JP2005181284A - Card holder, and fixing mechanism for probe card - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem wherein a probe pin 5A is displaced vertically downward and damages an electrode pad and a substrate layer thereof and to bring inspection failure, since a probe card 5 is not extended in the radial-direction outward direction but is extended in the radial-direction inwardly direction, as shown by the arrow mark in (a) of Fig.10 to be curved downwardly, when conducting high-temperature inspection for a wafer W, because the probe card 5 is fixed in an inner circumferential part of a holder 8, and since the holder 8 is extended radial-directionally inwards, as shown by the arrow mark to curve further the probe card 5 downwardly, because an outer circumferential edge part of the holder 8 is fixed onto a head plate 7. <P>SOLUTION: This card holder 13 of the present invention has a holding part 13A formed with an opening part 13D faced to a plurality of probes 1A of the probe card 11, and is used when the probe card 11 is attached to a probe device. In the card holder 13, a plurality of cut-in parts 13E, extended from an opening end of the opening part 13D toward the outer circumferential end, is provided with a prescribed space along the circumferential direction of the holding part 13A. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a card holder for holding a probe card used for inspecting an electrical property of an object to be inspected and a fixing mechanism for fixing the probe card to a probe device. The present invention relates to a card holder and a probe card fixing mechanism capable of suppressing vertical displacement of a plurality of attached probes.

  For example, a probe apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is used when an electrical characteristic inspection is performed on a plurality of semiconductor elements (devices) formed on a wafer in a semiconductor device manufacturing process. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the probe apparatus includes a loader chamber 1 for transferring a wafer W and a prober chamber 2 for inspecting electrical characteristics of the wafer W transferred from the loader chamber 1. After pre-alignment of the wafer W in the W transfer process, the electrical characteristics of the wafer W are inspected in the prober chamber 2.

  The prober chamber 2 has a mounting table (main chuck) 3 on which the pre-aligned wafer W is mounted and the temperature can be adjusted, an XY table 4 for moving the main chuck 3 in the X and Y directions, and the XY table 4 An alignment mechanism (alignment mechanism) for accurately aligning the probe card 5 disposed above the main chuck 3 that is moved through, the plurality of probes 5A of the probe card 5 and the plurality of electrode pads of the wafer W on the main chuck 3. Mechanism) 6. Further, the main chuck 3 has a built-in lifting mechanism, and lifts and lowers the wafer W so as to be electrically separated from the probe 5A.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a test head T of a tester is rotatably disposed on the head plate 7 of the prober chamber 2, and the test head T and the probe card 5 are electrically connected via a performance board (not shown). It is connected to the. Then, the temperature of the wafer W on the main chuck 3 is set within a temperature range of, for example, −20 ° C. to + 150 ° C., and an inspection signal is transmitted from the tester to the probe 5A via the test head T and the performance board. An inspection signal is applied from the probe 5A to the electrode pad of the wafer W to inspect the electrical characteristics of each device on the wafer W. When performing a high temperature inspection, the wafer is inspected by heating the wafer to a predetermined temperature (for example, 100 ° C. or higher) via a temperature adjustment mechanism (heating mechanism) built in the main chuck 3.

  Thus, since the probe card 5 is increased in size along with the ultra-fine and large diameter of the wafer W, for example, as shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b), the probe card 5 is made of a metal such as stainless steel. It is reinforced by the support 5B. The probe card 5 is fixed to the head plate 7 through a ring-shaped card holder 8 integrally with the support 5B. That is, the probe card 5 is integrally fastened and fixed on the card holder 8 by a support 5B and a plurality of fastening members 9A such as screws. The card holder 8 is fastened and fixed on the head plate 7 via a plurality of fastening members 9B.

