of the components and the substrate itself. In addition, the use of solder paste often does not provide a sufficient amount of solder to fully connect the component terminals and contact pads.

An alternative method using solder paste is described in US Patent No. 5,875,546, assigned to the present assignee and incorporated by reference in its entirety. The devices set forth in this reference include an array of solder clips which are readily applied, either manually or by automated means, to a corresponding array of connector or other component terminals. The collets are typically formed by stamping, with the resultant cost and complexity of the overall welding operation.

It would therefore be desirable to provide an alternative device and method for placing solder on a connector or the like.

Contents of the invention

According to a first embodiment, a wafer is provided with solder for use in soldering operations. The solder-bearing foil is designed to provide solder for use in a soldering operation for electrically connecting the first electronic device to the second electronic device. The solder foil can be made of many materials, preferably a non-conductive material with the solder foil. For example, foils with solder can be made of thermoplastics, thermosets, and the like. The solder-bearing foil has a plurality of through holes formed through the foil to facilitate soldering of electrical terminals or contacts of the first electronic device. In an exemplary embodiment, the electrical terminals or contacts include pins extending outwardly from the first member. Preferably, the first electronic device includes an electrical connector and the second electronic device includes a printed circuit board.

Generally, the first electronics contact includes a conductive pin. Usually, the pins of the first electronic device are arranged in a certain pattern on the surface of the first device. For example, a conventional first electronic device may have rows and columns of pins designed to form a means of electrically connecting terminals of the first electronic device to electrical contacts provided within a second electronic device, such as a printed circuit board. Thus, the wafer contains pin holes whose position and spacing match those of the pins in the first electronic device. This enables the wafer to engage the first electronic component such that the pins fit within and protrude through the pin holes in the wafer. The sheet is thus disposed between the first and second electronic components.

According to the invention, the sheet also includes a plurality of through holes formed through the sheet. Through holes are formed in rows on both sides of each pin hole. The wafer further includes grooves extending parallel to each row of pin holes and above and below each row of pin holes. The length of each groove is traversed by through holes at regular intervals. Preferably, according to this exemplary embodiment, the grooves are formed on only a single surface of the sheet.

Clamp a length of solder pile that generally conforms to the shape of one of the grooves within one of the grooves. In other words, lay the solder segment flat inside the groove. Because there are many grooves, there are likewise many solder segments extending over the surface of the wafer. Thereafter an embossing or die separates the solder segment at each via. At this point, the wafer contains pin holes with separate portions of solder above and below each pin hole. Preferably, the solder dividing portion is arranged between the next adjacent via holes.

Thereafter the pin headers of the first electronic device are inserted into the pin holes in the wafer so that the pins are exposed on the side of the wafer with the solder separation. The side of the sheet with the solder segments is then placed against the printed circuit board, and the solder is heated and reflowed, thereby securing the electronic device to the printed circuit board. The foil remains positioned between the firmly secured first electronic component and the printed circuit board. This first application of the invention involves applications with solder flakes involving through-hole devices like the aforementioned printed circuit boards. Through-hole devices are those that contain many holes formed through for mounting another conductive element such as a conductive pin. It goes without saying that devices with many other through-holes than printed circuit boards can be used with such a wafer.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the first electronic device, such as a connector, may have securing solder means incorporated directly into the wafer of the first electronic device design. In this case, a plurality of solder grooves are formed in the surface of the first electronic device such that a row of conductive pins is provided between the first row of grooves and the second row of grooves. It goes without saying that it is preferable to form the surface from an insulating material, such as a thermoplastic material, so that grooves can be easily formed in the surface. Solder is deposited in each solder well, with the result that each pin has one segment of solder on one side of it and another segment of solder on its opposite side. Similar to the first embodiment, the groove segments are formed to define and determine the amount of solder used for the soldering of one pin and the corresponding surface of the second electronic component. This reduces or eliminates the risk of a large amount of solder being created when the solder segment is heated for reflow. In this embodiment, the first electronic device incorporates the features of the sheet in the first embodiment, so it is not necessary to use a sheet that provides soldering material for the bonding of the two devices.

While the first two embodiments of the wafer are intended for use when the second electronic device is a through-hole type device, another embodiment of the wafer is intended for use in surface mount type applications. In these applications, typically the planar contact of the first electronic device is arranged flush against the planar contact surface of the second electronic device so that an electrical connection is made therebetween. For example, the first electronic device may include a connector known as a straddle mount device with finger-like contacts secured against corresponding contact pads formed in the second electronic device. In this embodiment, the wafer contains segments of solder disposed in corresponding grooves and auxiliary grooves formed in the wafer. The solder segments strictly form differentiated solder segments, one or more of which are intended for the soldering of a joint and a contact pad.

The foil is arranged opposite the first electronic component, more precisely the foil extends across the contact fingers of the first electronic component such that one or more solder separations are arranged above one of the contact fingers. Accordingly, the solder segment is heated to cause it to reflow and since the contact is preferably made of a solderable material, the contact is securely soldered to the opposite contact land, thus forming a reliable electrical connection between the first and second electronic devices. connect. Since the sheet includes through holes as in the first embodiment, the solder segment is divided into solder segments so that a predetermined amount of solder material is used in the soldering of one contact and one contact pad.

This wafer embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer that can be used in a variety of surface mount applications. For example, not only can a foil be used to electrically connect a straddle mount to a printed circuit board, but it can also be used in applications where it is necessary to electrically connect one planar surface to another within another electronic device.

