JP2003207522A - Contact probe - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a contact probe capable of providing an electric conduction with the electrode pad of a circuit pattern without applying an excessive pressure to the electrode pad, to provide a method for reducing an oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad of a circuit pattern by use of a contact probe, and to provide an inspection device comprising such a contact probe. <P>SOLUTION: This contact probe comprises a semiconductor photocatalyst at or around the tip part which makes contact with the electrode pad of the circuit pattern. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a semiconductor substrate and an IC.
The present invention relates to a contact probe used when electrically inspecting a circuit pattern of a chip, a liquid crystal display device or the like. The present invention also relates to a method for reducing the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad of the circuit pattern with a contact probe.
Further, the present invention relates to a circuit pattern inspection device having a contact probe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various inspections performed after a chip is manufactured are to evaluate whether the chip meets an electrical design standard, a performance standard of an embedded system, or whether the operation is reliable. To be done. Among these, the reliability inspection of the chip is performed by sending an inspection signal to the chip and repeatedly operating, and the defective chip is removed.

Such various inspections are carried out by using a probe card having a large number of contact probes arranged according to the circuit pattern to be inspected. With the recent narrowing of the circuit pattern pitch, the contact probe is used. Also, miniaturization is required, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-
In the 162241 publication, a fine contact probe having a thickness of 100 μm or less is introduced. This contact probe is manufactured by a method combining photolithography and electroforming.

[0004]

The inspection of the circuit pattern is performed by bringing a contact probe arranged in the inspection device into contact with the electrode pad of the circuit pattern. The electrode pad is usually made of aluminum, and the surface of the electrode pad is inspected. Is covered with a relatively strong oxide film (Al ₂ O ₃ ). Therefore, good electrical conduction cannot be obtained simply by bringing the contact probe of the inspection device into contact with the electrode pad of the circuit pattern.

Although it is possible to increase the contact pressure of the contact probe against the electrode pad to some extent in order to obtain electrical continuity, as described above, the miniaturization of the contact probe progresses and the strength of the contact probe tends to decrease. Therefore, it is difficult to make the contact pressure of the contact probe excessive. Also, an excessive contact pressure from the electrode pad side is not preferable. On the other hand, since the oxide film covering the surface layer of the electrode pad is strong, sufficient electrical conduction cannot be obtained by applying a small amount of pressure.

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a contact probe which can obtain good electrical continuity with an electrode pad without applying an excessive pressure to the electrode pad of the circuit pattern. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for reducing an oxide film on the surface layer of an electrode pad of a circuit pattern with a contact probe. Further, the present invention aims to provide an inspection apparatus having a contact probe.

[0007]

The contact probe of the present invention is a contact probe that is used for inspecting a circuit pattern by contacting it with an electrode pad having a fine circuit pattern. It is characterized by having a semiconductor photocatalyst in the vicinity.

The method of reducing an oxide film according to the present invention is a method of reducing an oxide film on the surface layer of an electrode pad of a circuit pattern, and a contact having a semiconductor photocatalyst at or near the tip contacting the electrode pad. Using a probe,
The semiconductor photocatalyst is irradiated with light that causes charge separation in the semiconductor photocatalyst.

The inspection apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a contact probe having a semiconductor photocatalyst at or near the tip portion contacting the electrode pad.

Another inspection apparatus of the present invention has means for removing the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad by dry etching, and means for contacting the electrode pad with a contact probe to inspect the circuit pattern. Is characterized by.

Another inspection apparatus of the present invention has means for removing an oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad by laser, and means for inspecting a circuit pattern by bringing a contact probe into contact with the electrode pad. Characterize.

Another inspection apparatus of the present invention has means for removing an oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad by an electron beam and means for inspecting a circuit pattern by bringing a contact probe into contact with the electrode pad. Is characterized by.

Another inspection apparatus of the present invention comprises means for removing the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad by an ion beam,
Means for inspecting a circuit pattern by bringing a contact probe into contact with the electrode pad.

Another inspection apparatus of the present invention inspects the circuit pattern by contacting the electrode pad with a contact probe or an anisotropic conductive sheet and a means for removing the oxide film on the surface of the electrode pad by a scribing pin. And means.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION (Contact Probe) The contact probe of the present invention is characterized in that it has a semiconductor photocatalyst at or near the tip portion which contacts the electrode pad of the circuit pattern.

