CN114088997A

CN114088997A - Electrical contact structure of electrical contact and electrical connection device

Info

Publication number: CN114088997A
Application number: CN202110967269.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 原子翔; 神谷浩
Original assignee: Micronics Japan Co Ltd
Current assignee: Micronics Japan Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-08-24
Filing date: 2021-08-23
Publication date: 2022-02-25
Also published as: KR20220025657A; KR102534435B1; TWI806083B; JP2022036615A; TW202215056A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrical contact structure of an electrical contact and an electrical connection device. The length of a conduction path passing through the electrical contact is shortened, and the conduction part of the electrical contact is stably contacted with the electrode part. An electrical contact structure of an electrical contact according to the present invention includes: a support hole having an opening formed in one surface of a support substrate; an electric contact inserted through the support hole and electrically contacted with the object to be inspected; and an electrode portion provided in the vicinity of the opening of the support hole, the electrical contact having a non-conductive portion having a bent portion and a conductive portion provided on one end portion side of the non-conductive portion, the bent portion being bent so that the other end portion side of the conductive portion is short-circuited with the electrode portion when the one end portion of the conductive portion is in electrical contact with the subject.

Description

Electrical contact structure of electrical contact and electrical connection device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electrical contact structure of an electrical contact and an electrical connection device.

Background

For example, a probe card as an electrical connection device is used for inspecting electrical characteristics of a plurality of semiconductor integrated circuits formed on a semiconductor wafer.

Generally, a probe card is configured such that a plurality of electrical contacts (hereinafter, referred to as "contacts" and "probes") are arranged on a lower surface of an insulating substrate, and a probe card is mounted on an inspection apparatus for inspecting each integrated circuit (object to be inspected). In the inspection, the probes of the probe card are pressed against the electrodes of the integrated circuits, and the electrical characteristics of the integrated circuits are inspected.

Among probe cards as an electrical connection device, there is a probe card called a vertical probe card in which contacts are electrically contacted perpendicularly to electrodes of a device under test. Further, the electrical contacts for the vertical type probe card are, for example, a spring type and a needle type.

The spring-type contact has elasticity in the vertical direction with respect to the subject, and therefore can be elastically and reliably brought into contact with the electrode of the subject.

The needle-type contact is linear (rod-shaped), and therefore can reliably make electrical contact with the electrodes of the object to be inspected arranged at a narrow pitch, but it is difficult to make the contact have elasticity in the vertical direction.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 2, the configuration for supporting the plurality of contacts 34 is as follows: each contact 34 is supported by an upper plate (top plate) 43 supporting an upper portion of each pin-shaped contact 34 and a lower plate (bottom plate) 41 supporting a lower portion of each contact 34. Here, in order to provide elasticity in the vertical direction, the upper plate (top plate) 43 and the lower plate (bottom plate) 41 are arranged so that the positions of the

support holes

43A and 41A are shifted from each other in the planar direction. With such a configuration, each contact 34 is locally bent and has elasticity in the vertical direction.

In recent years, with ultra-fine and ultra-high integration of semiconductor integrated circuits, it has been required that electrical contacts (probes) provided on a probe card be adapted to a reduction in the area of electrodes on a semiconductor chip and a reduction in the pitch between pads. Further, as the operating speed of the semiconductor integrated circuit increases, the signal frequency of the input/output pin tends to increase, and the electric contact (probe) is also required to respond to the high frequency characteristic.

A probe head (or a test head) for inspecting a semiconductor integrated circuit is disclosed in patent documents 1 and 2. For example, the probe head is provided with a plurality of guide holes for accommodating a plurality of contact probes. Further, the contact probe is bent in an S-shape so as to have elasticity in the vertical direction. The contact probe extends in the longitudinal direction between a 1 st end portion and a 2 nd end portion, and includes the 1 st end portion and the 2 nd end portion which is in contact with an electrode of a subject. In addition, the contact probe constitutes a non-conductive 1 st portion and a 2 nd portion from the 1 st portion to the 2 nd portion between the 1 st end portion and the 2 nd end portion. Further, a conductive portion is provided in the guide hole, and the 2 nd portion of the contact probe is electrically connected to the conductive portion to short-circuit the conductive portion.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2018/108790

Patent document 2: international publication No. 2019/091946

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, as in the techniques described in patent documents 1 and 2, if the conductive contact portion of the contact probe is to be brought into electrical contact with the conductive portion (electrode portion) of the guide hole, the contact portion may become a sliding contact, and therefore the contact portion and/or the conductive portion of the contact probe may be worn, and as a result, the contact portion may deteriorate, and the inspection with high accuracy may be affected.

Therefore, there is a need for an electrical contact structure and an electrical connection device of an electrical contact that can shorten the length of a conduction path passing through the electrical contact and can stably contact a conductive portion and an electrode portion of the electrical contact.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the problem, the electrical contact structure of the electrical contact according to the 1 st aspect of the present invention includes: (1) a support hole having an opening formed in one surface of the support substrate; (2) an electric contact inserted through the support hole and electrically contacted with the object to be inspected; and (3) an electrode portion provided in the vicinity of the opening of the support hole, (4) the electrical contact having a non-conductive portion having a bent portion and a conductive portion provided on one end portion side of the non-conductive portion; (5) when one end of the conductive part is in electrical contact with the subject, the bent part is bent to short-circuit the other end of the conductive part and the electrode part.

