Abstract: Disclosed is an circuit-pattern inspection apparatus comprising a power supply element 30 adapted to be capacitively coupled with a parallel array of conductive patterns 20 to supply an inspection signal to one end of each of the conductible patterns, an open sensor 40 adapted to be capacitively coupled with all of the other ends of the conductive patterns to detect the inspection signal, and a short sensor 50 arranged at a position displaced from the power supply element 30 and adapted to be capacitively coupled with two lines of the conductive patterns to detect the inspection signal. The quality of the conductive pattern is inspected such that the presence of disconnection is determined when the detect signal from the open sensor 40 is largely reduced, and the presence of short is determined when the detect signal from the short sensor 50 largely rises and then falls. The circuit-pattern inspection apparatus can detect defects in a circuit board reliably and readily.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for used in a board inspection capable of an inspection of defect in a circuit board with high resolution over a wide range. The method is used for manufacturing a sensor probe comprising layers which include an electrode layer, a lead wire layer and a bridge layer (41). These layers are laminated on a base (30) in the form of a flat plate composed of silicon. The electrode layer is comprised of a set of sensor electrodes (40). The lead wire layer is comprised of a set of lead wires (50) for transferring a signal externally. The bridge layer couples between the electrode layer and the lead wire layer. The lead wire layer is formed by means of depositing aluminum in accordance with a first mask pattern. The bridge layer is formed by means of growing each of bridge wires (41) in the direction perpendicular to the base. The bridge wires extend in the direction perpendicular to the base and are connected to respective lead wires of the lead layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inspection unit capable of allowing a probe and other components to be positioned with a high degree of accuracy while preventing misalignment of the probe and to be arranged closer to each other. The inspection unit includes a probe 14a for supplying an inspection signal in contact with a circuit wiring, and a board 12 having an electrode 13 printed thereon to detect the supplied inspection signal to the circuit wiring in non-contact with the circuit wiring. The board 12 includes a bore 12a allowing the probe 14a to be penetratingly disposed therein. The bore 12a is adapted to guide the axial movement of the probe 14a. A circuit wiring having branch portions branched halfway therefrom can be inspected by using a less number of non-contact sensors.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus is provided capable of adequately positioning an inspection chip to a conductive pattern as an inspection object. For connecting an electrode pad 1b of an inspection chip 1 with a lead 2a of a package 2, bump electrodes 3 and 4 are first provided at the inspection chip and at the package, respectively. Then, an anisotropic conductor 5 is provided to cover between the bump electrodes 3 and 4, and a conductor film 6 is provided on the anisotropic conductor 5 to extend between the bump electrodes 3 and 4. The anisotropic conductor 5 is thermo-compression bonded to provide an electrical connection between the conductor film 6 and the bump electrodes 3 and 4. This structure may provide a desirable surface of the inspection chip 1 having a sufficiently reduced thickness.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inspection apparatus and inspection method capable of inspecting the shape of a board used in a liquid crystal panel with high fineness and efficiency. A computer 21 controls an X-electrode select section 22 and a Y-electrode select section 23 to drive liquid crystal driving electrodes 102 selectively. A FLASHSHOCK Sensor 1 is located at a position opposed to a board 100 in a non-contact manner. The FLASHSHOCK Sensor 1 is adapted to detect each potential variation caused in the liquid crystal electrodes 101-104 and then output the detected potential variation to the computer 21 as a detect signal. The computer 21 receives the detect signal from the FLASHSHOCK Sensor 1 to create image data, and detects disconnection, short-circuit, chipping or the like in the liquid crystal electrodes based on the created image data. Further, the computer 21 displays an image representing each shape of the liquid crystal electrodes on a display 21a.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for inspecting electrical continuity of a circuit board, capable of decreasing the impedance in a current path as an inspection object to achieve enhanced SN ratio. A coupling capacitance is formed at one of terminals of a pattern wire on a board as an inspection object in a non-contact manner, and an inductance (450) and a lead wire are connected to this capacitance. An AC inspection signal is applied to the other terminal through the lead wire in a contact manner. A resonance circuit is defined by the capacitance, inductance and pattern wire, and thereby an output signal can be detected with lowering the impedance.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for inspecting a circuit board at a high speed. An LCD driver module 100 as an object to be inspected has an onboard LCD driving LSI 110. One circuit-wiring group 111 is connected to SEG terminals, and another circuit-wiring group 112 is connected to COM terminals of the LSI 110. An inspection apparatus 1 generates an LSI drive signal and sends it to input terminals 113 of the LSI 110. A pair of sensors 2, 3 are positioned opposedly to the circuit-wiring groups 111, 112, respectively, in a non-contact manner. Each of the sensors 2, 3 detects voltage changes in the corresponding circuit-wiring group 111, 112 caused by driving the LSI 110, and the detected signals are analyzed by the inspection apparatus 1.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for inspection a circuit wiring on a circuit board. In advance of an actual inspection of the circuit board, image data on all of standard circuit wirings of a standard circuit board are extracted and registered as standard-shape or reference data (FIG. 14). An actual-image data obtained by actually inspecting a target circuit wiring is compared with the reference data through a least squares method (S 167) to determine the state of the target circuit wiring in accordance with a correlation value of the two data (S168). The comparison result is displayed on a display 21a while specifying a region from the reference data (S169).

