JP2000046869A - Method and apparatus for assembling contact probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for assembling contact probes whereby an installation time for fixing unit contact probes to a fixed plate can be shortened, manufacture costs can be reduced and a position accuracy of the unit contact probes is improved. SOLUTION: This probe uses a fixed plate 40 having a vacuuming groove (not shown) formed to an inclined face 41. The assembly method includes a process of temporarily fixing a unit contact probe 1 to the inclined face 41 of the fixed plate 40 via an adhesive 32 (or double-sided tape), an alignment process of aligning a leading end of each contact pin 3a of the unit contact probe 1 and a mask member 34 having the same pattern as a pitch pattern of the contact pins 3a according to the pattern, and a process of vacuuming the groove of each inclined face 41, thereby vacuuming and fixing each unit contact probe 1 to the inclined face 41.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of assembling a contact probe which is used as a probe pin, a socket pin, or the like and performs an electrical test by contacting each terminal of a semiconductor IC chip, a liquid crystal device or the like. Related to the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a probe card is used to perform an electrical test by contacting a semiconductor chip such as an IC chip or an LSI chip or each terminal of an LCD (liquid crystal display). In recent years, as the integration and miniaturization of IC chips and the like have increased, the pitch of contact pads, which are electrodes, has been reduced, and the pitch of contact pins has been required to be narrower. However, with a tungsten needle contact probe used as a contact pin, it has been difficult to cope with a multi-pin narrow pitch due to the limitation of the diameter of the tungsten needle.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, a plurality of pattern wirings 3 are formed on a resin film 2, and the respective tips of the pattern wirings 3 are arranged so as to protrude from the resin film 2 so as to make contact. A probe card technology in which the unit contact probe 1 serving as the pin 3a is incorporated by various mechanical parts has been proposed (see, for example, JP-A-6-331655). According to this technique, the tip of each of the plurality of pattern wirings 3 is formed as a contact pin 3a, so that a multi-pin narrow pitch is achieved and many complicated components are not required.

Here, conventionally, for example, in order to integrally connect a plurality of unit contact probes to produce a contact probe, the following jig (assembly apparatus) is used. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a rectangular hole 100a is formed in the center of a rectangular parallelepiped side holder (probe holding table) 100, and the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the side holder 100 is formed in a flat horizontal plane 101. The other part of the upper surface is 4
It has a quadrangular pyramid shape composed of two inclined surfaces 102. A center holder 103 (see FIG. 18) is inserted into the square hole 100a of the side holder 100. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, positioning notches 104 are formed on each side of the upper end of the center holder 103. The width H of the positioning notch 104 is slightly larger than the total pin width B of the unit contact probe 1 (see FIG. 13).

In order to manufacture a contact probe using this jig, first, as shown in FIGS.
First, the unit contact probes 1 are respectively mounted on the four inclined surfaces 102 of the side holder 100, and all the contact pins 3a of the unit contact probes 1 are respectively brought into contact with the respective positioning notches 104 of the center holder 103 to perform positioning. .

Next, as shown in FIG. 20, a fixed plate (also referred to as a base) 105 is prepared in which the inner peripheral area of the lower surface is a horizontal plane 106 and the other area of the lower surface is an inclined surface 107 having a quadrangular pyramid shape. Then, each inclined surface 10 to which each unit contact probe 1 of the fixing plate 105 is to be adhered.
An adhesive is applied or a double-sided tape is attached to the area 7, and the fixing plate 105 is lowered onto each unit contact probe 1 and pressed. As described above,
As shown in FIG. 21, four unit contact probes 1
Are integrated by a fixing plate 105, and the fixing plate 105 is attached to a printed circuit board (not shown) or the like, whereby a probe device (probe card) can be obtained.

[0007]

In the above-described conventional apparatus for assembling a contact probe, when the specifications of the needle tip shape of the unit contact probe, that is, the total pin width dimension (see reference numeral B in FIG. 13) are changed. It is necessary to change the width of each positioning notch of the center holder correspondingly, so if the specification of the total pin width of the unit contact probe is changed, In each case, the center holder must be designed and manufactured. As a result, it takes a long time to assemble the contact probe, and the cost increases. Since the center holder has no function of adjusting the pitch of the contact pins, the function is strongly demanded.

When each unit contact probe is adhered to the fixing plate, each unit contact probe is merely mounted on the inclined surface of the side holder, and is not fixed at all. Therefore, each unit contact probe is easily bent. Above, it is easy to displace. As a result, the position accuracy of each contact probe with respect to the fixing plate decreases,
After assembling the contact probe, there is a problem that the positional accuracy of the tip of the contact pin deviates greatly from an allowable range and the positional accuracy is reduced. For example, the permissible position range of each contact pin of the contact probe is ± 0.02 mm and ± 0.005 mm in the height direction and the lateral direction (the direction in which the contact pins are arranged), respectively. The position of the contact pin of the contact probe manufactured by the method described above had a specified value error of ± 0.2 mm or more in the height direction and the lateral direction.
Further, when assembling of the contact probe is repeated using the conventional assembling apparatus, there is a problem that the positional accuracy of the repetition is not uniform.

