JP3842468B2 - Probe cleaning method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cleaning a probe of a probe card used for an energization test of a flat object to be inspected such as an integrated circuit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a probe card used for an energization test of an integrated circuit, the tip (needle tip) of the probe is pressed against the electrode portion of the integrated circuit during the energization test, and the electrode portion is rubbed and a part of the electrode portion is scraped. It is inevitable that foreign matters such as shavings adhere to the tip of the probe.
[0003]
If such foreign matter adheres to the tip of the probe, the electrical contact state between the tip of the probe and the electrode portion of the integrated circuit becomes uncertain, and as a result, the inspection itself becomes inaccurate. For this reason, in this type of probe card, a cleaning operation for removing the adhering to the tip of the probe is performed.
[0004]
One such cleaning technique is to blow compressed air onto the tip of the probe. However, in this prior art, some of the deposits are removed, but most of the deposits are not removed.
[0005]
As another cleaning technique, a polishing member such as a sandpaper formed by applying abrasive grains to a sheet material to form an abrasive layer, and an abrasive layer mixed with a surface layer of a base material such as a sponge. The tip of the probe is pressed against the abrasive layer using a polishing member or the like on which is formed.
[0006]
However, this conventional technique can remove a large amount of deposits as compared with a technique in which compressed air is blown onto the tip of the probe, but still a lot of deposits remain without being removed.
[0007]
As a result of various experiments, the present inventors have found that the reason why a large amount of deposit remains is that the probe or the deposit is charged. As shown in FIG. 4, alumina, which is an oxide of a general integrated circuit electrode material, generally has positive ions, whereas tungsten, which is a general probe material, generally has negative ions. . For this reason, both are easy to adhere and difficult to separate. In FIG. 4, the vertical axis indicates the potential and the horizontal axis indicates the pH.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved]
Therefore, in the probe cleaning technique, it is important to reliably remove deposits from the probe.
[0009]
[Solution, action and effect]
The cleaning method of the present invention includes blowing air ionized to the same polarity as the zeta potential of the probe near the tip of one or more probes. In addition, the cleaning device of the present invention includes an ionizer that blows air ionized to the same polarity as the zeta potential of the probe near the tip of one or more probes.
[0010]
The ionizer is preset so that air is ionized to a potential opposite to the potential of the deposit on the tip of the probe. Such a setting can be determined by the probe material. When such air is blown onto the tip of the probe, the deposit on the probe tip is electrically neutralized or charged to the same polarity as the potential of the probe tip. It is easy to be separated from the part.
[0011]
As a result of the above, according to the present invention, such deposits are separated from the tip of the probe by naturally or subsequently blown air.
[0012]
The cleaning method and apparatus according to the present invention may further include sucking air near the tip of the probe while the ionized air is blown near the tip of the probe. In this way, the deposit on the probe is sucked together with the air near the probe tip and collected at a predetermined location.
[0013]
The cleaning method and apparatus according to the present invention can further provide a polishing member and press the tip of the probe against the polishing member. If the tip of the probe is pressed against the polishing member before the ionized air is blown, some deposits are removed by the polishing member, so that the remaining deposits can be easily charged to the polarity of the potential at the tip of the probe. . If the probe tip is pressed against the polishing member after the ionized air is blown, the deposits can be more reliably removed.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, the cleaning device 10 is used for cleaning the tips of a plurality of probes 14 provided in a probe card 12 used for an energization test of an integrated circuit. The probe card 12 is a known card in which a plurality of probes 14 are arranged on a wiring board 16.
[0015]
The cleaning device 10 includes a plate-like base member 20, an ionizer 22 disposed on the base member 20, and an exhaust air passage 24.
[0016]
The base member 20 has a suction port 26 penetrating the base member 20 at the center. The upper part of the suction port 26 has a frustoconical shape with a larger diameter dimension as it goes upward.
[0017]
The ionizer 22 is a known device that is commercially available as a static eliminator that ionizes air positively or negatively, and has a jet outlet that jets air obliquely upward toward a location above the suction port 26. The ionizer 22 receives high-pressure air from a compressor (not shown) through the tube 28 and ionizes the air.
[0018]
The exhaust air passage 24 is formed by a tube, a hose, or the like. One end of the exhaust air passage 24 communicates with the suction port 26 on the lower side of the base member 20 and the other end is connected to an exhaust device (not shown).
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning device 10 is movable in at least the X direction (left and right in FIG. 2) in the inspection device 30 so that the suction port 26 opens upward toward the probe 14. Be placed.
[0020]
The integrated circuit 32 is disposed on an inspection table 36 disposed on the inspection stage 34. The inspection stage 34 moves the inspection table 36 and the integrated circuit 32 in the X direction, the Y direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2), the Z direction (up and down direction in FIG. 2), and the θ direction (axis extending in the up and down direction). It is a known mechanism that moves in the direction around the.