Description of drawings

The purpose and features of the present invention will be described in detail below by means of certain preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a wafer with pin holes positioned through;

Figure 2 is a side perspective view of the sheet of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top view of the wafer of Figure 1 with a fixed solder groove formed thereon;

Figure 4 is a top view of the sheet of Figure 3 with through-holes configured to penetrate;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet of Figure 4 taken along line 5-5;

Fig. 6 is a top view of the sheet of Fig. 5 in which the fixed solder segment has been segmented;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the wafer of FIG. 6 with pins of the electronic device placed into corresponding pin holes in the penetrating wafer;

8 is a bottom plan view of an exemplary electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention;

9 is a top view of a sheet with solder segments disposed in fixed solder grooves formed in the sheet according to a second embodiment;

Figure 10 is a top view of the sheet of Figure 9 with the solder segments segmented;

Figure 11 is a side view of an assembly formed of a first electronic device coupled to a second electronic device and the two sheets of Figure 10 shown exploded therefrom;

Figure 12 is a side view of the assembly of Figure 11 when two sheets are placed on a portion of the first electronic device;

13 is a side view of the assembly of FIG. 12 showing the first electronic device soldered to the second electronic device and with two tabs removed from the assembly;

14 is a side view of another exemplary wafer according to the present invention having solder segments disposed on both sides thereof;

Figure 15 is a side perspective view of a sheet according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 16-16 in Figure 15;

17 is a side view of the wafer of FIG. 15 used to electrically connect a first electronic device to a second electronic device; and

18 is a cross-sectional side view of a connector according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Detailed ways

In a first aspect, the present invention simplifies the process of soldering electrical terminals or contacts of one electronic device to the surface of a second electronic device with a solder foil. In an exemplary embodiment, the electrical contacts include conductive pins and the second electronic device includes a printed circuit board. 1 to 3 illustrate a method of forming a sheet according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Turning to FIG. 1, a wafer 100 is provided. The wafer 100 is made of any suitable material and preferably is made of a non-conductive material. For example, sheet 100 may be formed from a thermoplastic material, a thermoset, or the like. The sheet 100 has pin holes 110 formed therethrough. It goes without saying that the pin hole 110 does not necessarily have to be annular and that the pin hole 110 generally includes a small hole formed in the sheet 100 . The location and general spacing of the pin holes 110 are determined by the location and spacing of the pins of the first electronic device (FIG. 7) mounted on a second electronic device, such as a printed circuit board (FIG. 7). So it goes without saying that the pin holes 110 can be arranged according to some pattern depending on the number of pin holes 110 and their positions. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , pinholes 110 are arranged in horizontal rows along a first axis and vertical columns along a second axis with predetermined spacings apart from each other. The first axis generally extends across the length L of the sheet 100 and the second axis generally extends across the width W of the sheet 100 . Thus the first axis is preferably longer than the second axis. Some of the pin holes 110 are, for example, spaced a predetermined center-to-center amount from each other along a first axis and a predetermined amount from each other along a second axis to accommodate electronic devices having pins spaced the same from each other.

Furthermore, the length and width of the sheet 100 generally correspond to the length and width of the first electronic device mounted on the second electronic device. The height or thickness of sheet 100 is preferably about 0.030 inches. However, the dimensions are for illustration only.

Pin holes 110 may be formed through sheet 100 by any method known in the art including, for example, using a die. Alternatively, pin holes 110 may be formed or molded during manufacture of wafer 100 .

Turning to FIG. 2 , there is shown a side perspective view of wafer 100 showing two pairs of grooves 115 and 117 extending along a first axis of wafer 100 on either side of each row of pin holes 110 . Although the grooves 115 and 117 are shown as having a semi-cylindrical shape, it goes without saying that the shape of the grooves 115 and 117 may be any shape. The shape of the grooves 115 and 117 preferably conforms to the shape of the solder segment 130 (FIG. 4) which will be embedded in each of the grooves 115 and 117 as will be described in more detail below.

Recesses 115 and 117 are formed in sheet 100 by several methods known in the art including, for example, using etching or dies. Alternatively, grooves 115 and 117 may be formed during manufacture of wafer 100 . For example, grooves 115 and 117 may be formed during the molding process used to manufacture sheet 100 . The grooves 115 and 117 may be formed on the sheet 100 before, during, or after the provision of the pin holes 110 .

Turning to FIG. 3 , there is illustrated a wafer 100 having through-holes 120 disposed therethrough along a first axis such that at least one through-hole 120 is provided on either side of each pin hole 110 . As shown, each through hole 120 extends along the second axis sufficiently to enclose one of the grooves 115 and 117 , respectively. Through hole 120 is formed in sheet 100 by any of the methods described above for forming pin hole 110 and grooves 115 and 117 .

In accordance with the present invention, in order to provide a secure fixation of the first and second electronic components to each other, a solder segment 135 is added to the wafer 100, as will be described below. 4 to 6 illustrate a method of adding solder segment 135 to wafer 100 .

Turning to FIGS. 4 and 5 , there is illustrated wafer 100 having solder segments 130 disposed in grooves 115 and 117 . Solder segment 130 comprises any solder composition known in the art, and is preferably shaped to suitably and securely fit within recesses 115 and 117. In other words, the solder segments preferably comprise thin strips of solder machined to complement the grooves 115 and 117. Therefore, in this example, as shown in Figure 5 and described in detail, the solder segment 130 is machined into a cylindrical shape so as to fit securely in the same machined semi-cylindrical grooves 115 and 117 as in Figure 2 .