The electrical connection device according to claim 2 includes a support substrate supporting a plurality of electrical contacts, and has the electrical contact structure of the electrical contact according to claim 1 in the electrical connection device for electrically connecting the test object and the test device.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, the length of the conductive path passing through the electrical contact can be shortened, and the conductive portion of the electrical contact can be stably brought into contact with the electrode portion.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of an electrical connection device according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an electrical connection structure of a conventional contact.

Fig. 3 is a front view showing the configuration of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view showing a configuration of an electrical connection structure of a contact according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of a probe according to the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the state of the probe in the non-contact state and in the contact state.

Fig. 7 is (a) a partial sectional view showing a configuration of an electrical connection structure of a contact according to a modified embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a partial sectional view (second view) showing a structure of an electrical connection structure of a contact according to a modified embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view (third) showing a configuration of an electrical connection structure of a contact according to a modified embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a probe and a configuration of an electrical connection structure of a contact according to the embodiment.

Detailed Description

(A) Description of the preferred embodiments

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electrical contact structure and an electrical connection device of an electrical contact according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(A-1) construction of the embodiment

In this embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to an electrical connection device mounted on an inspection apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as a "tester") that performs electrical characteristic inspection (e.g., a power-on inspection) of a plurality of semiconductor integrated circuits formed on a semiconductor wafer.

In the following description, the "object to be inspected" is an object to be inspected for electrical characteristics by an inspection apparatus, and indicates, for example, an integrated circuit, a semiconductor wafer, and the like. The "semiconductor wafer" has a plurality of integrated circuits in which circuit patterns are formed on the wafer, and assumes a state before track formation.

The "electrical connection device" has a plurality of contacts electrically contacting the electrodes of the device under test, and electrically connects the device under test to the inspection device. The electrical connection device is, for example, a probe card, and in this embodiment, a vertical probe card is exemplified.

The "contact" is an electrical contact that electrically contacts an electrode of the object to be inspected. For example, a probe may be used as the contact, and a needle-type probe formed of a linear member, a probe formed of a thin narrow member, or the like may be used. In this embodiment, a case of a needle-type probe in which the contact is formed as a linear member as a whole is exemplified.

The "support substrate" is a plate-like substrate that supports a plurality of contacts (electrical contacts). The support substrate has a plurality of support holes having an opening formed in one surface, and each contact (electrical contact) is inserted into each support hole of the support substrate to support the contact. The support substrate may be, for example, a probe support 17, a wiring board 2, or the like, which will be described later.

(A-1-1) detailed constitution of Electrical connection device 1

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of an electrical connection device 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a front view showing the structure of the electrical connection device 1 according to the embodiment. Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an electrical connection structure of the contact (probe) 21 according to the embodiment.

The electrical connection device 1 includes a wiring substrate 2, a connection substrate 3, a plurality of wirings 4, and a probe assembly 5.

The wiring board 2 is a substrate formed in a disc shape. A rectangular opening 7 penetrating the wiring board 2 in the thickness direction (Z direction, plate thickness direction) of the wiring board 2 is formed in the center portion on one surface (for example, upper surface) side of the wiring board 2. A plurality of connection pads 9 serving as connection portions are formed in a row on one surface (for example, the upper surface) of the wiring board 2 along a pair of opposite sides of the rectangular opening 7. In addition, a plurality of tester pads (tester connection portions) to be connected to a circuit of an inspection apparatus (tester) are formed on an outer edge portion of one surface (for example, an upper surface) of the wiring board 2. As in the conventional electrical connection device, each connection pad 9 and the corresponding test pad 8 are electrically connected via a conductive path (not shown) of the wiring board 2.

The connection substrate 3 is formed of an electrically insulating material and is mounted in a substantially central portion on one surface (for example, an upper surface) side of the wiring substrate. The connection substrate 3 has a rectangular portion 11 of a rectangular planar shape housed in the opening 7 and a rectangular annular flange 12 projecting toward an outer edge of the rectangular portion 11 on one surface (for example, an upper surface) of the rectangular portion 11. In a state where the rectangular portion 11 is housed in the opening 7 of the wiring board 2 and the annular flange 12 is placed on the edge portion of the opening 7, the connection board 3 mounts the annular flange 12 on one surface (for example, the upper surface) of the wiring board 2 by a plurality of screw members 13.

As shown in fig. 1, a plurality of through holes 14 penetrating the substrate in the thickness direction (Z direction, thickness direction) of the substrate are formed in the rectangular portion 11 of the connection substrate 3. The through holes 14 are formed corresponding to positions of electrodes 16 of an integrated circuit as the device under test 15.