[0021]
The ionizer 22 is set in advance so that air is ionized to a potential opposite to the potential of the deposit on the tip of the probe, in other words, to the same polarity as the charge of the probe material. The polarity to be ionized can be determined by the material type of the probe 14, the material type of the electrode part of the integrated circuit 32, and the like.
[0022]
During the energization test of the integrated circuit 32, the inspection stage 34 moves the inspection table 36 and the integrated circuit 32 to the probe card 12 to a lower inspection position, and the cleaning device 10 is moved to a standby position away from the inspection position. ing.
[0023]
At the time of cleaning, the inspection stage 34 moves the inspection table 36 and the integrated circuit 32 from the inspection position to a position different from the standby position, for example, a delivery position of the integrated circuit, and the cleaning device 10 is moved to the inspection position.
[0024]
The cleaning device 10 receives compressed air from the ionizer 22 through the tube 28 at the inspection position, ionizes the air to the potential opposite to the potential of the deposit on the tip of the probe 14 in the ionizer 22, and then from the ionizer 22. It ejects to the tip of the probe 14.
[0025]
When air ionized to a potential opposite to the potential of the deposit is blown to the tip of the probe 14, the deposit on the tip of the probe 14 is electrically neutralized or the tip of the probe. It is charged with the same polarity as the potential of the probe, and is easily separated from the probe tip, and is reliably separated from the probe tip by air blown naturally or subsequently.
[0026]
Simultaneously with the ejection of ionized air, the cleaning device 10 sucks air near the tip of the probe 14 into the suction port 26. As a result, the adhering matter is sucked together with the air near the tip of the probe and collected at a predetermined location. The air flow is indicated by arrows in FIGS.
[0027]
As a result of the above, according to the cleaning device 10, the deposits on the probe 14 can be reliably removed. Moreover, since it is not necessary to use chemicals that dissolve the deposits, it is safe, and there is no possibility that the working environment will be deteriorated by such chemicals.
[0028]
Referring to FIG. 3, the cleaning device 40 has a polishing member 42 disposed on the base member 20. The polishing member 42 is formed by applying abrasive grains to a sheet material to form an abrasive layer, or a sponge. An abrasive layer was formed by mixing an abrasive flow into the surface layer of such a base material, and it was arranged at a position directly below the probe 14.
[0029]
In the cleaning device 40, the suction port 26 of the base member 20 is open around the polishing member 42 so as to suck air near the tip of the probe 14.
[0030]
When the cleaning device 40 is used, the tip of the probe 14 is pressed against the abrasive layer of the abrasive 42 before or after the ionized air is blown onto the tip of the probe 14.
[0031]
If the tip of the probe 14 is pressed against the polishing member before the ionized air is blown onto the tip of the probe 14, some of the deposits are removed by the polishing member 42 in advance. It can be easily charged to the polarity of the potential.
[0032]
On the other hand, if the tip of the probe 14 is pressed against the polishing member 42 after the ionized air is sprayed on the tip of the probe 14, the deposits can be removed more reliably.
[0033]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The present invention can be applied not only to a technique for cleaning an energization test probe for an integrated circuit, but also to a technique for cleaning an energization test probe for another flat non-inspection object such as a liquid crystal substrate. The present invention can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a cleaning device according to the present invention.
2A and 2B are diagrams showing an embodiment of an inspection apparatus in which the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is arranged. FIG. 2A shows the positional relationship between the cleaning apparatus and the probe card during an energization test, and FIG. The positional relationship between the cleaning device in the cleaning area and the probe card is shown.
FIG. 3 is a front view showing another embodiment of the cleaning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between zeta potential and pH of various metal materials.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 40 Cleaning device 12 Probe card 14 Probe 20 Base member 22 Ionizer 24 Exhaust air passage 26 Suction port 30 Inspection device 32 Integrated circuit 34 Inspection stage 36 Inspection table 42 Polishing member

Claims (6)

Comprising spraying the ionized air in the same polarity as the polarity of the zeta potential of the probe in the vicinity of the tip portion of one or more of said probe, cleaning method of the probe. The cleaning method according to claim 1, further comprising sucking air near a tip of the probe while the ionized air is blown near the tip of the probe. The cleaning method according to claim 1, further comprising pressing the tip of the probe against an abrasive member before or after spraying the ionized air. And a ionizer for blowing ionized air into the same polarity as the polarity of the zeta potential of the probe in the vicinity of the tip portion of one or more of the probe, the cleaning device of the probe. The base member having a suction port that opens toward the tip of the probe, and an exhaust air passage communicated with the suction port, wherein the ionizer is disposed in the base member. The cleaning device described in 1. Furthermore, the cleaning apparatus of Claim 4 or 5 containing the grinding | polishing member arrange | positioned at the said base member in order to press the front-end | tip of the said probe.

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