JP2006337080A - Probe for current test - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To promote elastic deformation in an arm region regardless of constant position relation between the needle tip and a reference point and of small abrasion of the needle tip. <P>SOLUTION: The probe contains a main member having a tip end region and supported with a supporting member like a cantilever beam and a needle tip member combined in the tip end region of the main member. The needle tip member contains a base part of which at least a part is embedded in the tip end region, a contact part pressed to an inspection object and projecting to the second direction from the base part, and a reference part formed at a location with an interval in the first direction from the contact part and projecting to the second direction crossing with the first direction from the base part. It is manufactured with a harder material than the main member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a probe used for an energization test of a flat test object such as a semiconductor integrated circuit.

  A flat test object such as a semiconductor integrated circuit is subjected to an energization test as to whether or not it is manufactured according to the specification. This type of energization test is performed using an electrical connection device such as a probe card, a probe block, or a probe unit that includes a plurality of probes (contacts) that are individually pressed against the electrodes of the device under test. This type of electrical connection device is used to electrically connect an electrode of a device to be inspected and a tester in a current test device.

  As a probe used in this type of electrical connection apparatus, a so-called photolithography technique for exposing and etching a photoresist and an electroforming technique (electroforming technique) for performing electroplating on the etched portion are used. There is a manufactured blade type (Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-340654 A

  The blade-type probe includes a seat region (attachment portion) supported by a support member such as a wiring board or a ceramic substrate, and an arm region (arm portion) extending in a first direction from the lower end of the seat region. And a needle tip region (needle tip portion) that integrally follows the lower side of the distal end portion of the arm region, and a seat portion region (attachment portion) that integrally follows the proximal end portion of the arm region. Is supported in the form of a cantilever.

  The needle tip region includes a pedestal that continues below the tip of the arm region, a contact portion that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the pedestal, and a reference portion that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the pedestal.

  When the probe is assembled to the electrical connection device and assembled to the current test device, the contact portion acts as a place pressed against the electrode of the object to be inspected, and the reference portion is a probe for the current test device, particularly the contact portion. It is used as a place to detect and fix the position of the tip (that is, the needle tip).

  In the conventional probe, the needle tip is pressed against the electrode of the object to be inspected during the test in a state where the electrical connection device is assembled to the current test device. As a result, the overdrive acts on the probe, the probe is bent by elastic deformation in the arm region, and the needle tip slides with respect to the electrode of the object to be inspected.

  The conventional probe is entirely made of the same metal material. For this reason, if the probe is made of a tough (flexible) metal material such as nickel or an alloy thereof, the tip of the probe is severely worn and the probe is short-lived.

  On the other hand, if the probe is made of a high-strength metal material such as rhodium, the arm region is less likely to be elastically deformed when the overdrive acts on the probe. There is little and it is easy to break in an arm field.

  It is conceivable that the contact portion and other portions are made of separate metal materials and finally joined together. However, in such a case, it is difficult to join the contact portion and other locations so that the positional relationship between the tip of the contact portion, that is, the tip of the needle, and the tip of the reference portion, that is, the reference point, is in accordance with the specifications. The unit cannot accurately determine the position of the needle tip with respect to the electrical test apparatus.

  As described above, joining the contact part and other parts so that the positional relationship between the needle tip and the reference point is in accordance with the specifications, it is possible to use a small probe like a probe used in integrated circuit testing. Moreover, it is more difficult for the probe to be arranged in the electrical connection device with higher density.

  An object of the present invention is to facilitate elastic deformation in the arm region despite the fact that the positional relationship between the needle tip and the reference point is constant and the wear amount of the needle tip is small.

  The probe according to the present invention includes a main body member having a distal end region and supported by a support member, and a needle tip member coupled to the distal end region of the main body member. The needle tip member includes a base part at least partially embedded in the distal end region, a contact part pressed against the object to be inspected and protruding from the base part in the second direction, and the contact part A reference portion formed at a location spaced in the first direction from the base portion and protruding in a second direction intersecting the first direction from the base portion, and harder than the main body member It is made of material.

  When the needle tip member has a contact portion and a reference portion, the tip of the contact portion (needle tip) and the reference portion having a positional relationship according to the specifications is produced by manufacturing the needle tip member from a single material. It is possible to easily and inexpensively manufacture a large number of probes having the tip (reference point).

