JP5058032B2 - Contact probe manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a contact probe, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a contact probe that can reduce stress concentration at a bent portion of a contact probe having a cantilever structure.

  The probe card is used for inspecting electrical characteristics of an inspection object such as an electrode pad of a semiconductor integrated circuit, and includes a plurality of contact probes (contact probes). The plurality of contact probes are fixed on the substrate corresponding to the number and pitch of the electrode pads, and electrical signals can be taken out by bringing these contact probes into contact with the electrode pads.

  When inspecting the electrical characteristics of the device on the semiconductor wafer, the contact probe is brought into contact with the electrode pad on the semiconductor wafer, and then the overdrive is performed to further press the contact probe toward the semiconductor wafer. Each contact probe is securely brought into contact with the electrode pad.

  The contact probe has a beam part of an elastically deformable cantilever structure in which one end is fixed to the substrate and the other end is a free end, and a contact part formed on the free end side of the beam part. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). And this kind of contact probe presses a contact part on the semiconductor wafer side, and elastically deforms a beam part.

  By the way, semiconductor devices have been highly integrated due to a significant improvement in microfabrication accuracy due to advances in photolithography technology and the like. As a result, the number of electrode pads with respect to the chip area of a semiconductor device has increased dramatically. Recently, more than 1,000 electrode pads have been arranged on a semiconductor chip of several millimeters square at a narrow pitch. . In order to perform an electrical characteristic test on such a semiconductor chip, a probe card in which contact probes are arranged at the same pitch as the electrode pads is required. Therefore, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, various techniques for manufacturing a contact probe using a photolithography technique similar to that of a semiconductor device have been proposed.

Patent Document 1 discloses a contact probe made of a laminate formed using a so-called MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technique. This contact probe is constituted by a plurality of plating layers stacked in the direction perpendicular to the probe substrate, that is, in the height direction of the contact probe. Each plating layer is patterned using a photolithography technique, and a three-dimensional contact probe can be formed by sequentially stacking plating layers having different two-dimensional shapes. The contact probe having a cantilever structure formed as described above has a shape in which the fixed end side of the beam portion is bent at a substantially right angle.
7 (A) to 10 (O) of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-91539.

  The conventional contact probe has a shape in which the fixed end side of the beam portion is bent at a substantially right angle, and stress concentration occurs near the bent portion during elastic deformation. For this reason, there is a problem that it is not easy to increase the needle pressure of the contact probe. Therefore, it is considered that the stress concentration as described above can be reduced if the fixed end side of the beam portion is not bent at a substantially right angle but can be smoothly curved.

  However, when the plating layer is laminated in the height direction of the contact probe, in order to form a contact probe that curves smoothly in the height direction, it is necessary to laminate a large number of plating layers having different two-dimensional shapes. Increases costs.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to employ a manufacturing method in which a plating layer is laminated in the width direction of the contact probe. In this case, it is possible to form a contact probe that is smoothly curved in the height direction without increasing the number of plating layers. However, a large number of probes are simultaneously formed while maintaining the positional relationship arranged on the probe substrate. I can't. In other words, it is impossible to manufacture a plurality of contact probes arranged with a sacrificial layer and arrange them on the probe substrate, or to perform electroplating on the probe substrate to form a contact probe. The troublesome work of attaching the probes to the probe substrate one by one is required.

  Therefore, the present inventor has found a method for manufacturing a contact probe that can form a curved portion in a beam portion in a manufacturing method in which a contact probe is formed by stacking in the height direction of the contact probe. In the manufacturing method, a probe forming pedestal having a curved surface is formed on a substrate with a resist, and a beam portion is formed on the probe forming pedestal. In this case, in order to form a probe forming pedestal having a curved surface with a resist, first, a block-shaped pedestal having corners is formed, and then the block-shaped pedestal is heated at a high temperature to shrink the corners. By forming a round shape, a curved surface is formed.

  However, since the pedestal formed of the resist is heat-treated at a high temperature, there is a problem in that a substance in the resist material is volatilized or thermally contracted, and the desired height cannot be obtained on the pedestal. Therefore, as a result of further research, a thin film was formed on the resist pedestal after the heat treatment using a conductive material different from the conductive material forming the contact probe, and electroplating was performed on the thin film using the same conductive material as the thin film. As a result, a plating base having a desired height was obtained.

  However, since the resist pedestal is formed inside this plating pedestal, the resist pedestal heat shrinks due to the temperature rise during probe manufacturing, and the metal thin film formed on the resist pedestal cracks. There was a problem that the plating base was damaged. Furthermore, since this resist pedestal is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature higher than the temperature used in normal resist processing to produce a curved surface, it is cured even if the resist layer is removed after the contact probe is formed. There was also a problem that it was too difficult to remove.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in a method of stacking in the height direction to form a contact probe, a curved portion having a desired shape and size can be obtained without causing damage to the pedestal due to heat. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a contact probe that can easily form a contact probe having the same.

  In the method for manufacturing a contact probe according to the first aspect of the present invention, an electrode film made of a first conductive material is formed on an insulating substrate, thereby forming an electrode region adjacent to the insulating region on the insulating substrate. An electrode film forming step, and a sacrificial layer forming step of forming a sacrificial layer having a curved surface rising from the insulating region and bending toward the electrode region by electroplating a first conductive material on the electrode film; A probe forming step of forming a contact probe by electroplating a second conductive material on the sacrificial layer and a sacrificial layer removing step of removing the sacrificial layer are provided.