Continuing to refer to FIG. 4 , FIG. 4 shows pairs of solder segments 130 lying flat across via 120 . Thus, the solder segments 130 on the respective through-holes 120 are divided by a stamper or stamper having an imprint formed in a shape and spaced apart from each other in conformity with the shape and position of the through-holes 120 on the sheet 100 .

FIG. 6 illustrates the sheet 100 formed by dividing the solder segment 130 as described above to form a plurality of solder divided portions 135 . As shown, each pin hole 110 has a solder segment 135 on either side of the pin hole 110 . Because each solder segment 135 is firmly fixed by the groove 115 or 117, it is possible to keep the sheet 100 in any state (for example, solder side up, sideways, sideways) that is required to conform to a particular manufacturing process or mechanical equipment used. inferior).

FIG. 7 illustrates an electronic device 150 having its first surface 151 protruding from pins 140 . The first electronic device 150 may include devices suitable for electrical connection with the second electronic device 160 . For example, according to an exemplary embodiment, the first electronic device 150 includes an electrical connector and the second electronic device 160 includes a printed circuit board (through-hole type device). The pins 140 include conductive pins for establishing electrical connections between terminals of the first electronic device 150 and corresponding electronic elements (not shown) of the second electronic device 160 . The pins 140 are fitted into the respective pin holes 110 of the sheet 100 . As shown in FIG. 7, the sheet 100 is set so that the solder divided portion 135 faces downward. Solder segment 135 is held in place by the form fit of solder segment 135 and the interconnection of grooves 115 and 117 .

As long as the first electronic device 150 and pins 140 have been inserted a sufficient distance between the sheet 100 and the pin hole 110, the side of the sheet 100 with the exposed solder segment 135 can be placed at a distance from the lead hole 110. On the second electronic device 160 of the pin hole 110 of the same size. Subsequent heating of the solder split portion 135 causes the solder split portion 135 to reflow around the pin 140 and the pin hole 110 in addition to the other surface of the second electronic device 160 . As the solder sheet 135 cools, the pins 140 are secured to the second electronic device 160 , with the result that a reliable electrical connection is created between the first and second electronic devices 150 , 160 . After reheating and cooling of the solder sheet 135 , the remaining portion of the sheet 100 is soldered between the first electronic device 150 and the second electronic device 160 . The solder tab 135 is of course heated after the first and second electronic components 150, 160 have been assembled together.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 7. It goes without saying that the means of through-hole 120 which makes it possible to divide the solder segment 130 also serves to define the amount of solder around each pin 140 . In other words, by providing two solder divided portions 135 adjacent to each pin hole 110 , a defined amount of solder is dedicated to soldering one pin 140 to a corresponding portion in the second electronic device 160 . Segmentation of the solder segments 130 reduces the amount of solder used in the soldering operation, which in turn reduces the likelihood of large solder bumps being created during the heating process. In addition, the segmentation of the solder segments 130 also avoids solder starvation at adjacent contact locations. In other words, the contacts are often heated unevenly with one contact (pin 140) being heated more, effectively drawing solder from one or more adjacent locations. This results in one or more adjacent contacts being starved of solder and resulting in ineffective soldering in those contacts. By placing a defined amount of solder around each pin 140 , the solder is actually segmented into in-place segments for soldering of the corresponding individual pins 140 . Thus, the heating process produces significantly spaced apart solder mounds around the pins 140 rather than a single large solder mound thereby eliminating the solder starvation associated with conventional techniques.

The solder foil 100 of the present invention overcomes many of the disadvantages associated with prior art devices. First, wafer 100 has a relatively simple yet effective design. Because the solder carrier medium is a thermoplastic material, no conductive material remains that adheres to the contacts (pins 140 ) after the solder segment 135 reflows. Second, thermoplastic materials are generally less expensive than the metallic materials used to make other welding aids. Thirdly, this result in reduced production costs and due to the simplicity of the invention makes it possible for the operator to apply the sheet 100 to the first electronic device 150 more easily and more quickly. Fourth, wafer 100 also provides increased solder volume around respective pins 140 by forming solder breakouts 135 within grooves 115 and 117 . This increase in solder volume provides more solder for each solder joint formed between devices 150, 160, thereby improving the quality of each solder joint. Fifth, the present invention provides tight lead spacing where the contacts (pins 140) of the first electronic device 150 can be brought closer together than would be possible with other bonders. Sixth, having the solder flake 100 allows irregular solder patterns to be formed thereon. This allows the solder dividing portion 135 to be formed at a predetermined position on the sheet 100 . Accordingly, the location of the solder segment 135 may be tailored according to the particular application and according to the configuration of the one or more first and second electronic devices 150 , 160 .

Application-specific variations with solder flakes 100 are achievable. For example, a separate single solder segment 130 and single groove may be provided for each row of pinholes. Also, less than or more than two rows of pin holes 110 may be provided on the sheet 100 . Furthermore, vias 120 may not be necessary if solder segments 130 are segmented in some way such as by cutting and vacuum removal processes that enable removal of the solder portion between the desired segmented portions. Further, the pinholes, vias and grooves can take any desired shape depending on the particular application.

