Method for manufacturing chip signal elements

The present invention relates generally to an antenna, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing chip signal elements of receiving and transmitting signals.

With the development of wireless communication technologies, electronic products such as notebook computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA) and other portable electronic devices are designed toward the trends of lightness and thinness. Therefore, the size of the antenna for transmitting and receiving radio signal is relatively reduced, or the structure thereof needs to be changed so that the antenna can be built inside the electronic product.

Currently, the common multi-band antenna includes a chip antenna and a carrier board. In manufacturing the chip antenna, a square substrate made of ceramic material is first prepared. Further, a radiator is manufactured on a surface of the substrate by a printing technology, a lithography process technology, or a wet etching technology. When the chip antenna is electrically connected on the carrier board, the radiator of the chip antenna is electrically connected to microstrip lines on the carrier board. After the microstrip lines are electrically connected to a coaxial cable, the signals received by a metal radiating portion are transmitted to the coaxial cable through the microstrip lines and then transmitted to a main board in the electronic device through the coaxial cable, thus implementing signal communication of the antenna.

Since the radiator of the chip antenna is manufactured by the printing technology, the lithography process technology, or the wet etching technology, the size of the chip antenna is much smaller than that of the conventional antenna. However, the volume of the carrier board is several times larger than that of the chip antenna such that the carrier board has better matching characteristics with the chip antenna. Therefore, the volume of the carrier board cannot be reduced once the size of the chip antenna cannot be reduced, thus being unsuitable for small-sized mobile electronic devices.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing chip signal elements. A dry etching technology or a wet etching technology is used to form a radiator covered on the chip signal element so that the size of the chip signal element is reduced and the volume of a carrier board matched with chip signal element is also reduced, thus being suitable for small-sized mobile electronic devices.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing chip signal elements, and the method includes steps as follows. First, a substrate with a top surface and a bottom surface is provided, wherein an upper metal layer is disposed on the top surface and a lower metal layer is disposed on the bottom surface. Afterward, a plurality of through holes is drilled in a region of each chip signal element, wherein the through holes are correspondingly arranged. Afterward, a first cooper-plating process is performed on hole walls of the through holes to form a plurality of first conductive layers; wherein the first conductive layers are electrically connected to the upper metal layer and the lower metal layer. Afterward, a second cooper-plating process is performed on surfaces of the first conductive layers to correspondingly form a plurality of second conductive layers; wherein the first conductive layers and the second conductive layers form a plurality of conductive layers. Afterward, a first pattern layer is formed on the upper metal layer and forming a second pattern layer on the lower metal layer by a wet etching or a dry etching, wherein the first pattern layers are electrically connected to the second pattern layers through the conductive layers to form a spiral radiator. Afterward, an ink is printed on the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate to cover a part of the spiral radiator and form a solder mask layer, wherein two ends of the spiral radiator are exposed to the solder mask layer. Afterward, an organic metal process is performed to form a first metal layer with good flatness on the top surface and the bottom surface of two ends of the substrate, wherein the first metal layer is electrically connected to the exposed parts at two ends of the spiral radiator; and then a second metal layer is plated on a surface of the first metal layer to form terminal electrodes of the chip signal elements. Afterward, the chip signal elements arranged in rows on the substrate are cut to form a plurality of single chip signal elements having a spiral radiator.

In one embodiment, side holes are formed along two sides of each row of the chip signal elements.

In one embodiment, each of the side holes is strip-shaped or circular.

In one embodiment, a diameter of each through hole is 0.15 mm.

In one embodiment, a hole distance between two adjacent through holes is 0.20 mm.

In one embodiment, the first pattern layer is composed of a plurality of straight wires and a plurality of electrode wires, and the straight wires are electrically connected to the corresponding conductive layers of the through holes.

In one embodiment, the second pattern layer is composed of a plurality of oblique wires and a plurality of electrode portions, and the oblique wires are obliquely electrically connected to the corresponding conductive layers of the through holes.

In one embodiment, a line width of each oblique wire and a line width of each straight wire is 0.05 mm, and a wire distance between two adjacent oblique wires and a wire distance between two adjacent straight wires is 0.05 mm.

In one embodiment, the ink of the solder mask layer is a black ink, and the black ink is made of an insulation material.

In one embodiment, the first metal layer includes copper, nickel, and gold; the second metal layer includes tin and copper.

In one embodiment, a cutting error of cutting the chip signal elements is ±0.05 mm.

