JP6548463B2 - Probe pin - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a probe pin used for measuring electrical characteristics of an electrical product and the like.

The measurement of the electrical characteristics of an electrical component such as a semiconductor integrated circuit, a package for mounting the semiconductor integrated circuit (hereinafter referred to as "object to be measured") is carried out using a jig for a measuring apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a probe apparatus) This is performed by bringing the tip portion (lower contact portion) of the probe pin mounted on the device into contact with the electrode of the object to be measured. Also, the probe pin is mounted in the socket and incorporated in the probe device, and is in contact with the electrode of the wiring substrate in the probe device at the upper contact portion thereof.
Other probe pins may be used as semiconductor devices or products related to semiconductor devices by being incorporated as pins for electrical conduction.
In recent years, in order to meet the demand for narrowing pitch and increasing the number of pins as the density of semiconductor integrated circuits increases, miniaturization of probe pins is required.

The probe pin, as described above, has an upper contact and a lower contact, and between the upper contact and the lower contact to bring the upper contact and the lower contact into elastic contact with the electrode. It has an elastic spring portion.
Although various methods for manufacturing such probe pins are known, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for integrally manufacturing the upper contact portion, the lower contact portion, and the elastic spring portion by pressing.

Patent No. 5190470 gazette

By the way, in the manufacturing method of the probe pin shown by patent document 1, the elastic spring part is formed by pierce | punching a metal plate in continuous S shape.
However, if the elastic spring portion is provided in a continuous S-shape, each S-shaped portion becomes long, and a problem arises that the entire probe pin can not be shortened.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a probe pin which can realize shortening of the pin.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, the probe pin according to the present invention has an upper contact portion and a lower contact portion, and an elastic spring portion between the upper contact portion and the lower contact portion, wherein the elastic spring portion is made of metal virtually width alternately from both edges of the plate material is provided shear line of zero, the plate material is stretched, and have been fired, the width is practically zero at the bottom zigzag which included angle is an acute angle It is characterized in that it is formed in

The probe pin according to the present invention has an upper contact portion and a lower contact portion, and an elastic spring portion between the upper contact portion and the lower contact portion, wherein the elastic spring portion is made of metal. In order not to reach both edges of the plate material, there is virtually no width of shear line provided between the edges, and from the edges of the plate to the center toward the central region opposed incisions or virtually width provided there is a shear line of zero are alternately formed, the plate material is stretched, and optionally calcined, elongated, bottom width of both ends are located at virtually zero It is characterized in that a plurality of loop portions in which the included angles at both end sides form an acute angle are connected at the central portion.

The alternately formed peak portions of the zigzag elastic spring portions can be spirally wound around a pin center line.
Further, both end sides of each of the elongated loop portions of the elastic spring portion may be opposed to be wound in an arc shape centering on a pin center line .

The elastic spring portion can be retractably stored in the cylindrical body portion .
Preferably , a convex portion is formed on the elastic spring portion, and the convex portion is inserted into a positioning hole formed on the body portion and positioned.
The number of peak portions of the elastic spring portion between the convex portion and the lower contact portion is greater than the number of peak portions of the elastic spring portion between the convex portion and the upper contact portion It is preferable to set as follows.
A protrusion which engages with the socket can be provided on the outer periphery of the body.

According to the present invention, the elastic spring portion forms a shear line having substantially zero width, and stretching to form a zigzag shape having substantially zero bottom width (claim 1), or By forming the bottom portion in a virtually zero loop shape (claim 2), it is possible to provide a probe pin which can be shortened. The effect of shortening the probe pin is large, and the high frequency characteristics at the time of measuring the electrical characteristics of the object to be measured can be significantly improved.