It goes without saying that the lamella 100 can be configured in many different ways. If the technical requirements of a certain application are known, the foil 100 can be cut to have the desired length and width so that the foil 100 is disposed between the first and second electronics without extending into either the first or the second electronics. The outside of the device 150,160. It is also possible to roll the sheet 100 on a reel and then distribute the sheet 100 to many associates/electronic component manufacturers for the purpose of improving their existing or future products. The configuration of the wafer 100 thus allows for a wide range of adaptability, not only can it be conventionally manufactured for a specific application but the configuration of the wafer 100 also allows the wafer 100 to be dispensed in a basic form and then customized by the purchaser.

Referring now to FIG. 8 , therein is illustrated and generally designated 200 a first connector device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. The first connector device 200 is preferably an electrical connector designed to be electrically connected to another electronic device such as the printed circuit board 160 shown in FIG. 7 . The first connector device 200 is similar to the first electronic device 150 of FIG. 7 except that the solder segment 135 is incorporated as part of the first connector device 200 instead of having the solder segment 135 on the wafer 100 . In this embodiment, the tab 100 is not used in soldering the first connector device 200 to another electronic device.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the first connector device 200 has a first surface 202 facing the second electronic device when the two are soldered to each other. A number of pins 210 protrude outwardly from the first connector device 200 , more specifically, a number of pins 210 protrude away from the first surface 202 . Many pins 210 may then be arranged according to some pattern on first surface 202 and the row/column pattern shown in FIG. 8 is merely exemplary in nature. Therefore, it is understood that the pin 140 may have any cross-sectional shape and that the circular cross-section shown is merely exemplary.

According to a second embodiment, some grooves 220 are formed on the first surface 202 similar to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7 . Grooves 220 are designed to securely carry and position solder. In an exemplary embodiment, some of the grooves 220 extend horizontally across the first surface 202 in the case that grooves 220 are formed on both sides of each pin row 140 . Similar to the first embodiment, the solder is placed as the solder dividing portion 135 is defined into the groove 220 formed in the first surface 202 . Each pin 140 thus has a solder segment 135 on one side and another solder segment 135 on its other side. In an exemplary embodiment, grooves 220 include a plurality of defined grooves 220 extending along a common axis across first surface 202 . Each groove 220 therefore has a predetermined length and preferably all individual grooves 220 have the same length. The length of the groove 220 will be determined by a number of factors including the size of the pin 140 and the amount of solder that will be placed around the pin 140 . It goes without saying that in this embodiment, the grooves 220 are not in the form of a single continuous groove, but include a plurality of grooves formed along a common axis with non-recessed portions 221 formed between adjacent grooves 220. pitch grooves 220 . The groove 220 may be formed during the manufacture of the first connector device 200 or may be formed through a subsequent process such as molding. Because the pins 140 act as conductive elements, the first surface 202 of the first connector device 200 is preferably made of a non-conductive material such as thermoplastic. This facilitates the formation of the recesses 220 since the recesses 202 may be formed in the first surface 202 during the molding process or the like used to manufacture the first connector device 200 .

After the grooves 220 are formed, solder is placed therein to form a plurality of solder segmented portions 135 . The groove 220 may be formed according to some known technical methods. Each groove 220 defines a solder segment 135 . As previously stated, by forming two opposing grooves 220 around each pin 140 , the amount of solder used for each pin 140 is generally equal to the amount of solder placed inside the two opposing grooves 220 . By dividing the solder into two distinct solder segments 135 around each pin 140, the chance of a single solid solder pool during solder reflow is reduced or eliminated and solder starvation is also eliminated. Advantageously, the use of solder segments 135 allows for the proper amount of solder to be supplied to each pin 140 for soldering the pin 140 to another electronic device, such as a printed circuit board.

In this embodiment, instead of using the sheet 100 of FIG. 1 , the feature of fixing solder is directly introduced into the design of the first connector device 200 . This simplifies the soldering operation by eliminating the use of the intermediate sheet 100 . Instead, the first connector device mates directly with another electronic device, such as a through-hole device, which is loaded with pins and then the pins are soldered to the through-hole device. It also goes without saying that while the first connector arrangement 200 has been described in terms of the pins 140 provided, the device 200 may contain planar or other shaped contacts instead of the pins 140 . Solder segments 135 are simply provided around these planar or otherwise shaped contacts for providing solder and electrical connection between each contact and the second electronic device.

9 to 10 illustrate a method of forming a sheet according to a second embodiment.

Turning to FIG. 9 , there is illustrated and generally indicated at 300 a wafer according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Sheet 300 has a length L and a width W. As shown in FIG. For purposes of illustration, only a portion of sheet 300 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 . As in the first embodiment, the sheet 100 is made of a non-conductive material such as a suitable thermoplastic or thermosetting plastic. The wafer 100 has a predetermined number of grooves, indicated generally at 310 , formed in the first surface 302 of the wafer 300 . In the exemplary embodiment, groove 310 comprises a longitudinal groove extending along the length L of sheet 300 . The cross-sectional shape of the grooves 310 may be any shape and in an exemplary embodiment, each groove 310 has a semi-cylindrical cross-sectional shape. Recess 310 is formed in sheet 300 by any method known in the art including, for example, using etching or dies. Alternatively, groove 310 may be formed or molded during manufacture of wafer 300 .