One end of each wire 4 is inserted into each through hole 14 of the connection substrate 3. The tip end surfaces of the one end portions of the wires 4 inserted into the through holes 14 are electrically connected to the corresponding probes 21 supported by the probe assembly 5. Each wire 4 may be directly connected to the corresponding probe 21, or may be indirectly connected to the probe 21 via a conductive path and a terminal. On the other hand, the other end of each wire 4 is connected to each corresponding connection pad 9. Each probe 21 is connected to each connection pad 9 through each wire 4. Therefore, each probe 21 is electrically connected to the circuit of the inspection apparatus (tester) via the corresponding tester pad 8 electrically connected to each connection pad 9.

The probe assembly 5 is mounted on the other surface (for example, the lower surface) side of the connection substrate 3. The probe assembly 5 includes a probe support 17 supporting the plurality of probes 21.

The probe support 17 is a plate-shaped member formed of an electrically insulating member. The probe support 17 has an opening formed in the other surface (for example, lower surface) 18 of the probe support 17, and has a plurality of support holes 19 for accommodating a plurality of probes 21, respectively, facing upward (that is, in the plate thickness direction and the Z direction). In other words, each support hole 19 can be said to be a recess having an opening formed in the lower surface 18 of the probe support 17.

The support holes 19 of the probe support 17 are formed at positions corresponding to the positions of the electrodes 16 of the device under test 15. The number of the supporting holes 19 of the probe supporting member 17 is equal to the number of the electrodes 16 of the device under test 15.

The top 192 of each support hole 19 supporting each probe 21 supports the supported portion 51 located at the 1 st end (for example, the upper end) of the probe 21. For example, as shown in fig. 4, a hole portion for supporting the 1 st end portion of the probe 21 is provided in the ceiling portion 192 of the support hole 19, and the probe 21 accommodated in the support hole 19 can be supported by inserting the 1 st end portion of the probe 21 into the hole portion. That is, the probes 21 supported by the top 192 hang down inside the support hole 19 and are accommodated in the support hole 19, and a part or all of the conduction parts 212 (see fig. 5) on the 2 nd end part side of each probe 21 are provided to protrude below the lower surface 18 of the support hole 19.

The method of supporting the probe 21 in the support hole 19 is not particularly limited. For example, the supported portion 51 of the probe 21 may be inserted into a hole formed in the top portion 192 of the support hole 19 and then fixed by an adhesive or the like. Each support hole 19 may be a hole having a circular or elliptical cross section, or may be a hole having a square, rectangular or polygonal cross section.

Electrode terminals 20 are provided on the lower surface 18 of the probe support 17 in the vicinity of the support holes 19. As described later, a non-conductive guide portion 211 having a bent portion 54 is formed on the 1 st end portion side of each probe 21 (see fig. 5). When the probes 21 and the electrodes 16 of the device 15 are brought into contact with each other during the inspection of the device 15, the probes 21 supported by the support holes 19 are elastically deformed (e.g., bent).

Each electrode terminal 20 is electrically contacted to the conductive portion 212 (see fig. 5) of each probe 21 after deformation by a contact load. In other words, each electrode terminal 20 is a terminal electrically connected to the conductive portion 212 of each probe 21 after deformation.

Further, each electrode terminal 20 is connected to each conductive path 22 formed on the probe support 17. Each of the conductive paths 22 is a portion through which an electric signal flows between each of the electrode terminals 20 and the corresponding wire 4. Therefore, the conductive portion 212 of each probe 21 is electrically connected to the corresponding wiring 4 via each electrode terminal 20 and the conductive path 22.

The conductive path 22 may be formed inside the substrate of the probe support 17. For example, in the case of using the probe support 17 formed of a multilayer substrate, a part of the conductive path 22 may be formed in the surface direction (i.e., on the XY plane) of the probe support 17.

Here, a description will be given while comparing a support structure of the plurality of probes 21 in the embodiment with a support structure of the plurality of conventional contactors (probes) 34 illustrated in fig. 2.

The conventional probe supporting structure shown in fig. 2 supports the respective contacts 34 in a substantially S-shape by using an upper plate (top plate) 43 supporting the upper portions of the contacts 34 and a lower plate (bottom plate) 41 supporting the lower portions of the contacts 34.

In contrast, in the probe supporting structures of the embodiments, at least the lower plate (bottom plate) 41 is not provided. As will be described later, the non-conductive guide portion 211 of the probe 21 of the embodiment performs an elastic function.

Therefore, in the embodiment, the length of the probe assembly 5 in the thickness direction (Z direction) can be made shorter than that of the conventional probe assembly. In other words, the length of the conductive path of the current flowing between the electrode 16 of the device 15 and the wiring 4 via the probe 21 can be shortened at the time of inspecting the device 15. As a result, the inspection accuracy can be improved. In addition, the cost of the probe assembly 5 can be suppressed.

The conventional probe supporting structure shown in fig. 2 is arranged such that the positions of the support holes 43A of the upper plate (top plate) 43 and the positions of the support holes 41A of the lower plate (bottom plate) 41 are offset relative to each other in the plane direction.