  However, when a high temperature inspection is performed at a high temperature of, for example, 100 ° C. or higher, the lower surface side of the probe card 5 and the card holder 8 is thermally expanded and curved more than the upper surface side due to heat radiation from the main chuck 3. Moreover, since the probe card 5 is fixed to the holding portion of the card holder 8, the probe card 5 does not extend outward in the radial direction, and extends downward in the radial direction as indicated by an arrow in FIG. Bend. Further, since the outer peripheral edge of the card holder 8 is fixed to the head plate 7, the card holder 8 extends radially inward as indicated by an arrow, and further curves the probe card 5 downward. As a result, the probe 5A is displaced vertically downward, the needle pressure between the probe 5A and the electrode pad of the wafer W becomes larger than the set value, and there is a problem that the electrode pad and its underlying layer are damaged, resulting in an inspection failure. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, when the probe card 5 is reinforced by the support 5B, it is greatly affected by the thermal expansion of the support 5B.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, the probe card 5 and the support 5B are thermally expanded and the card holder 8 is thermally expanded at the time of the high temperature inspection, so that the probe card 5 and the support 5B are connected to the fastening member 9A. Contrary to the above-described case, the probe card 5 is coupled with the outward stress acting on the fastening member 9A from the card holder 8 in combination with the outward stress acting as shown by the arrow. There was a problem that the probe was bent upward, the probe 5A was raised, and contact failure was caused. The phenomenon shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B also occurs when the probe card 5 is reinforced by the support 5B.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a card holder and a probe card fixing mechanism capable of suppressing the displacement of the probe card in the vertical direction and improving the reliability of the inspection. It is aimed.

  The card holder according to claim 1 of the present invention has a holding portion for holding a probe card and formed with openings for receiving a plurality of probes of the probe card, and is used when the probe card is attached to a probe device. The card holder is characterized in that a plurality of cut portions extending from the opening end of the opening portion toward the outer peripheral end are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the holding portion.

  A card holder according to a second aspect of the present invention is the card holder according to the first aspect, wherein the holding portion is biased from the plurality of cut portions to the outer peripheral end side and between the plurality of cut portions. A plurality of through-holes located in the are provided.

  Further, the probe card fixing mechanism according to claim 3 of the present invention includes a card holder for holding the probe card by the holding part, a fixing part for attaching the probe card to the probe device via the card holder, The holding portion has an opening facing the plurality of probes of the probe card, and a notch portion extending from the opening end of the opening portion toward the outer peripheral end in the circumferential direction of the holding portion. A plurality of probe cards and the card holder are connected and fixed via a plurality of fastening members in the vicinity of the opening of the holding portion.

  The probe card fixing mechanism according to claim 4 of the present invention is the probe card fixing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the holding portion is biased from the plurality of cut portions to the outer peripheral end side and the plurality of cut portions. A plurality of through holes located between the portions are provided.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the probe card fixing mechanism according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the fixing portion is a clamping mechanism for clamping an outer peripheral end of the card holder. It is characterized by this.

  The probe card fixing mechanism according to claim 6 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 3 or 4, the fixing portion is a head plate constituting the probe device. To do.

  According to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, there are provided a card holder and a probe card fixing mechanism capable of suppressing the displacement of the probe card in the vertical direction and improving the reliability of the inspection. be able to.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the probe card fixing mechanism of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a support used in the probe card fixing mechanism shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the card card holder of the present invention used for the probe card fixing mechanism shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the probe card fixing mechanism shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows other embodiment of the fixing mechanism of the probe card of this invention, FIG. 6 is a figure which shows other embodiment of the fixing mechanism of the probe card | curd of this invention, (a) is a cross section which shows the principal part FIGS. 7B and 7B are cross-sectional views showing still another embodiment of the probe card fixing mechanism according to the present invention. FIG.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the probe card fixing mechanism 10 of the present embodiment includes a support 12 that supports a circular probe card 11 from the upper surface, a ring-shaped card card holder 13 that holds the support 12, And a clamp mechanism 15 that clamps the outer peripheral edge of the card card holder 13 and is fixed to the opening of the head plate 14, and is disposed in a prober chamber (not shown) as in the prior art. A main chuck 16 is disposed in the prober chamber, and the wafer W placed on the main chuck 16 is transferred in the horizontal direction (X, Y direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction). At this time, the main chuck 16 is moved within a range that does not reach the head plate 14 as much as possible, and the head plate 14 is not heated as much as possible by heat radiation from the main chuck 16.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the probe card 11 has a plurality of probes 11A and a circuit board 11B that holds these probes 11A in the center, and a support 12 is disposed on the upper surface of the circuit board 11B. . The circuit board 11B is formed of, for example, a printed wiring board.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the support 12 passes through the center of the probe card 11 and is formed in a disk shape or handle shape (see FIG. 2) having substantially the same diameter as the circuit board 11B. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the support 12 connects the ring portion 12A formed to have substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the circuit board 11B and the hub portion 12B formed at the center thereof. And a plurality of spoke portions 12C. The probe card 11 and the support 12 are integrally formed with the card card holder 13 by a plurality of fastening members 17 made of screws or the like arranged symmetrically around the plurality of probes 11A as shown in FIG. It is fastened and fixed to the card holder 13, and the outer peripheral edge portions of both 11 and 12 are not fixed to the card holder 13 and are in a free state. Note that the fastening member 17 may be disposed, for example, at the outer peripheral edge portion of the hub portion 12B, or may be disposed at the inner end portion of each spoke portion 12C.