Such a problem becomes remarkable particularly when the flatness of the inclined surface of the side holder and the manufacturing accuracy of the fixing plate are low, or when the fixing pressing force (pressing force) is not uniform. As described above, conventionally, a dedicated side holder corresponding to a contact probe is required, which requires enormous costs for designing and manufacturing the contact probe, lowers the productivity of the contact probe, and has the above-described position. In order to reduce the accuracy as much as possible, the skill of the worker is required to be high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and eliminates the need for designing and manufacturing a center holder in accordance with a change in the specifications of a unit contact probe, thereby shortening the manufacturing time of the contact probe. An object of the present invention is to provide a contact probe assembling method and an assembling apparatus which can reduce the manufacturing cost. Another object of the present invention is to provide a contact probe assembling method and an assembling apparatus capable of improving the positional accuracy of each contact pin after assembling the contact probe and achieving uniformity of the positional accuracy. It is to provide.

[0011]

According to the present invention, a plurality of pattern wirings are formed on a film, and the respective tips of the pattern wirings are arranged so as to protrude from the film to form contact pins. A method for assembling a contact probe for fixing a unit contact probe to an inclined surface of a fixed plate, wherein the fixed plate has a suction groove formed by evacuation on the inclined surface. On the inclined surface of
A temporary fixing step of temporarily fixing the unit contact probe via an adhesive or a double-sided tape, and a tip member of each contact pin of the unit contact probe, each of a mask member having a pitch pattern similar to the pitch pattern of each contact pin. A positioning step of performing positioning by a pitch pattern, and a main fixing step of suction-fixing the unit contact probe to the inclined surface by evacuating the suction groove of the inclined surface of the fixing plate. It is characterized by having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a contact probe assembling apparatus for performing the above-described assembling method, wherein the unit probe is attached to the inclined surface of the fixed plate. A groove is formed, a plate support for supporting the fixing plate, vacuum means for evacuating the suction groove from the inside of the fixing plate, and temporarily fixing the suction groove to the inclined surface of the fixing plate. Adhesive or double-sided tape, for aligning the contact pins of the unit contact probe temporarily fixed to the inclined surface of the fixing plate,
Contact pin positioning means provided with a mask member having a pitch pattern similar to the pitch pattern of the contact pins.

Now, the operation of the first and second aspects will be described. First, after temporarily attaching the unit contact probe to the inclined surface of the fixing plate with an adhesive or double-sided tape, before the adhesive or the adhesive of the double-sided tape is completely cured, the unit contact probe is connected to the plurality of contacts. The tip of the pin is aligned with the pitch pattern of the mask member, and the contact pins on both sides of the plurality of contact pins are aligned with both ends of the pitch pattern. Thus, the contact pins of the unit contact probe are aligned. After the positioning, the suction groove on the inclined surface of the fixing plate is vacuum-sucked, so that the unit contact probe is attracted to the inclined surface via the adhesive or the double-sided tape, and is completely fixed. As described above, since the unit contact probe is temporarily fixed to the inclined surface of the fixed plate at an appropriate position and then permanently fixed, no displacement of the unit contact probe with respect to the fixed plate occurs.

When the width dimension of all the contact pins of the unit contact probe is changed, the mask member or the plate support is raised and lowered while visually observing the mask member, and the contact pins at both ends are moved to the pitch pattern of the mask member. To both ends. When the pitch of the contact pins of the unit contact probe is changed, the position of the contact pins is changed by replacing the mask member with one having the same pitch pattern as the pitch pattern of the unit contact probe after the change. Can match. Therefore, it is not necessary to replace the mask holder by preparing a plurality of mask members in advance according to the specifications of the pitch of the contact pins of the unit contact probe.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the suction groove has
Since the unit contact probe can be temporarily fixed almost uniformly to the inclined surface by being formed on at least the entire outer periphery of the area covered by the unit contact probe on the inclined surface, the unit contact probe is not bent or warped. In this state, it can be permanently fixed to the fixing plate. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the contact pin aligning means facilitates replacement of the mask member and improves positional accuracy at that time because the mask member is attracted to the mask holder by vacuum evacuation. Can be done.

As a specific form of the contact probe assembling apparatus, the plate support can be moved up and down by an elevating mechanism, and the upper surface of the plate support is A horizontal mounting surface for mounting the fixing plate such that the inclined surface faces upward, and further, the mask holder is fixed at a position directly above the plate support. be able to. Further, as in claim 6, the fixing plate has a plurality of inclined surfaces for mounting a plurality of unit contact probes, and the evacuation means uses a plurality of suction grooves provided on each inclined surface. The unit contact probes are individually attracted to each inclined surface. Furthermore, as in claim 7, the fixing plate has a pyramid shape (for example, a quadrangular pyramid shape) having a plurality of inclined surfaces for mounting a plurality of (for example, four) unit contact probes at the same time. Can be.

