Anti-static part and its manufacturing method

• US 8,345,404 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nozoe, Kenji, Iseki, Takeshi, Morino, Takashi, Tokunaga, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ieva, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US12/439,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20100188791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 361/112, 361/220, 361/56
• US Class Current: 361/220
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 1/146 the resistive element surrounding the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 17/006 adapted for manufacturing resistor chips
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 17/02 adapted for manufacturing resistors with envelope or housing
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 7/1006 Thick film varistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01T 21/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture or maintenance of spark gaps or sparking plugs
• CPC Class Codes: H01T 4/12 hermetically sealed

Abstract

A conductive layer mainly made of gold is formed on an upper surface of an insulating substrate. Plural electrodes facing each other via a gap is formed by forming the gap in the conductive layer. An overvoltage protective layer covering the gap and a portion of each of the plurality of electrodes is formed. This method can provide the gap with a narrow width precisely, and thereby, provide an electrostatic (ESD) protector with a low peak voltage, stable characteristics of suppressing electrostatic discharge, and a high resistance to sulfidation.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protector, the method comprising:

forming a conductive layer mainly made of gold on an upper surface of an insulating substrate;

forming a plurality of electrodes facing each other via a gap by forming the gap in the conductive layer;

forming an overvoltage protective layer covering the gap and a portion of each of the electrodes;

forming an intermediate layer covering the overvoltage protective layer; and

forming a protective resin layer completely covering the intermediate layer and the overvoltage protective layer,

wherein the protective resin layer has a physical breaking strength higher than a physical breaking strength of the intermediate layer, and

wherein the intermediate layer comprises silicone-resin-based insulating resin and insulating powder made of Al₂O₃, SiO₂, MgO, a composite oxide of Al₂O₃, a composite oxide of SiO₂, or a composite oxide of MgO.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said forming the plurality of electrodes comprises forming the gap in the conductive layer by a photolithography technique.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said forming the plurality of electrodes comprises forming the gap with laser.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising cleaning the gap with acidic solution.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is made of gold-based organic paste.

15. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the insulating substrate has a rectangular shape having a first long side, a second long side, a first short side, and a second short side, and

wherein a length L (mm) of each of the first long side and the second long side of the insulating substrate, and a length W (mm) of each of the first short side and the second short side of the insulating substrate satisfy a condition:

(L−

0.1)/(W−

0.1)≧

1.5.

6. A method of manufacturing an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protector, the method comprising:

defining a first dividing line and a plurality of second dividing lines crossing in an upper surface of an insulating substrate, the plurality of second dividing lines crossing the first dividing line;

forming a conductive layer mainly made of gold on the upper surface of the insulating substrate;

forming a plurality of electrodes facing each other via a gap by forming the gap in the conductive layer;

forming a plurality of lower electrodes on a lower surface of the insulating substrate;

forming an overvoltage protective layer covering the gap and a portion of each of the electrodes;

forming an intermediate layer covering the overvoltage protective layer;

forming a protective resin layer completely covering the intermediate layer and the overvoltage protective layer;

providing an insulating substrate strip by dividing the insulating substrate along the first dividing line; and

providing an insulating substrate piece by dividing the insulating substrate strip along the plurality of second dividing lines,

wherein said forming the conductive layer comprises forming the conductive layer on the upper surface of the insulating substrate so that the conductive layer crosses the first dividing line,

wherein each of the lower electrodes includes

a first portion which crosses the plurality of second dividing lines, and

a second portion connected to the first portion, the second portion crossing the first dividing line, the second portion having a width narrower than a width of the first portion, the second portion being disposed away from the plurality of second dividing lines, and

wherein the protective resin layer has a physical breaking strength higher than a physical breaking strength of the intermediate layer, and

wherein the intermediate layer comprises silicone-resin-based insulating resin and insulating powder made of Al₂O₃, SiO₂, MgO, a composite oxide of Al₂O₃, a composite oxide of SiO₂, or a composite oxide of MgO.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said forming the conductive layer comprises forming the conductive layer on the upper surface of the insulating substrate so that the conductive layer crosses the first dividing line and is located away from the second dividing lines.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein said forming the plurality of electrodes comprises:

forming the conductive layer by applying conductive paste on the upper surface of the insulating substrate;

applying a resist to the conductive layer;

forming a pattern in the resist by exposing the resist to light through a mask pattern, developing the resist, and removing an unnecessary portion of the resist;

after said forming the pattern in the resist, forming the gap by etching the conductive layer; and

after said forming the gap, removing the resist.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising forming a protective resin layer completely covering the overvoltage protective layer.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising

forming an intermediate layer covering the overvoltage protective layer,

wherein said forming the protective resin layer comprises completely covering the intermediate layer and the overvoltage protective layer with the protective resin layer.

11. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

forming an upper electrode for covering a portion of one of the plurality of electrodes;

after said providing the insulating substrate strip, forming an edge electrode on an edge surface of the substrate strip, the edge electrode being connected electrically to the upper electrode and said one of the electrodes; and

after said providing the insulating substrate piece, forming a plated layer on the edge electrode.

12. An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protector, comprising:

an insulating substrate having a surface, the insulating substrate having a rectangular shape having a first long side, a second long side, a first short side, and a second short side;

a first electrode provided on the surface of the insulating substrate and extending along the first long side;

a second electrode provided on the surface of the insulating substrate and extending along the second long side, the second electrode facing the first electrode via a gap;

an overvoltage protective layer covering a portion of the first electrode, a portion of the second electrode, and the gap;

an intermediate layer covering the overvoltage protective layer; and

a protective resin layer having a thickness equal to or larger than 20 μ

m, the protective resin layer completely covering the overvoltage protective layer and the intermediate layer,

wherein the protective resin layer has a physical breaking strength higher than a physical breaking strength of the intermediate layer, and

wherein the intermediate layer comprises silicone-resin-based insulating resin and insulating powder made of Al₂O₃, SiO₂, MgO, a composite oxide of Al₂O₃, a composite oxide of SiO₂, or a composite oxide of MgO.

13. The ESD protector according to claim 12, wherein a thickness of the protective resin layer is equal to or larger than 35 μ

m.

14. The ESD protector according to claim 12, wherein a length L (mm) of each of the first long side and the second long side of the insulating substrate, and a length W (mm) of each of the first short side and the second short side of the insulating substrate satisfy a condition:

(L−

0.1)/(W−

0.1)≧

1.5.

16. A method of manufacturing an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protector, the method comprising:

forming a conductive layer mainly made of gold on an upper surface of an insulating substrate;

forming first and second electrodes facing each other via a gap by forming the gap in the conductive layer;

forming an overvoltage protective layer covering the gap and a portion of each of the first and second electrodes;

forming first and second upper electrodes on portions of upper surfaces of the first and second electrodes, respectively;

forming an intermediate layer covering the overvoltage protective laver;

forming a protective resin layer completely covering the overvoltage protective layer, the protective resin layer extending partially onto the upper surfaces of the first and second upper electrodes;

forming a first terminal electrode on the first electrode and on a portion of the first upper electrode; and

forming a second terminal electrode on the second electrode and on a portion of the second upper electrode,

wherein the protective resin layer has a physical breaking strength higher than a physical breaking strength of the intermediate layer, and

wherein the intermediate layer comprises silicone-resin-based insulating resin and insulating powder made of Al₂O₃, SiO₂, MgO, a composite oxide of Al₂O₃, a composite oxide of SiO₂, or a composite oxide of MgO.

17. The method according to claim 16,

wherein the insulating substrate has a rectangular shape having a first long side, a second long side, a first short side, and a second short side, and

wherein a length L (mm) of each of the first long side and the second long side of the insulating substrate, and a length W (mm) of each of the first short side and the second short side of the insulating substrate satisfy a condition:

(L−

0.1)/(W−

0.1)≧

1.5.