  The card holder 13 of the present embodiment includes a holding portion 13A that holds the probe card 11, an outer peripheral wall 13B that is formed at the outer peripheral end of the holding portion 13A, and a flange portion that extends radially outward from the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 13B. 13C, and enters the clamp mechanism 15 via the notch 13D of the flange portion 13C to be clamped. And the opening part 13E which the some probe 11A of the probe card 11 faces is formed in the center part of 13 A of holding parts. Further, the inner diameter of the outer peripheral wall 13B is larger than the outer diameter of the circuit board 11B and the support body 12, and a gap δ is formed between the outer peripheral wall 13B and the outer peripheral surfaces of the circuit board 11B and the support body 12. Yes. The gap δ becomes an extension of the circuit board 11B and the support body 12 when thermally expanded.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the holding portion 13A of the card holder 13 is radially formed with a plurality of cut portions 13F extending from the opening end of the opening portion 13E toward the outer peripheral end at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Has been. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of elongated through holes 13G are equally spaced in the circumferential direction at the center in the radial direction of the holding portion 13A, that is, at a position slightly deviated from the plurality of cut portions 13F to the outer peripheral end side. The through holes 13G are located between the notches 13F. By providing the plurality of cut portions 13F in the holding portion 13A in this way, the expansion due to the thermal expansion in the circumferential direction of the holding portion 13A is absorbed by the plurality of cut portions 13F when the card holder 13 is thermally expanded. Thermal deformation can be suppressed or prevented. Further, by providing the holding portion 13A with a plurality of through holes 13G positioned between the plurality of cut portions 13F, the extension due to thermal expansion in the middle in the radial direction of the holding portion 13A is absorbed by the plurality of through holes 13G. The thermal deformation of the card holder 13 can be further suppressed or prevented.

  As described above, the probe card 11 and the support 12 are connected and fixed to the card holder 13 via the plurality of fastening members 17 in the central portion, and the outer peripheral edge portions of both are fixed on the holding portion 13A of the card holder 13. Since the circuit board 11B and the support 12 are thermally expanded due to heat radiation from the main chuck 16 at the time of high temperature inspection, the circuit board 11B and the support 12 are stretched due to thermal expansion at the center. And the displacement of the probe 11A in the downward direction can be remarkably suppressed. Even if the expansion due to thermal expansion is large outside the center, the gap δ with the outer peripheral wall 13B of the card holder 13 is used as the expansion allowance. Is slightly curved (see FIG. 4), but hardly affects the downward displacement of the plurality of probes 11A.

  The circuit board 11B of the probe card 11 is formed as a multilayer wiring structure using a conventionally known material such as glass epoxy resin. The support 12 and the card holder 13 are both made of a material having an expansion coefficient lower than that of the circuit board 11B, for example, a ceramic such as aluminum nitride or a low expansion metal such as invar made of nickel alloy. ing. Therefore, even if the temperature of both 12 and 13 rises due to heat radiation from the main chuck 16, the thermal expansion of each of them is reduced to, for example, 1/10 of the conventional one.

