JP2009063395A - Probe replacement method and probe card - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a probe replacement method and a probe card capable of preventing an adjacent probe from causing thermal expansion deformation when replacing probes. <P>SOLUTION: In the probe replacement method in which a probe 30 disposed on an electrical wiring 20 is replaced with a spare probe 40, the upper part of a connection part 21 between the probe 30 and the electrical wiring 20 is removed, and an adhesive is applied onto the removed part 21a of the electrical wiring 20 so that the spare probe 40 is bonded onto the electrical wiring 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a probe card used when inspecting electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected such as a semiconductor chip formed on a semiconductor wafer, and more particularly to a probe replacement method and a probe card for replacing a defective probe.

  In the conventional probe card, when a plurality of probes formed on the electric wiring on the wiring board are damaged or worn out, the defective probe is removed from the electric wiring and a new probe is soldered. Has been done.

JP 2002-5960 A

  However, there is a problem that a probe in the vicinity of a defective probe undergoes thermal expansion deformation due to heat generated during the soldering.

  The present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to replace a probe that can prevent a nearby probe from undergoing thermal expansion deformation when the probe is replaced. It is to provide a method and a probe card.

  In order to solve the above problems, a probe replacement method of the present invention is a probe replacement method for replacing a probe provided on an electrical wiring, and the probe and the portion of the electrical wiring coupled to the probe are removed. Then, an adhesive is applied to the removed portion of the electric wiring so that the replacement probe is bonded onto the electric wiring.

  In such a probe replacement method, since the replacement probe is bonded onto the electric wiring, heat is not generated unlike conventional solder bonding, and the probe in the vicinity of the replacement probe is thermally expanded and deformed. Can be prevented. Moreover, by applying an adhesive to the removed portion of the electrical wiring, the hole of the removed portion can be filled with the adhesive. For this reason, not only the defective probe but also the portion of the electrical wiring connected to the probe can be removed together. Therefore, the probe removal operation is simplified as compared with the case where only the probe is removed from the electrical wiring.

  In adhering the replacement probe onto the removed portion of the electrical wiring, it is preferable to install a base portion longer than the length of the removed portion of the electrical wiring of the replacement probe on the removed portion of the electrical wiring. In this case, since the base portion of the replacement probe is adhered before and after the removed portion of the electric wiring by the adhesive, the replacement probe is reliably adhered.

  After the base part of the replacement probe is mounted on the electric wiring, the base part of the replacement probe and the electric wiring can be electrically connected by wire bonding or conductive ink jet. As described above, the electrical connection between the base portion of the replacement probe and the electrical wiring can be easily performed by well-known wire bonding or conductive inkjet.

  The probe card of the present invention includes a plurality of electrical wirings arranged substantially in parallel on a wiring board, a plurality of probes respectively provided on the electrical wirings, and an exchange exchanged with at least one of the probes. The electrical wiring has a coupling portion to which the probe is coupled, and an extension continuous to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the coupling portion. The base part is longer than the joint part, and the joint part has a structure in which the upper part is removed together with the probe and the adhesive is applied when the probe is replaced. It is adapted to be bonded onto the joint and the extension by an adhesive. In this case, since the base portion of the replacement probe is bonded to the extension portions before and after the connecting portion of the electric wiring by the adhesive, the replacement probe is reliably bonded.

  The base portion is preferably electrically connected to the electrical wiring by wire bonding or conductive ink jet. In this case, the electrical connection between the base portion of the replacement probe and the electrical wiring can be easily performed by well-known wire bonding or conductive inkjet.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a partial perspective view of a probe card, FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a probe replacement process of the probe card, (a) is a diagram showing a removal process of a defective probe, and (b) is a bonding of a replacement probe. The figure which shows a process, (c) is a figure which shows the wire bonding process of a probe for replacement | exchange and electrical wiring.

  The probe card shown in FIG. 1 includes a wiring board 10, a plurality of electrical wirings 20 arranged on the surface of the wiring board 10 at intervals, and a cantilever shape provided on the plurality of electrical wirings 20. A plurality of probes 30 and a replacement probe 40 bonded to the electric wiring 20 are provided instead of the probes 30 that are damaged due to damage or wear. This will be described in detail below.