[0017]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view, FIG. 2, and FIG. 2 of an embodiment of an apparatus for assembling a contact probe according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the plate support, the mask holder, the mask member, and the like illustrated in FIG. 1, showing a state where the plate support is in an ascending position; FIG. 3 is a mask illustrated in FIGS. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the mask member, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the fixing plate, FIG.
And (b) are a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line -Y.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 12 denotes a base plate as a base, and reference numeral 29 denotes an elevating plate member extending in a horizontal direction. The elevating plate member 29 is provided on the base plate 12, respectively. By a pair of linear guides 21 and 21 in a horizontal state in the vertical direction (arrow Z).
(In the vertical direction indicated by a circle). The linear guide 21 includes the outer cylinder 2 fixed to the base plate 12.
2, the cylindrical inner column 23 fixed to the elevating plate member 29.
Are movably inserted in the vertical direction. A plate support 13 (bottom plate) described later is fixed to one end of the elevating plate member 29.

A known micrometer type elevating mechanism 24 is provided at the other end of the elevating plate member 29. More specifically, the sleeve 26 of the micrometer type elevating mechanism 24
The spindle 26 projects or retracts from the sleeve 26a by rotating a thimble (micrometer head) 25. The spindle 26 is connected to a stopper member 27 fixed to the base plate 12. , The vertical movement is restricted, so that the sleeve 26a and the elevating plate member 29 move up and down. The lowering of the elevating plate member 29 is performed not only by the rotation of the thimble 25, but also by the elastic force of a pair of tension springs 28a and 28b bridged between the base plate 12 and the elevating plate member 29.
As described above, the plate support 13 can be accurately positioned at a predetermined position in the vertical direction by the micrometer type lifting mechanism 24.

The plate support 13 is rectangular in appearance, and is fixed to the elevating plate member 29 by screws 33 or the like. In this example, the plate support 13 is provided separately from the elevating plate member 29. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the plate support 13 may be formed integrally with the elevating plate member 29. The upper surface of the plate support 13 is a horizontal mounting surface 13a for mounting a fixing plate 40 (mounting base) described later in a horizontal state. The plate support 13 has a fixed plate 4 to be described later.
0, four vacuum passages 16 communicating with four vacuum holes 30 (two vacuum holes are not shown).
(Two vacuum passages are not shown in the drawing, which are also called vacuum passages). One end of the vacuum passage 16 opens to the upper surface 13 a of the plate support 13, and the other end opens to the side surface of the plate support 13.

The other end of the vacuum passage 16 is connected to the connector 1
5 and a vacuum source (not shown) through a tube (not shown) and the like. Also, each tube is provided with a valve, and by opening and closing each valve individually, the four vacuum passages 16 can be individually connected to and disconnected from the vacuum source (for example, a vacuum pump). . As is clear from the above description, the vacuum passage 16, the connector 15, and the tube (not shown)
Vacuuming means 5 by means of a vacuum source (not shown)
0 (vacuum means).

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reference numeral 17 denotes a substantially rectangular plate-shaped mask holder (top plate). The mask holder 17 is located directly above the bottom plate 13. In addition, it is immovably fixed to the base plate 12 by a support (not shown) or the like. The mask holder 17 has a larger opening 17a and a smaller opening 17b below the central portion.
Are formed. A colorless and transparent glass plate 18 is fitted and fixed in the large opening 17a. On the lower surface of the mask holder 17, four cross-shaped marks 17c (marks) for positioning a mask member 34 (FIG. 4) described later are respectively provided. The mask holder 17 has a plurality of vacuum holes 19 (four in this example) for adsorbing the mask member 34 on the lower surface thereof. By vacuuming (vacuuming) each of the vacuum holes 19, the mask member 34 can be attracted to the lower surface of the mask holder 17.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mask member 34 is a rectangular thin plate made of a transparent material such as glass or a film. 34a (marks) are provided. The mask member 34 can be positioned on the mask holder 17 by matching each cross mark 34a with each cross mark 17c of the mask holder 17. A pitch pattern 55 (IC bump pattern) parallel to the four outer peripheral portions of the mask member 34 is printed. This pitch pattern 55 has a scale 55a whose length is indicated by a symbol A and is equal to the pitch of the contact pins 3a of the unit contact probe 1. The mask member 34 and the mask holder 15 constitute a contact pin positioning means 35. As described above, the contact probe assembling apparatus of the present embodiment is configured.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the fixing plate 40, which is a component of the unit contact probe 1,
The upper surface is a plate member of a pyramid shape (a quadrangular pyramid shape in this example) having four inclined surfaces 41. The unit contact probes 1 are bonded to the respective inclined surfaces 41, so that a contact probe 70 (described later) is formed. FIG. 7) is configured. The inclined surface 41 is inclined so as to become lower toward the outside, and its inclination angle θ (see FIGS. 2 and 6)
The angle is equal to the contact angle α (see FIG. 10) required for the pad P of the contact pin 3a.
Note that a rectangular opening 40a is formed in the center of the fixed plate 40, and the inner peripheral portion of the upper surface of the fixed plate 40 is a flat horizontal surface 40b.