In contrast, in the probe supporting structure of the embodiment, the probe 21 supported by the supporting hole 19 of the probe support 17 is arranged to extend in the vertical direction (Z direction) from the supporting point.

Therefore, by adopting the probe supporting structure of the embodiment, the alignment of the probe 21 contacting the electrode 16 on the semiconductor wafer as the device under test 15 can be easily controlled, and the alignment accuracy can be improved.

In this embodiment, a case where a plurality of probes 21 are supported on the probe support 17 of the probe assembly 5 is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the lower surface of the wiring board 2 may be provided with the same structure as the support holes 19 of the probe support 17, and the probes 21 may be supported in the support holes 19 provided in the wiring board 2. In this case, the upper plate (top plate) 43 is not required to be provided.

(A-1-2) construction of Probe 21

Fig. 5 (a) is a side view showing the structure of the probe 21 of the embodiment, and fig. 5 (B) is a front view showing the structure of the probe 21 of the embodiment. The size, wire diameter, length, degree of buckling, and the like of the probe 21 illustrated in fig. 5 (a) and 5 (B) are highlighted.

The probe 21 is formed to have: a non-conductive guide portion 211 having a bent portion 54; and a conductive portion 212 provided on one end side of the non-conductive guide portion 211. The probe 21 may be a needle-type contact formed of, for example, a thin wire of an insulating material or a conductive metal as the entire probe 21. The probe 21 is not limited to a linear member, and may be formed of a thin plate-like member having a small width, such as an insulating material or a conductive metal. In this embodiment, a case where the probe 21 is formed of a linear member is exemplified.

The wire diameter (diameter of the probe 21) and the overall length of the probe 21 are not particularly limited, and may be appropriately determined according to the size of the electrode 16 of the semiconductor wafer to be inspected. For example, the probe 21 may have a wire diameter of about several tens of μm and a length of about several mm.

The non-conductive guide portion 211 of the probe 21 is formed of an insulating material such as an insulating synthetic resin material. The non-conductive guide portion 211 has an elastic function of making the entire probe 21 elastic in the vertical direction (Z direction). The non-conductive guide portion 211 functions as a conductive portion supporting member that supports the conductive portion 212 of the probe 21. In other words, the non-conductive guide portion 211 functions as a conductive portion supporting member having elasticity.

The non-conductive guide portion 211 formed in a linear shape of an insulating material includes: a supported portion 51 supported by the support hole 19 in which the probe 21 is accommodated, and a lower portion extending downward of the supported portion 51 along the longitudinal direction of the probe 21. The lower portion is integrally connected to the supported portion 51.

A bent portion 54 that bends a lower portion of the non-conductive guide portion 211 is formed at a substantially central portion of the lower portion, for example, by bending. For example, when the device 15 is inspected, the lower end portion of the probe 21 (the lower end portion of the conductive portion 212) contacts the electrode 16 of the device 15, and a contact load acts on the probe 21. At this time, the bent portion 54 is formed in the lower portion, so that the entire probe 21 is deformed with the bent portion 54 as a starting point, the probe 21 is largely bent, and the entire probe 21 has elasticity in the vertical direction (Z direction).

In fig. 5 (a), the bent portion 54 that is bent largely is shown, and the bent portion 54 may be a point that the probe 21 can be deformed from the point of origin at the time of contact. The bent portion 54 may be formed by bending, and the diameter of the bent portion 54 may be smaller than the diameter of the non-conductive guide portion 211 to facilitate bending.

Here, in the lower portion of the non-guide portion 211, a portion from the supported portion 51 to the bent portion 54 is referred to as a 1 st guide portion 52, and a portion from the bent portion 54 to the lower end portion of the non-guide portion 211 is referred to as a 2 nd guide portion 53.

The conductive part 212 of the probe 21 is provided at the lower end of the 2 nd guide part 53 of the non-conductive guide part 211. The conductive portion 212 is formed of a conductive material. The conductive part 212 may be formed of a metal such as copper, a copper alloy, or a beryllium copper alloy, a conductive rubber material such as an elastomer, or a conductive synthetic resin material. The conductive portion 212 may be formed by plating or the like on the surface of the lower end portion of the non-conductive guide portion 211. In this embodiment, a case where the conductive portion 212 is substantially formed of a conductive thin metal wire is exemplified.

The conductive portion 212 provided in the non-conductive guide portion 211 may be bonded to the 2 nd guide portion 53 of the non-conductive guide portion 211 with an adhesive or the like, for example.

The conductive portion 212 includes a 2 nd contact portion 56 that contacts the electrode terminal 20 on the other surface (for example, the lower surface) of the probe holder 17 and a 1 st contact portion 55 that contacts the electrode 16 of the device under test 15. In other words, the conduction portion 212 includes the 2 nd contact portion 56 wired to the wiring 4 via the electrode terminal 30 and the conductive path 22, and the 1 st contact portion 55 electrically contacting the electrode 16 of the device under test 15.