In one embodiment, a white ink is printed on a surface of the solder mask layer to form an identification pattern layer for identifying directions, wherein the identification pattern layer comprises text patterns, number patterns, or graph patters.

In one embodiment, the cutting lines are aligned along the through holes between two adjacent chip signal elements, and different specific distances are presented between the through holes and the cutting lines.

In one embodiment, the substrate is cut along lines, which are perpendicular to the cutting lines and aligned along centers of the corresponding side holes, so that a plurality of single chip signal elements having a spiral radiator are embedded in the substrate.

In one embodiment, the substrate is cut along cutting lines, each cutting line is aligned along the through holes of the single chip element, and the conductive layers are exposed to the substrate after the substrate is cut.

In one embodiment, the substrate is cut along lines, which are perpendicular to the cutting lines and aligned along centers of terminal electrodes between two adjacent rows of chip signal elements, so that a plurality of single chip signal elements having a spiral radiator are formed around the substrate.

In one embodiment, an enhanced hole is drilled in the region of forming electrode portions on the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate.

In one embodiment, a first copper-plating process is performed on a hole wall of the enhanced hole to form a first enhanced conductive layer.

In one embodiment, a second copper-plating process is performed on a surface of the first enhanced conductive layer to form a second enhanced conductive layer; wherein the first enhanced conductive layer and the second enhanced conductive layer form an enhanced conductive layer.

In one embodiment, the enhanced conductive layer is electrically connected to the electrode portions formed on the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate after the substrate is etched.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the present invention as claimed. Other advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, drawings and claims.

The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a chip signal element according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a top surface of a substrate according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of manufacturing a conductive layer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of etching an upper metal layer on the top surface of the substrate according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of etching a lower metal layer on the bottom surface of the substrate according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic side view of manufacturing a solder mask layer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic side view of manufacturing an identification pattern layer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic view of manufacturing a terminal electrode according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows a schematic perspective view of a single chip signal element according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows a schematic view of a use condition between a carrier board and the chip signal element according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows a schematic view of cutting the chip signal element according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows a schematic perspective view of the chip signal element according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 shows a schematic view of a top surface of a substrate according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 shows is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a chip signal element according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 shows a schematic view of a top surface of a substrate according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 shows a schematic view of a chip signal element according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 shows a schematic side sectional view of FIG. 17 .

Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail.

Refer to FIG. 1 , which shows a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a chip signal element according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Also, structural views of the chip signal element are shown from FIG. 2 to FIG. 10 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the method for manufacturing the chip signal element includes steps as follows. First, in step (S 100 ), a substrate 1 is provided. The substrate 1 has a top surface and a bottom surface, and an upper metal layer 2 a is disposed on the top surface and a lower metal layer 2 b is disposed on the bottom surface shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . In one example, the substrate 1 is a printed circuit board (PCB).

Afterward, in step (S 102 ), a hole-drilling process for through holes is performed. A processing machine is used to drill a plurality of through holes 11 (also shown in FIG. 2 ), and the through holes 11 are correspondingly formed in a region of a single chip signal element 10 on the substrate 1 . In this embodiment, a diameter of each through hole 11 is 0.15 mm, and a hole distance between two adjacent through holes 11 is 0.20 mm.

Afterward, in step (S 104 ), a hole-digging process or a hole-drilling process for side holes is performed. After the through holes 11 are completed, a digging tool or drilling tool is used to dig or drill side holes 12 along two sides of each row of the chip signal elements 10 . The side holes 12 are perpendicular to the through holes 11 , and the side holes 12 and the through holes 11 are formed on the substrate 1 shown in FIG. 2 . In this embodiment, each of the side holes 12 is strip-shaped and formed along two sides of the through holes 11 .

Afterward, in step (S 106 ), a first copper-plating process is performed. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , sputtering or electroplating copper material is performed on hole walls 11 a of the through holes 11 to form a plurality of first conductive layers 23 a . The first conductive layers 23 a are electrically connected to the corresponding upper metal layer 2 a and lower metal layer 2 b.

Afterward, in step (S 108 ), a second copper-plating process is performed. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , sputtering or electroplating copper material is performed again on the first conductive layers 23 to form a plurality of second conductive layers 23 b , thus increasing the thickness of the conductive layers 23 . The first conductive layer 23 a and the second conductive layers 23 b form a plurality of conductive layers 23 .