At each of the inclined surfaces 41 of the fixed plate 40, a portion covered by the unit contact probe 1 is provided with a suction groove 2.
0 (evacuation grooves) are formed. The suction groove 20 includes an outer peripheral groove 20a along the outer periphery of the inclined surface 41,
A cross-shaped groove 20b formed in a cross shape so as to communicate with the outer peripheral groove 20a inside the outer peripheral groove 20a, and a vacuum hole 30 penetrating the fixing plate 40 substantially vertically in the center of the cross groove 20b. (Evacuation holes) are respectively formed. Each vacuum hole 30 communicates with each of the four vacuum passages 16 of the plate support 13. In addition, a sealing means (not shown) is provided so that the vacuum does not leak from a contact portion between the lower surface of the fixing plate 40 and the upper surface 13a of the plate support 13.

Next, the unit contact probe and its manufacturing method will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the unit contact probe 1 has a structure in which a pattern wiring 3 made of metal is attached to one surface of a polyimide resin film 2. The tip protrudes to form a contact pin 3a.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14, the steps of manufacturing the unit contact probe 1 will be described in the order of steps.

[Base Metal Layer Forming Step] First, FIG.
As shown in (a), a base metal layer 6 is formed on a supporting metal plate 5 made of stainless steel by Cu (copper) plating. This base metal layer 6 is formed on the upper surface of the supporting metal plate 5 with a uniform thickness.

[Pattern forming step] After forming a photoresist layer (mask) 7 on the base metal layer 6,
As shown in FIG. 12 (b), a photomask 8 having a predetermined pattern is applied to the photoresist layer 7 by photolithography and exposed, and as shown in FIG. 12 (c), the photoresist layer 7 is developed. An opening (unmasked portion) 7a is formed in the photoresist layer 7 remaining after removing the portion to be the pattern wiring 3. In the present embodiment, the photoresist layer 7 is formed of a negative photoresist, but a desired opening 7a may be formed using a positive photoresist. The "mask" used here is not limited to the one in which the opening 7a is formed through the exposure and development steps using the photomask 8, like the photoresist layer 7 of the present embodiment. For example, a film or the like in which a hole is formed in advance in a portion to be plated (that is, the film is formed in advance in a state indicated by reference numeral 7 in FIG. 12) may be used. When such a film or the like is used as a “mask”, the pattern forming step in the present embodiment is unnecessary.

[Electroplating Step] Then, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 12 (e), after a Ni or Ni alloy layer N serving as the pattern wiring 3 is formed in the opening 7a by plating, the photoresist layer 7 is formed as shown in FIG.
Is removed.

[Film Adhering Step] Next, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, on the Ni or Ni alloy layer N, except for the tip of the pattern wiring 3 shown in FIG. Glue. The resin film 2 is made of a polyimide resin PI and a metal film (copper foil) 5.
Reference numeral 00 denotes a two-layer tape provided integrally. Prior to this film deposition step, the copper surface 500
Then, after partial copper etching, gold plating is applied depending on the application to form a ground plane. Then, in this film attaching step, the resin surface PI of the two-layer tape is attached to the Ni or Ni alloy layer N via the adhesive 2a. In addition, the metal film 500, in addition to the copper foil,
Ni or a Ni alloy may be used.

[Separation Step] Then, as shown in FIG. 12 (g), after the portion composed of the resin film 2, the pattern wiring 3 and the base metal layer 6 is separated from the supporting metal plate 5, Cu etching is performed. After that, only the pattern wiring 3 is adhered to the resin film 2.

[Gold coating step] Then, as shown in FIG.
Plating is performed to form an Au plating layer A on the surface. At this time, the Au layer A is formed on the entire surface of the contact pins 3a protruding from the resin film 2 over the entire circumference. Through the above steps, the unit contact probe 1 is manufactured.

FIG. 13 shows the unit contact probe 1.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 13.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, on the resin film 2 of the unit contact probe 1, a signal obtained from the pattern wiring 3 is printed via a lead-out wiring 10 on a printed circuit board 6.
0 (see FIG. 10 to be described later).

Next, a method of manufacturing a contact probe using the contact probe assembling apparatus of this embodiment and a method of manufacturing a probe apparatus from the contact probe will be described.

First, in the initial state, as shown in FIG. 1, the elevating plate member 29 is at the lowered position (standby position), and the fixed plate 40 is mounted at a predetermined position on the upper surface 13a of the plate support 13. On the other hand, each cross mark 34a of the mask member 34 is
Is positioned on the lower surface of the mask holder 17 so that the vacuum passages 19 of the mask holder 17 communicate with a vacuum source (not shown). Fix to the lower surface. Thereby, the mask member 3
4 can be prevented from shifting.

Next, an adhesive 32 is applied to each inclined surface 41 of the fixed plate 40, and the four unit contact probes 1 are projected upward from the upper surface 40 of the fixed plate 40 with their respective contact pins 3a facing upward. Thus, each unit contact probe 1 is temporarily fixed with the adhesive 32 while being placed on each inclined surface 41 (temporary fixing step). The adhesive 32 may be applied in advance to the unit contact probe 1 side. For example, an epoxy resin-based adhesive may be used as the adhesive, and a double-sided tape may be used instead of the adhesive 32.