When the probe 21 subjected to the contact load is elastically deformed, the 2 nd contact portion 56 of the conductive portion 212 comes into contact with the electrode terminal 20. The shape of the 2 nd contact portion 56 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, an inverted triangular prism or an inverted triangular pyramid having a rounded corner. In this case, the contact area between the upper surface portion 561 of the 2 nd contact portion 56 or the peripheral portion thereof and the electrode terminal 20 is increased, and the electrical contact property is good.

The 1 st contact portion 55 of the conductive portion 212 is a linear portion extending downward from the 2 nd contact portion 56. The lower end 551 of the 1 st contact portion 55 formed in a linear shape is in contact with the electrode 16 of the subject 15. The lower end 551 of the 1 st contact 55 is also referred to as a "contact" that contacts the electrode 16.

The 1 st contact 55 is formed of a conductive material such as copper, a copper alloy, or a beryllium copper alloy, for example, as in the 2 nd contact 56. The 2 nd contact portion 56 and the 1 st contact portion 55 may be integrally formed of the same material. By integrally forming the conductive layer from the same material, the conductive property is good, and high-precision inspection can be performed.

The probe 21 has a conductive portion 212 at a lower end portion of the non-conductive guide portion 211. As will be described later, the length of the conduction path during the inspection of the object 15 can be reduced by reducing the length of the conduction part 212. For example, the conduction path can be shortened by shortening the lengths of the 2 nd contact portion 56 and the conduction portion 212 having the 2 nd contact portion.

The non-conductive guide portion 211 formed of, for example, an insulating synthetic resin material can be easily processed in shape, length, and wire diameter of the non-conductive guide portion 211. Therefore, the length and shape of the non-conductive guide portion 211 may be deformed without depending on the length of the conductive portion 212.

For example, the length of the conductive part 212 of the probe 21 may be set to a predetermined length, and the length of the non-conductive guide part 211 may be relatively short when the needle pressure for bringing the probe 21 into contact with the electrode 16 of the test object 15 is to be increased, while the length of the non-conductive guide part 211 may be relatively long when the needle pressure is to be decreased.

(A-1-3) Electrical contact Structure of Probe 21

Fig. 6 (a) is a diagram showing a state of the probe 21 in the non-contact state, and fig. 6 (B) is a diagram showing a state of the probe 21 in the contact state. The size, wire diameter, length, and degree of buckling or bending of the probe 21 illustrated in fig. 6 (a) and 6 (B) are highlighted.

Fig. 6 (a) shows a state in which the supported portion 51 is supported by the top portion 192 of the support hole 19 in the non-conductive guide portion 211 of the probe 21.

The probe 21 in the non-contact state extends vertically downward from the position of the supported portion 51. The lower end 551 of the 1 st contact portion 55 formed in the conductive portion 212 is located substantially on or near a line C that depends vertically from the position of the supported portion 51 as the supporting point of the probe 21.

Conventionally, as illustrated in fig. 2 and patent documents 1 and 2, probes formed in an S-shape are arranged. Therefore, the upper position of the probe is shifted from the lower end of the probe that contacts the electrode of the subject. On the other hand, as shown in this embodiment, the position of supported portion 51 matches (coincides with or substantially coincides with) the position of lower end 551 by positioning lower end 551 on perpendicular line C passing through the position of supported portion 51. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the positioning of the probe 21 with respect to the electrode 16 of the device 15 can be easily controlled, and the positioning accuracy is also improved.

It is preferable that the probe 21 in the non-contact state is housed without contacting the inner wall of the support hole 19. The bent portion 54 is formed in the non-conductive guide portion 211, but the bent portion 54 is preferably accommodated in the support hole 19 without contacting the inner wall of the support hole 19. In other words, in the supporting hole 19, the position of the supported portion 51 to be supported does not need to be the center position of the top 192 of the supporting hole 19. The supported portion 51 may be supported by the top portion 192 of the support hole 19 so that the bent portion 54 does not contact the inner wall of the support hole 19.

Further, although the elasticity of the probe 21 may be weakened, as a modification, the buckling portion 54 of the probe 21 or the like may be in contact with the inner wall of the support hole 19 in the non-contact state.

Further, the probe 21 in the non-contact state is accommodated in the support hole 19 such that the conductive portion 212 protrudes from the lower surface 18 of the probe support 17. For example, the probe 21 is supported by the support hole 19 so that the position of the 2 nd contact portion 56 in the conductive portion 212 is located below the lower surface 18 of the probe support 17. This is to bring the 2 nd contact portion 56 into electrical contact with the electrode terminal 20 when the probe 21 is in contact or when the probe 21 is elastically deformed.

Fig. 6 (B) shows a state of the probe 21 when the lower end 551 of the probe 21 is in contact with the electrode 16 of the test object 15 and a contact load acts on the probe 21.