  Next, the high temperature inspection by the probe apparatus to which the card holder 13 and the probe card fixing mechanism 10 of the present embodiment are applied will be described. When the wafer W is placed on the main chuck 16, the main chuck 16 is already heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, 150 ° C.), and thus the wafer W is heated to the predetermined temperature. Then, the wafer W and the probe 11A are aligned by the functions of the main chuck 16 and the alignment mechanism, and then the wafer W is index-fed through the main chuck 16. Subsequently, when the wafer W rises via the main chuck 16, the electrode pad of the wafer W and the probe 11A come into contact with each other, and when the wafer W is further overdriven, the electrode pad and the probe 11A come into electrical contact with each other. When an inspection signal is transmitted from the tester in this state, an inspection signal is applied to the wafer W via the probe 11A, and a signal indicating the inspection result is transmitted to the tester side via the probe 11A to perform a high temperature inspection of a predetermined device. Exit. Thereafter, after the main chuck 16 is lowered, the index feeding and raising / lowering operations of the wafer W are repeated, and the high temperature inspection of the wafer W is completed.

  During the high temperature inspection, the temperature of the probe card 11, the support 12, and the card holder 13 rises due to heat radiation from the main chuck 16. However, since the holding portion 13A of the card holder 13 has a plurality of cut portions 13F and a plurality of through holes 13G, even if the card holder 13 is thermally expanded in a state of being restrained by the clamp mechanism 15, this heat The expansion is absorbed by the plurality of cut portions 13F and the plurality of through holes 13G, and the card holder 13 is not distorted and deformed as shown in FIG. Further, since the probe card 11 and the support 12 are each fixed to the card holder 13 by the fastening member 17 at the center portion, the thermal expansion of the probe card 11 between the plurality of fastening members 17 is slight and is below the probe 11A. Further, since the outer peripheral edge portions of the both 11 and 12 are not fixed and are in a free state, the probe holder 11A is displaced only slightly on the card holder 13 without distortion. Can be prevented.

  Further, since the support 12 and the card holder 13 are formed of a low thermal expansion material, even if the support 12 and the card holder 13 rise in temperature due to the heat radiation of the main chuck 16, the expansion due to the thermal expansion is suppressed. As a result, the downward displacement of the probe 11A can be remarkably suppressed. As a result, for example, if the conventional fixing mechanism, that is, the card holder is not formed of a low thermal expansion material and the card holder has no cut portion or through hole, the probe 11A is displaced downward by about 200 μm, but 1 ppm In the case of the present embodiment in which the card holder 13 is formed of the low thermal expansion material, a displacement of about 10 μm can be achieved in combination with the effect of the above-described cut portion 13F and the like. Further, during the high temperature inspection, the main chuck 16 moves within a range that does not reach directly below the head plate 14, so that the head plate 14 can suppress the influence of heat dissipation of the main chuck 16.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the card holder 13 has a plurality of cut portions 13F extending from the opening end of the opening portion 13E toward the outer peripheral end with a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the holding portion 13A. In addition, since the probe card 11 and the card holder 13 are connected and fixed in the vicinity of the inner peripheral end of the holding portion 13A via a plurality of fastening members 17, the thermal expansion of the card holder 13 during high temperature inspection is suppressed or prevented. In addition, the thermal deformation of the probe card 11 downward, and hence the downward displacement of the probe 11A, can be greatly suppressed, the electrode pad and the underlying layer can be prevented from being damaged, and high-temperature inspection can be performed without any problems. Can be done.

  Further, in a probe card fixing mechanism 10A according to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the probe card 11 and the support 12 are different from those of the above embodiment. In this embodiment, the card holder 13 is also directly fixed to the head plate 14 and is different from the above embodiment. Others are configured according to the above embodiment. Accordingly, the following description will be made by attaching the same reference numerals to the same or corresponding parts as in the above embodiment, focusing on the characteristic parts of the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the probe card 11 includes a plurality of probes 11A, a contactor portion 11C to which these probes 11A are attached, and a circuit board 11B supported by the contactor portion 11C at the center portion. The contactor portion 11C, the circuit board 11B, and the support body 12 are connected to each other via a first fastening member 17A made of screws or the like, and the probe card 11 and the support body 12 are integrated. The plurality of first fastening members 17A are arranged symmetrically around the vicinity of the axis of the circuit board 11B. As described above, since the probe card 11 and the support 12 are connected at the central portion, even if the circuit board 11B is thermally expanded due to heat radiation from the main chuck 16 during the high temperature inspection, the heat at the center of the circuit board 11B. Since the elongation due to expansion is small, thermal deformation of the circuit board 11B in the vertical direction is suppressed, and displacement of the probe 11A in the vertical direction can be suppressed.