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for inspecting electrical continuity of a circuit board, capable of decreasing the impedance in a current path as an inspection object to achieve enhanced SN ratio. A coupling capacitance is formed at one of terminals of a pattern wire on a board as an inspection object in a non-contact manner, and an inductance (450) and a lead wire are connected to this capacitance. An AC inspection signal is applied to the other terminal through the lead wire in a contact manner. A resonance circuit is defined by the capacitance, inductance and pattern wire, and thereby an output signal can be detected with lowering the impedance.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to finely inspect a dimension of a conductive pattern. A sensor element 12a includes an MOSFET. A diffusion layer of the MOSFET having a larger surface area serves as a passive element, and is placed opposes to the conductive pattern. The passive element is formed continuously with a source of the MOSFET to be electrically conductive thereto. A gate of the MOSFET is connected to a vertical select section 14, and a drain of the MOSFET is connected to a lateral select section 13. When a sensor element 12a is selected by a timing generating section 15, a signal is transmitted from the vertical select section 14 to the gate to turn on the MOSFET. In this moment, if an inspection signal is output from a probe 22, the potential in the conductive pattern 101 is varied. Thus, a current flows from the source to the drain and then the current is transmitted to a signal processing section 16 through the lateral select section 13.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inspection apparatus and method capable of intuitively obtaining inspection results of circuit wirings. An inspection system 20 comprises a sensor chip 1 including plural sensor elements, a computer 21, probes 22 for supplying an inspection signal to circuit wirings 101, and a selector 23 for switching the supply of the inspection signal to the probes 22. The computer 21 receives the detected signals from the sensor chip 1, and generates an image data to display an image of the circuit wirings as an inspection subject on a display 21a. This make it possible to check the shape of the specific circuit wiring and to detect defects such as disconnection, short-circuit, and chipping in the circuit wiring 101 based on the generated image data and the design image data representing the design circuit wiring.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inspection apparatus, an inspection method and an inspection unit therefor capable of inspecting a conductive pattern in a complete non-contact manner. In the method for inspecting a conductive pattern of a circuit board in a complete non-contact manner, a plurality of electrically conductive cells 11 are arranged along the conductive pattern of the circuit board 100 with leaving a space therebetween. An inspection signal having temporal variations is supplied to at least one of the cells 11 in the conductive pattern without using any pin. An output signal appearing at another at least one of the cells through the conductive pattern in response to the applied inspection signal is detected. The conductive pattern is inspected based on the detected output signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for used in a board inspection capable of an inspection of defect in a circuit board with high resolution over a wide range. The method is used for manufacturing a sensor probe comprising layers which include an electrode layer, a lead wire layer and a bridge layer (41). These layers are laminated on a base (30) in the form of a flat plate composed of silicon. The electrode layer is comprised of a set of sensor electrodes (40). The lead wire layer is comprised of a set of lead wires (50) for transferring a signal externally. The bridge layer couples between the electrode layer and the lead wire layer. The lead wire layer is formed by means of depositing aluminum in accordance with a first mask pattern. The bridge layer is formed by means of growing each of bridge wires (41) in the direction perpendicular to the base. The bridge wires extend in the direction perpendicular to the base and are connected to respective lead wires of the lead layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for used in a board inspection capable of an inspection of defect in a circuit board with high resolution over a wide range. The method is used for manufacturing a sensor probe comprising layers which include an electrode layer, a lead wire layer and a bridge layer (41). These layers are laminated on a base (30) in the form of a flat plate composed of silicon. The electrode layer is comprised of a set of sensor electrodes (40). The lead wire layer is comprised of a set of lead wires (50) for transferring a signal externally. The bridge layer couples between the electrode layer and the lead wire layer. The lead wire layer is formed by means of depositing aluminum in accordance with a first mask pattern. The bridge layer is formed by means of growing each of bridge wires (41) in the direction perpendicular to the base. The bridge wires extend in the direction perpendicular to the base and are connected to respective lead wires of the lead layer.

Abstract: An apparatus and method capable of effective board inspection. In the board inspection apparatus wherein a pulse signal is applied to one edge of a pattern line on a board, a non-contact probe receives a signal at another edge of the pattern line, and a conduction of the pattern line is inspected in accordance with the received signal, the board inspection method comprising steps of: applying an inspection signal to the one edge of the pattern line at a predetermined time; receiving an applied timing of the inspection signal at a receiving side; and monitoring a variance of a received signal which is detected by the probe after the applied timing.

Abstract: A board inspection probe for inspecting pattern lines on a circuit board for defects in a non-contact manner. The probe has an electrode for radiating an electrical signal or receiving an electrical signal radiated from a first pattern line. The probe also has a shield to prevent, from reaching the electrode, unwanted radiant waves emitted from pattern lines located in a region except a board region immediately below an electrode surface of the electrode. This shield is terminates near the electrode surface of the electrode, so that radiant waves from only pattern lines located on the board region immediately below the electrode are received.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus inspects an electronic circuit board on which a plurality of bonding pads and a plurality of pin pads are connected to each other through conductive patterns. A probe having a contact pin is moved on the electronic circuit board along a straight line substantially constituted by a terminal group without separating the contact pin from the surface of the electronic circuit board. This moving operation is a "wiping" operation. In the process of movement, an identifiable electrical signal is applied to the contact pin, and a return signal is detected at each pin pad. This return signal is compared with a reference signal obtained in advance by using a reference circuit board. A discontinuity or short in each conductive pattern is determined on the basis of the comparison result.