JP2004233128A - Probe unit and method of manufacturing probe unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a probe unit that ensures the electrical connections between electrodes and probes while suppressing the deposition of foreign matters on the contacting sections of a specimen with the electrodes, and to provide a method of manufacturing the probe unit. <P>SOLUTION: When the contacting sections 24 are sharpened in the direction in which the sections 24 are protruded from the side faces of beams 10, the contact pressures between the contacting sections 24 and electrodes can be increased, and the front ends of the contacting sections 24 are self-cleaned because of a contact with the electrodes. In addition, the occurrence of a fault in the pattern of a mask can be prevented by forming the beams 10 and contacting sections 24 in different steps. Namely, the prior formation of recessed sections used for forming the contacting sections 24 on the surface of a substrate exposed from the openings of the mask for forming the beams 10 becomes unnecessary. Consequently, the excessive etching of the openings of the mask due to an irregular reflection caused on the surface of the substrate can be prevented. Therefore, the probes can be miniaturized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a probe unit for inspecting electrical characteristics of an electronic device such as a semiconductor integrated circuit and a liquid crystal panel, and a method of manufacturing the probe unit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a probe unit including a beam and a contact portion formed to protrude from a side surface of the beam and contact an electrode of an electronic device. By protruding the contact portion that comes into contact with the electrode of the electronic device as the specimen, it becomes easy to make the contact portion contact the electrode that is recessed and surrounded by the passivation film.
[0003]
Patent Literature 1 discloses the following method of forming a contact portion formed to project from a side surface of a beam. First, a concave portion is formed in the sacrificial film on the substrate, and a mask having an opening corresponding to the shape of the beam and exposing the concave portion of the sacrificial film is formed on the surface of the sacrificial film. Next, the opening is filled by a plating process to form a contact portion and a lead at one time. Next, the mask and the sacrificial film are removed, and the integrated contact portion and the beam are separated from the substrate.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the opening of the mask that exposes the concave portion of the sacrificial film is formed by photolithography, the reflected light on the concave surface diffuses in a direction deviating from the normal direction of the mask. For this reason, the inner wall of the opening is excessively etched, and a pattern defect occurs in the opening of the mask. Such a mask pattern defect becomes a barrier to miniaturization of the probe.
[0005]
Also, when performing an inspection including a step of scrubbing the electrode surface at the contact portion of the probe, thereby ensuring electrical connection between the electrode and the probe, shavings of the electrode are deposited on the surface of the contact portion. In addition, contaminants other than the shavings of the electrode are also deposited on the surface of the contact portion. Since these deposits on the surface of the contact portion make the electrical connection between the electrode and the probe unstable, it is necessary to periodically remove these deposits with a cleaning sheet or the like in an electronic device inspection process.
[0006]
A first object of the present invention was created in view of these problems, and is a probe that ensures electrical connection between an electrode and a probe while suppressing accumulation of foreign matter in a contact portion of the sample with the electrode. It is an object to provide a method of manufacturing a unit and a probe unit.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a probe unit capable of miniaturizing a probe having a contact portion protruding from a side surface of a beam.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the first object, the probe unit according to the present invention includes a support part, a beam whose base end is supported by the support part, and an electrode of a specimen formed to protrude from a side surface of the beam. A probe unit having a contact portion that comes into contact with the probe unit, wherein the contact portion is sharp in a protruding direction thereof. When the contact portion is sharpened in a direction protruding from the side surface of the beam, the contact pressure between the contact portion and the electrode can be increased, and the tip of the contact portion is self-cleaned by contact with the electrode. That is, shavings, contaminants, and the like adhering to the contact portion due to contact between the contact portion and the electrode are removed from the tip of the contact portion by the contact portion piercing the electrode. Therefore, when the probe unit is repeatedly used for testing the electrical characteristics of the electronic device as a specimen, it is possible to secure the electrical connection between the electrode and the probe while suppressing the accumulation of foreign matter at the contact portion.