  The support 12 is formed in a disk shape or a handle shape (see FIG. 2) in the same planar shape as that of the above embodiment. However, the ring portion 12A of the support 12 of the present embodiment is formed to have a thickness that is substantially equal to the sum of the thickness of the inner portion of the support 12 and the thickness of the circuit board 11B. A gap δ is formed between the peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the circuit board 11B, and the thermal expansion of the circuit board 11B is absorbed in the gap δ. The probe card 11 is fixed to the card holder 13 via the support 12 as described above.

  The card holder 13 has a holding portion 13A, an outer peripheral wall 13B, and a flange portion 13C, as in the above embodiment. In the present embodiment, the notch portion is not formed in the flange portion 13C. The outer diameter of the card holder 13 is formed larger than the central hole of the head plate 14, the inner diameter thereof is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the circuit board 11 </ b> B of the probe card 11, and the flange portion 13 </ b> C is formed in the central hole of the head plate 14. Engage with the peripheral portion 14A. The holding portion 13A is formed with a plurality of cut portions 13F and a plurality of through holes 13G, respectively, as in the above embodiment.

  Further, the ring portion 12A of the support 12 is located in the holding portion 13A of the card holder 13, and the ring portion 12A is fixed to the holding portion 13B by a plurality of second fastening members 17B. Therefore, the outer peripheral edge portion of the circuit board 11B of the probe card 11 is sandwiched between the holding portion 13A of the card holder 13 and the support body 12, but is not fixed by a fastening member or the like and is in a free state. For this reason, even if the circuit board 11B thermally expands at the time of high temperature inspection, the circuit board 11B can freely expand and contract within the gap δ. On the other hand, the card holder 13 is fastened and fixed to the peripheral edge portion 14A of the central hole of the head plate 14 by a plurality of third fastening members 17C arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the flange portion 13C. The central hole of the head plate 11 is formed in a recess formed in the approximate center of the head plate 14. Therefore, the peripheral edge portion 14 </ b> A of the central hole is formed lower than the other upper surface of the head plate 14. Note that a screw or the like can be used as each of the second and third fastening members 17B and 17C.

  At the time of high temperature inspection, the temperature of the probe card 11, the support 12, and the holder 13 rises due to heat radiation from the main chuck 16. However, since the holding portion 13A of the card holder 13 has a plurality of cut portions 13F and a plurality of through holes 13G, even if the card holder 13 is thermally expanded in a state of being restrained by the clamp mechanism 15, this heat The expansion is absorbed by the plurality of cut portions 13F and the plurality of through holes 13G, and the card holder 13 is not distorted and deformed. Further, since the probe card 11 is fixed to the support body 12 by a plurality of first fastening members 17A at the central portion thereof, there is almost no downward displacement of the probe card 11 between the plurality of first fastening members 17A, 17A. Furthermore, since the outer peripheral edge of the probe card 11 is not fixed and is in a free state, the downward displacement of the probe 11A can be suppressed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the holding portion 13A of the card holder 13 is provided with the plurality of cut portions 13F and the plurality of through holes 13G, and the outer peripheral edge portion of the probe card 11 is connected to the support 12 and the holder 13. Since the clearance δ is provided outside the outer peripheral surface of the probe card 11, the thermal deformation of the card holder 13 can be suppressed or prevented, and the probe card 11, specifically, the circuit board 11B is heated. The expansion extends within the range of the gap δ, no stress acts on the circuit board 11B, and the downward displacement of the probe card 11 can be further suppressed. Therefore, also in this embodiment, the same operation effect as the above-mentioned embodiment can be expected.

