JP4152040B2 - Contact tip cleaning member - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cleaning member that removes foreign matter adhering to the tip of a contact used for inspecting a flat inspection object such as an integrated circuit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Contactor such as a needle-type probe used for an energization test of an integrated circuit (IC chip) formed on a semiconductor wafer, an integrated circuit (IC chip) before packaging, or an integrated circuit (IC) such as a packaged integrated circuit In this case, when the tip (needle tip) is pressed against the electrode part (pad or lead) of the integrated circuit, the tip slides against the electrode part and gives a rubbing action to the electrode part. At this time, a part of the material of the electrode part is scraped off by the contact tip.
[0003]
For this reason, in this type of contact, foreign matter such as aluminum powder, which is shavings of the material of the electrode part, adheres to the tip (needle tip) of the contact, particularly the outer periphery of the tip of the contact. Inevitable. This kind of foreign matter is generally removed by pressing the tip of the contact against the cleaning member.
[0004]
As one of the cleaning members of this type, an abrasive layer is formed on the surface of an elastic body such as rubber or sponge, or an abrasive layer such as abrasive grains is mixed into such an elastic body to form an abrasive layer. In some cases, foreign matters are removed by pressing the tip of the contact against the abrasive layer (for example, JP-A-10-300777).
[0005]
However, in the conventional cleaning member described above, the surface of the abrasive layer is only a flat surface having a roughness due to the abrasive, so that the needle tip does not move the elastic body by simply pressing the tip of the contact against the abrasive layer. By pushing and sinking into the elastic body, foreign matter on the tip surface (needle tip surface) can be removed, but foreign matter attached to the rear side (tip portion outer periphery) cannot be removed.
[0006]
In the conventional cleaning member, if the foreign matter is removed by inserting the tip of the contact into the elastic body, a part of the elastic body is cut by the cleaning member, so the cleaning member cannot be used after several cleanings. Become.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved]
Therefore, in the cleaning member for the contact tip, it is important to surely remove the foreign matter adhering to the tip surface and the outer periphery of the tip without shortening the life.
[0008]
[Solution, action and effect]
The cleaning member of the present invention is an elastic body made of synthetic rubber or foamed urethane resin and having an upper surface in a cleaning member that removes foreign matter adhering to the tip of a contactor used for inspecting a flat test object. It includes an elastic body having a number of irregularities on the upper surface and a flat region used as an alignment region at a part of the upper surface, and an abrasive layer disposed on the entire surface of the irregularities of the elastic body.
[0009]
At the time of cleaning, the contact is first pressed against the abrasive layer of the cleaning member and then separated from the cleaning member. Thereby, the tip of the contact is received in the recess of the cleaning member, elastically deforms the elastic body, and then separated from the cleaning member.
[0010]
Since the cleaning member has the abrasive material layer disposed even inside the recess, during cleaning, the contactor is wrapped not only in the distal end surface but also the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion in the abrasive material layer. To be released. As a result, the foreign matter adhering to the tip surface and the outer periphery of the tip part behind it is reliably removed. Further, since there is no need to pierce the tip of the contact member into the elastic body during cleaning, there is no possibility of shortening the life of the cleaning member.
[0011]
The cleaning member according to the present invention further has a flat region used as an alignment region in a part of the upper surface. For this reason, when the cleaning member is placed on the prober and used, a flat region can be used as the alignment region. Therefore, during cleaning, the thickness of the cleaning member is measured (or between the needle tip and the cleaning member). (Measurement of distance) can be performed accurately, and as a result, an ideal overdrive can be applied to the contact during cleaning.
[0012]
The cleaning member may further include a sheet-like first base material on which the elastic body is disposed on one surface, and a second second member having rigidity on which the first base material is disposed. A substrate may be included.
[0013]
The concave and convex recesses may have a pitch of 0.01 mm to 0.5 mm and a depth dimension of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm.