The wafer 300 also includes a number of through holes 320 formed in the wafer 300 . Through holes 320 are formed at positions spaced apart from each other along each groove 310 . In other words, the through hole 320 is directly formed in the groove 310 . As shown in FIG. 9 , a solder segment 130 is disposed in each groove 310 . The solder segment 130 is preferably shaped to fit snugly into the groove 310 . In this example, the solder segment 130 forms a cylindrical shape so as to be firmly embedded in the gc semi-cylindrical groove 310 . Each solder segment 130 lies across a row of through holes 320 . Thus, the solder segment 130 at each through hole 320 is divided by a stamper or embosser having an imprint formed in a shape and spaced apart from each other in conformity with the shape and position of the through hole 320 on the sheet 300 .

FIG. 10 illustrates sheet 300 after segmenting solder segment 130 ( FIG. 9 ) as described above. As shown, a number of spaced apart solder segments 135 are formed. More specifically, a solder dividing portion 135 is formed on both sides of a through hole 320 . After performing the operation of forming the solder segment 135 , the solder segment 135 is still firmly embedded in the groove 310 . The solder segments 135 are thus axially aligned in rows extending along the length of the sheet with one through hole 135 formed between immediately adjacent solder segments 135 .

Although FIG. 9 shows a pair of grooves 310 and solder segments 130, it is understood that the wafer 100 may contain a single groove 310 and solder segment 130, or that the wafer 100 may include more than two grooves 310 and solder segments 130. . In addition, when the sheet 300 shown in FIG. 10 has the solder dividing portions 135 formed in a staggered pattern, it goes without saying that the solder dividing portions 135 can be aligned with each other in a row as shown in FIG. 11 .

The formation of vias 320 in wafer 300 and subsequent division of solder segment 130 to form solder segments 135 serves to limit the amount of solder in each solder segment 135 . By confining the solder to distinct solder segments 135, the possibility of creating a single solid mass of solder during reflow of the solder is reduced or eliminated. Instead, each location of the contact between the first and second electronic components (not shown) can be filled with an optimum amount of solder.

FIG. 11 is a partially exploded side view showing the first electronic device 330 and the second electronic device 340 . An exemplary first electronic device 330 includes a connector and in more detail, the illustrated first electronic device 330 includes a connector commonly referred to as a straddle mount device. Device 330 has a base portion 332 and a number of contacts 334 extending from base portion 332 . The contacts 334 are used to provide an electrical connection between the first electronic device 330 and the second electronic device 340 . In the illustrated embodiment, the contacts 334 include a plurality of finger-like features extending outwardly from the base portion 332 . In general, the contacts 334 constitute opposing rows with gaps formed between the rows of contacts 334 . The contacts 334 are made of a conductive material, preferably a solderable material that facilitates soldering of the first electronic device 330 and the second electronic device 340 . As will be explained in more detail below. Contacts 334 of this type are also referred to as solder leads due to their appearance and their material properties.

The illustrated first electronic device 330 is referred to as a straddle mounted device because the spaced rows of contacts 334 and base portion 332 resemble a straddle structure. The first electronic device 330 is assembled to the second electronic device 340 by mounting the second electronic device 340 in the gap formed between the contacts 334 . Preferably, the second electronic device 340 includes a printed circuit board having a first surface 342 and an opposing second surface 344 . The second electronic device 340 also has a predetermined number of surface mount contact pads 350 formed on each of the first and second surfaces 342 , 344 . These contact pads 350 provide contact surfaces for electrical connection between the first and second electronic components 330 , 340 via the contacts 334 and the contact pads 350 . The contact pads 350 are thus spaced in a complementary manner along the second electronic device 340 from the gap relative to the contacts 334, so that when the first and second electronic devices 330, 340 are mated with each other, the contacts 334 and the contact pads 350 intermeshed.

After the first electronic device 330 is properly positioned relative to the second electronic device 340 so that the contacts 334 engage the contact pads 350, one or more wafers 300 are brought into contact with the second electronic device 340, as shown in FIG. . FIG. 12 illustrates a pair of tabs 300 disposed relative to contacts 334 of a first electronic device 330 . Typically for each row of contacts 334 there will be a complementary sheet 300 for soldering the first and second electronic devices 330, 340 to each other. More precisely, one foil 300 is positioned relative to one row of contacts 334 and the other foil 300 is positioned relative to another row of contacts 334 . The solder segment 135 comes into contact with the contacts 334 when the tab 300 is properly positioned relative to the contacts 334 . In other words, one or more solder segments rest on the outer surface 335 of a contact 334 and provide solder for the bonding of each contact 334 to a contact pad 350 . In the illustrated embodiment, two solder segments 135 are provided for each contact 334 . The two solder segments 135 are used to solder a contact 334 to a contact pad 350 when heated. As with another embodiment, by dividing the solder segment 130 into solder segments 135, the amount of solder applied to solder a contact 334 to a contact pad 350 can be controlled. This reduces or eliminates the risk of a single solder bump forming and extending across the surfaces of the first and second electronic devices 330 , 340 .

Since the contacts 334 are preferably made of solder, the heat applied in the vicinity of the solder segment 135 and the reflow action of the solder segment 135 itself constitutes an effective soldering between the contacts 334 and the contact pads 350 . This results in a reliable electrical connection being formed between the first electronic device 330 and the second electronic device 340 . Depending on the particular application, the tab 300 may or may not be removed from the first electronic device 330 during or after reflow of the solder. FIG. 13 illustrates the situation where the tabs 300 left after the contacts 334 are securely soldered to the corresponding contact pads 350 have been removed.