  6 to 8 are diagrams showing a probe card fixing mechanism according to still another embodiment of the present invention. 6 to 8, the same or corresponding parts as those in the above embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals. The probe card fixing mechanism 10B shown in FIG. 6 is configured according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 except that a heat insulating sheet 18 is provided on the lower surfaces of the card holder 13 and the head plate 14 as shown in FIG. Has been. Therefore, although not shown in the sectional view shown in FIG. 6A, the card holder 13 has a plurality of cut portions and a plurality of through holes. The heat insulating sheet 18 is covered with a heat resistant plate 19, and the plate 19 is fixed to the card holder 13 and the head plate 14 by a fastening member 20 such as a screw. The plate 19 is formed in a fan shape as shown in FIG. 5B, and the fan-shaped plate 19 is arranged over the entire surface of the card holder 13 and the head plate 14. It is preferable to provide a gap for absorbing the thermal expansion between the plates 19. The heat insulating sheet 18 is not limited to a specific material, but needless to say, a material that hardly generates dust is preferable. Examples of the heat insulating material include a silicone sponge. Thus, by providing the heat insulating sheet 18 on the lower surfaces of the card holder 13 and the head plate 14, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of both the members 13 and 14, and to further suppress the vertical bending of the probe card 11. it can.

  Although not shown, a heat insulating sheet may be provided on the lower surface of the probe card 11 or between the probe card 11 and the support 12 to suppress the temperature rise of both the probe card 11 and the support 12.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in the probe card fixing mechanism 10A of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the heat insulating sheet 18 is provided on the lower surfaces of the card holder 13 and the head plate 14, and therefore the heat of the probe card 11 and the support body 12 is increased. Expansion can be suppressed, and further, bending of the probe card 11, that is, displacement of the probe 11A in the vertical direction can be suppressed, and a more reliable high-temperature inspection can be performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the probe card fixing mechanism 10C shown in FIG. 7 is configured according to the above embodiments except that the card holder 13 of the above embodiments is omitted. That is, in this embodiment, the probe card 11 is connected to the support 12 by the plurality of first fastening members 17A in the vicinity of the axial center as in the above embodiments. The probe card 11 is placed on the peripheral edge portion 14 </ b> A of the central hole of the head plate 14. Further, the outer peripheral edge 12A of the support 12 is fastened and fixed to the peripheral edge 14A of the central hole of the head plate 14 by a plurality of second fastening members 17B, and the outer peripheral surface of the circuit board 11B of the probe card 11 and the support 12 are fixed. A gap δ serving as a thermal expansion margin of the circuit board 11B is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral edge portion 12A.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the support 12 is directly fixed to the head plate 14, so that the same effects as those of the above embodiments can be obtained, and the card holder can be omitted by omitting the card holder. The influence by thermal expansion can be eliminated.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the probe card fixing mechanism 10D shown in FIG. 8 is different from that shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in the form of the support 12 and the card holder 13 and the connection mechanism between them. That is, in this embodiment, the support body 12 is formed in a handle shape, for example. The ring portion 12 </ b> A of the support 12 has an upper surface formed lower than its inner side, and a lower surface formed substantially flush with the lower surface of the circuit board 11 </ b> B of the probe card 11. The lower surface of the circuit board 11B and the lower surface of the ring portion 12A of the support 12 may not be flush with each other. A gap δ is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the lower surface of the ring portion 12A and the circuit board 11B. The card holder 13 is formed in a ring shape as shown in FIG. The card holder 13 is fixed to the head plate 14 at the outer peripheral edge by a third fastening member 17C such as a screw, and is connected to a buffer mechanism described later at the inner peripheral edge.