A typical structure of the contact probe of the present invention is shown in FIG. This contact probe has a contact part 1
1, a spring portion 12, and a support portion 13. When inspecting the circuit pattern, the contact probe is pressed in the direction of the arrow so that the contact portion 11 contacts the electrode pad of the circuit pattern. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor photocatalyst layer 18 is provided at the tip of the contact portion 11.

In the present invention, a semiconductor photocatalyst is used. The semiconductor photocatalyst refers to a semiconductor that is excited by light to undergo a chemical reaction. Semiconductor photocatalysts include oxide semiconductors and sulfide semiconductors. For oxide semiconductors, TiO ₂ , ZnO, C
There are u ₂ O, SnO ₂ , MnO _{2 and the} like, and sulfide semiconductors include CdS, Cu ₂ S and the like, but a typical semiconductor photocatalyst is anatase type titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ).
In the present invention, a semiconductor photocatalyst is used, and the present invention is not limited to titanium dioxide, but titanium dioxide is taken as an example of a representative semiconductor photocatalyst and will be described below.

Titanium dioxide is a material that has been widely used as a white pigment with a large hiding power in paints, cosmetics, synthetic resins, fibers, paper, etc., but it is a semiconductor that exerts a great redox action by using light as a catalyst. It is also a photocatalyst.
The present invention utilizes the function of titanium dioxide as a semiconductor photocatalyst that exhibits the redox action.

Titanium dioxide is excited when it absorbs light,
Generates electrons (e ⁻ ) and holes (h ⁺ ). Electron (e ^-)
Reduces the strong oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ) covering the surface layer of the Al electrode pad of the circuit pattern to Al before being oxidized.

[0020] ^{_{2Al 2 O 3 + 12e - →}} 4Al + 6O 2- Thus, upon inspection of the circuit pattern, without scribing the electrode pads of the circuit pattern by a contact probe, resulting electrical continuity between the electrode pad and the contact probe To be

Among the semiconductor photocatalysts having a redox effect, titanium dioxide is preferable in that it is chemically stable, can be used semipermanently, has a low running cost, is transparent, and is harmless.

There are three types of titanium dioxide crystal systems, rutile type, anatase type and brookite type, but the anatase type is preferable because of its excellent catalytic activity. In the case of anatase type titanium dioxide, it absorbs and excites ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 388 nm or less.

Titanium dioxide is provided at or near the tip of the contact probe that contacts the electrode pad of the circuit pattern. Since the contact probe comes into contact with the electrode pad at its tip, by providing titanium dioxide at the tip portion, the reducing action of titanium dioxide is effectively exhibited, and the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad can be reduced. The tip portion constitutes a part of the contact portion of the contact probe, and is 200 μm from the tip of the contact probe.
A range within m. On the other hand, titanium dioxide can exert the effect of the present invention as long as it is near the tip, not at the tip. Providing titanium dioxide in the vicinity of the tip is preferable in that the titanium dioxide can be prevented from directly contacting the electrode pad when the contact probe is used, and the titanium dioxide can be used for a long period of time. Also,
Titanium dioxide is a semiconductor and has a higher electric resistance than conductors such as metals. Therefore, by setting the position where titanium dioxide is provided not near the tip of the contact probe but near the tip, the reduction action of titanium dioxide and the electrode pad It becomes possible to expect both electrical continuity with. The vicinity of the tip refers to a range within 2000 μm from the tip, not including the tip of the contact probe. 200
If it exceeds 0 μm, the reducing power of titanium dioxide cannot be fully exhibited. In a typical embodiment in which the titanium dioxide is in the vicinity of the tip, a member having titanium dioxide is attached so as to face the contact portion of the contact probe, and the tip of the contact probe and the titanium dioxide are close to each other. In one embodiment, In addition, there is a mode in which a titanium dioxide layer is coated on the surface of the contact probe in the vicinity of its tip.

The particle size of titanium dioxide is 100 nm.
The following is preferable, and 30 to 40 nm or less is more preferable.
If it is larger than 100 nm, electrons (e ⁻ ) and holes (h ⁺ ) are not efficiently generated, and it becomes difficult for electrons (e ⁻ ) and holes (h ⁺ ) to appear on the surface of titanium dioxide.