[0008]
Further, in the probe unit according to the present invention, the contact portion is sharp in a tip direction of the beam. When scrubbing the electrode surface at the contact, the contact moves relative to the electrode surface in the direction of the beam tip. By sharpening the contact portion in the direction of the beam tip, the forward end of the contact portion is self-cleaned by contact with the electrode during scrubbing.
[0009]
Further, in the probe unit according to the present invention, the contact portion is made of a material harder than the material of the beam. By making the contact portion harder than the beam, the durability of the probe can be improved.
[0010]
Further, in the probe unit according to the present invention, the beam is made of a material having a lower volume resistivity than the contact portion. By making the volume resistivity of the beam lower than that of the contact portion, the sensitivity of the probe can be improved.
[0011]
In order to achieve the first object, a method of manufacturing a probe unit according to the present invention includes the steps of: forming a beam having a base end supported by a support portion; And a beam forming step of forming the beam on a surface of a substrate, and a mask having an opening exposing a part of a side surface of the beam. A plating step of forming on the surface and forming the contact portion in the opening. By forming the beam and the contact part in separate steps, it is possible to prevent a mask pattern defect. That is, it is not necessary to form a concave portion for forming a contact portion on the surface of the substrate exposed from the opening of the mask for forming a beam. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the opening of the mask from being excessively etched due to irregular reflection on the substrate surface. Therefore, a probe having a contact portion protruding from the side surface of the beam can be miniaturized.
[0012]
Furthermore, the method of manufacturing a probe unit according to the present invention is characterized in that the method further includes a sharpening step of sharpening the contact portion by ion milling after the plating step. By sharpening the contact part by ion milling, the contact pressure between the contact part and the electrode can be increased, and when the probe unit is repeatedly used for testing the electrical characteristics of the electronic device as a specimen, the contact part The electrical connection between the electrode and the probe can be ensured while suppressing the accumulation of foreign matter in the substrate.
[0013]
Further, in the method of manufacturing a probe unit according to the present invention, after the plating step, before the sharpening step, a mask removing step of removing the mask, and a protective film that covers the beam and exposes the contact portion. And forming a protection step on the surface of the beam. When the contact portion is sharpened by ion milling, by coating the beam with a protective film, it is possible to prevent the beam from being shaved by ion milling.
[0014]
Further, in the probe unit manufacturing method according to the present invention, in the plating step, the mask having a laminated structure is formed on the surface of the substrate and the beam, and after the plating step, the beam is formed before the sharpening step. A mask removing step of removing an upper layer of the mask while leaving a lower layer of the mask covering the mask and exposing the contact portion. When the contact portion is sharpened by ion milling, the beam is covered with the lower layer of the mask, thereby preventing the beam from being cut off by ion milling.
[0015]
Further, in the method of manufacturing a probe unit according to the present invention, in the plating step, the mask having a single-layer structure is formed on the surface of the substrate and the beam, and after the plating step, before the sharpening step, The method may further include a mask removing step of removing an upper portion of the mask while leaving a lower portion of the mask covering the beam and exposing the contact portion. When the contact portion is sharpened by ion milling, by covering the beam with the lower portion of the mask, it is possible to prevent the beam from being cut off by ion milling.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a probe unit and a method of manufacturing the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Configuration of probe unit)
FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are a front view, a side view, and a plan view, respectively, showing a probe unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The probe unit 1 includes a flat supporting portion 28 and a plurality of probes 26. Each probe 26 includes the beam 10 and the contact part 24.
[0017]
The beams 10 are arranged in parallel with each other, each base end portion is fixed to the support portion 28, and each front end portion protrudes from the support portion 28. The pitch of the plurality of beams 10 corresponds to the pitch of electrodes of a semiconductor integrated circuit or a liquid crystal panel serving as a specimen. The material of the beam 10 is preferably nickel, a nickel-iron alloy, a nickel-cobalt alloy, or the like.