It is an explanatory sectional view of a probe pin. It is explanatory drawing of a probe pin. It is an expanded view of an up-and-down contact part and an elastic spring part (pin main part). It is a front view in the unfolded state of a pin main part. It is explanatory drawing of the state which stretched the elastic spring part. It is explanatory drawing of the state which rolled in the elastic spring part in spiral shape. It is an expanded view of the body part manufactured by press processing. It is a front view in the unfolded state of a body part. It is the press expanded view of the pin main body in other embodiment of a probe pin. It is the press expanded view in other embodiment of a probe pin. It is explanatory drawing of the state which stretched the pin main body of FIG. It is an explanatory sectional view of a probe pin. It is explanatory drawing of the probe pin which does not have a body part. It is a press expanded view of the pin main body in the further another embodiment of a probe pin.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a probe pin 10 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the probe pin 10. FIG. 3 is a development view of the upper and lower contact portions and the elastic spring portion (pin body), FIG. 4 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a state in which the elastic spring portion is stretched. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a state in which the elastic spring portion is spirally wound.
As shown in FIG. 1, the probe pin 10 in the present embodiment has an elastic spring portion 12 and an upper contact portion 14 and a lower contact portion 16 integrally connected to both ends of the elastic spring portion 12. The pin main body 17 including the upper and lower contact portions 14 and 16 and the elastic spring portion 12 is housed in the body portion 18. The elastic spring portion 12 is located in the cylindrical body portion 18 and can be expanded and contracted in the body portion 18.

  The upper contact portion 14 and the lower contact portion 16 are slidable within the body portion 18 with their tip end portions protruding from the body portion 18. The lower contact portion 16 is configured such that its tip end portion 16a elastically contacts with an electrode (for example, a solder ball) of an object to be measured (not shown) by an elastic spring portion 12. In the upper contact portion 14, when the probe pin 10 is incorporated into a probe device (not shown), the tip portion 14 a thereof is made by the elastic spring portion 12 to an electrode of a wiring substrate (not shown) in the probe device. It comes in contact elastically. This makes it possible to measure electrical characteristics such as measurement of the conduction state in the measured object. In addition, the shape of tip contact part 14a, 16a can be set variously.

The upper contact portion 14, the lower contact portion 16 and the elastic spring portion 12 are integrally connected by pressing a metal plate.
In the upper contact portion 14, the lower contact portion 16, and the elastic spring portion 12, the convex portion 19 provided in the elastic spring portion 12 is fitted in the positioning hole 20 provided in the body portion 18, thereby the body portion It is positioned and stored in 18.
Moreover, the convex part 22 is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the body part 18, and, thereby, the probe pin 10 can be positioned and integrated in a socket (not shown). Then, by incorporating this socket in the probe device, the probe pin 10 can be attached to a predetermined position of the probe device. When the object to be measured is a BGA package or the like, a large number of probe pins 10 are attached to the probe device in accordance with the arrangement of the terminals (electrodes).

The probe pin 10 can be continuously manufactured by pressing.
FIG. 3 is a developed view of the upper contact portion 14, the lower contact portion 16 and the elastic spring portion 12 manufactured by press working, and FIG. 4 is a front view thereof.
As shown in FIG. 3, the elastic spring portion 12 is provided with shear lines 24 alternately from both sides of a metal plate, and as shown in FIG. It opens in a letter shape and is formed in a zigzag shape in which the included angle forms an acute angle.
Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the alternately formed peak portions 12a of the elastic spring portions 12 forming a zigzag shape are spirally wound around the center line of the pin with the tip end portion facing inward. ing. As a result, the elastic spring portion 12 is in the form of a thin rod as a whole. In addition, although each peak part 12a is spirally wound, the elastic spring part 12 is maintaining elastic force naturally.
The upper contact portion 14 and the lower contact portion 16 are also wound in a tubular shape.

FIG. 7 is a developed view of the body portion 18 manufactured by press working, and FIG. 8 is a front view thereof.
In the developed view of FIG. 7, notches are formed on both sides of the rectangular plate material, and convex portions 22 are formed at two places of the plate material. The plate material is rounded and formed into a cylindrical shape, so that the notches abut each other to form the positioning hole 20 and the body portion 18 having the convex portions 22 at two locations on the outer periphery.