The thickness of the titanium dioxide layer is preferably 0.1 μm or more, more preferably 1 μm or more. If it is thinner than 0.1 μm, the reducing action of the oxide film becomes insufficient.

(Method of Manufacturing Contact Probe) A typical method of manufacturing the contact probe of the present invention is a step of forming a resin mold on a substrate, a step of forming a metal layer in a hole portion of the resin mold, and a contact. Molding process of the contact part of the probe,
It includes a resin mold removing step, a substrate removing step, and a semiconductor photocatalyst layer forming step on the contact portion.

A typical method for manufacturing the contact probe of the present invention is shown in FIG. A substrate having conductivity is used as the substrate 21 (FIG. 2A). A substrate made of a conductive material such as SUS, Cu or Al can be used as the conductive base. Also, a substrate having a conductive layer formed thereon can be used (not shown). In this case, a substrate made of an insulating material such as glass, a substrate made of Si, a substrate made of a conductive material such as SUS, Cu, Al, etc. is sputtered with a conductive material of Ti, Al, Cu or a combination thereof. Use what you did.

The step of forming the resin mold on the substrate can be performed by photolithography. Formation of a resin mold by photolithography includes a step of forming a resist film on a substrate, an exposure step, and a resist removing step.

In the step of forming the resist film on the substrate, the resist film 23 is formed on the substrate 21 (FIG. 2A).

In the exposure step, synchrotron radiation light or ultraviolet light 25 is applied from above the resist film 23 through a mask 24 having a desired shape pattern (FIG. 2).
(A)).

In the resist removing step, the resist film 23
The exposed region 23a is developed, the exposed resist film 23a is removed, and the resin mold 2 penetrating in the thickness direction is formed.
3b is formed (FIG. 2B).

In the step of forming the metal layer in the holes of the resin mold, the metal layer 27 is formed on the holes 22 of the resin mold 23b by electroforming.
a is formed (FIGS. 2B and 2C). Electroforming means forming a metal layer on a substrate using a metal ion solution. As the material of the metal layer, nickel, cobalt, an alloy of nickel and cobalt, an alloy of nickel and manganese, or the like can be used. After forming the metal layer 27a,
Aligned to the desired thickness by polishing or grinding (Fig. 2
(D)).

In the step of forming the contact portion of the contact probe, for example, a cutting machine having a rotary tooth with a tip of a cutting tooth having a triangular shape is used to cut along the boundary line between the metal layer 27c and the resist film 23b to form a resist film. 23c and metal layer 2
With 7d, a groove having a V-shaped cross section is formed (FIGS. 2D and 2E).

In the resin mold removing step, the resin molds 23b and 23c are removed by ashing with oxygen plasma or the like (FIGS. 2E and 2F).

In the substrate removing step, the substrate 21 is removed by wet etching or dry etching (FIGS. 2 (f) and 2 (g)).

In the step of forming the semiconductor photocatalyst layer on the contact portion, the surface of the metal layer 27d which becomes the contact portion of the micro connector is covered with the semiconductor photocatalyst layer 28 (FIG. 2 (g),
(H)). As a result, the micro connector 1 of the present invention is obtained. As a coating method, when titanium dioxide is taken as an example of a semiconductor photocatalyst, a method of coating titanium dioxide with an organic binder or an inorganic binder and then coating, or impregnating titanium dioxide into a porous carrier, There is a method of coating the carrier by adhering it to the surface of the contact probe, but since the binder or carrier may decompose due to the photocatalytic effect of titanium dioxide, use an inorganic binder or carrier that does not decompose due to the photocatalytic effect. A coating method is preferred.

The micro connector of the present invention has a width of several μm.
It is a structure having a size of several hundred μm and a height of several hundred μm or less, and has a large aspect ratio. Moreover, a complicated structure can be manufactured, and an assembly work of parts is unnecessary.
The resin mold required for manufacturing can be reproduced in large quantities by using a mold created by the LIGA process or the like, and a large amount of micro connectors can also be manufactured by electroforming this.

The step of forming the resin mold on the substrate can be performed by photolithography as described above, or by a mold such as a mold. When using a mold such as a metal mold, the step of forming the resin mold on the substrate includes a molding step, a polishing step, and an adhesion step to the substrate.