The elevating plate member 29 is moved upward by the micrometer type elevating mechanism 24 to position the fixing plate in the up-down direction (the state of FIG. 2), and the mask member 34 is visually observed through the opening 17b of the mask holder 17. At the same time, each unit contact probe 1 is
The contact pins 3a at both ends of the
Of the pitch pattern 55 (see FIG. 4). As a result, the tips of the contact pins 3a of the four unit contact probes 1 are
Is positioned so as to match the corresponding scale 55a (positioning step). During this alignment step, the adhesive has not yet been completely cured.

Next, the vacuum suction means 50 sucks the vacuum holes 30 of each inclined surface 1 of the fixed plate 40 by vacuum so that the unit contact probes 1 are sucked by the suction grooves 20 (20a, 20b) communicating with the vacuum holes 30. Is uniformly adsorbed on the inclined surface 41 via the adhesive 32 (or a double-sided tape) and is completely fixed (final fixing step). At this time, the adhesive 32 is still in a softened state, and the unit contact probe 1 has flexibility, so that the suction is performed smoothly. Thereafter, the unit contact probe 1 is hot-pressed on the inclined surface 41 to cure the adhesive. As described above, since the unit contact probe 1 is temporarily fixed to the fixing plate 40 at an appropriate position and then permanently fixed, no displacement of the unit contact probe 1 with respect to the fixing plate 40 occurs. After the permanent fixing, the suction by the vacuuming means 50 is released.

Finally, when the fixing plate 40 on which the four contact probes 1 are fixed is removed from the plate support 13, a contact probe 70 in which the four unit contact probes 1 are fixed to the fixing plate 40 (see FIG. 7). Is obtained. As described above, the contact probe 70 can be manufactured. In this example, after a plurality of (four in this example) unit contact probes 1 were temporarily fixed in sequence, the alignment process was performed simultaneously on each contact probe, and the final fixing process was performed simultaneously on each contact probe. However, not limited to this, the temporary fixing process,
The positioning step and the main fixing step may be individually and sequentially performed for each contact probe. In this main fixing step, only the evacuation means corresponding to the contact probe to be main fixed is operated.

As described above, according to the contact probe assembling apparatus of this embodiment, when each unit contact probe 1 is fixed to the fixed plate 40, each unit contact probe 1 is attached to the inclined surface 41 of the fixed plate 40. , It is not easily bent, and no positional displacement occurs. Thereby, the assembled contact probe 70
In this case, since the positional accuracy of each unit contact probe 1 with respect to the fixing plate 40 is improved, the positional accuracy in the height direction and the width direction (lateral direction) of the tip of the contact pin 3a is also greatly improved. In the present embodiment, the displacement of the tip of the contact pin 3a in the height direction and the width direction (lateral direction) is suppressed to within 0.03 mm and 0.005, respectively.

Further, according to the contact probe assembling apparatus of the present embodiment, the total pin width dimension B (see FIG. 13, usually 7 mm, 15 mm, etc.) of all the contact pins 3a of the unit contact probe 1 is changed. In this case, the fixing plate 40 is moved up and down by the micrometer elevating mechanism 24 to position the contact pins 3 a at both ends of the pitch pattern 55 of the mask member 34 while visually observing the mask member 34 from above. . Further, when the pitch of the contact pins 3a of the unit contact probe 1 is changed, the mask member 34 is replaced with one having a pitch pattern similar to the pitch pattern of the unit contact probe 1 after the change. The contact pins 3a can be aligned. Therefore, with the change of the specifications of the unit contact probe 1, the mask holder 1
Since it is not necessary to design and manufacture the device 7 each time, the apparatus cost is not increased and the productivity is excellent.

In the present embodiment, each contact probe is aligned with the mask member by raising the fixing plate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the mask member is lowered by the lifting mechanism without raising and lowering the fixing plate. , The alignment may be performed. Alternatively, the fixing plate may be supported by a plate support so that its inclined surface faces downward, and the mask holder may be arranged directly below the fixing plate such that the mask member faces upward.

Next, an example of a method of manufacturing a probe device using the contact probe 70 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, a film 57 having a rectangular opening 57a is prepared. From below the contact probe 70,
The opening edge of the opening 57 a of the film 57 is brought into contact with each unit contact probe 1, and in this state, the film 57 is temporarily fixed to each unit contact probe 1 with a tape 58. Here, between the film 57 and each unit contact probe 1, the molten epoxy resin 59 is sealed uniformly in the circumferential direction of the fixing plate 40, and is heated as necessary to solidify the epoxy resin 59. .
The solidification (curing) condition of the epoxy resin 59 is 2
2 hours at 5 ° C or 20 minutes at 60 ° C.

The epoxy resin 59 has sufficient rigidity so as not to be deformed by an external force acting on the contact probe 70 (unit contact probe 1) at least under normal use conditions. Here, the epoxy resin 59 has a putty-like fast-curing property suitable for hardening as the contact probe 70 with the unit contact probe 1 accurately positioned, and the metal film 500 provided on the resin film 2. A material having a linear expansion coefficient close to that of the material (copper) is preferable. As one having these properties, for example, there is a two-part adhesive of Araldite (registered trademark) having a resin of AV1580 GB and a curing agent of HV1580 GB. The linear expansion coefficient of this adhesive is 18 × 10 ^-6 1 / ° C. at 0 to 30 ° C.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the epoxy resin 59 has solidified, the film 57 and the temporary fixing tape 58 are removed from the contact probe 70.