[0018]
The contact portion 24 protrudes from the side surface of the tip of the beam 10. The direction in which the contact portion 24 projects from the side surface of the beam 10 is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the beam 10. By protruding the contact portion 24 from the side surface of the beam 10, it is easy to make the contact portion 24 contact even if the electrode of the electronic device as the specimen is provided in the concave portion. The side surface on which the contact portion 24 of the beam 10 is formed corresponds to the back surface of the side surface fixed to the support portion 28. Therefore, a reaction force caused by pressing the contact portion 24 against the sample does not act in a direction in which the probe 26 and the support portion 28 are separated.
[0019]
The material of the contact portion 24 may be the same as the material of the beam 10 or may be a different material. For example, a material harder than the beam 10, a material having a low volume resistivity, or a chemically stable material may be employed for the contact portion 24. Specifically, for example, palladium, rhodium, gold, copper, or the like may be employed as a material of the contact portion 24. For example, by using a material in which the beam 10 is lower in volume resistivity than the contact portion 24 and the hardness is higher in the contact portion 24 than the beam 10, the durability can be improved while reducing the resistance in probe units. it can. In addition, the base material of the contact portion 24 may be the same as the material of the beam 10, and a material such as palladium, rhodium, gold, or copper may be used only for the surface portion of the contact portion 24. It is desirable that the combination of the material of the contact portion 24 and the beam 10 be appropriately selected according to the film stress, volume resistivity, hardness, adhesion, and the like of the material.
[0020]
The shape of the contact portion 24 is sharpened in a direction protruding from the side surface of the beam 10, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the beam 10. By sharpening the contact portion 24 in the projecting direction, when the contact portion 24 comes into contact with the electrode of the specimen, the contact portion 24 pierces the electrode microscopically, thereby removing deposits from the tip of the contact portion 24. Because it is easy. Since the inspection is performed in a state where the electrode is in contact with the tip of the contact portion 24 (the tip in the protruding direction), reliable electrical connection between the contact portion 24 and the electrode can be secured. The material deposited on the contact portion 24 is aluminum, copper, an oxide thereof, or an organic substance such as contaminants as shavings of the electrode pad.
[0021]
FIG. 2 illustrates the conical contact portion 24. FIG. 3 exemplifies a contact portion 24 having a tip formed in a knife edge shape. The height H of the contact portion 24 is desirably 2 μm or more. Further, the distance D separating the contact portion 24 from the distal end of the beam 10 to the proximal end side is desirably within 20 μm. By setting H and D in this way for the contact portion 24, the degree of freedom in designing the length and angle of the beam 10 can be increased even when an electronic device in which an electrode is provided in a concave portion is used as a sample. . Further, the width W of the contact portion 24 in the short direction is desirably 30 μm or less. By setting W to a small value, the contact pressure between the contact portion 24 and the electrode can be set to a large value, whereby a reliable electrical connection between the probe 26 and the sample electrode can be secured with a small load. . The Vickers hardness Hv of the contact portion 24 is desirably 500 or more. This is for ensuring the durability of the contact portion 24.
[0022]
It is desirable that the shape of the contact portion 24 be sharpened toward the tip of the beam 10. If the contact portion 24 is sharpened in the direction of the distal end of the beam 10, when the contact portion 24 slides on the electrode due to scrubbing, the deposit is easily removed from the front end of the contact portion 24.
[0023]
4 to 7 show examples of the shape of the contact portion 24 that is sharpened in the direction of the tip of the beam 10. The shape of the contact portion 24 shown in FIG. 4 is a shape obtained by cutting off the upper edge corner of the hexagonal prism, and has a straight knife edge 30 extending from the front end to the rear end in the axial direction of the beam 10. The shape of the contact portion 24 shown in FIG. 5 is a shape obtained by cutting off the upper edge corner of a column having an elliptical cross section, and having a curved knife edge 30 extending from the front end to the rear end in the axial direction of the beam 10. is there. The shape of the contact portion 24 shown in FIG. 6 is a shape having a front end surface 32 having a conical side surface shape and a curved knife edge 30 extending in the axial direction of the beam 10. The shape of the contact part 24 shown in FIG. 7 is a shape having a front end face 32 having a conical side surface and a curved knife edge 30 extending in the axial direction of the beam 10 as in the example of FIG.