In the molding process, a mold 39 having a convex portion is formed.
Thus, molding such as injection molding is performed to form a resin mold 33 having a concave portion (FIG. 3A). A resin mold 33 having a concave portion after removing the mold is shown in FIG.

In the polishing step, the resin mold 33 having the recess is polished to obtain the resin mold 33b penetrating in the thickness direction (FIG. 3).
(B), (c)).

In the process of adhering to the substrate, the resin mold 3
3b is adhered to the conductive substrate 31 (see FIG. 3).
(D)). The resin mold can also be polished after the resin mold is adhered to a conductive substrate. The resin type material is polymethylmethacrylate, polypropylene, polycarbonate or the like. As the substrate, a substrate having the same conductivity as that used when a resin mold is formed on the substrate by photolithography can be used. The method of forming with a mold such as a mold is preferable because it is suitable for mass production.

An example of a mask used when exposing the resist film with synchrotron radiation or ultraviolet rays is shown in FIG. By using such a mask, a micro connector having a shape as shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained.

An example of molding the contact portion of the contact probe is shown in FIG. FIG. 5A shows a state before molding, and FIG.
This corresponds to the metal layer 27c in (d). FIG. 5B shows a state after molding, and corresponds to the metal layer 27d in FIG. 2E.
As a result of the molding, a triangular pyramid whose bottom surface is the triangle represented by the dotted line in FIG. 5A is cut.

(Reduction Method of Oxide Film) The reduction method of an oxide film of the present invention uses a contact probe having a semiconductor photocatalyst at or near the tip contacting the electrode pad of the circuit pattern, and charge separation is performed in the semiconductor photocatalyst. The semiconductor photocatalyst is irradiated with light that causes

The light with which the semiconductor photocatalyst is irradiated is light that causes charge separation in the semiconductor photocatalyst. When anatase type titanium dioxide is used as the semiconductor photocatalyst, the wavelength of the light to be irradiated is preferably 400 nm or less,
More preferably, it is 388 nm or less. This is because the anatase-type titanium dioxide is excited by ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 388 nm or less to generate electrons (e ⁻ ) and the electrons reduce the oxide film on the electrode pad surface layer to Al. For example, wavelength 3
By irradiating a sufficient amount of anatase type titanium dioxide with an ultraviolet ray having an illuminance of 3.6 mW / cm ² at 50 nm for 60 seconds, an Al ₂ O ₃ film having a thickness of about 30 nm can be reduced to an Al film. The light with which the semiconductor photocatalyst is irradiated may include visible light.

(Inspection Device) The inspection device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a contact probe having a semiconductor photocatalyst at or near the tip portion which comes into contact with the electrode pad of the circuit pattern.

FIG. 6 shows a mode in which a contact probe having anatase type titanium dioxide is used as a semiconductor catalyst, the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad is reduced by the photocatalytic effect, and then the circuit pattern is inspected. Anatase-type titanium dioxide at or near the tip of the contact probe reduces the oxide film on the surface of the electrode pad by irradiating it with ultraviolet light, so the tip of the contact probe does not scribe the surface of the electrode pad. However, electrical continuity can be obtained. Therefore, the circuit pattern can be easily inspected by using an apparatus having such a contact probe.

Another inspection apparatus of the present invention has means for removing the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad by dry etching, and means for contacting the electrode pad with a contact probe to inspect the circuit pattern. Is characterized by.

FIG. 7 shows a mode in which a circuit pattern is inspected by a contact probe after the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad is removed by dry etching. By performing dry etching, the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad is removed, good electrical continuity can be obtained without making the contact pressure excessive, and the circuit pattern can be easily inspected. Dry etching is preferable in terms of high processing accuracy.

When dry etching is carried out, for example, Cl ₂ , HCl, BCl ₃ or CC is used as an etching gas.
l ₄ , SiF ₄ , CF ₄ , CHF ₃ , SF ₆ , HBr, BB
r ₃ , Ar, a mixed gas thereof, or the like is used. Among these, chlorine gas (Cl ₂ , HCl, BCl ₃ , CCl ₄ ) is used because it easily reacts with the electrode pad (Al ₂ O ₃ ).
Is preferred. The RF power is preferably 50W to 400W. If it is less than 50 W, the reaction with the pad does not proceed. On the other hand, if it is larger than 400 W, an undesired effect such as unnecessary heating of the electrode or electrical damage is likely to occur. In addition, it is preferable that the conductive substrate is cooled in order to suppress variations in etching.