The above-described series of processing from the plate material is continuously performed by press processing using a progressive die.
In addition, not only the upper and lower contact portions 14 and 16 and the elastic spring portion 12 but also the body portion 18, the probe pin 10 of the final form is formed by continuous press processing using a progressive die from a single plate material. It is possible to produce up to
After this pressing process, by performing a necessary quenching process, an elastic force in the elastic spring portion 12 is generated.
The material of the plate is not particularly limited, but beryllium copper alloys and beryllium nickel alloys can be used. Further, it is preferable to gold-plate the probe pin 10 in place.

In the present embodiment, the processing of the shear line 24 is not performed by a punching die but is formed by shearing using a die and a cutting blade or the like (not shown). Because the shear line 24 is performed by shear processing, its width is virtually zero.
In the present embodiment, the inner portion of the V-shaped peak portion 12a of the elastic spring portion 12 is entirely formed by shearing as shown in FIG. 3, but in FIG. After the ridges 12a of the spring member 12 are formed on the two left sides of the shear line 24 according to the present embodiment, the plate material is stretched to form a V shape, and six right sides are formed. It showed in the state (The bottom part of V character makes R shape) formed in V shape by the conventional punching process.

While the width of the inner bottom (bottom of V) of the two left side peaks 12a according to the present embodiment is virtually zero, the inner bottom (bottom of V) of the right six peaks 12a is , R-shaped with a width of about 0.06 mm (a circular arc with a radius of about 0.03 mm). According to the conventional press processing using the die-cutting, it is necessary to secure the blade portion to a required thickness in order to secure the strength of the blade portion of the die-cutting, and it is impossible to make the punching width zero.
In the present embodiment, since the ridge 12a is formed by stretching the shear line 24, the entire probe pin 10 can be shortened by 0.06 × 8 = 0.48 mm as compared to before. It becomes possible.
Since the probe pin 10 has a length of about several millimeters, the effect of shortening the length of 0.48 mm is large, and the high frequency characteristics at the time of measuring the electrical characteristics of the object to be measured can be significantly improved. The thickness of the probe pin 10 is about 0.3 to 0.8 mm in diameter.

In the above embodiment, the total number of peak portions 12a of the elastic spring portion 12 is eight in total, and one peak portion 12a on the upper contact portion 14 side from the convex portion 19 which is a fixed portion to the body portion 18; There are seven mountain portions 12a on the 16 side.
The reason why the lower contact portion 16 is brought into contact with the measured object each time the measured object is measured is that the number of the peak portions 12a on the lower contact portion 16 side is increased. Since the frequency of expansion and contraction is high, the number of peak portions 12 a is increased to improve the durability. On the other hand, once the upper contact portion 14 side is incorporated into the probe device, the elastic spring portion 12 is always in pressure contact with the electrode of the wiring substrate of the probe device until the probe pin 10 is replaced. Since the frequency of repeated expansion and contraction is reduced, there is no problem in durability even if the number is reduced. Thus, the durability of the elastic spring portion 12 on the upper contact portion 14 side and the lower contact portion 16 side is balanced.

FIG. 9 is a press development view of another embodiment of the probe pin 10.
The same members as those in the above embodiment are indicated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
In the present embodiment, the number of peak portions 12 a of the elastic spring portion 12 on the upper contact portion 14 side and the lower contact portion 16 side from the convex portion 20 is the same (two each).
The probe pin 10 in the present embodiment is, for example, a type of probe in which both contacts 14 and 16 require repeated contact with the measurement electrode, such as a contact test between a BGA type package and an interposer. Suitable for pin 10.
Also in the present embodiment, the formation of each peak 12a of the elastic spring 12 is performed by forming a shear line, stretching it, and hardening it so that the peak 12a becomes an acute angle. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size.