  By such a manufacturing method, the sacrificial layer having the curved surface for forming the curved portion of the contact probe can be easily formed without being damaged by heat, and by electroplating the sacrificial layer, The contact probe having a curved portion where stress concentration does not occur can be easily formed. Therefore, even when the contact probe having the cantilever structure is laminated by electroplating in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, a curved portion having a desired shape and size can be formed by a simple method.

  The contact probe manufacturing method according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a resist formation step of forming a resist layer having an opening exposing the electrode region and the insulating region adjacent to each other, in addition to the above step, and the sacrificial layer. In the forming step, a sacrificial layer is formed in the opening of the resist layer.

  By forming the sacrificial layer in the opening as described above, the sacrificial layer or the cross section having a shape surrounded by the side surface perpendicular to the insulating substrate formed by using the wall surface of the opening and the curved surface. The sacrificial layer having a semi-elliptical shape can be formed at a desired position on the insulating substrate. As a result, when a plurality of the sacrificial layers are formed on the insulating substrate, the sacrificial layer having a desired shape is formed in accordance with the position of the contact probe fixed to the probe substrate and the position of contact with the inspection object. can do. When a plurality of contact probes are formed on one sacrificial layer, the plurality of contact probes are separated from the insulating substrate together with the sacrificial layer, and the sacrificial layers are arranged on a separately prepared probe substrate. Can be made. By arranging the contact probes on the probe substrate in this manner, a plurality of contact probes can be simultaneously fixed at predetermined positions on the probe substrate while maintaining the interval.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a contact probe, wherein in addition to the above steps, a probe forming resist layer having a long and narrow opening exposing the curved surface and the insulating region of the sacrificial layer adjacent to each other is formed. A probe resist forming step, wherein the probe forming step forms a contact probe in the opening where the curved surface is exposed;

  By such a manufacturing process, the curved surface and the insulating region are exposed in the long and narrow opening, so that the contact probe having a curved portion can be formed to a desired length by freely setting the size of the opening. , Width and thickness. In particular, the sacrificial layer having a size capable of forming a plurality of contact probes is formed, and the resist layer for forming the probes is arranged so that the plurality of long and narrow openings are disposed on the curved surface of the sacrificial layer. By forming, a plurality of probes having curved portions can be formed simultaneously. In addition, when a plurality of contact probes are formed on one sacrificial layer, the openings are formed by matching the positions of the plurality of openings with the positions of the electrodes provided on the probe substrate and the positions of contact with the inspection object. Thus, a plurality of contact probes can be formed simultaneously. By forming the opening in this manner, a plurality of contact probes can be peeled off from the insulating substrate together with the sacrificial layer, and can be arranged together with the sacrificial layer on a separately prepared probe substrate. Therefore, a plurality of contact probes can be simultaneously arranged at the positions of the plurality of electrodes on the probe substrate while the plurality of contact probes are held at predetermined intervals by the sacrificial layer.

  In the contact probe manufacturing method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the above step, the electrode film forming step forms the conductive region on the main surface of the insulating substrate by forming a conductive probe base film. And forming a probe base region separated from the electrode region, and in the probe forming step, the second conductive material is deposited on the sacrificial layer by electroplating the second conductive material on the sacrificial layer. At the same time, the contact probe is formed by conducting the sacrificial layer and the probe base film through the deposited metal layer and depositing the second conductive material on the probe base film.

  In the manufacturing method of the present invention, apart from the electrode film, the probe base film is formed in a state of being insulated from the electrode film, and the probe base film is formed while the contact probe is formed on the sacrificial layer. The contact probe can also be formed on the top. Therefore, according to the manufacturing method of the present invention, the curved part of the contact probe and the part fixed to the insulating substrate can be formed simultaneously and continuously.

  Conventionally, the contact probe having a cantilever structure is formed by sequentially laminating a plurality of plating layers having different two-dimensional shapes in the height direction. Therefore, it is necessary to use a mask having a different shape each time the resist layer is formed, exposed and removed a plurality of times and exposed. In the manufacturing method of the present invention, the formation of the substrate fixing portion of the contact probe and the formation of the continuous portion thereof can be formed using one resist layer and one mask. Therefore, the resist layer forming step and the resist removing step Can be reduced and the mask can also be reduced, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, the contact probe can be fixed to the insulating substrate through the probe base film simultaneously with the formation of the contact probe. Therefore, when the insulating substrate is used as a probe substrate, the contact probe can be fixed to the probe substrate at the same time, so that it is unnecessary to fix the contact probes to the probe substrate one by one. The manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a contact probe, wherein in addition to the above steps, a resist layer is formed to form a resist layer having an elongated opening that exposes the electrode region and the probe base region provided across the insulating region. The electrode film forming step includes forming the probe base film with a conductive material that is insoluble in an electroplating solution and an etching solution of the conductive material that forms the sacrificial layer, and the sacrificial layer forming step includes: A sacrificial layer having the curved surface is formed in the opening where the electrode region is exposed, and the probe forming step forms a contact probe in the opening in which the sacrificial layer is formed.

  By such a manufacturing method, after forming the sacrificial layer in the opening, the contact probe having a curved portion and a fixed portion to the insulating substrate is formed on the sacrificial layer and the probe base film. be able to. Therefore, the contact probe having the sacrificial layer and the curved portion can be formed only by forming one resist layer having the opening from which the electrode region and the probe base region are exposed. As a result, the resist layer for forming the sacrificial layer and the resist layer for forming the contact probe can be made common, and the amount of conductive material used for forming the sacrificial layer can be reduced. The manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  A contact probe manufacturing method according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a probe forming method comprising: the curved surface of the sacrificial layer provided across the insulating region; and a long and narrow opening that exposes the probe base film in addition to the above steps. A probe resist forming step for forming a resist layer, wherein the probe forming step forms a contact probe in the opening where the curved surface and the probe base film are exposed.