Another inspection apparatus of the present invention comprises means for removing the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad by laser and means for inspecting the circuit pattern by bringing a contact probe into contact with the electrode pad. Characterize.

FIG. 8 shows a mode in which a circuit pattern is inspected by a contact probe after the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad is removed by a laser. The laser can remove the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad, and good electrical conduction can be obtained, so that the circuit pattern can be easily inspected. The laser method is preferable because it has high processing accuracy and is clean.

When the laser irradiates the oxide film on the surface of the electrode pad, the laser energy absorbed by the oxide film rapidly heats the oxide film, so that the oxide film is partially melted and partially evaporated. The oxide film is destroyed due to volume expansion due to evaporation. If the laser energy is too low, the oxide film cannot be removed. If the laser energy is too high, the Al layer of the electrode pad is also removed. Therefore, the laser energy is preferably 1 μJ / pulse to 10 μJ / pulse.

Another inspection apparatus of the present invention has means for removing the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad by an electron beam and means for inspecting the circuit pattern by bringing a contact probe into contact with the electrode pad. Is characterized by.

FIG. 9 shows a mode in which a circuit pattern is inspected by a contact probe after the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad is removed by an electron beam. Since the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad can be removed by the electron beam and good electrical conduction can be obtained, the circuit pattern can be easily inspected. The electron beam method is preferable because it has high processing accuracy and is clean.

When the electron beam is irradiated, the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad is rapidly heated, so that a part thereof is melted and a part thereof is evaporated to destroy the oxide film. If the energy of the electron beam is too small, the oxide film cannot be removed, and if the energy of the electron beam is too large, the Al layer of the electrode pad is also removed. Therefore, the energy of the electron beam is preferably 10 keV to 200 keV.

Another inspection apparatus of the present invention comprises means for removing the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad by an ion beam,
Means for inspecting a circuit pattern by bringing a contact probe into contact with the electrode pad.

FIG. 10 shows a mode in which the circuit pattern is inspected by the contact probe after the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad is removed by the ion beam. By the ion beam, the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad can be removed, and good electrical conduction can be obtained, so that the circuit pattern can be easily inspected. The ion beam method is
It is preferable because it has high processing accuracy and is clean.

The ion beam method includes argon, xenon,
Use an inert gas such as nitrogen or chlorine / fluorine gas. In the ion beam method using an inert gas, the oxide film is removed by using a physical sputtering phenomenon, but in the ion beam method using a chlorine / fluorine-based gas, the oxide film (Al ₂ O ₃ ) and the oxide film are chemically removed. Therefore, the etching can be performed at a speed about 10 times faster than the ion beam method using an inert gas. If the dose of the ion beam is too low, it will not be sufficiently etched. On the other hand, when the amount of ion beam is increased, the etching rate and the redeposition rate of the etched atoms become the same at a certain point,
Apparently, the etching rate is saturated. Therefore, the preferable ion beam dose is 1 × 10 ¹⁷ ions /
cm ² to 1 × 10 ²⁰ ions / cm ² .

Another inspection apparatus of the present invention is a means for removing an oxide film on the surface layer of an electrode pad by a scribing pin, and a contact probe or an anisotropic conductive sheet is brought into contact with the electrode pad to electrically connect a circuit pattern. And a means for conducting an inspection.

FIG. 11 shows a mode in which the oxide film on the surface of the electrode pad is removed by the scribing pin and then the circuit pattern is inspected by the contact probe. Figure 11
11A shows a mode after the surface oxide film is removed by the scribing pin, and FIG. 11B shows a mode in which the circuit pattern is inspected by the contact probe. Before the electrical inspection of the circuit pattern, the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad is removed by a dedicated scribing pin, whereby the inspection cost can be reduced as a whole.

The material of the scribing pin has a long service life and excellent mechanical characteristics, has a small contact resistance, and is excellent in inspecting the electrical characteristics of the circuit pattern.
Furthermore, it is difficult to oxidize, is not easily affected by the surrounding environment, and is chemically stable, so W ₂ C, TiN, W, Cr, S
i ₃ N ₄ is preferred. Further, it is also preferable that a base metal such as Si is coated with the compound shown on the left at a thickness of 10 nm to 100 nm.