Although the embodiments shown in FIGS. 9 to 13 illustrate that the foil 300 and the first electronic device 330 are separated, the first electronic device 330 may be constructed so that the foil 300 is encased therein or coupled thereto before being attached to the second electronic device 360. , which is within the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, the first electronic device 330 such as a straddle mount connector is directly attached to the second electronic device 340 without using a separate sheet 300 . Instead the first electronic device has, as part of it, the wafer 300 and the contacts 334 each having an associated solder segment 135 . By simply inserting the second electronic component 340 between the contacts 334, the first and second electronic components 330, 340 are securely attached to each other so that the conductive soldering of the contacts 334 against the second electronic component 340 District 350. The heating action on the solder segment 135 causes reflow of the solder, with the result that the contact 334 is securely fixed to the contact pad 350 .

It goes without saying that the sheet 300 (or the sheet 100) is not integrally formed with the first electronic device 330 (or the first electronic device 150), but the sheet 300 (or the sheet 100) can be mounted to the corresponding first electronic device 330 (or the first electronic device 150) by various techniques. electronic devices. For example, the foil may have locking means that cooperate with complementary locking means provided on the first electronic component, so that the foil is securely mounted to the first electronic component. The first electronic device can be sold and distributed in such a way that the foil is mounted to the first electronic device to form an assembly and preferably the foil is detachably mounted to the first electronic device to form an assembly. The assembly is then coupled with the corresponding second electronic device 160, 340 and then heated to cause the solder to reflow and electrically connect the corresponding elements.

The embodiment illustrated in Figures 9 and 10 provides an attractive alternative to using ball grid array type devices for surface lead mount type devices. As is well known, BGA-type devices typically include connector devices having surface mountable BGAs. Ball grid arrays are in the form of a large number of solder balls arranged according to some pattern on the outer surface of the connector. A typical arrangement is to arrange the solder balls in a number of rows and columns. When heated, the solder balls reflow to form solder surfaces for securely securing the connector device to the planar lands of another device, such as a printed circuit board.

The wafer 300 has several advantages over using a ball grid array type connector. First, forming many solder balls that are clearly aligned one by one is not a simple task and requires a lot of time and skill. Accordingly, ball grid array type connectors are generally expensive due to the time and skill required to manufacture such connectors. In contrast, the wafer 300 of the present invention provides higher reliability while having very low manufacturing and raw material costs.

Figure 14 also illustrates another wafer 400 for soldering one electronic device to another electronic device. The wafer 400 is similar to the device 300 , although one difference is that solder is provided on both sides of the wafer 400 . Accordingly, grooves 310 are formed on both sides of the sheet 400 so that the solder dividing portion 135 can be formed on both sides. Such wafers 400 may be used to bond planar lands of one electronic device, such as a printed circuit board or ceramic substrate (not shown), to planar lands of another electronic device or other ceramic substrate (not shown). This means that the wafer 400 can be used in any type of connector installation, especially one suitable for use with surface mount connectors.

Turning now to FIGS. 15-17 , there is shown yet another sheet and generally designated 500 according to another embodiment. As with the wafers of some of the other embodiments, wafer 500 is preferably made of a non-conductive material such as a thermoplastic or a thermoset. In this embodiment, provision is made for the foil 500 to be used in a ball grid array type application in which a first conventional planar electronic device 510 is electrically connected to a second conventional planar electronic device 520 . In one embodiment, the first conventional planar electronic device 510 has at least one first contact surface 512 and the second electronic device 520 has at least one second contact surface 522 . The first contact surface 512 may be in the form of a planar contact pad or the like or may be a solder ball in the case of a ball grid array type package. Similarly, the at least one second contact surface 522 may be in the form of a planar contact pad or the like or may be a solder ball. It is well known that ball grid array type devices have a plurality of solder balls formed on a planar surface, each solder ball being associated with a contact terminal. After the two electronic devices are positioned relative to each other, the solder balls are then heated to cause reflow of the solder to form an electrical connection between the two contact surfaces 512 , 522 .

FIG. 15 shows a partial view of sheet 500 . Wafer 500 generally includes a first end surface 502 and an opposing second end surface (not shown) and a first side surface and an opposing second side surface. The wafer 500 has one or more solder segments 530 disposed within the wafer 500 according to a predetermined pattern. Typically, there will be at least one segment of solder for each pair of electrical contacts 512,522. In other words, one or more solder partitions 530 are used to solder one of the first contact surfaces 512 to one of the second contact surfaces 522 to form an electrical connection therebetween. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 15 , each solder segment 530 is embedded in a solder opening 540 formed in the sheet 500 . The solder openings 540 extend completely through the wafer 500 so that the solder segments 530 protrude from both the first surface 501 and the second surface 503, as best shown in FIG. 16 . This allows one solder segment 530 to be used to form solder connections between the first surface 501 and the first electronic device 510 and the second surface 503 and the second electronic device 520 .

Sheet 500 also has a number of through holes 550 formed therein. Vias 550 are formed and arranged in sheet 500 such that one via 550 intersects one end of solder opening 540 and the other via 550 is formed intersecting at the opposite end of solder opening 540 . Thus, the solder opening 540 leads to one via 550 at one end and to the opposite via 550 at the other end. In one exemplary embodiment, each via 550 has a first axis extending along its length and each solder opening 540 has a second axis extending along its length. In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second axes are substantially perpendicular to each other. Each first axis is substantially parallel to the first end surface 502 and substantially perpendicular to the first and second sides 504, 506, respectively. Each second axis is thus substantially parallel to the first and second sides 504 , 506 and substantially perpendicular to the first end surface 502 .