  By such a manufacturing method, the curved surface and the probe base film are exposed in the long and narrow opening to form the contact probe. Therefore, the contact probe has a curved portion and a fixing portion to the insulating substrate. The openings can be simultaneously formed using the openings of the same resist layer, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In particular, the sacrificial layer having a size capable of forming a plurality of contact probes is formed, and the resist layer for forming the probes is arranged so that the plurality of long and narrow openings are disposed on the curved surface of the sacrificial layer. By forming, a plurality of probes having curved portions can be formed at the same time and can be simultaneously fixed to the insulating substrate.

  In the contact probe manufacturing method according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above steps, the sacrificial layer removing step may include removing each of the contact probes by partially removing the probe base film that makes the plurality of contact probes conductive. Each time, the probe base film formed under the contact probe is separated.

  By such a manufacturing method, the probe base film is formed so as to conduct the plurality of contact probes and the plurality of electrodes provided on the insulating substrate, and finally the probe base film is formed. It is possible to cut off the conduction of each contact probe by partially removing. As a result, the probe base film can be easily aligned as compared with the case where the probe base film is individually formed in accordance with the position of each electrode.

  Further, when the probe base film is individually formed in accordance with the position of each electrode, the elongated opening of the resist layer must be formed in accordance with the position of the probe base film. It becomes difficult to align the elongated openings. According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, a plurality of the elongated openings can be formed in accordance with the probe base film having a large area, so that the alignment of the elongated openings can be easily performed. The contact probe can be reliably conducted to the electrode of the insulating substrate through the probe base film.

  Further, when the probe base film is individually formed in accordance with the position of each electrode, the length of the insulating region between the sacrificial layer and the probe base film in any of the elongated openings is different. May be longer than the length in the elongated opening. In such a case, it takes time until the metal layer formed on the sacrificial layer is electrically connected to the probe base film, and a contact probe with a uniform thickness cannot be formed. According to the present invention, in any one of the elongated openings, the metal layer is electrically connected to the probe base film, so that the conductive probe base film is exposed in all of the elongated openings. Since the conductive material is deposited simultaneously on the probe base film, the thickness of each contact probe can be formed substantially uniformly.

  According to the method for manufacturing a contact probe according to the present invention, even when a contact probe having a cantilever structure is formed by laminating by electroplating in a direction perpendicular to a substrate which is a height direction, it is not damaged by heat, The sacrificial layer having the curved surface for forming the curved portion of the contact probe can be easily formed, and the contact probe having the curved portion where stress concentration does not occur by electroplating the sacrificial layer. It can be easily formed.

Embodiment 1.
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a contact probe manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Probe device]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a probe apparatus 100 including a probe card 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows an internal state of the probe apparatus 100. The probe device 100 includes a probe card 110, a movable stage 103 on which an inspection object 102 is placed, a driving device 104 that raises and lowers the movable stage 103, and a housing 105 that houses the movable stage 103 and the driving device 104. It consists of.

  The inspection object 102 includes a semiconductor device such as a semiconductor wafer, and a plurality of electronic circuits (not shown) are formed. The movable stage 103 is a mounting table having a horizontal mounting surface. When the driving device 104 is driven, the movable stage 103 is raised or lowered in the vertical direction in a state where the inspection object 102 is mounted on the mounting surface. ing. The housing 105 has an opening at the upper center portion, and the probe card 110 is attached so as to seal the opening. The movable stage 103 is disposed below the opening.

[Probe card]
FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a configuration example of the probe card 110 in the probe apparatus 100 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2A shows the inspection object 102 side (the lower side of FIG. 1). (B) in the figure is a side view.

  The probe card 110 includes a main board 106 attached to the opening of the housing 105, a rectangular probe board 107 held on the main board 106, and a plurality of contact probes 1 fixed on the probe board 107. ing.

  The main board 106 is a disk-shaped printed board, and has an external terminal 161 for performing signal input / output with the tester device. For example, a multilayer printed circuit board mainly composed of glass epoxy is used as the main board 106. The peripheral portion of the main substrate 106 is held at the periphery of the opening of the housing 105 and is supported horizontally.

  The probe substrate 107 is disposed below the main substrate 106 and supported by the main substrate 106. Further, the probe board 107 is electrically connected to the connecting member 108, and the connecting member 108 is connected to the connector 162 of the main board 106. The probe substrate 107 has a rectangular shape smaller than the main substrate 106, and a wiring pattern is formed on the substrate. The wiring pattern is formed by wiring patterns of a power supply line, a ground line, and a signal line. When the inspection object 102 is made of a silicon wafer, the probe substrate 107 is preferably composed of a single crystal substrate such as silicon. In this way, by configuring the probe substrate 107 with a silicon substrate, the thermal expansion state between the probe substrate 107 and the inspection object 102 can be made closer.

  The connecting member 108 connects the main board 106 and the probe board 107 and conducts the wiring formed on the main board 106 and the probe board 107 as conductive lines. Here, a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) in which a wiring pattern is printed on a flexible film containing polyimide as a main component is used as the connecting member 108. One end of the flexible substrate is fixed to the peripheral portion of the probe substrate 107, and the other end is connected to the main substrate 106 via a detachable connector 162.