  Also, if the main body member and the needle tip member are different materials, the main body member is made of a tough metal material such as nickel and its alloy, and the needle tip member is made of a high hardness metal material such as rhodium. can do. As a result, the main body member is easily elastically deformed during the overdrive operation even though the wear amount of the needle tip is small, and the amount of slip of the needle tip with respect to the electrode of the object to be inspected increases.

  The body member further includes a seat portion region having one end portion attached to the support member and the other end portion on the opposite side, and an arm region extending from the other end portion of the seat portion region in the first direction. And the tip region may protrude from the tip of the arm region in the same direction as the contact portion and the reference portion of the needle tip member. By doing so, the probe is supported in a cantilever shape by the support member, and reliably elastically deforms in the arm region when overdrive is applied.

  The base portion of the needle tip member may be embedded in the distal end region such that the contact portion and the reference portion protrude from the distal end region in the second direction. By doing so, since the coupling area between the needle tip member and the main body member is widened, the coupling force between both members is increased.

  Each of the contact part and the reference part may have an end face directed to the side opposite to the base part, and the end face of the reference part is closer to the base part than the end face of the contact part. It may be retreated. By doing so, even if the end face of the contact portion, that is, the needle tip is pressed against the electrode of the object to be inspected, the reference portion does not contact the object to be inspected and its electrode, and damage to the reference portion is prevented.

  The body member may be made of a metal material selected from nickel and alloys thereof and phosphor bronze, and the needle tip member is made of a metal material selected from cobalt and rhodium and alloys thereof. May be.

  Hereinafter, in FIG. 1, the left-right direction is referred to as the left-right direction (first direction), the up-down direction is referred to as the up-down direction (second direction), and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is referred to as the front-rear direction (third direction). Depends on the chuck top of the tester that receives the test object to be energized.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the probe 10 is manufactured in a plate shape by a main body member 12 and a needle tip member 14.

  The main body member 12 includes a seat region 16, an arm region 18 that extends in the left-right direction from the lower end of the seat region 16, and a tip region 20 that projects downward from the tip of the arm region 18.

  The seat region 16 has a rectangular attachment portion 22 and an extension portion 24 that integrally extends downward from the lower end portion of the attachment portion 22, and continues to the arm region 18 integrally in the extension portion 24. Yes. The seat portion region 16 is attached to a support member such as a wiring board or a ceramic substrate at the upper end portion of the attachment portion 22 so that the entire probe 10 has a cantilever shape.

  The arm region 18 includes one connecting portion 26 protruding downward from the lower end portion of the extension portion 24 and upper and lower arm portions 28 and 30 protruding leftward and rightward from the connecting portion 26 in a state of being spaced apart in the vertical direction. , And another connecting portion 32 that integrally connects the tip portions of both arm portions 28 and 30.

  The distal end region 20 protrudes downward from the lower end portions of the arm portion 30 and the connecting portion 32 and acts as a pedestal or a seat. The lower end surface of the distal end region 20 is bent in a V shape with the middle in the left-right direction being a bent portion.

  The needle tip member 14 includes a base portion 34 embedded in the distal end region 20, a contact portion 36 that protrudes downward from the base portion 34, and a reference portion 38 that protrudes downward from the base portion 34. The base 34 has substantially the same shape as the lower end of the tip region 20.

  The contact portion 36 and the reference portion 38 extend in the front-rear direction and have an inverted trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. The contact portion 36 and the reference portion 38 are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction so as to be closer to the connecting portion 26 from the contact portion 36.

  The lower end surface of the contact portion 36 is a needle tip that is pressed against the object to be inspected. Similar to the probe described in Patent Document 1, the lower end surface of the reference portion 38 is a probe for the current test device, particularly in a state where the probe 10 is assembled in the electrical connection device and assembled in the current test device. This is used as a reference point for detecting and determining the position of the needle tip.

  The main body member 12 is made of a highly tough metal material such as nickel and its alloys and phosphor bronze, and the needle tip member 14 is made of a high hardness metal material such as cobalt and rhodium and their alloys.

  In the state where the probe 10 is assembled in the electrical connection device and assembled in the current test device, the lower end surface of the reference portion 38 is detected by a sensor such as a video camera, and the coordinate position in the current test device is determined. Desired. The obtained coordinate position is used for processing to detect and determine the position of the probe, particularly the tip of the needle with respect to the electrical test apparatus.

  If the needle tip member 14 has the contact portion 36 and the reference portion 38 as in the probe 10, the needle tip member 14 can be made of a single material, so that the positional relationship between the needle tip and the reference point is determined. Can be produced according to the specifications.