Afterward, in step (S 110 ), an etching process is performed. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , a wet etching technology, such as chemical etching or a dry etching technology, such as laser direct imaging (LDI) is used to form a first pattern layer 21 on the upper metal layer 2 a of the substrate 1 . The first pattern layer 21 is composed of a plurality of straight wires 211 and a plurality of electrode wires 212 , and the straight wires 211 are electrically connected to the corresponding through holes 11 . Afterward, a laser beam is provided to form a second pattern layer 22 on the lower metal layer 2 b of the substrate 1 . The second pattern layer 22 is composed of a plurality of oblique wires 221 and a plurality of electrode portions 222 , and the oblique wires 221 are obliquely electrically connected to the corresponding through holes 11 so that the first pattern layers 21 are electrically connected to the second pattern layers 22 through the conductive layers 23 to form a spiral radiator 2 . In this embodiment, a line width of each oblique wire 221 and a line width of each straight wire 211 is 0.05 mm; and a wire distance between two adjacent oblique wires 221 and a wire distance between two adjacent straight wires 211 is 0.05 mm.

Afterward, in step (S 112 ), a first ink layer process is performed. After the radiator 2 is completed, a printing technology is used to print black ink on the top surface and bottom surface of the substrate 1 to cover spiral portions of the radiator 2 and form a solder mask layer 3 , as shown in FIG. 7 . Only a part of each electrode wire 212 at two ends of the radiator 2 and a part of each electrode wire 222 at two ends of the radiator 2 are exposed to the solder mask layer 3 . In one example, the black ink is made of an insulation material.

Afterward, in step (S 114 ), a second ink layer process is performed. After the first ink layer is completed, the printing technology is used again to print a white ink on a surface of the solder mask layer 3 to form an identification pattern layer 4 for identifying directions, as shown in FIG. 8 . In one example, the identification pattern layer 4 includes text patterns, number patterns, or graph patterns.

Afterward, in step (S 116 ), a terminal electrode process is performed. After the identification pattern layer 4 is completed, an organic metal process is used to form a first metal layer with good flatness on the top surface and the bottom surface of two ends of the substrate 1 . The first metal layer is electrically connected to the exposed parts of the electrode wires 212 and the exposed parts of the electrode portions 222 of the radiator 2 . Afterward, a second metal layer is plated on a surface of the first metal layer to form terminal electrodes 5 of the chip signal elements 10 , shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 . In one example, the first metal layer includes copper, nickel, and gold; and the second metal layer includes tin and copper.

Afterward, in step (S 118 ), a cutting process is performed. After the terminal electrodes 5 are completed, a cutting line 6 is provided between through holes 11 of two adjacent chip signal elements 10 . As shown in FIG. 9 , the substrate 1 is cut along the cutting line 6 by a cutting tool so that different specific distances are presented between the through holes 11 and the cutting lines 6 on the substrate 1 . After the chip signal elements arranged in rows on the substrate are cut, a plurality of single chip signal elements 10 having a spiral radiator 2 are embedded in the substrate. In this embodiment, a cutting error is ±0.05 mm.

Refer to FIG. 11 , which shows a schematic view of use condition between a carrier board and the chip signal element according to the first embodiment of the present invention. After completely manufacturing the chip signal element 10 , the chip signal element 10 is electrically connected on the carrier board 20 . More specifically, in one embodiment, the chip signal element 10 is electrically connected on the carrier board 20 having a clearance area.

The carrier board 20 has a front surface and a back surface. The front surface of the carrier board 20 has a first grounding metal layer 201 and a bare empty portion 202 . The bare empty portion 202 has a fixed end 203 and a signal feeding line 204 thereon. The signal feeding line 204 includes a first signal feeding line 204 a , a second signal feeding line 204 b , and a spacing 204 c formed between the first signal feeding line 204 a and the second signal feeding line 204 b . The first signal feeding line 204 a and the second signal feeding line 204 b may be electrically connected to a gap 205 between thereof by a matching circuit (not shown) for impedance and frequency adjustments. The back surface of the carrier board 20 has a second grounding metal layer (not shown) and a clearance area (not shown).

When the chip signal element 10 is electrically connected on the carrier board 20 , the terminal electrodes 5 of the chip signal element 10 are electrically connected to the fixed end 203 and one terminal of the first signal feeding line 204 a . In addition, the other terminal of the second signal feeding line 204 b is provided to electrically connect to a coaxial cable (not shown). When the antenna is used for receiving or transmitting signals, the received signals are delivered from the coaxial cable to the signal feeding line 204 and the transmitted signals are delivered from the signal feeding line 204 to the coaxial cable, thus implementing signal communication of the antenna.