  In the present embodiment, a large number of electrode pads are formed on the probe substrate 107, and the contact probes 1 are bonded to the respective electrode pads, whereby a large number of contact probes 1 are formed on the probe substrate 107. As described above, the probe board 107 is electrically connected to the main board 106 connected to the tester device via the connecting member 108 and constitutes a probe card together with the main board 106. At the time of inspection, the movable stage 103 is raised by the driving device 104 and the contact probe 1 is brought into contact with the semiconductor wafer, so that signals are input / output between the tester device and the semiconductor wafer via each contact probe 1, An inspection of the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor wafer is performed.

〔Contact probe〕
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the contact probe 1 is a probe (probe) that is elastically brought into contact with a fine electrode pad 121 formed on the inspection object 102. Each contact probe 1 is aligned and fixed on one main surface of the probe substrate 107. Each contact probe 1 is opposed to the inspection object 102 arranged on the movable stage 103 by arranging the main surface of the probe substrate 107 to which each contact probe 1 is fixed facing downward in the vertical direction. .

  FIG. 3 is a side view of the contact probe 1. The contact probe 1 includes a contact portion 2 that makes contact with the electrode pad 121 on the inspection object 102, and a beam portion 3 that has one end fixed to the probe substrate 107 and the other end protruding from the contact portion 2. The

  The beam portion 3 is formed of a cantilever (cantilever) whose one end is fixed to the probe substrate 107. That is, the beam portion 3 is fixed to the probe substrate 107 and a substrate fixing portion 31, and an elastic deformation portion 32 that rises from the substrate fixing portion 31 while being curved with respect to the probe substrate 107 and extends parallel to the probe substrate 107. It consists of. Further, the substrate fixing portion 31 is formed of a probe base film 5 to be described later at a part on the side facing the probe substrate 107.

  The beam portion 3 has a substrate fixing portion 31 as a fixed end, and the other end side of the elastic deformation portion 32 with respect to the fixed end is a free end. A load is applied to the free end of the elastic deformation portion 32 from the inspection object 102 side. As a result, the elastic deformation portion 32 is elastically deformed. In the present embodiment, the movable stage 103 is raised toward the probe card 110 and the free end portion of the beam portion 3 is pressed by the inspection object 102 to elastically deform the elastic deformation portion 32 of the beam portion 3. Can do.

  The contact portion 2 is configured by a contact chip formed so as to protrude on the surface of the free end portion of the beam portion 3 that faces the inspection object 102. This contact chip is formed of a columnar body having a pentagonal end surface. A surface of the contact portion 2 facing the inspection object 102 is a contact surface that contacts the electrode pad 121 of the inspection object 102.

  In the probe card 110 of the present embodiment, a plurality of contact probes 1 are arranged on the probe substrate 107 at a predetermined pitch in the beam width direction, and a row of contact probes 1 arranged at such a pitch is a beam tip. Are formed in two rows so as to face each other. In the present embodiment, a row of contact probes 1 is formed with a direction parallel to any one side of the rectangular probe substrate 107 as an arrangement direction. The interval between the contact probes 1 is determined according to the pitch between the electrode pads 121 formed on the inspection object 102.

  Each contact probe 1 is electrically connected to the external terminal 161 of the main substrate 106 via each wiring formed on the probe substrate 107, the connecting member 108, and the main substrate 106, and the contact portion 2 of the contact probe 1 is inspected. By bringing the object 102 into contact with the minute electrode pad 121, the object 102 to be inspected can be electrically connected to the tester device.

[Component materials of contact probe]
Next, the material of each component of the contact probe 1 will be described. Since the contact probe 1 is preferably as low as possible, each component of the contact probe needs to be made of a material having high conductivity. Examples of such highly conductive materials include silver (Ag), copper (Cu), gold-copper alloy (Au—Cu), nickel (Ni), palladium nickel alloy (Pd—Ni), nickel cobalt alloy (Ni—). Co), nickel tungsten (Ni-W), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), rhodium (Rh), and the like.

  Further, since the contact portion 2 of the contact probe 1 is repeatedly brought into contact with the electrode pad 121 of the inspection object 102, high wear resistance is required, and each time the contact portion 2 is brought into contact, the surface of the electrode pad 121 is scratched. It is required to remove dust and oxide films on the surface. Therefore, examples of the conductive material used for forming the contact portion include a highly wear-resistant conductive material such as rhodium (Rh) and palladium cobalt alloy (Pd—Co). In the present embodiment, the contact portion 2 is formed using rhodium (Rh).

[Contact probe manufacturing process]
4 to 6 are views showing an example of a manufacturing process of the contact probe 1 shown in FIG. The contact probe 1 is manufactured using a so-called MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technique. The MEMS technique is a technique for creating a fine three-dimensional structure using a photolithography technique and a sacrificial layer etching technique. The photolithography technique is a fine pattern processing technique using a photosensitive resist used in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like. The sacrificial layer etching technique is a technique for forming a three-dimensional structure by forming a lower layer called a sacrificial layer, further forming a layer constituting the structure thereon, and then etching only the sacrificial layer. is there.

  A well-known plating technique can be used for forming each layer including the sacrificial layer. For example, by immersing a substrate as a cathode and a metal piece as an anode in an electrolytic solution and applying a voltage between both electrodes, the metal ions in the electrolytic solution can be attached to the substrate surface. Such a process is called an electroplating process. Since such an electroplating process is a wet process in which the substrate is immersed in an electrolytic solution, a drying process is performed after the plating process. Further, after drying, a flattening process for flattening the laminated surface by a polishing process or the like is performed as necessary.