  Each electric wiring 20 is a copper wiring pattern formed on the wiring board 10. The electrical wiring 20 is continuous to the linear coupling portion 21 to which the probe 30 is coupled, the linear first extension portion 22 continuous to one end portion of the coupling portion 21, and the other end portion of the coupling portion 21. It has a linear second extension portion 23 and a substantially L-shaped conduction portion 24 continuous to the end portion of the second extension portion 23.

  The coupling portions 21 are arranged in a line at intervals corresponding to the pitch of the electrodes of the object to be inspected (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the upper portion of the coupling portion 21 is removed together with a defective probe 30 (hereinafter referred to as a defective probe 30, while a normal probe is referred to as a normal probe 30). That is, the upper portion of the coupling portion 21 becomes a removed portion 21a of the electrical wiring 20 described later.

  The first and second extension portions 22 and 23 are paste margin portions to which the replacement probe 40 is installed and bonded. An electrode pad portion (not shown) is provided at the end of the conduction portion 24.

  The probe 30 is a cantilevered nickel structure made by a well-known LIGA process technique (that is, repetition of resist and etching). The probe 30 is formed at a plate-like base portion 31 coupled on the coupling portion 21, a substantially ¼ arc-shaped arm portion 32 connected to an end portion of the base portion 31, and a distal end portion of the arm portion 32. Contact portion 33.

  The base portion 31 has substantially the same width dimension and length direction as the coupling portion 21 of the electric wiring 20. The arm portion 32 has a multistage shape that can be elastically deformed. The contact portion 33 is a protrusion that can come into contact with an electrode of an object to be inspected that is not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the replacement probe 40 is a cantilevered nickel structure similar to the probe 30 produced by a well-known LIGA process technique (that is, repetition of resist, etching, etc.). As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the replacement probe 40 has a length dimension of the base portion 41 bonded to the coupling portion 21 and the first and second extension portions 22 and 23 as the length of the base portion 31. The probe 30 is different from the probe 30 in that it is longer than the length (that is, longer than the coupling portion 21).

  As shown in FIG. 2C, the base portion 41 is bonded to the coupling portion 21 and the first and second extension portions 22 and 23, and the second extension portion of the electric wiring 20 by the conductive wire 50. 23 is electrically connected.

  Hereinafter, a method for exchanging the probe 30 of the probe card having such a configuration with the replacement probe 40 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, a process from excision of the defective probe 30 to adhesion of the replacement probe 40 is performed semi-automatically using a focused ion beam processing apparatus (FIB) having a microscope function, a manipulation function, and a deposition function. .

  First, the defective probe 30 is specified from the probes 30 of the probe card set in the chamber using the microscope function of the apparatus. When the position of the defective probe 30 is specified by the user, an alignment mark is attached to the attachment location of the replacement probe 40 by the apparatus.

  Thereafter, the defective probe 30 specified by the alignment mark is automatically excised (see FIG. 2A). In other words, the take-out probe Pr is set in a manipulator (not shown), and the take-out probe Pr is defective by the assist deposition function in a state where the end portion of the pull-out probe Pr is in contact with the end surface of the arm portion 32 of the defective probe 30. It is joined to the probe 30. In this state, the defective probe 30 is removed by irradiation with an ion beam.

  At this time, the upper portion of the coupling portion 21 of the electric wiring 20 is removed together with the base portion 31 of the defective probe 30. The hole after the removal becomes a removed portion 21a.

  Thereafter, the manipulator is reversely operated to transfer the cut defective probe 30 to a predetermined location in the chamber.

  Thereafter, the deposition nozzle of the apparatus is operated to bring it close to the removal portion 21a. Then, a resin adhesive such as a solder replacement silver paste is applied to the removed portion 21a by the nozzle.

  Thereafter, the replacement probe 40 is set in the manipulator of the apparatus, and the replacement probe 40 is transferred onto the wiring board 10. Then, the base portion 41 of the replacement probe 40 is placed on the removal portion 21a and the first and second extension portions 22 and 23 and bonded.

  Thereafter, the probe card is taken out from the chamber of the apparatus and set in a wire bonding apparatus not shown.