As shown in FIG. 10, four screws 63 (2
The fixing plate 40 is inserted into the printed circuit board 60 (mounting plate) and screwed into each of the screw holes 56 of the fixed plate 40 to thereby fix the fixed plate 40 to the printed circuit board 60.
, And the rear end side of each unit contact probe 1 is pressed against the printed board 60 via the O-ring 62 by the clamp member 61. Note that an opening 60 a is formed in the center of the printed circuit board 60. Thus, the assembly of the probe device 80 is completed. In this case, each unit contact probe 1 functions as a flexible substrate at the time of assembling since the whole is flexible and easily bent. That is, even if the contact pins 3a are fixed at the required contact angle α with respect to the pads P by the epoxy resin 59 on the front end side of the unit contact probe 1, the rear end side of the contact probe 70 is It is easy to bend to an angle (horizontal) to be held down by the clamp 61 with respect to.

The feature of this embodiment is that, between the fixing plate 40 and the printed circuit board 60, four shims 64 as metal thin plates are provided at positions corresponding to the positions of the unit contact probes 1 as necessary. 65 (two shims not shown) are interposed. In addition, shim 64,
As 65, when the thickness is in the range of 10 to 300 μm, 1
Prepare for every 0 μm.

Therefore, when the height position of the tip of each contact pin of a certain unit contact probe among the four unit contact probes 1 is higher than that of another unit contact probe, the height difference is equal to the difference. By interposing a shim having a thickness between the printed circuit board (mounting plate) and the fixed plate and at a position overlapping with a certain unit contact probe, the height position of the tip of the contact pin in both unit contact probes is reduced. Be the same. If the height position of the contact pins of the remaining unit contact probes is higher than the other ones, the difference in height is eliminated by using a shim having a predetermined thickness as described above. As described above, in all the unit contact probes 1, the height positions of the contact pins 3a can be easily made uniform. Therefore, when the overdrive is applied to the probe device, all the contact pins 3a of each unit contact probe 1 remove only the aluminum film on the pad surface, and the base of the pad is not damaged.

In the probe device 80 of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, the four unit contact probes 1 are arranged at regular intervals in plan view, and these four unit contact probes 1 are mounted on the fixed plate 40. Glued. Further, since each unit contact probe 1 is connected to the fixing plate 40 by an epoxy resin 59 in addition to the above-mentioned adhesive or double-sided tape, the adhesive strength between each unit contact probe 1 and the fixing plate 40 is increased. Further, since the adjacent unit contact probes 1 are also connected by the epoxy resin 59, the rigidity of the contact probes is improved.

The probe device 80 configured as described above
When a probe test or the like of the IC chip I is performed using the IC chip I, the probe device 80 is mounted on a prober and electrically connected to a tester, and a predetermined electric signal is transmitted from the contact pins 3a of the pattern wiring 3 to the IC on the wafer. By sending the signal to the chip I, the output signal from the IC chip I is transmitted from the contact pin 3a to the tester,
The electrical characteristics of chip I are measured.

In the contact probe 70, the rigidity is given by applying the epoxy resin 59, and even when the contact pin 3a is overdriven toward the contact surface Pa of the pad P, the contact probe 70 Since the contact probe 70 is not deformed, it is only necessary to mount the contact probe 70 in an accurately positioned state when assembling it as the probe device 80, and a high-precision part for maintaining the arrangement state is not required. Therefore, the cost of parts can be reduced.

In the contact probe 70,
Since the four unit contact probes 1 are adhered in a state where they are positioned with respect to each other, and these four unit contact probes 1 are integrally fixed, each of the unit contact probes 1 is other than the unit contact probe 1. The unit probe is integrally supported by the other unit contact probes 1, and the rigidity of the entire contact probe 70 is improved accordingly.

Further, at the time of assembling the contact probe 70, each unit contact probe 1 is
And the axis of each contact pin 3a is fixed at a position that holds the required contact angle α (inclination angle θ) with respect to the contact surface Pa of the pad P,
The positioning work when assembling as the probe device 80 is easy.

In the contact probe 70,
Each unit contact probe 1 is epoxy resin 5
9, the contact pin 3a comes into contact with the contact surface Pa of the pad P in a pressurized state, and even if an upward force acts on the contact probe 70, the contact pin 3a falls within a rectangular frame-like area in plan view. Since the portion fixed by the applied epoxy resin 59 does not expand or contract, the contact probe 70
Does not deform. Therefore, the required contact angle α of the contact pin 3a with respect to the pad P does not deviate, and a contact failure between the contact pin 3a and the pad P does not occur.