Refer to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 , which show a schematic view of cutting the chip signal element and a schematic perspective view of the chip signal element according to a second embodiment of the present invention, respectively. A method of manufacturing a chip signal element 10 a in the second embodiment is similar to that of manufacturing the chip signal element 10 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 11 . The major difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that each of the cutting lines 6 a is aligned along the through holes 11 in the second embodiment. After the substrate 1 is cut, the conductive layers 23 are exposed to the substrate 1 so as to form the chip signal elements 10 a , and each of the chip signal elements 10 a has spiral radiators 2 formed around the substrate 1 . In this embodiment, a cutting error is ±0.05 mm.

Refer to FIG. 14 , which shows a schematic view of a top surface of a substrate according to a third embodiment of the present invention. A method of manufacturing a chip signal element 10 a in the third embodiment is similar to that of manufacturing the chip signal element 10 shown in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 11 . The major difference between the first embodiment and the third embodiment is that each of the side holes 12 a is circular and formed at two sides of each chip signal element 10 in the third embodiment. After the aforementioned wet or dry etching process, the side holes 12 a are correspondingly formed on the electrode wires 212 and the electrode portions 222 . In particular, the structure of circular side holes 12 a can be also implemented in the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 14 , the substrate 1 is cut along the cutting line 6 provided between through holes 11 of two adjacent chip signal elements 10 by the cutting tool so that different specific distances are presented between the through holes 11 and the cutting lines 6 on the substrate 1 . Afterward, the substrate 1 is cut along cutting lines 61 , which are perpendicular to the cutting lines 6 and aligned along centers of the corresponding side holes 12 a , so that a plurality of single chip signal elements 10 having a spiral radiator 2 are acquired.

Refer to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 , which show a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a chip signal element and a schematic view of a top surface of a substrate according to a fourth embodiment, respectively. The method of manufacturing the chip signal element in the fourth embodiment is similar to that of manufacturing the chip signal element in the first embodiment. The major difference between the first embodiment and the fourth embodiment is that the hole-digging process or the hole-drilling process for side holes (i.e., the step (S 104 ) in the first embodiment) is omitted in the fourth embodiment. In other words, after the hole-drilling process for through holes (S 202 ), the first copper-plating process (S 204 ) is performed next.

As shown in FIG. 14 , the substrate 1 is cut along the cutting line 6 provided between through holes 11 of two adjacent chip signal elements 10 by the cutting tool so that different specific distances are presented between the through holes 11 and the cutting lines 6 on the substrate 1 . Afterward, the substrate 1 is cut along cutting lines 62 , which are perpendicular to the cutting lines 6 and aligned along centers of terminal electrodes 5 between two adjacent rows of chip signal elements, so that a plurality of single chip signal elements 10 having a spiral radiator 2 are acquired. In particular, the structure without dug or drilled side holes 12 , 12 a can be also implemented in the second embodiment.

Refer to FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 , which show a schematic view of a chip signal element according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention and a schematic side sectional view of FIG. 17 , respectively. The major difference between the first embodiment and the fifth embodiment is that an enhanced hole 13 a is further drilled in the region of forming electrode portions 222 a on the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate 1 in the step (S 102 ). Moreover, the first copper-plating process (S 106 ) and the second copper-plating process (S 108 ) are performed for processing a hole wall 13 b of the enhanced hole 13 a . In other words, a first enhanced conductive layer (not shown) is formed on the hole wall 13 b of the enhanced hole 13 a after the first copper-plating process (S 106 ) and a second enhanced conductive layer (not shown) is formed on a surface of the first enhanced conductive layer after the second copper-plating process (S 108 ). Therefore, an enhanced conductive layer 24 is composed of the first enhanced conductive layer and the second enhanced conductive layer, and the enhanced conductive layer 24 is electrically connected to the electrode portions 222 formed on the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate 1 in the step (S 110 ). Finally, the chip signal element 10 shown in FIG. 17 is completed after the steps (S 112 ) to (S 118 ) are performed.

The enhanced conductive layer 24 is provided to prevent the electrode portions 222 a on the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate 1 from falling apart when the chip signal element 10 is plated with tin by a soldering pot or is welded by a reflow oven, thus avoiding producing the chip signal elements 10 with poor conductivity.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and others will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.