Because the solder opening 540 extends between the two spaced vias 550 , an opposing land 560 is formed and defined in part by the solder opening 540 and the vias 550 . FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 16 - 16 of FIG. 15 cut through platform 560 . Therefore, it is self-evident that the edges of the platform 560 function as the solder dividing portion 530 that is clamped and fixed between the inner edges of the solder opening 540 . This configuration allows a single solder segment 530 to be used to make up a soldered connection on opposing surfaces 501 , 503 of the wafer 500 . It goes without saying that the number of solder segments 530 employed and thus the number of solder openings 540 and vias 550 formed in the wafer 506 will generally depend on a given application. More specifically, according to one embodiment, a solder segment 530 is used to both provide solder and form an electrical connection between a first contact 512 and a second contact 522 . Thus, if a large number of first and second contacts 512 , 522 are provided on the respective first and second electronic devices 510 , 520 , there will be a corresponding number of solder separations 530 .

FIG. 17 illustrates the use of the foil 500 in electrically connecting the first and second electronic devices 510,520. Preferably, the sheet 500 is dimensioned such that the sheet 500 is conveniently disposed between the first and second electronic devices 510, 520 without protruding therefrom. Place the wafer 500 between the first and second devices and align the first and second contact surfaces 512, 522 with each other and then align each solder segment 530 with respect to the first and second contacts 512, 522 , and after each solder segment 530 is in contact with or attached to both the first and second contacts 512, 522, the solder segment 530 is heated using known techniques. The solder causes the solder to reflow over both the first and second contact surfaces 512 , 522 . Since the solder comprises an electrically conductive material, an electrical connection from the first electronic component 510 to the second electronic component 520 is formed via the first and second contact areas 512 , 522 .

As with some other embodiments, the vias 550 are formed to define different solder separations for soldering and electrical connection of a first contact surface 512 to a second contact surface 522 . As mentioned above, this advantageously prevents the formation of individual solder bumps during the soldering operation and also prevents solder starvation from forming within the wafer 500 .

The wafer 500 thus provides an attractive method of electrically connecting a first planar device (e.g., device 510) to a second planar device (e.g., device 520), the wafer 500 being designed to be sandwiched between these devices 510, 520 without At the same time, an electrical connection is formed between the corresponding electrical contact surfaces. Foil 500 finds particular application not only in ball grid array type applications but also in applications where one planar printed circuit board is electrically connected to another printed circuit board. It goes without saying that the shape and size of the solder segment 530, the solder opening 540 and the via 550 may vary according to a given application and are not critical to the practice of the invention. Broadly speaking, wafer 500 includes a single segment of solder disposed therein that functions to electrically connect a first device 510 resting on a first surface 501 of the wafer to a second device 520 resting on a second surface 503. A device.

Turning now to Figure 18, a further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In the embodiment of FIG. 18 , the positioning solder features of sheet 500 are incorporated into first electronic device 510 . The solder feature 511 forms part of the first electronic device 510 is positioned so that the one or more solder segments 530 are aligned with a first contact surface 512 of the first electronic device 510 . Similar to sheet 500 , solder segment 530 is disposed within solder opening 540 and extends completely through positioning strap solder component 511 so that two opposing surfaces of positioning strap solder component 511 are accessible. It goes without saying that the positioning with solder part 511 may be a separate component such as the sheet 500 positioned to the first electronic device 510 or may be integrally formed with the first electronic device 510 . In both cases, positioning with solder 511 is preferably made of a non-conductive material such as thermoplastic or thermosetting plastic.

In this embodiment, one or more solder segments 530 form an electrical path to a first contact surface 512 . Each solder split portion 530 includes a first portion 517 closely contacting or closely attached to the first contact surface 512 and a second portion 519 formed on the opposite side where the solder component 511 is positioned. The second portion 519 is designed to be positioned relative to the second contact surface 522 so as to form an electrical and solder connection to each other when heated. By disposing one or more solder segments 530 on each first contact surface 512, by positioning the first electronic device 510 relative to the second electronic device 520 so that the second contact surface 522 is aligned with the second portion 519, the first The electronic device 510 can be easily electrically connected to the second electronic device 520 . When the first and second electronic devices 510 , 520 are positioned and coupled to each other, the second portion 519 can be in close contact with or tightly attached to the second contact surface 522 . When heated, the solder segment 530 reflows and makes the desired electrical connection between the first and second contact surfaces 512 , 522 . More precisely, the first portion 517 reflows on the first contact surface 512 and the second portion 519 reflows on the second contact surface 522 .

Some different embodiments of the present invention therefore provide a sheet designed to carry a solder that, when the sheet is placed relative to the first and second electronic devices and heated, the solder acts as a first contact surface of the first electronic device and the second electronic device. The role of the second contact surface is firmly fixed. Advantageously, the foils can be used in a variety of devices including through-hole electronics as well as surface mount applications. Compared with conventional connection devices, the thin sheet has a simple and effective structure while increasing the application potential.