The lower end 551 of the probe 21 is in contact with the electrode 16, and the probe 21 deforms when a contact load is applied to the probe 21. That is, the linear non-conductive guide portion 211 is reinforced and bent from the bent portion 54 formed in the non-conductive guide portion 211, and the bent portion 54 comes into contact with the inner wall of the support hole 19. The contact between the inflection portion 54 and the inner wall surface of the support hole 19 causes the 2 nd contact portion 56 located at the other end of the conduction portion 212 to move toward the axis of the support hole 19 (e.g., the perpendicular line C from the supported portion 51 may be used). At substantially the same time, the lower end 551 of the conductive portion 212 of the probe 21, which is in contact with the electrode 16, starts, and the linear 1 st contact portion 55 is bent by the contact load. Thereby, the 2 nd contact portion 56 of the conduction portion 212 moves upward, and the 2 nd contact portion 56 of the conduction portion 212 comes into contact with the electrode terminal 20.

That is, when the lower end portion 511 at one end portion of the conduction portion 212 is in electrical contact with the electrode 16 of the device under test 15, the bent portion 54 functions to be bent so as to short-circuit the 2 nd contact portion 56 at the other end portion side of the conduction portion 212 with the electrode terminal 20.

In this case, the probe 21 supported by the support hole 19 is supported by a contact point with the electrode 16 and a contact point with the inner wall of the support hole 19, and therefore the posture of the probe 21 can be stabilized. In a state where the posture of the probe 21 is stable, the 2 nd contact portion 56 is in contact with the electrode terminal 20, and therefore, the 2 nd contact portion 56 can be suppressed from sliding with respect to the electrode terminal 20. As a result, abrasion between the electrode terminal 20 and the 2 nd contact portion 56 can be suppressed, deterioration of the contact portion can be suppressed, and inspection accuracy can be improved.

The case where the inspection of the object 15 is performed in the state of the probe 21 at the time of contact in fig. 6 (B) will be described.

In the conduction portion 212 of the probe 21, the lower end 551 of the 1 st contact portion 55 is in electrical contact with the electrode 16 of the device under test 15, and the 2 nd contact portion 56 is in electrical contact with the electrode terminal 20. Therefore, the conduction path through which the electric signal flows is a path between the contact point where the lower end 551 of the 1 st contact portion 55 contacts the electrode 16 and the contact point where the 2 nd contact portion 56 contacts the electrode terminal 20, and the conduction path can be shortened as compared with the conventional one.

For example, as the operation speed of an integrated circuit as the device under test 15 increases, the probe card is required to respond to the high-frequency characteristics of the device under test 15. If the length of the probe 21 used for inspection becomes long, the reactance component becomes large accordingly, and particularly, the inspection accuracy of the high frequency characteristic may be affected.

According to this embodiment, since the probe 21 formed by the non-conductive guide portion 211 and the short conductive portion 212 is used, the conductive path is shortened, and thus the inspection accuracy can be improved.

(A-2) modified example of the embodiment

Hereinafter, modifications of the above embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

(A-2-1) FIG. 7A is a view showing a state of the probe 21 in the non-contact state in the modified embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a view showing a state of the probe 21 in the contact state in the modified embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the case where the electrode terminal 20 is provided on the lower surface 18 of the probe support body 17 is exemplified, but in fig. 7 (a) and 7 (B), the case where the electrode terminal 20 connected to the conductive path 22 is provided on the inner wall surface of the support hole 19 of the probe support body 17 is exemplified. For example, in this case, the electrode terminal 20 may be provided on the inner wall surface of the probe 21 in which the 2 nd contact portion 56 is in contact with the inner wall of the support hole 19.

Fig. 7 (a) and 7 (B) illustrate a case where the electrode terminal 20 is provided in a part of the inner wall of the support hole 19 in which the 2 nd contact portion 56 of the probe 21 contacts at the time of contact, among the inner walls of the support hole 19 in which the probe 21 is housed. However, for example, the electrode terminal 20 having a predetermined width in the Z direction may be provided on the entire circumference of the inner wall of the support hole 19. Further, for example, the electrode terminal 20 may be provided on the entire surface of the inner wall of the support hole 19.

With this structure, the length of the portion of the probe 21 protruding downward from the lower surface 18 of the probe support 17 (i.e., the linear 1 st contact portion 55 of the conductive portion 212) can be further shortened. In addition, the diameter (diameter) of the support hole 19 for accommodating the probe 21 can be further increased. Therefore, the probe 21 can be easily accommodated in the support hole 19.

(A-2-2) Another modified embodiment is shown in FIG. 8. Fig. 8 (a) is a diagram showing a state of the probe 21 in the non-contact state in the modified embodiment, and fig. 8 (B) is a diagram showing a state of the probe 21 in the contact state in the modified embodiment.

In fig. 8a and 8B, the probe support body 17 may be formed by cutting a part of the opening end of the support hole 19, and the electrode terminal 20 connected to the conductive path 22 may be provided on a part of or the entire surface of the cut portion (inclined surface) 191.

For example, the electrode terminal 20 may be provided on either or both of the surface of the notch 191, which is an inclined surface provided at the opening end of the support hole 19, and the inner wall surface of the support hole 19 continuous with the notch 191. In this case, the electrode terminal 20 connected to the conductive path 22 may be provided on the entire inner wall of the support hole 19.