10 to 12 show still another embodiment of the probe pin 10, and FIG. 10 is a developed view at the time of pressing, FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing the stretched state, and FIG. FIG.
The same members as those in the above embodiments are given the same reference numerals.
In the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 10, the elastic spring portion 12 is provided with a shear line 28 provided between the edges so as not to reach the edges of the metal plate, and the plate The plate 30 is alternately formed with the notches 30 provided opposite to each other so as not to reach the center from the both edges to the center, and then, as shown in FIG. A plurality of (two in the illustrated example) loop portions 32 having an acute angle on the side are formed so as to be connected at a central portion.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, both end sides (peak portions 32a) of the respective elongated loop portions 32 of the elastic spring portion 12 are opposed and wound in an arc shape centering on the pin center line. Also in the present embodiment, the springability of the elastic spring portion 12 is ensured by performing hardening after pressing.
The pin main body 17 composed of the upper and lower contact portions 14 and 16 and the elastic spring portion 12 thus formed is accommodated in the cylindrical body portion 18 by positioning with the convex portion 19 and the positioning hole 20, Pin 10 is completed.
Also in the present embodiment, since the shear line 28 is formed on the plate material and stretched to form the loop portion 32, the elastic spring portion 12 can be shortened.
In the present embodiment, the cut portion 30 between the loop portions 32 is formed by punching, but the elastic spring portion 12 may be further shortened by replacing the cut portion 30 with a shear line. It is possible.

  In each of the above embodiments, the pin main body 17 including the upper and lower contact portions 14 and 16 and the elastic spring portion 12 is accommodated in the cylindrical body portion 18 to form the probe pin 10. However, as shown in FIG. The main body 17 itself may be used as the probe pin 10, and this probe pin 10 may be used by being directly incorporated into the socket 34 of the probe device.

In order to shorten the probe pin, the elastic spring portion is not formed by shearing as described above, but by cutting so that the peak portion in the elastic spring portion has an R shape with a small curvature. It may be formed. The entire pin can be shortened as compared with punching so that the peak portion of the elastic spring portion has a trapezoidal shape.
FIG. 14 shows an example in which, in the pin main body, the ridge portion 12a of the elastic spring portion 12 is formed by punching so as to form an R shape having a small curvature. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, by providing the elastic spring portion 12 with a shape in which a plurality of loop portions are continuously connected, the elastic force of the two peak portions of the loop portion works, so providing in a zigzag shape. On the other hand, the number of peaks can be reduced and shortening can be achieved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Probe pin 12 Elastic spring part 14 Upper contact part 16 Lower contact part 17 Pin main body 18 Body part 19 Convex part 20 Positioning hole 22 Convex part 24 Shear line 28 Shear line 30 Cut part 32 Loop part

Claims (7)

A probe pin having an upper contact portion and a lower contact portion, and an elastic spring portion between the upper contact portion and the lower contact portion,
The elastic spring portion is
Virtually width alternately from both edges of the metal plate shear line of zero is provided, the plate material is stretched, and have been fired, the width is practically zero included angle of the bottom forms an acute angle A probe pin characterized by being formed in a zigzag shape. A probe pin having an upper contact portion and a lower contact portion, and an elastic spring portion between the upper contact portion and the lower contact portion,
The elastic spring portion is
A substantially zero-width shear line provided between the edges of the metal plate so as not to reach the edges of the plate, and not extending from the edges of the plate towards the center toward the center opposed incisions or virtually width provided there is a shear line of zero are alternately formed so, the plate material is stretched, and optionally calcined, elongated, virtually zero width of the bottom of both ends by and probe pins, characterized in that the included angle of the both ends is a shape in which a plurality of loop portions are connected by a central portion forming an acute angle shape.   2. The probe pin according to claim 1, wherein the alternately formed peak portions of the zigzag elastic spring portions are spirally wound around a pin center line.   The probe pin according to claim 2, wherein both ends of each of the elongated loop portions of the elastic spring portion are opposed to each other and wound in an arc shape centering on a pin center line. The probe pin according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the elastic spring portion is accommodated in a cylindrical body portion so as to be expandable and contractible. The probe pin according to claim 5 , wherein a convex portion is formed in the elastic spring portion, and the convex portion is fitted into a positioning hole formed in the body portion. The number of peak portions of the elastic spring portion between the convex portion and the lower contact portion is greater than the number of peak portions of the elastic spring portion between the convex portion and the upper contact portion The probe pin according to claim 6 , wherein the probe pin is set as follows.

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