[0024]
(Continuity test using probe unit)
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a continuity test using the probe unit 1. The probe unit 1 vertically reciprocates by an inspection device (not shown) having an elevating mechanism.
[0025]
First, the probe unit 1 is moved downward, and the tip of the contact portion 24 contacts the electrode pad 40 of the electronic device 44. At this time, since the contact portion 24 is formed so as to protrude from the side surface of the beam 10, the contact portion 24 is brought into contact with the electrode pad 40 without making contact with a portion (a passivation film or the like) other than the electrode pad 40 of the electronic device 44. It is easy. Subsequently, the probe unit 1 is moved further downward so that the contact portion 24 is pressed against the electrode pad 40 in order to reliably electrically connect the contact portion 24 and the electrode pad 40. At this time, the contact portion 24 slides with respect to the electrode pad 40, and slightly scrapes the surface of the electrode pad 40. That is, by overdriving the probe unit 1, the electrode pads 40 are scrubbed. As a result, oxides and deposits on the surface of the electrode pad 40 are removed, and the tip of the contact portion 24 in the protruding direction and the tip in the beam tip direction are self-cleaned. The electrical connection is more secure.
[0026]
(First method of manufacturing probe unit)
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of a method for manufacturing the probe unit 1.
First, a beam 10 is formed on the surface of a substrate 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 (A1) and 1 (B1). Specifically, first, a mask (not shown) having an opening corresponding to the beam 10 is formed on the surface of the substrate 12 whose surface layer portion 14 is made of copper. The mask is formed, for example, by forming a resist on the surface of the substrate 12, exposing the resist, and developing the resist into a predetermined pattern. The resist is applied in a thickness of 10 to 70 μm. Next, a beam 10 is formed in the opening of the mask by plating. Specifically, for example, a metal such as nickel, a nickel-iron alloy, and a nickel-cobalt alloy is electrolytically plated to a thickness of 10 to 50 μm. Next, the mask is removed. Specifically, the resist is removed using, for example, NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone), acetone, or a 1N aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide.
[0027]
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 1A2 and 1B2, a mask 16 having an opening 20 for exposing a part of the side surface of the beam 10 is formed on the surface of the substrate 12 and the beam 10, and the opening of the mask 16 is formed. The original shape 18 of the contact portion is formed in the portion 20. Specifically, first, a resist having a thickness of 10 to 100 μm is applied so as to be thicker than the thickness of the beam 10, and is exposed and developed to form a mask 16 having a predetermined opening 20. The opening 20 of the mask 16 may have an extremely thin shape, or may have a tapered shape whose diameter is reduced upward. If the opening 20 has such a shape, sharpening by ion milling later is not necessary. Next, a metal such as nickel, a nickel-iron alloy, or a nickel-cobalt alloy is plated in the opening 20 to form the prototype 18 of the contact portion. Specifically, the prototype 18 of the contact portion is formed with a film thickness of 10 to 40 μm by, for example, electrolytic plating. Here, as the plating material, a material that is harder than the material of the beam 10 and that has a lower volume resistivity, specifically, for example, palladium, rhodium, gold, copper, or the like may be used. Alternatively, the contact portion 24 may be formed to have a multi-layer structure by plating the same material as the beam 10 to a predetermined film thickness, and then plating palladium, rhodium, gold, copper or the like to a film thickness of 0.1 to 5 μm. . Whether the contact portion 24 has a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure is desirably selected in accordance with the material properties such as film stress, volume resistivity, hardness, and adhesion.
[0028]
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 1A3 and 1B3, the mask 16 is removed. Specifically, the resist is removed using, for example, NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone), acetone, or a 1N aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide.