In this contact probe 70, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, by providing the metal film 500 on the resin film 2, the contact pins 3a formed on the resin film 2 are supported. Epoxy resin 59 is
Since the one having the same expansion coefficient as that of the metal film 500 is used, the position of the contact pin 3a may be shifted due to the difference in the amount of thermal expansion between the two even during the burn-in test or the heating for solidifying the epoxy resin 59. Absent.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, in the contact probe 70, the metal film 500 is provided up to the vicinity of the contact pin 3a, and the contact pin 3a has a protrusion L from the tip of the metal film 500 of 5 mm. It is as follows. This metal film 500
It can be used as a ground, so that it is possible to design impedance matching up to the vicinity of the tip of the probe device 80, and it is possible to prevent adverse effects due to reflected noise even when performing a test in a high frequency range.

The resin film 2 (polyimide resin P)
The metal film 500 attached to I) has the following advantages. That is, when there is no metal film 500, since the resin film 2 is made of a polyimide resin, it absorbs moisture and elongates, and as shown in FIG. 15, the interval t between the contact pins 3a changes. There was something. Therefore, there is a problem that the contact pin 3a cannot contact a predetermined position of the terminal electrode, and an accurate electrical test cannot be performed. In the present embodiment, the metal film 500 is adhered to the resin film 2 so as to reduce the change in the interval t even when the humidity changes, so that the contact pin 3a can be securely brought into contact with a predetermined position of the terminal electrode. Has become.

In the above embodiment, the contact probe 70 is formed by the four unit contact probes 1.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the contact probe 70 may be configured with only one unit contact probe 1 or other unit contact probes 1.

In the present embodiment, the probe device 80 is used as a probe card. However, the probe device 80 may be used as another measuring jig or the like. For example, the present invention may be applied to an IC chip test socket or the like mounted on an IC chip burn-in test device or the like for holding and protecting the IC chip inside.

[0061]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects. In the invention according to claim 1, first, after the unit contact probe is temporarily fixed to the inclined surface of the fixing plate with an adhesive or a double-sided tape, before the adhesive or the adhesive of the double-sided tape is completely cured, The unit contact probe is positioned so that the tips of the plurality of contact pins are aligned with the pitch pattern of the mask member, and the contact pins on both sides of the plurality of contact pins are aligned with both ends of the pitch pattern. Thus, the contact pins of the unit contact probe are aligned. After the positioning, the suction groove on the inclined surface of the fixing plate is vacuum-sucked, so that the unit contact probe is attracted to the inclined surface via the adhesive or the double-sided tape, and is completely fixed.

As described above, since the unit contact probe is temporarily fixed to an appropriate position on the fixed plate and then permanently fixed, no displacement of the unit contact probe with respect to the fixed plate occurs. Since the positional accuracy of the unit contact probe with respect to the fixed plate is improved, the positional accuracy of the tip of the contact pin in the height direction and the width direction (lateral direction) is also greatly improved. In the repeated production of the contact probe, the position accuracy can be made uniform. Also, a high level of skill of the worker is not required.

When the width dimension of all the contact pins of the unit contact probe is changed, the mask member or the plate support is raised and lowered while visually observing the mask member, and the contact pins at both ends are moved to the pitch pattern of the mask member. To both ends. When the pitch of the contact pins of the unit contact probe is changed, the position of the contact pins is changed by replacing the mask member with one having the same pitch pattern as the pitch pattern of the unit contact probe after the change. Can match. Therefore, it is not necessary to replace the mask holder by preparing a plurality of mask members in advance according to the specifications of the pitch of the contact pins of the unit contact probe. As a result, it becomes unnecessary to design and manufacture a mask holder in accordance with a change in the specifications of the unit contact probe, and it is possible to reduce the manufacturing time and the manufacturing cost of the contact probe.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the assembling method according to the first aspect can be easily and reliably performed, and an assembling apparatus with a low apparatus cost can be provided. Like the invention of claim 3,
Since the suction groove is formed on at least the entire outer periphery of the area covered by the unit contact probe on the inclined surface, the unit contact probe can be temporarily fixed almost uniformly to the inclined surface, and the unit contact probe can be fixed. It can be permanently fixed to the fixed plate without bending or warping.
According to the invention of claim 4, the contact pin positioning means facilitates replacement of the mask member and improves positional accuracy at that time by the mask member being suctioned to the mask holder by vacuuming. be able to.

As a specific form of the contact probe assembling apparatus, the plate support can be moved up and down by an elevating mechanism, and the upper surface of the plate support is A horizontal mounting surface for mounting the fixing plate such that the inclined surface faces upward, and further, the mask holder is fixed at a position directly above the plate support. be able to. As in claim 6, the fixing plate has a plurality of inclined surfaces for attaching a plurality of unit contact probes, and the evacuation means,
Since a plurality of unit contact probes are individually suctioned to each inclined surface by the suction groove provided on each inclined surface, by operating only the vacuuming means corresponding to the contact probe to be permanently fixed, This fixing step can be sequentially performed individually for each contact probe. As described in claim 7, the fixing plate can be formed in a pyramid shape (for example, a quadrangular pyramid shape) having a plurality of inclined surfaces for simultaneously mounting a plurality of (for example, four) unit contact probes. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of one embodiment of an apparatus for assembling a contact probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the plate support, the mask holder, the mask member, and the like shown in FIG. 1, and shows a state where the plate support is at a raised position.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the mask holder shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the mask member shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the fixing plate (mounting base) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

6 (a) and (b) are XX of FIG. 5, respectively.
It is a line sectional view and a YY line sectional view.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a contact probe assembled by the contact probe assembling apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a step of manufacturing a probe device from the contact probe shown in FIG. 7, and shows a state after epoxy resin is sealed.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which a temporary fixing tape and the like are removed from the state of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a probe device obtained by mounting a fixing plate on a printed circuit board.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a main part showing a unit contact probe.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the method of manufacturing the unit contact probe in the order of steps;

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a unit contact probe.