The cutout 191 may be provided on the entire circumference of the substantially circular opening end of the support hole 19, for example. In other words, the notch 191 formed in a tapered shape with a diameter that becomes smaller toward the upper side in the Z direction may be provided at the opening end of the support hole 19.

With such a configuration, the 2 nd contact portion 56 of the probe 21 is in good contact with the electrode terminal 20 at the time of contact, and the contact area between the 2 nd contact portion 56 and the electrode terminal 20 also becomes larger. As a result, the inspection accuracy is improved.

(A-2-3) still another modified embodiment is shown in FIG. 9. Fig. 9 (a) is a diagram showing a state of the probe 21 in the non-contact state in the modified embodiment, and fig. 9 (B) is a diagram showing a state of the probe 21 in the contact state in the modified embodiment.

Fig. 9 (a) and 9 (B) illustrate a case where the support holes 19 of the probe holders 17 are provided obliquely to the semiconductor material as the device under test 15. That is, the case where the support hole 19 having a predetermined inclination with respect to the vertical direction of the Z axis is provided and the probe 21 is supported in the inclination direction according to the inclination of the support hole 19 is exemplified.

At this time, the inner wall surface of the support hole 19 is also inclined. On the other hand, the probe support 17 is provided with a conductive path 22 in a vertical direction. Therefore, the conductive path 22 in the vertical direction in the probe support 17 may intersect the support hole 19, and a part of the conductive path 22 appearing on the surface of the inner wall of the support hole 19 may be used as the electrode terminal 20. Fig. 9 (a) and 9 (B) illustrate a case where the electrode terminal 20 is provided in a wide range from the lower end portion of the inclined inner wall surface of the support hole 19 to the vicinity of the central portion of the inner wall of the support hole 19.

(A-3) effects of embodiment

As described above, according to the embodiment, the probe 21 includes the non-conductive guide portion 211 and the conductive portion 212, and the 2 nd contact portion 56 of the conductive portion 212 comes into contact with the electrode terminal 20 near the support hole 19 by the probe 21 supported by the support hole 19 being deformed by the contact load. Therefore, the conduction path of the current flowing between the electrode 16 of the device 15 and the electrode terminal 20 via the probe 21 can be shortened. As a result, the inspection accuracy of the electrical characteristics of the object 15 can be improved.

In addition, according to the embodiment, when the probe 21 is brought into contact with the electrode 16 of the device 15, the probe 21 is deformed from the bent portion 54 formed in the non-conductive guide portion 211. The posture of the probe 21 is stabilized by the contact point of the bent portion 54 with the inner wall of the support hole 19 and the contact point of the lower end portion 551 with the electrode 16. Therefore, the 2 nd contact portion 56 can be suppressed from sliding and wearing with respect to the electrode terminal 20.

(B) Other embodiments

Various modified embodiments have been described in the above embodiments, but the present invention can be applied to the following modified embodiments.

(B-1) the electrical contact (probe) of the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the structure of the probe 21A illustrated in fig. 10 (a).

Fig. 10 (a) is a diagram showing the structure of the probe 21A according to the modified embodiment, and fig. 10 (B) is a diagram showing the state of the probe 21A at the time of contact according to the modified embodiment.

In fig. 10 (a), the probe 21A is formed to have a nonconductive guide portion 211A of a thin wire or narrow plate-like member and a conductive portion 212A of a thin wire or narrow plate-like member.

Conductive portion 212A is formed to overlap from a substantially central portion of non-conductive guide portion 211A to a lower end portion of non-conductive guide portion 211A, and the lower end portion of conductive portion 212A protrudes downward from the lower end portion of non-conductive guide portion 211A.

For example, the conductive portion 212A may be formed on one surface (the left side surface in fig. 10 (a)) of the non-conductive guide portion 211A which is a narrow plate-like member. The conduction portion 212A may be a narrow plate-like member. In this case, the width of the narrow plate-like conduction portion 212A may be the same as or slightly smaller than the width of the non-conduction guide portion 211A.

The non-conductive guide portion 211A includes, from above, a supported portion 51A supported by the support hole 19, a support portion 58, a 1 st guide portion 52A, a 2 nd guide portion 53A, and a flexure portion 54A. On the other hand, the conductive portion 212A includes the guided portion 57, the 2 nd contact portion 56A, and the 1 st contact portion 55A from above. The lower end 551A of the 1 st contact portion 55A contacts the electrode 16 of the device under test 15.

The 1 st guide portion 52A, the bent portion 54A, and the 2 nd guide portion 53A of the non-conductive guide portion 211A overlap with the guided portion 57, the 2 nd contact portion 56A, and the 1 st contact portion 55A of the conductive portion 212A.

The bent portion 54A is formed in a portion where the non-conductive guide portion 211A and the conductive portion 212A overlap. As the bent portion 54A is bent, the conduction portion 212A is also bent, and the bent portion of the conduction portion 212A is formed as the 2 nd contact portion 56A.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 10 (B), the lower end 551A of the probe 21A contacts the electrode 16 during contact, and the buckling portion 54A of the non-conductive guide portion 211A becomes a starting point and the probe 21A deforms when a contact load is applied.