  FIGS. 4A to 4F show an electrode film forming process for forming the electrode film 6 on the probe substrate 107 which is an insulating substrate. The electrode film forming step includes a step of forming the insulating film 4, a step of forming the probe base film 5, a first resist forming step, and a second resist forming step.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the insulating film 4 made of silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ) is formed on the probe substrate 107. Further, a probe base film 5 is formed on the insulating film 4 with a conductive material other than copper (Cu) and with a conductive material that does not dissolve in a copper plating solution and a copper etching solution. The insulating film 4 and the probe base film 5 are preferably formed by vacuum deposition such as sputtering.

  Examples of the conductive material for forming the probe base film 5 include nickel cobalt alloy (Ni—Co), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), rhodium (Rh), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), and the like. Is preferred. In particular, by using the same material as the material constituting the beam portion 3 of the contact probe 1, it is integrated with the metal layer of the probe formed by electroplating, and this probe base film 5 is made a part of the contact probe 1. Can do.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, a photoresist made of a photosensitive organic material is further applied on the probe base film 5 to form a first resist layer 71. Thereafter, the first resist layer 71 is partially removed by selectively exposing the surface of the first resist layer 71. The step of forming the first resist layer 71 is the first resist forming step.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, the portion where the first resist layer 71 is removed is dry-etched with argon ions to remove the portion where the first resist layer 71 remains. The probe base film 5 is removed. Then, by removing the first resist layer 71, the probe base film 5 is partially formed on the probe substrate 107. The probe base film 5 is formed in a long rectangular shape as shown in the plan view of the probe substrate 107 in FIG. Although not shown, when the contact probe 1 is fixed to the probe substrate 107, it is preferable to form the contact probe 1 so as to cover a plurality of electrodes formed on the probe substrate 107.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4D, an electrode film 6 is formed of copper (Cu) on the insulating film 4 and the probe base film 5. The electrode film 6 is also preferably formed by vacuum deposition such as sputtering.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4E, a second resist layer 72 is formed on the electrode film 6 by applying a photoresist made of a photosensitive organic material. Thereafter, the surface of the second resist layer 72 is selectively exposed to partially remove the second resist layer 72. The step of forming the second resist layer 72 is the second resist forming step.

  As shown in FIG. 4F, the portion where the second resist layer 72 is removed is dry-etched with argon ions to remove the portion where the second resist layer 72 remains. The electrode film 6 is removed. Then, by removing the second resist layer 72, on the probe substrate 107, as shown in the plan view of the probe substrate 107 in FIG. And an insulating region 41 composed of the exposed insulating film 4 are formed. In the present embodiment, an electrode region 61 is formed around the probe base region 51 with the insulating region 41 interposed therebetween, and the electrode region 61 is insulated from the probe base region 51 by the insulating region 41.

  FIG. 5A shows a third resist forming step of forming a third resist layer 73 having a first opening 73a exposing the electrode region 61 and the insulating region 41 adjacent to each other. First, a photoresist made of a photosensitive organic material is applied to the entire surface of the probe substrate 107 to form a third resist layer 73. Thereafter, the surface of the third resist layer 73 is selectively exposed to partially remove the third resist layer 73. As shown in the plan view of the probe substrate 107 in FIG. 8, the remaining third resist layer 73 covers the entire probe base film 5 and a part of the insulating film 4 and the electrode film 6.

  By removing the third resist layer 73 partially, a first opening 73a is formed. The electrode film 6 and the insulating film 4 are exposed in the first opening 73a in an adjacent state. In FIG. 8, the boundary line between the electrode region 61 and the insulating region 41 appears on a straight line in the first opening 73a.

  FIGS. 5B to 5C show a sacrifice in which a sacrificial layer 8 having a curved surface rising from the insulating region 41 and bending toward the electrode region 61 is formed by electroplating a conductive material on the electrode film 6. The layer formation process is shown.

  By applying a voltage to the electrode film 6 from the state of FIG. 5A and FIG. 8 described above, copper (Cu) is electroplated on the upper surface of the electrode film 6 as shown in FIG. 5B. Go. At this time, copper is plated and deposited not only on the upper surface of the electrode film 6 but also on the end surface which is an etching surface, and the copper plating overflows from the upper surface of the electrode film 6 and only covers the upper surface and the end surface of the electrode film 6. Instead, it is also formed on a part of the insulating film 4. Thus, the sacrificial layer 8 which has a curved surface as shown in FIG.5 (b) is formed by electroplating copper.

  Specifically, the sacrificial layer 8 is formed to have a curved surface that rises from the insulating film 4 and bends toward the electrode film 6. The sacrificial layer 8 is formed so that the insulating film 4 is slightly exposed between the sacrificial layer 8 and the probe base film 5 so as not to contact the probe base film 5. After the sacrificial layer 8 is formed, the third resist layer 73 is removed as shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the sacrificial layer 8 is formed to have a rectangular shape in plan view, a curved surface is formed on one side thereof, and a side surface perpendicular to the other three sides is formed. Alternatively, the sacrificial layer 8 may be formed such that a curved surface is formed on two opposite sides and a side surface perpendicular to the other two sides is formed, so that the cross-sectional shape is a semi-elliptical shape. In this case, the electrode film 6 is formed so that the electrode film 6 is sandwiched between the insulating regions 41 in the first opening 73 a, and further, the probe base region 51 is formed outside the insulating region 41. When two curved surfaces are formed in the sacrificial layer 8 in this way, the contact probe 1 is formed so that the free end where the contact portion 2 of the beam portion 3 is formed is opposed to the central portion of the sacrificial layer 8.