The size of the scribing pin is preferably fine according to the tendency of narrowing the pitch between the pads, and specifically, the total length of 100 μm to 10000 μm and the pin line width of 20 μm to 100 μm are preferable. on the other hand,
The radius of curvature of the pin tip is 1μ for effective scribing.
It is preferably m or less.

The anisotropic conductive sheet is insulated in the plane direction of the sheet in order to prevent conduction between adjacent electrode pads of the circuit pattern, but has conductivity in the thickness direction of the sheet. Is. The anisotropic conductive sheet is used to compensate for a contact failure due to a planarity mismatch between the electrode pad and the head electrode of the measuring device. The inspection of the circuit pattern is performed by sandwiching a conductive sheet between the electrode pad of the circuit pattern and the head electrode of the measuring device.

The embodiments disclosed this time are to be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description but by the claims, and is intended to include meanings equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope.

[0066]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a contact probe that can obtain good electrical continuity with an electrode pad without applying an excessive pressure to the electrode pad of the circuit pattern. Further, the contact probe of the present invention can be used to reduce the oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad of the circuit pattern. Furthermore, it is possible to provide an inspection device having such a contact probe.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a structure of a contact probe of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a process drawing showing the method of manufacturing the contact probe of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a process drawing showing a method for forming a resin mold on a substrate by a mold.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a mask used in photolithography.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a method of molding a contact portion of a contact probe.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a mode of inspecting a circuit pattern after reducing an oxide film on the surface layer of an electrode pad by a photocatalytic effect.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an aspect of inspecting a circuit pattern after removing an oxide film by dry etching.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing an aspect of inspecting a circuit pattern after removing an oxide film by a laser.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an aspect of inspecting a circuit pattern after removing an oxide film by an electron beam.

FIG. 10: After removing the oxide film by the ion beam,
It is a schematic diagram which shows the aspect which inspects a circuit pattern.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a mode of inspecting a circuit pattern after removing an oxide film with a scribe-dedicated pin.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 contact part, 12 spring part, 13 support part, 18 semiconductor photocatalyst layer, 21 substrate, 23 resist film, 24 mask, 27 metal layer, 33 resin mold, 39 mold.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yoshihiro Hirata             3-12-1 Koto, Kamigori-cho, Ako-gun, Hyogo             Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Harima Research Center F-term (reference) 2G003 AG03 AG07 AG12 AH07                 2G011 AA04 AC14                 4M106 AA01 AA02 BA01 DD03

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A contact probe used for inspecting a circuit pattern by contacting with an electrode pad having a fine circuit pattern, characterized by having a semiconductor photocatalyst at a tip portion in contact with the electrode pad or in the vicinity of the tip. Contact probe. 2. A contact probe having a semiconductor photocatalyst at or near the tip contacting the electrode pad is used, and the semiconductor photocatalyst is irradiated with light that causes charge separation in the semiconductor photocatalyst, whereby the electrode is formed. A method of reducing the oxide film on the surface of the pad. 3. A device for inspecting a circuit pattern, which comprises a contact probe having a semiconductor photocatalyst at or near a tip portion in contact with an electrode pad. 4. A circuit pattern inspection device comprising: means for removing an oxide film on the surface layer of an electrode pad by dry etching; and means for contacting a contact probe to the electrode pad to inspect the circuit pattern. 5. A means for removing an oxide film on a surface layer of an electrode pad by laser, and a means for inspecting a circuit pattern by bringing a contact probe into contact with the electrode pad,
For inspecting a circuit pattern having a. 6. An apparatus for inspecting a circuit pattern, comprising: means for removing an oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad by an electron beam; and means for inspecting the circuit pattern by bringing a contact probe into contact with the electrode pad. 7. An apparatus for inspecting a circuit pattern, comprising: means for removing an oxide film on the surface layer of the electrode pad by an ion beam; and means for inspecting the circuit pattern by bringing a contact probe into contact with the electrode pad. 8. A circuit having means for removing an oxide film on a surface layer of an electrode pad by a scribing pin, and means for inspecting a circuit pattern by bringing a contact probe or an anisotropic conductive sheet into contact with the electrode pad. Pattern inspection device.