14 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a front view for explaining a metal film in the unit contact probe.

FIG. 16 is a plan view of a conventional contact probe assembling apparatus.

FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged perspective view of a distal end portion of the center holder 103 shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a unit contact probe is mounted on a conventional contact probe assembling apparatus.

FIG. 20 is a view showing a state in which a fixing plate is further placed from the state of FIG. 23;

FIG. 21 is a plan view of a contact probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Unit contact probe 2 Film (resin film) 3 Pattern wiring 3a Contact pin 5 Support metal layer 6 Base metal layer 7 Photoresist layer 7a Opening 8 Photomask 10 Lead-out wiring 11 Window 12 Base plate (base) 13 Plate support (Bottom plate) 16 Vacuum passage 17 Mask holder 17c Cross mark 20 Suction groove 20a Outer peripheral groove 20b Cross groove 24 Micrometer type elevating mechanism 29 Elevating plate member 30 Vacuum hole 32 Adhesive agent 34 Mask member 34a Cross groove 35 Contact pin positioning means 40 fixing plate (mounting base) 50 evacuation means (vacuum means) 55 pitch pattern 70 contact probe 80 probe device (probe card) 500 metal film L contact Length N metal layers P measurement object protruding from the metal film of emissions (pad) Pa contact surface α contact angle θ tilt angle

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hideaki Yoshida 12th Techno Park, Mita City, Hyogo Prefecture Inside the Mita Plant of Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (72) Inventor Noriyoshi Tachikawa 12th Techno Park, Mita City, Hyogo Prefecture 6 Mitsubishi Materials Corporation Sanda Plant (72) Inventor Toshinobu Ishii 12 Mitsubishi Techno Park Sanda, Mita City, Hyogo Prefecture Mitsubishi Materials Corporation Sanda Plant F-term (reference) 2G011 AA01 AA12 AA17 AB08 AC06 AC14 AD01 AE02 AE03 AE11 AE22 AF01 4M106 BA01 DD04 DD13 DG19

Claims (7)

[Claims] A plurality of pattern wirings are formed on a film, and the tip of each of the pattern wirings is arranged so as to protrude from the film, and a unit contact probe serving as a contact pin is fixed to an inclined surface of a fixing plate. A method for assembling a contact probe, comprising: using, as the fixing plate, a suction groove formed on the inclined surface by vacuum evacuation; A temporary fixing step of temporarily fixing the unit contact probe, and a position where the tip of each contact pin of the unit contact probe is aligned with each pitch pattern of a mask member having a pitch pattern similar to the pitch pattern of each contact pin. A joining step; and the suction groove of the inclined surface of the fixed plate. By evacuating the assembly method of the contact probe, characterized in that it comprises a permanent fixing step, the adsorbing fixing the unit contact probe on the inclined surface. 2. A unit contact probe having a plurality of pattern wirings formed on a film and each of the pattern wirings protruding from the film and serving as a contact pin is fixed to an inclined surface of a fixing plate. An assembling apparatus for a contact probe, wherein a suction groove for sucking a unit contact probe on the inclined surface is formed on the inclined surface of the fixed plate, and a plate support for supporting the fixed plate is provided. Body, vacuum means for evacuating the suction groove from the inside of the fixing plate, adhesive or double-sided tape for temporarily fixing the inclined surface of the fixing plate, and the inclined surface of the fixing plate The contact for aligning a contact pin of the unit contact probe temporarily fixed to the contact Device for assembly of the contact probe, characterized in that it comprises a contact pin alignment means comprising a mask member having a similar pitch pattern and pitch pattern of emissions. 3. The contact probe assembling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suction groove is formed on at least the entire outer periphery of a region of the inclined surface covered by the unit contact probe. 4. The contact probe assembling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said contact pin positioning means is configured such that said mask member is attracted to a mask holder by evacuation. 5. The plate support is vertically movable by an elevating mechanism, and the upper surface of the plate support has a horizontal surface on which the fixed plate is placed so that the inclined surface faces upward. 5. The mounting surface, wherein the mask holder is fixed at a position directly above the plate support.
Item 15. The device for assembling a contact probe according to item 14. 6. The fixing plate has a plurality of inclined surfaces for attaching a plurality of unit contact probes, and the evacuation unit connects the plurality of unit contact probes by suction grooves provided on each inclined surface. The device for assembling a contact probe according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the device is attached to each inclined surface individually. 7. The contact probe assembling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the fixing plate has a pyramid shape having a plurality of inclined surfaces for simultaneously mounting a plurality of unit contact probes. Equipment for assembling contact probes.