  FIG. 5D shows a probe resist forming step of forming a fourth resist layer 74 for forming a probe having a plurality of long and thin second openings 74a exposing the sacrificial layer 8 and the insulating region 41 adjacent to each other. . A fourth resist layer 74 is formed on the probe substrate 107 by applying a photoresist again, and the surface of the fourth resist layer 74 is selectively exposed, whereby a part of the fourth resist layer 74 is formed. Is removed, and a plurality of long thin second openings 74a are formed.

  The remaining fourth resist layer 74 covers part of the probe base film 5, the insulating film 4 and the electrode film 6 as shown in the plan view of the probe substrate 107 in FIG. A plurality of elongated second openings 74a matching the shape are formed at a predetermined interval. In these second openings 74a, the sacrificial layer 8 and the probe base film 5 are exposed with the insulating region 41 interposed therebetween.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the sacrificial layer 8 is exposed on one side in the longitudinal direction of the second opening 74a, the probe base film 5 is exposed on the other side in the longitudinal direction, and the sacrificial layer 8 and the probe are exposed. The insulating film 4 is slightly exposed between the base film 5 and the curved surface of the sacrificial layer 8 rises from the insulating film 4 and bends from the other longitudinal side of the second opening 74a toward the longitudinal side. A second opening 74a is formed in the upper part. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of second openings 74 a are formed on one sacrificial layer 8 and the probe base film 5.

  FIGS. 5E and 6A to 6D show a probe formation process for forming the contact probe 1. As shown in FIG. 5E, by applying a voltage to the sacrificial layer 8, a nickel cobalt alloy (Ni—Co) is electroplated on the sacrificial layer 8 in each second opening 74a. By this electroplating, a nickel cobalt alloy is deposited on the sacrificial layer 8 to form the probe metal layer 91.

  Then, when the probe metal layer 91 is grown until it contacts the probe base film 5, the probe metal layer 91 and the probe base film 5 are electrically connected, and a nickel cobalt alloy is deposited on the probe base film 5 as well. A metal layer 91 is continuously formed from the sacrificial layer 8 to the probe base film 5. By forming the probe metal layer 91, the probe metal layer 91 corresponding to the substrate fixing portion 31 and the elastic deformation portion 32 of the beam portion 3 is formed.

  In the present embodiment, since the substrate fixing portion 31 and the elastic deformation portion 32 of the beam portion 3 can be simultaneously formed in the second opening 74a formed in the fourth resist layer 74, the substrate fixing portion 31 is There is no need to form a resist layer for forming and a resist layer for forming the elastically deformable portion 32. As a result, the number of steps for forming the resist layer and the step for removing the resist can be reduced, and the number of masks for exposing the resist can be reduced, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  After the probe metal layer 91 is formed, the fourth resist layer 74 is removed as shown in FIG. Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, a photoresist is applied again to form a fifth resist layer 75, and the surface of the fifth resist layer 75 is selectively exposed, so that 5 Part of the resist layer 75 is removed. In FIG. 6B, the resist is removed from the region corresponding to the contact portion 2 to form the third opening 75a.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, the contact chip layer 92 is formed in the third opening 75a by electroplating rhodium (Rh). Since the upper surface of the contact chip layer 92 needs to be a smooth surface, the contact chip layer 92 is polished together with the fifth resist layer 75 as shown in FIG. Flatten the top surface. The contact chip layer 92 constitutes the contact portion 2.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6E, the fifth resist layer 75 of the probe substrate 107 is removed, and then the sacrificial layer 8 and the electrode film 6 are removed. Further, after that, the probe base film 5 exposed on the probe substrate 107 is removed by dry etching, and the probe base film 5 formed under the contact probe 1 is separated for each contact probe 1. The probe base film 5 covered with the probe metal layer 91 is left. By separating the probe base film 5 in this way, the contact probe 1 fixed on the probe substrate 107 is obtained so that each contact probe 1 does not conduct. This step is a sacrificial layer removal step.

  In the present embodiment, the electrode film 6 is formed so as to be adjacent to the insulating region 41, and the electroplating is performed on the electrode film 6, so that the copper plating overflows from the upper surface of the electrode film 6 to the insulating region 41. Thus, the curved surface described above can be easily formed in the sacrificial layer 8. In addition, the height of the sacrificial layer 8 and the size of the curved surface can be set freely. Furthermore, since all the sacrificial layers 8 are formed of the same conductive material, the sacrificial layers 8 are not damaged by the temperature rise during the manufacturing process.

  The contact probe 1 having a curved portion can be easily formed by electroplating the sacrificial layer 8. As described above, even when the cantilever-structured contact probe 1 is formed by electroplating in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, a curved portion having a desired shape and size can be formed by a simple method. it can.

  When performing an electrical characteristic test of the inspection object 102 using the probe device 100 having the above-described configuration, first, the inspection object 102 is attached on the movable stage 103 in the housing 105, and each contact probe 1. Is placed on the lower surface of the probe substrate 107, and the probe card 110 is attached to the housing 105.

  Then, the probe substrate 107 of the probe card 110 is aligned with the inspection object 102 so that each contact probe 1 faces the electrode pad 121 on the inspection object 102. By moving the movable stage 103 in a state where the inspection object 102 and the probe card 110 are properly aligned, the inspection object 102 approaches the probe substrate 107 and contacts the contact surface of the contact portion 2 of the contact probe 1. The electrode pad 121 on the inspection object 102 comes into contact (at this time, a surface contact state occurs).