[0029]
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 1A4 and 1B4, a protective film 22 that covers the beam 10 and exposes the prototype 18 of the contact portion is formed on the surface of the beam 10 and the substrate 12. This step is desirably performed to prevent the beam 10 from being chipped by the subsequent ion milling. Specifically, first, a resist is applied to a predetermined film thickness, exposed and developed into a predetermined pattern, for example, the same or similar pattern as the pattern used when forming the prototype 18 of the contact portion. If the thickness of the resist is large, the contact portion cannot be sufficiently sharpened by the subsequent ion milling, so that the thickness of the resist laminated on the beam 10 is minimized. For example, when the thickness of the beam 10 is 20 μm and the thickness of the prototype 18 at the contact portion is 15 μm, the resist is laminated on the surface of the substrate 12 to a thickness of about 10 μm. Next, by baking the resist, the durability of the protective film 22 made of the resist against ion milling is increased. The baking condition is, for example, 150 ° C. for 60 minutes.
[0030]
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 1 (A5) and 1 (B5), the prototype 18 of the contact portion is sharpened by ion milling. More specifically, for example, the exposed portion of the prototype 18 of the contact portion is etched by a perpendicular ion beam on the surface of the substrate 12. Accordingly, the upper edge corner of the prototype 18 of the contact portion is removed by the ion beam, and the tip of the contact portion 24 in the protruding direction and the tip in the beam tip direction are sharpened. By removing the upper edge corner of the contact portion prototype 18 by half the width W of the contact portion prototype 18, the contact portion 24 having a knife edge can be formed. The direction of the ion beam is not limited to the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 12, but may be a direction inclined with respect to the perpendicular.
[0031]
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 1A6 and 1B6, the protective film 22 is removed. Specifically, the resist is removed using, for example, NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone), acetone, or a 1N aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide.
[0032]
Subsequently, the substrate 12 and the probe 26 are immersed in an etchant to dissolve the surface layer 14 of the substrate 12 and to peel off the probe 26 from the substrate 12. As the etchant, for example, an alkaline etchant dedicated to copper is used.
[0033]
FIG. 9 shows a prototype 18 of a contact portion formed in the steps shown in FIGS. 1A2 and 1B2 and a contact section sharpened by ion milling in the steps shown in FIGS. 1A5 and 1B5. It is a schematic diagram which shows the correspondence of No. 24.
[0034]
When the original shape 18 of the contact portion is a rectangular parallelepiped, the contact portion 24 shown in FIG. 3 is formed as shown in FIG. When the original shape 18 of the contact portion is a hexagonal prism, the contact portion 24 shown in FIG. 4 is formed as shown in FIG. 9B. When the original shape 18 of the contact portion is an elliptic cylinder, the contact portion 24 shown in FIG. 5 is formed as shown in FIG. 9C. FIGS. 9D and 9E show an example in which a part of the beam 10 is removed by ion milling to form a recess 11 in the beam 10.
[0035]
In order to manufacture the probe unit by fixing the probe 26 to the support, before peeling the probe 26 from the substrate 12, a resin film or the like as a support is adhered to the probe 26 arranged on the substrate. Alternatively, a support portion may be formed by press-fitting an uncured thermosetting resin film between the probes 26 so as to fill the space between the probes 26 and heating and curing the film.
[0036]
According to the above-described manufacturing method, in the step of forming the beam 10, an opening portion of a mask (not shown) is formed on the flat surface of the substrate 12, so that a mask pattern defect can be prevented, and the beam 10 can be formed at a narrow pitch. Can be formed on. Therefore, the pitch of the probes 26 can be reduced. Also, in the step of forming the contact portion 24, since the opening 20 of the mask 16 is formed on the flat side surface of the beam 10, pattern defects of the mask can be prevented, and the contact portion 24 can be miniaturized.
[0037]
Further, according to the above-described manufacturing method, in the step of forming the beam 10 and the step of forming the contact portion 24, the beam 10 and the contact portion 24 are formed by separate plating using different masks. Different materials can be used for the beam 10 and the contact portion 24.
[0038]
(Second manufacturing method of probe unit)
FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the method for manufacturing the probe unit 1. The second embodiment of the method of manufacturing the probe unit 1 differs from the first embodiment in the method of masking the contact portion 18 and protecting the beam 10, and is substantially the same as the first embodiment in other points. .