  Then, the lead wire 50 is crimped to the base portion 41 of the replacement probe 40 and the second extension portion 23 of the electric wiring 20 by an ultrasonic method. In this way, the replacement probe 40 and the electrical wiring 20 are electrically connected by the conducting wire 50 at room temperature. The defective probe 30 is replaced with the replacement probe 40 by one unit by such a series of steps.

  When the defective probe 30 is replaced as described above, the replacement probe 40 is bonded onto the electrical wiring 20 using a resin adhesive. Also, in the case of wire bonding, an ultrasonic method is adopted so that the conducting wire 50 is crimped to the replacement probe 40 and the electric wiring 20 at room temperature. For this reason, the normal probe 30 located in the vicinity of the defective probe 30 is not greatly affected by heat, and the normal probe 30 can be prevented from being thermally expanded and deformed.

  In addition, since the resin adhesive is applied to the removed portion 21a of the electrical wiring 20 and the hole of the removed portion 21a is filled with the resin adhesive, not only the defective probe 30 but also the electrical wiring 20 is coupled. The upper part of the part 21 can also be removed. Therefore, the probe removal operation becomes easier as compared with the case where only the defective probe 30 is removed from the electric wiring 20.

  The above-described probe replacement method can be arbitrarily changed without departing from the gist of the claims.

  For example, in the replacement probe 40, the base part 41 is longer than the base part 31, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the base portion 41 may be approximately the same length as the base portion 31. Note that the shapes and materials of the probe 30 and the replacement probe 40 are merely examples, and the design can be changed to any shape and material.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the probe 40 for replacement | exchange and the electrical wiring 20 were connected with the conducting wire 50 by wire bonding, it is not limited to this. For example, a conductive pattern may be printed using a conductive ink jet device, and the replacement probe 40 and the electric wiring 20 may be connected by the conductive pattern, or the replacement probe 40 and the electric wiring 20 may be bonded. A conductive adhesive may be used as the adhesive, and the replacement probe 40 and the electrical wiring 20 may be connected only by the adhesive. Of course, the replacement probe 40 and the electrical wiring 20 may be connected by both conductive adhesive and wire bonding or conductive inkjet.

  As described above, the adhesive described in the above embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

  In the above-described embodiment, the probe is exchanged using the focused ion beam processing apparatus. However, it is also possible to use another mechanical cutting apparatus having an equivalent function.

It is a fragmentary perspective view of a probe card. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the exchange process of the probe of a probe card, (a) is a figure which shows the removal process of a defective probe, (b) is a figure which shows the replacement probe adhesion process, (c) is a replacement probe, It is a figure which shows a wire bonding process with electrical wiring.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wiring board 20 Electrical wiring 21 Joint part 21a Removal part 22 1st extension part 23 2nd extension part 30 Probe 40 Replacement probe 50 Conductor

Claims (5)

In the probe replacement method of replacing the probe provided on the electrical wiring,
Removing the portion of the probe and electrical wiring connected to the probe;
A method for replacing a probe, characterized in that an adhesive is applied to the removed portion of the electrical wiring and the replacement probe is adhered onto the electrical wiring. The probe replacement method according to claim 1, wherein:
When the replacement probe is bonded onto the electrical wiring, the probe replacement is characterized in that a base portion longer than the length of the electrical wiring removal portion of the replacement probe is installed on the electrical wiring. Method. The probe replacement method according to claim 2, wherein:
A probe exchanging method characterized in that after the base part of the replacement probe is mounted on the electric wiring, the base part of the replacement probe and the electric wiring are electrically connected by wire bonding or conductive ink jet. A plurality of electrical wirings arranged substantially parallel on the wiring board;
A plurality of probes each provided on the electrical wiring;
It is provided with a replacement probe exchanged with at least one of these probes,
The electrical wiring has a coupling portion to which the probe is coupled, and an extension continuous to both ends in the length direction of the coupling portion,
The replacement probe has a base portion that is longer than the connecting portion of the electrical wiring,
The coupling part has a structure in which the upper part is removed together with the probe when the probe is replaced, and an adhesive is applied.
The probe card according to claim 1, wherein the base part is bonded onto the coupling part and the extension part by the adhesive. The probe card according to claim 4,
The probe card according to claim 1, wherein the base portion is electrically connected to one extension portion of the electric wiring by wire bonding or conductive inkjet.

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