[0014]
The cleaning member can have a circular or square shape with an orientation flat or notch. In this way, when the cleaning member is placed on the prober and used, the orientation flat or notch can be used as an alignment mark, so the relative positional relationship between the cleaning member and the tip of the contactor during cleaning. Can be adjusted accurately.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaning member 10 includes an elastic body 12 made of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber or urethane foam resin, and an abrasive layer 14 disposed on the upper surface of the elastic body 12. Including.
[0016]
The elastic body 12 has a large number of irregularities on the upper surface, and is adhered to the upper surface of the film-like substrate 18 with an adhesive 16 on the lower surface. The base material 18 is bonded to the upper surface of the plate-like base material 22 with an adhesive 20 on the lower surface.
[0017]
The abrasive layer 14 is formed by applying a granular or powdery abrasive smaller than the irregularities of the elastic body 12 to the entire irregular surface of the elastic body 12, and therefore the abrasive layer 14 is a recess of the elastic body 12. It is formed on the entire inner surface of 24.
[0018]
The abrasive layer 14 is made of, for example, a mixture of particles of alumina, silicon carbide, diamond, cerium oxide, zirconium oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide, silicon oxide and the like and a water-soluble polyester urethane resin on the uneven surface of the elastic body 12. It can be formed by coating. The substrate 18 may be a flexible plastic film such as a polyethylene terephthalate film, and the substrate 22 may be a plate-like member having a certain degree of rigidity such as a silicon wafer. it can.
[0019]
Therefore, a water-soluble polyester urethane adhesive can be used as the adhesive 16 and a silicon adhesive can be used as the adhesive 20. However, other materials may be used as the abrasive layer 14, the base materials 18 and 22, and the adhesives 16 and 20.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recess 24 has a pitch P of 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm and a depth dimension D of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm, preferably the pitch P, as shown in FIG. Can be 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, and the depth dimension D can be 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm. The thickness dimension T of the elastic body 12 can be about 0.4 mm.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning member 10 has a circular shape including the orientation flat 26, and has a flat region 28 in a part of the upper surface. The flat region 28 can be formed by bonding a plastic sheet to a part of the abrasive layer 14. The cleaning member 10 may include a notch instead of the orientation flat 26.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning member 10 is disposed on the chuck top 30 for inspecting the integrated circuit so that the abrasive layer 14 is in an upward state and does not move. The chuck top 30 is disposed on a measurement stage 32 provided in an appropriate prober such as an integrated circuit inspection apparatus, and the measurement stage 32 with respect to a probe card 38 having a plurality of contacts 34 disposed on a wiring board 36. Thus, the three-dimensional movement is performed in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction, and the angle is rotated around the axis extending in the up-down direction. In the illustrated example, each contact 34 is a needle-type probe formed from a thin metal wire.
[0023]
At the time of cleaning, the chuck top 30 is moved back and forth and left and right by the measurement stage 32 so that the cleaning member 10 is in a predetermined position with respect to all the contacts 34, and at the same time angularly around an axis extending in the vertical direction. To be rotated.
[0024]
In the above operation, the cleaning member 10 and the probe card 38 are relatively positioned using the orientation flat 26 of the cleaning member 10, and the flat surface 28 of the cleaning member 10 is detected by an appropriate detector using a laser beam. This can be done by adjusting the distance between the cleaning member 10 and the tip of the contact 34 to an appropriate value.
[0025]
Next, the chuck top 30 is elastically deformed by the measurement stage 32 at the tip of the contactor 34, but is raised to a height position such that the tip of the contactor 34 does not contact the substrate 22, and then the cleaning member 10. Is lowered to a height position away from the tip of the contact 34.
[0026]
As a result, since the cleaning member 10 is raised together with the chuck top 30 and then lowered, the tip surfaces of all the contacts 34 and the abrasive layer 12 of the cleaning member 10 are first relatively pressed, and then Separated from each other. As a result, the tip of the contact 34 is received in the recess 24 of the cleaning member 10 to elastically deform the elastic body 12 and then separated from the cleaning member 10.