[0039]
As shown in FIGS. 10A2 and 10B2, a mask 16 for forming a prototype 18 of a contact portion is formed by laminating a lower layer portion 17 and an upper layer portion 15 made of different materials. Specifically, the thickness of the lower layer portion 17 of the mask 16 is set to be smaller than the thickness of the prototype 18 of the contact portion, and the thickness of the entire mask 16 is set to be larger than the thickness of the prototype 18 of the contact portion. An opening 20 is formed in the mask 16 having the laminated structure thus formed, and a prototype 18 of a contact portion is formed in the opening 20.
[0040]
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 10A3 and 10B3, the upper layer portion 15 of the mask 16 is removed to expose the prototype 18 of the contact portion. Specifically, for example, it may be immersed in a solution that dissolves only the upper layer portion 15, or may be dry-etched with a gas that removes only the upper layer portion 15.
[0041]
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 10A4 and 10B4, the original shape 18 of the contact portion is sharpened by ion milling using the lower layer portion 17 of the mask 16 as a protective film of the beam 10.
[0042]
(Third manufacturing method of probe unit)
FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the method of manufacturing the probe unit 1. The third embodiment of the method of manufacturing the probe unit 1 differs from the first embodiment in the method of protecting the beam 10, and is substantially the same as the first embodiment in other points.
As shown in FIGS. 11A3 and 11B3, a protective film for protecting the beam 10 in a state where the prototype 18 of the contact portion is exposed removes an upper portion of the mask 16 for forming the prototype 18 of the contact portion. Shall be done. Specifically, by controlling the etching period, the upper portion of the mask 16 is removed by dry etching until the original shape 18 of the contact portion is exposed and the film has a thickness covering the beam 10, and the lower portion of the mask 16 remains.
[0043]
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 11A4 and 11B4, the original portion 18 of the contact portion is sharpened by ion milling using the lower portion of the mask 16 as a protective film of the beam 10.
[0044]
The manufacturing process can be simplified by using a single mask 16 in combination with masking the prototype 18 of the contact portion and protecting the beam 10 in the sharpening step.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of a method for manufacturing a probe unit.
FIG. 2 is a front view, a side view, and a plan view showing a probe unit 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a continuity test using a probe unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic view for explaining a step of sharpening a contact portion by ion milling according to a unique embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the method of manufacturing the probe unit.
FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the method of manufacturing the probe unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Probe Unit 10 Beam 12 Substrate 14 Surface Layer 16 Mask 20 Opening 22 Protective Film 24 Contact 26 Probe 28 Support

Claims (9)

A probe unit including a support portion, a beam whose base end is supported by the support portion, and a contact portion formed to protrude from a side surface of the beam and to contact an electrode of a specimen,
The probe unit is characterized in that the contact portion is sharp in a projecting direction thereof. The probe unit according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is sharp in a tip direction of the beam. The probe unit according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is made of a material harder than a material of the beam. 4. The probe unit according to claim 1, wherein the beam is made of a material having a lower volume resistivity than the contact portion. A method for manufacturing a probe unit, comprising: a beam whose base end is supported by a support portion, and a contact portion formed to project from a side surface of the beam and to contact an electrode of a specimen,
A beam forming step of forming the beam on a surface of a substrate;
A plating step of forming a mask having an opening exposing a part of the side surface of the beam on the surface of the substrate and the beam, and forming the contact portion in the opening. Unit manufacturing method. After the plating step,
The method according to claim 5, further comprising a sharpening step of sharpening the contact portion by ion milling. After the plating step and before the sharpening step,
A mask removing step of removing the mask;
7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: forming a protective film on the surface of the beam to cover the beam and expose the contact portion. In the plating step, the mask of a laminated structure is formed on the surface of the substrate and the beam,
After the plating step and before the sharpening step,
7. The probe unit according to claim 6, further comprising a mask removing step of removing an upper layer portion of the mask and exposing the contact portion while leaving a lower layer portion of the mask covering the beam. Production method. In the plating step, the mask having a single-layer structure is formed on the surface of the substrate and the beam,
After the plating step and before the sharpening step,
7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising a mask removing step of removing an upper portion of the mask while leaving a lower portion of the mask covering the beam and exposing the contact portion. .

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