  Then, by further raising the movable stage 103, a load is applied to the contact portion 2, and the elastic deformation portion 32 of the beam portion 3 is elastically deformed. At this time, since the bent portion is not formed in the beam portion 3 and has a curved shape, the stress is not concentrated on a part of the deformed portion of the beam portion 3.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment described above, the case where the contact probe 1 is simply formed on the probe substrate 107 is described. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the contact probe 1 is formed on the probe substrate 107, whereby the contact probe 1 is formed on the wiring 172 formed on the probe substrate 107 via the probe base film 5. A method of manufacturing a contact probe that can be connected to each other will be described.

  The contact probe 1 of the present embodiment is formed of the same material as that of the first embodiment, and the probe base film 5, the electrode film 6, and the sacrificial layer 8 are also made of the same material as that of the first embodiment. Moreover, the contact probe 1 of the present embodiment is manufactured by the same manufacturing process as that of the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment described above is only that the configuration of the probe substrate 107, the shape of the probe base film 5, and the shape of the substrate fixing portion 31 of the contact probe 1 are different. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the same reference numerals and the same manufacturing steps is omitted.

  The probe substrate 107 includes a substrate body 171, wiring 172 formed on the main surface of the substrate body 171, and a resin insulating layer 173 that covers the main surface of the substrate body 171 together with the wiring 172. In the second embodiment, the wiring 172 is composed of a wiring using gold (Au). Furthermore, the resin insulating layer 173 is formed of polyimide in the second embodiment. The probe substrate 107 may be a substrate in which a substrate body 171 and a resin insulating layer 173 are sequentially stacked. In this case, the probe substrate 107 is in a state in which the wiring 172 is provided in each resin insulating layer 173.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the insulating film 4 made of silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ) is formed on the resin insulating layer 173 on the probe substrate 107 configured as described above. A hole 174 passing through the resin insulating layer 173 and the insulating film 4 is formed by dry etching so that a part of the wiring 172 is exposed. This dry etching is performed after a resist layer is formed on the insulating film 4 and the resist is removed only at the locations where holes are to be formed.

  Then, after removing all the resist layers, a probe base film 5 is formed as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, a photoresist made of a photosensitive organic material is further applied on the probe base film 5 to form a first resist layer 71. Thereafter, the first resist layer 71 is partially removed by selectively exposing the surface of the first resist layer 71.

  As shown in FIG. 10C, the portion where the first resist layer 71 has been removed is dry-etched with argon ions to remove the portion where the first resist layer 71 remains. The probe base film 5 is removed. Then, by removing the first resist layer 71, the probe base film 5 is partially formed on the probe substrate 107. The probe base film 5 is formed at a position corresponding to the hole 174 of the probe substrate 107 and is formed so as to cover the inner surface of the hole 174 and the exposed surface of the wiring 172. The probe base film 5 is in a state of being recessed along the shape of the hole 174.

  Subsequent manufacturing steps are performed as shown in FIGS. 10 (d) to 12 (d). The manufacturing steps shown in FIGS. 10 (d) to 12 (d) correspond to FIGS. 4 (d) to 6 (d) of the first embodiment described above, and FIG. 10 (d) is described above. Corresponding to FIG. 4D of the first embodiment, FIG. 10E sequentially corresponds to FIG. 4E, and FIG. 10F corresponds to FIG.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 12E, the fifth resist layer 75 of the probe substrate 107 is removed, and then the sacrificial layer 8 and the electrode film 6 are removed. Further, after that, the probe base film 5 exposed on the probe substrate 107 is removed by dry etching, and the probe base film 5 formed under the contact probe 1 is separated for each contact probe 1. The probe base film 5 covered with the probe metal layer 91 is left.

  By separating the probe base film 5 in this way, the contact probe 1 fixed on the probe substrate 107 is obtained so that each contact probe 1 does not conduct. The probe metal layer 91 is connected to the wiring 172 of the probe substrate 107 via the probe base film 5.

  In the second embodiment, by forming the contact probe 1, the contact probe 1 can be simultaneously fixed to the probe substrate 107 while being connected to the wiring 172 of the probe substrate 107. As a result, it is not necessary to individually fix the contact probe 1 to the electrode of the probe substrate 107, the manufacturing process can be shortened, and the substrate fixing portion 31 in the beam portion 3 of the contact probe 1 is formed in the hole 174. Therefore, the substrate fixing portion 31 can be firmly fixed to the probe substrate 107.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the sacrificial layer 8 is formed in the first opening 73 a of the third resist layer 73, and the contact probe 1 is formed in the second opening 74 a formed in the fourth resist layer 74. I made it. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, after the step of forming the electrode film 6 in the first embodiment (FIG. 4 (f)), the resist forming step and the sacrificial layer forming step shown in the manufacturing process diagram of FIG. The probe formation step is sequentially performed.

  In the present embodiment, the steps of forming the third resist layer 73 and removing the resist in the above-described embodiments are omitted, and a fourth electrode film 6 is formed on the patterned electrode film 6 as shown in FIG. After the resist layer 74 is formed, the resist is removed so as to expose the electrode film 6 and the probe base film 5 with the insulating film 4 interposed therebetween, thereby forming the second opening 74a.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 13B, the sacrificial layer 8 is formed in the second opening 74 a by the same method as in the first embodiment so as not to contact the probe base film 5. In addition, although copper electroplating is performed to form the sacrificial layer 8, the probe base film 5 is formed of a conductive material that is not soluble in the copper plating solution, and therefore changes even when exposed to the plating solution. Does not occur.

  After the sacrificial layer 8 is formed, as shown in FIG. 13C, a probe metal layer 91 is formed on the sacrificial layer 8 and the probe base film 5 by the same method as in the first embodiment. After the formation of the probe metal layer 91, the removal of the fourth resist layer 74, the formation of the fifth resist layer 75, the steps of FIGS. 6A to 6E of the first embodiment described above, The steps of forming the three openings 75a, forming the contact chip layer 92, polishing, and removing the sacrificial layer 8 and the electrode film 6 are performed.