  During the energization test, the probe 10 presses the lower end surface (needle tip) of the contact portion 36 against the electrode of the object to be inspected. Thereby, the overdrive acts on the probe 10.

  In the probe 10, since the main body member 12, particularly the arm portions 28 and 30 are made of a tough metal material as described above, the arm region 18 and particularly the arm portions 28 and 30 are greatly elastically deformed, and the contact portion 36 is obtained. The lower end surface of the slides relative to the electrode of the object to be inspected. The slippage at this time is large.

  The lower end surface of the contact portion 36 slides with respect to the electrode of the object to be inspected, thereby scraping off the oxide film formed on the electrode. At this time, since the needle tip member 14, particularly the contact portion 36 is made of a metal material at most, the amount of wear on the lower end surface of the contact portion 36 is small, and the probe 10 has a long life.

  In the probe 10, since the lower end surface of the reference portion 38 is retracted from the lower end surface of the contact portion 36 toward the base 34, even if the lower end surface of the contact portion 36 is pressed by the electrode of the object to be inspected. 38 is not in contact with the object to be inspected and its electrodes, and damage is prevented.

  In the probe 10, since the base portion 34 of the needle tip member 14 is embedded in the distal end region 20 of the main body member 12, the coupling force between the main body member 12 and the needle tip member 14 is high.

  The probe 10 as described above can be manufactured using a photolithography technique and an electroforming technique. One example will be described below.

  First, a part 18a corresponding to a portion below the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 of the main body member 12 is manufactured on a base member (not shown) by a photolithography technique and an electroforming technique.

  Next, photolithography is performed so that the needle tip member 14 has a base portion 34 on a portion corresponding to the tip region 20 of the component 18 a and a contact portion 36 and a reference portion 38 project from the portion corresponding to the tip region 20. Fabricated on part 18a by technology and electroforming technology.

  Next, the part 18b corresponding to the part above the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 of the main body member 12 is formed on the part 18a and the base 34 of the needle tip member 14 by photolithography and electroforming techniques. To manufacture.

  Finally, the remaining resist is removed, and the manufactured probe 10 may be removed from the base.

  As a result, the probe 10 in which the base 34 of the needle tip member 14 is embedded in the distal end region 20 of the main body member 12 and the contact portion 36 and the reference portion 38 protrude downward from the distal end region 20 of the main body member 12 is manufactured.

  The probe 10 manufactured as described above has a high coupling force between the main body member 12 and the needle tip member 14 because the base 34 of the needle tip member 14 is integrally embedded in the distal end region 20 of the main body member 12. .

  If manufactured as described above, the main body member 12 and the needle tip member 14 can be made of different metal materials, and the contact portion 36 and the reference portion 38 can be simultaneously and integrally manufactured. A large number of probes having the same positional relationship between the portion 36 and the reference portion 38 can be manufactured in large quantities and at low cost.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is a front view which shows the 1st Example of the probe which concerns on this invention. It is a bottom view of the probe shown in FIG. It is a left view of the probe shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Probe 12 Main body member 14 Needle-tip member 16 Seat part area | region 18 Arm area | region 20 Tip area | region 22 Attachment part 24 Extension part 26,32 Connection part 28,30 Arm part 34 Base part 36 Contact part 38 Reference | standard part

Claims (5)

A main body member having a tip region and supported by the support member; and a needle tip member coupled to the tip region of the main body member;
The needle tip member includes a base part at least partially embedded in the distal end region, a contact part pressed against the object to be inspected and protruding from the base part in the second direction, and the contact part A reference portion formed at a location spaced from the first direction in the first direction, and protruding in a second direction intersecting the first direction from the base portion,
The probe for energization testing, wherein the needle tip member is made of a material harder than the main body member.   The body member further includes a seat portion region having one end portion attached to the support member and the other end portion on the opposite side, and an arm region extending from the other end portion of the seat portion region in the first direction. The probe for energization testing according to claim 1, wherein the tip region protrudes from the tip of the arm region in the same direction as the contact portion and the reference portion of the needle tip member.   The base portion of the needle tip member is embedded in the tip region in a state where the contact portion and the reference portion protrude from the tip region in the second direction. probe.   Each of the contact part and the reference part has an end face directed to the side opposite to the base part, and the end face of the reference part is retracted from the end face of the contact part toward the base part. The probe for energization testing according to claim 1.   The main body member is made of a metal material selected from nickel and alloys thereof, and phosphor bronze, and the needle tip member is made of a metal material selected from cobalt and rhodium and alloys thereof. The probe for energization testing according to claim 1.

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