At this time, the 2 nd contact portion 56A located at a position corresponding to the bent portion 54A contacts the electrode terminal 20 located at the inner wall of the support hole 19, and the support portion 58 of the non-conductive guide portion 211A is bent to contact the inner wall of the support hole 19.

In this case, the probe 21A supported by the support hole 19 is supported by a contact point with the electrode 16 and a contact point with the inner wall of the support hole 19 (the contact point 58A of the 2 nd contact portion 56A and the support portion 58), and therefore, the posture of the probe 21A can be stabilized.

That is, in a state where the posture of the probe 21A is stable, the 2 nd contact portion 56A is in contact with the electrode terminal 20, and therefore, the 2 nd contact portion 56A can be suppressed from sliding with respect to the electrode terminal 20. As a result, abrasion between the electrode terminal 20 and the 2 nd contact portion 56A can be suppressed, deterioration of the contact portion can be suppressed, and inspection accuracy can be improved.

Fig. 10 (B) illustrates a case where the electrode terminal 20 is provided on the inner wall surface of the support hole 19. However, the electrode terminals 20 may be provided on the lower surface 18 of the probe support body 17 as shown in fig. 6 (a) and 6 (B), or may be provided on the inner wall surfaces of the notch 191 and/or the support hole 19 as shown in fig. 8 (a) and 8 (B).

(B-2) in the above-described embodiment, the case where the electrode terminals for wiring connection of the probes 21 are provided in the vicinity of the support holes 19 or on the inner wall of the support holes 19 is exemplified. The position of the electrode terminal 20 is not limited to the above embodiment as long as it can contact the 2 nd contact portion 56 when the probe 21 is deformed by the contact load.

(B-3) in the above-described embodiment, the case where the non-conductive guide portion 211 of the probe 21 has the bent portion 54 is exemplified, but the number of the bent portions 54 provided on the non-conductive guide portion 211 is not limited to 1, and may be plural (for example, 2 or more).

Description of the symbols

1 … electric connection device, 5 … probe assembly, 15 … object, 16 … electrode, 17 … probe supporting body, 18 … probe supporting body lower surface, 19 … supporting hole, 191 … notch, 192 … top, 20 … electrode terminal, 21 and 21A electric contact (probe), 211 and 211A … non-conducting guiding part, 212 and 212a … conducting part, 51 and 51A … supported part, 52 and 52a … 1 st guiding part, 53 and 53a … 2 nd guiding part, 54 and 54a … bending part, 55 and 55a … 1 st contact part, 551 … lower end part, 56 and 56a … 2 nd contact part, 57 … guided part, 58 … supporting part.

Claims

1. An electrical contact structure of an electrical contact, comprising:

a support hole having an opening formed in one surface of a support substrate;

an electrical contact inserted through the support hole and electrically contacted with the object to be inspected; and

an electrode portion provided in the vicinity of the opening of the support hole,

the electrical contact has a non-conductive portion having a bent portion and a conductive portion provided on one end portion side of the non-conductive portion,

when one end of the conductive portion is in electrical contact with the device under test, the bent portion is bent so that the other end of the conductive portion is short-circuited to the electrode portion.

2. The electrical contact configuration of an electrical contact of claim 1,

the second contact portion 2 is provided on the other end portion side of the conduction portion and protrudes in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the conduction portion.

3. The electrical contact configuration of an electrical contact of claim 1,

by the deformation of the electrical contact, the 2 nd contact portion of the conduction portion is brought into contact with the electrode portion.

4. The electrical contact configuration of an electrical contact of claim 1,

the bent portion is brought into contact with an inner wall surface of the support hole by deformation of the electrical contact, whereby the other end portion of the conduction portion is moved in a direction intersecting an axis of the support hole.

5. The electrical contact configuration of an electrical contact of claim 1,

the non-conductive portion of the electrical contact is formed of a linear member or a narrow plate-like member,

the 2 nd contact portion of the conductive portion is formed of a member that contacts the electrode portion with a large area at the one end portion of the non-conductive portion,

the 1 st contact portion of the conduction portion is supported by the 2 nd contact portion and is formed of a linear member or a narrow plate-like member.

6. The electrical contact configuration of an electrical contact of claim 1,

the electrode portion is provided on the bottom surface of the support substrate in the vicinity of the opening of the support hole.

7. The electrical contact configuration of an electrical contact of claim 1,

the electrode portion is provided on a part of or the entire surface of the inner wall of the support hole.

8. The electrical contact configuration of an electrical contact of claim 1,

the electrode unit is provided on a slope surface of a notch portion that cuts an opening of the support hole and/or an inner wall surface of the support hole.

9. An electrical connection device, characterized in that,

an electrical connection device which includes a support substrate supporting a plurality of electrical contacts and electrically connects a device under test and an inspection apparatus, the electrical connection device having an electrical contact structure of the electrical contact according to any one of claims 1 to 8.