Electroformed component production method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9598784-B2
Application number	US-201414787453-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2014
Priority date	Aug 2, 2013
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

A contact element ( 25 ) (electroformed product) is produced by electroforming. The contact element ( 25 ) has a surface on which an insulating film ( 28 ) having been formed by use of a dry film resist or the like is provided. In a process of producing the contact element ( 25 ), the insulating film ( 28 ) is provided after a step of producing the contact element 25 . This makes it possible to provide electroformed components configured so that respective electroformed products (contact terminals) are arranged at narrow pitches while maintaining electrical insulation of the electroformed products from each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of producing an electroformed component, comprising:
a mold form fabricating step of (i) fabricating an insulating mold form by making an opening through an insulating mold form material which is provided on a surface of an electrically conductive base material so that part of the electrically conductive base material is exposed within the opening and (ii) forming, with use of the insulating mold form material, a recess part or a protrusion part, any of which is intended for fabricating a position determining mark;
an electrodepositing step, of (i) fabricating an electroformed product by electrodepositing a metal on an exposed surface of the electrically conductive base material, the exposed surface being exposed within the opening and (ii) fabricating, by use of the recess part or the protrusion part, the position determining mark having a protruding form or a recessed form, respectively;
a mold form removing step of removing the insulating mold form from the surface of the electrically conductive base material;
an insulating film forming step of covering a surface of the electroformed product with an insulating film which is a photosensitive film;
after the insulating film forming step, an exposing step of irradiating part of the insulating film with light while the position determining mark serves as a positional reference;
an insulating film removing step of subjecting the insulating film to a development process so as to remove part of the insulating film while causing a remaining part of the insulating film to remain on at least part of the surface of the electroformed product; and
after the insulating film removing step, a peeling step of peeling, from the electrically conductive base material, the electroformed product having the surface on which the remaining part of the insulating film is provided.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
in the exposing step, light irradiation causes a partial region, which corresponds to the at least part of the surface of the electroformed product, to be insoluble in a developing solution; and
in the insulating film removing step, a region of the insulating film, the region not having been made insoluble in the developing solution, is removed by the development process.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
in the exposing step, light irradiation causes a region of the insulating film, which region is other than a partial region corresponding to the at least part of the surface of the electroformed product, to be soluble; and
in the insulating film removing step, the region of the insulating film is removed by the development process.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
in the insulating film forming step, the insulating film covering the surface of the electroformed product is a dry film resist.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
in the insulating film forming step, the insulating film covering the surface of the electroformed product is a liquid resist which has been applied to the surface of the electroformed product.

6. A method of producing an electroformed component, comprising:
a mold form material providing step of providing an insulating mold form material on a surface of an electrically conductive base material, which surface has a position determining mark;
a mold form fabricating step of fabricating an insulating mold form by making an opening through part of the insulating mold form material while the position determining mark serves as a positional reference so that part of the electrically conductive base material is exposed within the opening;
an electrodepositing step of fabricating an electroformed product by electrodepositing a metal on an exposed surface of the electrically conductive base material, the exposed surface being exposed within the opening;
a mold form removing step of removing the insulating mold form from the surface of the electrically conductive base material;
an insulating film forming step of covering a surface of the electroformed product with an insulating film which is a photosensitive resin;
after the insulating film forming step, an exposing step of (i) causing a direct writing exposure device to carry out image recognition of a position of the position determining mark which is visible through the insulating film and (ii) irradiating part of the insulating film with light while the position determining mark serves as the positional reference;
an insulating film removing step of subjecting the insulating film to a development process so as to remove part of the insulating film while causing a remaining part of the insulating film to remain on at least part of the surface of the electroformed product; and
after the insulating film removing step, a peeling step of peeling, from the electrically conductive base material the electroformed product having the surface on which the remaining part of the insulating film is provided.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 , wherein
in the mold form fabricating step, a direct writing exposure device carries out image recognition of the position of the position determining mark which is visible through the insulating mold form material.

8. The method as set forth in claim 6 , wherein:
in the exposing step, light irradiation causes a partial region, which corresponds to the at least part of the surface of the electroformed product, to be insoluble in a developing solution; and
in the insulating film removing step, a region of the insulating film, the region not having been made insoluble in the developing solution, is removed by the development process.

9. The method as set forth in claim 6 , wherein:
in the exposing step, light irradiation causes a region of the insulating film, which region is other than a partial region corresponding to the at least part of the surface of the electroformed product, to be soluble; and
in the insulating film removing step, the region of the insulating film is removed by the development process.

10. A method of producing an electroformed component, comprising:
a mold form fabricating step of (i) fabricating an insulating mold form by making an opening through an insulating mold form material which is provided on a surface of an electrically conductive base material so that part of the electrically conductive base material is exposed within the opening and (ii) forming, with use of the insulating mold form material, a recess part or a protrusion part, any of which is intended for fabricating a position determining mark;
an electrodepositing step of (i) fabricating an electroformed product by electrodepositing a metal on an exposed surface of the electrically conductive base material, the exposed surface being exposed within the opening and (ii) fabricating, by use of the recess part or the protrusion part, the position determining mark having a protruding form or a recessed form, respectively;
a mold form removing step of removing the insulating mold form from the surface of the electrically conductive base material;
an insulating film forming step of covering a surface of the electroformed product with an insulating film which is a photosensitive film;
after the insulating film forming step, an exposing step of irradiating part of the insulating film with light while the position determining mark serves as a positional reference;
an insulating film removing step of subjecting the insulating film to a development process so as to remove part of the insulating film while causing a remaining part of the insulating film to remain on at least part of the surface of the electroformed product; and
after the insulating film removing step, a peeling

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Hemmi Yoshinobu
• Sakai Takahiro
• Ozaki Hideaki
• Teranishi Hirotada

Classifications

• G01R1/06722

  Spring-loaded · CPC title

• C25D1/20

  Separation of the formed objects from the electrodes {with no destruction of said electrodes} · CPC title

• C25D1/10

  Moulds; Masks; Masterforms · CPC title

• C25D1/003 Primary

  3D structures, e.g. superposed patterned layers · CPC title

• G01R3/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture {or maintenance} of measuring instruments {, e.g. of probe tips} · CPC title