Although the preferred embodiment has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, changes and substitutions are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims (24)

1. A sheet with solder for use in electrically connecting at least one first contact of a first electronic device with at least one second contact of a second electronic device, the sheet comprising: a substrate body having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the first surface having at least one recess formed thereon, the substrate body for placement between the first and second electronic devices; and At least one section of solder disposed within the groove that heats the section of solder and securely electrically connects the first contact to the second contact when the substrate body is placed between the first and second electronic devices point, Wherein the second electronic device comprises a through-hole device having at least one first opening for mounting at least one first contact in the shape of a conductive pin, and the substrate body has at least one opening for mounting the at least one first contact. The second opening, the solder section is arranged close to the second opening. 2. The solder bearing wafer according to claim 1, wherein said solder segment is segmented into a plurality of solder segments, each solder segment for electrically connecting a first contact to a second contact. 3. The chip with solder according to claim 2, wherein said substrate body has a plurality of through-holes formed therethrough, said through-holes intersecting said grooves, and each solder is disposed between adjacent through-holes split part. 4. The solder-laden wafer according to claim 1, wherein the substrate body is made of a non-conductive material. 5. The soldered wafer according to claim 1, further comprising: A plurality of solder segments connected to the first surface of the substrate body, each second The opening has at least two solder partitions disposed adjacent thereto. 6. The solder-laden wafer according to claim 5, wherein said second openings are formed in longitudinal rows along the length direction of the substrate body. 7. The sheet with solder according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of grooves formed on the first surface of the substrate body, each groove having a cross-section complementary to that of the solder dividing portion, so that each solder The split part is firmly and tightly fitted in a groove. 8. The solder-laden wafer of claim 7, wherein each groove extends across the length of the substrate body, the grooves having a circular cross-section. 9. The solder-laden wafer of claim 7, wherein a pair of grooves are formed on both sides of the column including the plurality of second openings formed along a common axis. 10. The soldered wafer of claim 7, further comprising: A plurality of through holes formed on the substrate body, the through holes are arranged on the substrate body so that at least one through hole is formed on both sides of each second opening, each through hole traverses and extends through one or more Groove, which divides the groove into segments. 11. The solder-attached chip according to claim 10, wherein two through holes are formed surrounding one second opening. 12. The solder-laden wafer of claim 10, wherein the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the first axis. 13. The solder-attached wafer according to claim 10, wherein the through hole divides each groove into a plurality of groove divisions, each groove division extending between a pair of through holes. 14. The solder-carrying wafer according to claim 10, wherein a solder dividing portion is arranged in one of the groove dividing portions. 15. The solder-laden wafer of claim 5, wherein the substrate body is made of a non-conductive material. 16. The wafer of claim 1, wherein the first and second electronic devices each comprise a substantially planar electronic device and the first and second surfaces of the substrate body are substantially planar. 17. The wafer of claim 1, wherein each of the first electronic devices comprises a device selected from the group consisting of a ball grid array type device and a printed circuit board. 18. A sheet with solder for use with through-hole devices, the sheet comprising: a substrate body having a first surface and an opposite second surface; a plurality of first openings formed through the substrate body for mounting first electrical contacts of a first electronic device; forming a plurality of grooves in the substrate body such that each first opening is formed between the first groove and the second groove; a plurality of through-holes formed in the substrate body such that the through-holes are spaced apart from each other such that each through-hole crosses the first and second recesses with a first opening formed between two adjacent through-holes, vias are used to divide the groove into groove-segmented parts; and A plurality of solder partitions, for forming a solder connection between the first electrical contact of the first electronic device and the through-hole device, each solder partition is disposed within a groove partition such that each first opening has a The pair of solder segments that are closest to each other. 19. An electrical connector for electrically connecting a second electronic device having at least one second contact, the electrical connector comprising: a substrate body having a first surface comprising at least one first contact, the substrate body having at least one recess formed on the first surface proximate the at least one first contact; and clamping at least one segment of solder disposed within the groove, placing the first surface against the second electronic device so that the first and second contacts are aligned, and when the segment of solder is heated, the first and second The contacts are firmly connected to each other and form an electrical path therebetween. 20. The electrical connector according to claim 19, wherein said substrate body comprises a plurality of segmented grooves, each groove mounting a section of solder, forming the segmented grooves such that a first first groove is formed between two grooves. The contacts are thus arranged with solder in the two recesses for electrically connecting a first contact to a second contact. 21. The electrical connector of claim 19, wherein the first contact comprises a contact selected from the group consisting of a pin contact and a planar contact. 22. A method of electrically connecting a first contact in a first electronic device to a second contact in a second electronic device, the method comprising: providing a sheet having a first surface and an opposite second surface; forming at least one first groove on the first surface; forming at least one first opening for mounting a first contact inside the sheet, wherein the second electronic device includes at least one through hole for mounting a first contact; disposing the solder segment in the one first groove so as to clamp the solder segment in the first groove; positioning the first electronic device relative to the wafer such that the solder segment is aligned with the first contact; positioning the second electronic device relative to the wafer and the first electronic device such that the first and second contacts are aligned with the wafer positioned therebetween; and The solder segment is heated to form a secure solder connection and electrical path between the first contact and the second contact. 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: The solder segment is divided into a plurality of solder segmented portions by forming at least one through hole in the sheet, the at least one through hole at least partially surrounding the at least one groove such that the solder segment disposed therein is segmented. 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising: forming a second groove parallel to said first groove, the second groove containing a second solder segment, at least one through-hole including extending between and at least partially surrounding the first and second grooves; The plurality of through holes of the two grooves, such that the first and second solder segments are divided into a plurality of solder segments, each first contact is electrically connected to a second contact through at least two solder segments.

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