  Thus, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the support 12 and the card holder 13 are connected via a buffer mechanism 21 that relieves stress generated by the expansion of the support 12 due to thermal expansion. The buffer mechanism 21 is formed of a single member as shown in FIG. Therefore, hereinafter, the buffer mechanism 21 will be described as the buffer member 21. As shown in the figure, the buffer member 21 has a cross-sectional shape in which the inner side 21A protrudes upward from the central portion and the outer side 21B protrudes downward from the central portion. The outer peripheral edge 12A of the support 12 is connected to the outer side 21B of the buffer member 21 by a fastening member 22 such as a screw. Further, the inner side 21A of the buffer member 21 is connected to the inner peripheral edge of the card holder 13 by a second fastening member 17B such as a screw. The buffer member 21 is made of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient higher than that of the support 12, such as aluminum or resin. In particular, the buffer member 21 has a coefficient of thermal expansion such that the length in the radial direction in which the buffer member 21 thermally expands and the length in the radial direction in which the support 12 thermally expands at the same temperature as the thermal expansion are substantially the same. It is preferable that it is the material which has. With this configuration, when the support 12 extends in the direction of the arrow due to thermal expansion during the high temperature inspection, and the buffer member 21 also extends in the same direction as the support 12 due to thermal expansion, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the buffer member 21 is that of the support 12. Since it is larger than the thermal expansion coefficient, no stress is generated to compress the support 12 toward the inside at the position of the fastening member 21. Further, by further increasing the coefficient of thermal expansion of the buffer member 21, the buffer member 21 extends further than the support 12, pulls the support 12 outward, and the card holder 13 extends in the radial direction. This elongation can be absorbed and the support 12 is not compressed inward.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, since the support body 12 and the card holder 13 are connected via the buffer member 21, the force for compressing the support body 12 inward is not applied as in the prior art. And the support body 12 does not curve in any direction up and down, and a high-temperature inspection with high reliability can be performed as in the above embodiments.

  In addition, this invention is not restrict | limited at all to said each embodiment, It is included by this invention unless it deviates from the summary of this invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be suitably used for a probe apparatus that inspects electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected such as a wafer.

It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the fixing mechanism of the probe card of this invention. It is a top view which shows the support body used for the fixing mechanism of the probe card shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows one Embodiment of the card card holder of this invention used for the fixing mechanism of the probe card shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of the high temperature test | inspection of the fixing mechanism of the probe card shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows other embodiment of the fixing mechanism of the probe card of this invention. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the fixing mechanism of the probe card | curd of this invention, (a) is sectional drawing which shows the principal part, (b) is a top view which shows the lower surface of the principal part. It is sectional drawing which shows other embodiment of the fixing mechanism of the probe card of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows other embodiment of the fixing mechanism of the probe card of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conventional probe card, (a) is sectional drawing which fractures | ruptures and shows a part of the front, (b) is a top view of (a). (A), (b) is sectional drawing which expands and shows the state at the time of the high temperature test | inspection of the probe card fixing mechanism shown in FIG. 9, respectively.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Probe card fixing mechanism 11 Probe card 12 Support body 13 Card holder 13D Opening part 13E Notch part 13F Through-hole 14 Head plate 15 Clamp mechanism 16 Main chuck (mounting stand)
17 Fastening member W Wafer (Inspection object)

Claims (6)

  A card holder having a support portion formed with an opening facing a plurality of probes of a probe card that is in electrical contact with an object to be inspected, and used for attaching the probe card to a probe device. A card holder comprising a plurality of cut portions extending from an end toward an outer peripheral end at a predetermined interval in a circumferential direction of the support portion.   The card holder according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of through holes are respectively provided between the plurality of cut portions and provided in the support portion. A card holder for holding a probe card in electrical contact with an object to be inspected by a support part; and a fixing part of a probe device to which the probe card is attached via the card holder, and the support part is provided on the probe card. In the probe card fixing mechanism having an opening where a plurality of probes face, a plurality of cut portions extending from the opening end of the opening toward the outer peripheral end are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the support portion,
A probe card fixing mechanism, wherein the probe card and the card holder are connected and fixed via a plurality of fastening members in the vicinity of the opening of the support portion.   The probe card fixing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of through holes are respectively provided between the plurality of cut portions and provided in the support portion.   The probe card fixing mechanism according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the fixing portion is a clamp mechanism that clamps an outer peripheral end portion of the card holder.   The probe card fixing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the fixing portion is a head plate constituting the probe device.

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