[0027]
Since the cleaning member 10 has the abrasive layer 14 disposed even inside the recess 24, as shown in FIG. 4, the contact 34 can be received in the recess 24 and only the tip surface can be received. First, the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion is also wrapped in the abrasive layer 14 and is separated from the cleaning member 10 in this state.
[0028]
As a result, the foreign matter adhering to the tip surface and the outer periphery of the tip part behind it is peeled off from the contact 34 by the abrasive layer 14 when the tip of the contact 34 is inserted into the recess 24, When the tip of the contact 34 is removed from the recess 24, it is peeled off by the abrasive layer 14, and as a result, reliably removed from the contact 34.
[0029]
At the time of cleaning, the process of raising and then lowering the cleaning member 10 with respect to the contact 34 is performed one or more times. When the raising / lowering of the cleaning member 10 is repeated a plurality of times, each time the cleaning member 10 is raised / lowered, the cleaning member 10 is moved together with the chuck top 30 in the front / rear direction or the left / right direction by the measurement stage 32, and a new cleaning member 10 is moved. It is preferable that the point is opposed to the tip of the contact 34.
[0030]
When the tip of the contact 34 and the cleaning member 10 are relatively pressed, the tip of the contact 34 is not inserted into the elastic body 12. For this reason, there is no possibility that the tip of the contact 34 damages the elastic body 12, and therefore, even if cleaning is repeated, the cleaning member 10 is less damaged and the cleaning member 10 has a long life.
[0031]
The cleaning member 10 may be used by being directly attached to an integrated circuit inspection device, or may be used by being attached to a device dedicated to cleaning or polishing only at the tip of a contact. In addition to cleaning a large number of contacts at the same time, it may be used to clean a single contact or several contacts, or used for a cleaning member for a contact disposed in an IC socket. Also good.
[0032]
The present invention is applicable not only to a contact cleaning member used for inspecting an integrated circuit, but also to a contact cleaning member used for inspecting another plate-like object to be inspected such as a substrate for a liquid crystal display panel. be able to. When the present invention is applied to a rectangular contact member cleaning member such as a liquid crystal panel inspection, the cleaning member may have a rectangular shape.
[0033]
The present invention is not limited to a needle type probe, but also a plate-like blade type probe, a so-called bump type probe having a hemispherical contactor, a so-called spring pin type probe using a spring pin, etc. It can be applied to a member for cleaning the tip of the contact.
[0034]
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.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a cleaning member according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing a part of the cleaning member.
3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of use of the cleaning member shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a state in which foreign matter at the tip of the contact is removed.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Cleaning member 12 Elastic body 14 Abrasive material layer 16,20 Adhesive 18,22 Base material 24 Recess 26 Orientation flat 28 Flat surface 30 Chuck top 32 Measurement stage 34 Contact 36 Wiring board 38 Probe card

Claims (5)

  In a cleaning member that removes foreign matter adhering to the tip of a contact used for inspecting a flat object to be inspected, it is an elastic body made of synthetic rubber or foamed urethane resin and has an upper surface, and a large number of irregularities are formed on the upper surface. And an elastic body having a flat region used as a region for alignment at a part of the upper surface, and an abrasive layer disposed on the entire surface of the irregularities of the elastic body, the abrasive layer comprising the irregularities A cleaning member at the tip of the contact including a large number of abrasives smaller than the recess of the contact.   The cleaning member according to claim 1, further comprising a sheet-like first base material disposed on one surface of the elastic body.   The cleaning member according to claim 2, further comprising a second base material having rigidity on which the first base material is disposed.   The cleaning member according to claim 1, wherein the concave and convex recesses have a pitch of 0.01 mm to 0.5 mm and a depth dimension of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm.   The cleaning member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cleaning member has a circular or square shape including an orientation flat or a notch.

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