  In this embodiment, since the sacrificial layer 8 and the probe metal layer 91 are formed in the same second opening 74a, the steps of forming the resist layer and removing the resist are reduced as compared with the first embodiment. In addition, since the mask for exposing the resist can be reduced, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the contact probe 1 is directly fixed on the probe substrate 107 while the contact probe 1 is formed has been described. However, the method for manufacturing a contact probe having a curved portion according to the present invention is described. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can also be applied to the case where the contact probe 1 is formed on a separately prepared insulating substrate and the contact probe is finally peeled off from the insulating substrate. When the contact probe is finally peeled from the insulating substrate, for example, a plurality of contact probes may be formed on one sacrificial layer. In this case, the plurality of contact probes together with the sacrificial layer are peeled from the insulating substrate, and the contact probes are arranged on the probe substrate together with the sacrificial layer. And after fixing a contact probe to a probe board | substrate, a contact probe can be easily fixed to a probe board | substrate by removing a sacrifice layer.

It is the figure which showed an example of schematic structure of the probe apparatus 100 containing the probe card 110 by embodiment of this invention, and the mode inside the probe apparatus 100 is shown. It is the figure which showed the structural example of the probe card 110 in the probe apparatus 100 of FIG. It is the side view which showed an example of the contact probe by Embodiment 1 of this invention. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a process for forming a contact probe according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for forming a contact probe according to the first embodiment, and illustrates a continuation of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a process for forming a contact probe according to the first embodiment, and shows a continuation of FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which an electrode region 61 and an insulating region 41 are formed by the step of FIG. 4F during the step of forming the contact probe according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which a first opening 73a is formed in a third resist layer 73 by the process of FIG. 5A during the process of forming the contact probe according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which a sacrificial layer 8 is formed in the first opening 73a of the third resist layer 73 by the step of FIG. 5B during the step of forming the contact probe according to the first embodiment. is there. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a process for forming a contact probe according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a process for forming a contact probe according to Embodiment 2, and shows a continuation of FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process for forming a contact probe according to Embodiment 2, and shows a continuation of FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for forming a contact probe according to a third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Contact probe 2 Contact part 3 Beam part 31 Substrate fixing | fixed part 32 Elastic deformation part 4 Insulating film 41 Insulating area | region 5 Probe base film 51 Probe base area 6 Electrode film 61 Electrode area 71 1st resist layer 72 2nd resist layer 73 1st 3 resist layer 73a 1st opening part 74 4th resist layer 74a 2nd opening part 75 5th resist layer 75a 3rd opening part 8 sacrificial layer 91 probe metal layer 92 contact chip layer 100 probe apparatus 102 test object 121 electrode pad 103 Movable stage 104 Drive device 105 Housing 106 Main board 161 External terminal 162 Connector 107 Probe board 171 Board body 172 Wiring 173 Resin insulating layer 174 Hole 108 Connecting member 110 Probe card

Claims (7)

An electrode film forming step of forming an electrode region adjacent to the insulating region on the insulating substrate by forming an electrode film made of the first conductive material on the insulating substrate;
A sacrificial layer forming step of forming a sacrificial layer having a curved surface rising from the insulating region and bending toward the electrode region by electroplating a first conductive material on the electrode film;
A probe forming step of forming a contact probe by electroplating a second conductive material on the sacrificial layer;
A method for manufacturing a contact probe, comprising: a sacrificial layer removing step for removing the sacrificial layer. Comprising a resist forming step of forming a resist layer having an opening exposing the electrode region and the insulating region adjacent to each other;
The method for manufacturing a contact probe according to claim 1, wherein the sacrificial layer forming step forms a sacrificial layer in the opening from which the electrode region is exposed. A probe resist forming step of forming a probe forming resist layer having a long thin opening that exposes the curved surface and the insulating region of the sacrificial layer adjacent to each other;
The contact probe manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the probe forming step forms a contact probe in the opening where the curved surface is exposed. The electrode film forming step forms a probe base region separated from the electrode region via the insulating region on the main surface of the insulating substrate by forming a conductive probe base film.
The probe forming step includes depositing the second conductive material on the sacrificial layer by electroplating the second conductive material on the sacrificial layer, and the sacrificial layer and the 3. The contact probe according to claim 1, wherein the contact probe is formed by conducting a probe base film and depositing a second conductive material on the probe base film. Method. A resist forming step of forming a resist layer having an elongated opening exposing the electrode region and the probe base region provided across the insulating region;
In the electrode film forming step, the probe base film is formed of a conductive material that is insoluble in an electroplating solution and an etching solution of a conductive material that forms the sacrificial layer,
The sacrificial layer forming step forms a sacrificial layer having the curved surface in the opening where the electrode region is exposed,
The contact probe manufacturing method according to claim 4, wherein the probe forming step forms a contact probe in the opening in which the sacrificial layer is formed. A probe resist forming step of forming a probe forming resist layer having the curved surface of the sacrificial layer provided across the insulating region and a long and narrow opening exposing the probe base film;
5. The method of manufacturing a contact probe according to claim 4, wherein the probe forming step forms the contact probe in the opening where the curved surface and the probe base film are exposed.   In the sacrificial layer removing step, the probe base film formed under the contact probe is separated for each contact probe by partially removing the probe base film for conducting a plurality of the contact probes. The method of manufacturing a contact probe according to claim 6.

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