JP7473810B2 - Probes and Inspection Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a probe that electrically connects to an electrode of an object under test, and to a testing device that uses the probe.

In order to evaluate the performance of semiconductor elements such as lasers and ICs after manufacturing, a probe is placed in contact with the electrodes of the semiconductor element being tested, electricity is passed through the semiconductor element, and the semiconductor element is operated to evaluate its performance and measure various electrical characteristics.

In this type of testing, the shape of the probe is easily deformed when it is brought into contact with the electrode, which can change the capacitance, making it difficult to accurately evaluate tests that use a pulsed driving power supply.

In response to this, an inspection device has been proposed in which a pair of flat wiring members are arranged with their surfaces facing each other, and a positive potential and a negative potential are applied to the electrodes of a semiconductor element through each of the flat wiring members (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-225867 A

However, in the inspection device of Patent Document 1, the distance between the probe unit, in which multiple probes are provided so as to be freely stretched and contracted by springs, and the electrodes of the semiconductor element is adjusted to press the probes against the electrodes with a predetermined pressure force, which can easily result in a complex structure for contacting the probes with the electrodes.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a probe and inspection device with a simple configuration that is less likely to change capacitance when the probe is brought into contact with the electrode, and that can accurately inspect an object to be inspected.

The probe of the present invention comprises a main body portion in which a plurality of plate-shaped conductive members are stacked in an insulated state, and a contact portion in which a contact portion protruding from the main body portion is provided for each of the conductive members so that one of the conductive members does not overlap with the other conductive members , wherein a plurality of the contact portions are provided on one of the conductive members, and the contact portions provided on the other conductive members are disposed between the contact portions on the one of the conductive members, and the probe elastically deforms at least one of the main body portion and the contact portion to bring the contact portions into contact with an object to be inspected.

The inspection device according to the present invention is an inspection device that includes a probe that contacts an object to be inspected and a pressing unit that presses the probe against the object to be inspected, and the probe includes a main body in which multiple plate-shaped conductive members are stacked in an insulated state, and a contact unit in which a contact portion protruding from the main body is provided for each conductive member so that one conductive member does not overlap with another conductive member, and the pressing unit presses one of the main body and the contact portion to elastically deform it and bring the contact portion into contact with the object to be inspected.

The present invention has a simple configuration that makes it difficult for capacitance to change when the probe is brought into contact with the electrode, allowing the test object to be tested accurately.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a main part of an inspection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of an inspection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a probe according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view of the probe; FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a probe according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a main part of an inspection device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a probe according to a first modified example of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a probe according to a second modified example of the present invention;

First Embodiment
A first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, an inspection device 10 that inspects a can-package type semiconductor laser as the object to be inspected 50 will be described as an example. This inspection device 10 measures the electrical characteristics of the object to be inspected 50 by inputting an inspection drive power supply from the lead terminals 51 and 52 of the object to be inspected 50 placed on the stage 12 by the contact device 20.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the contact device 20 includes a probe 22 that contacts the lead terminals 51 and 52 of the object to be inspected 50, a base portion 30 that holds the lower portion of the probe 22, and a pressing mechanism 32 that presses the probe 22.

2, 3(a) and 3(b), the probe 22 includes a main body 22a in which a plurality of (two in this embodiment) plate-shaped conductive members 23, 24 are stacked in an insulated state, and a contact portion 22b provided to protrude from one end of the main body 22a. The probe 22 extends upward from the base portion 30 with a bent upper end, forming a generally L-shape.

The conductive members 23, 24 are each made of a conductive leaf spring such as a gold-plated copper metal plate. At least a portion of the conductive members 23, 24 that extend upward from the base portion 30 constitutes the main body portion 22a of the probe 22. In the main body portion 22a, at least a portion of the conductive members 23, 24 is laminated via an insulating layer 25 so that they do not come into direct contact with each other.

The insulating layer 25 is provided, for example, by wrapping a tape-like insulating material around one of the conductive members 23. Note that the insulating layer 25 can be provided between the conductive members 23 and 24 in any manner other than by wrapping a tape-like insulating material, for example, by covering at least one of the conductive members 23 and 24 with a sleeve-like insulating material, or by applying an insulating paint to the opposing surfaces of the conductive members 23 and 24.

The upper ends of the conductive members 23, 24 are bent in an L-shape while facing each other with a gap between them and maintaining an insulated state. At the base side of the bent portion, the conductive members 23, 24 face each other with a gap between them, and at the tip side of the bent portion, contact portions 26, 28 are formed to come into contact with the lead terminals 51, 52 of the object to be inspected 50.

In other words, in this embodiment, the portion extending upward from the base portion 30 and the base side of the L-shaped bent portion constitute the main body portion 22a in which the conductive members 23, 24 are stacked in an insulated state, and the tip side of the bent portion constitutes the contact portion 22b having the contact portions 26, 28 protruding from the main body portion 22a.

The contact portions 26, 28 are offset in the width direction W so that at least a portion of the width direction W of the conductive members 23, 24 do not overlap each other in the thickness direction of the conductive members 23, 24.

Specifically, a notch 27 is formed on one side of the width direction W at the tip of one conductive member 23, and a contact portion 26 is formed near the other side of the width direction W. A notch 29 is formed on the other side of the width direction W at the tip of the other conductive member 24, and a contact portion 28 is formed near the other side of the width direction W.

When such conductive members 23, 24 are stacked on top of each other, the conductive members 23, 24 are stacked in a state insulated from each other in the main body 22a of the probe 22. In addition, in the contact portion 22b of the probe 22, the contact portion 26 of one conductive member 23 protrudes from the main body 22a so as to face the notch 29 of the other conductive member 24, and the contact portion 28 of the other conductive member 24 protrudes from the main body 22a so as to face the notch 27 of the one conductive member 23, in a state insulated without contacting the contact portion 26 of the one conductive member 23.

The base portion 30 holds the main body portion 22a of the probe 22 so that, when the probe 22 is not receiving an external force from the pressing mechanism 32, the tips of the contact portions 26, 28 provided on the probe 22 face the lead terminals 51, 52 of the object to be inspected 50 placed on the stage 12 at a predetermined distance.

The base portion 30 is provided with electrodes 38 and 39 connected to a power supply circuit (not shown) that generates a driving power supply signal for testing. When the base portion 30 holds the main body portion 22a of the probe 22, the electrodes 38 and 39 are electrically connected to the conductive members 23 and 24 that constitute the probe 22. As a result, one of the positive potential and the negative potential is applied from the power supply circuit to one conductive member 23 via the electrode 38, and the other of the positive potential and the negative potential is applied to the other conductive member 24 via the electrode 39. Note that, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, when an insulating layer 25 is wrapped around one conductive member 23, the one conductive member 23 is not covered by the insulating layer 25 at a position facing the electrode 38, and is in conductive contact with the electrode 38.

The pressing mechanism 32 includes a cylindrical pressing part 34 provided adjacent to the main body part 22a of the probe 22, and a moving part 36 that moves the pressing part 34. In the pressing mechanism 32, the moving part 36 moves the pressing part 34 to press the main body part 22a of the probe 22. This causes the main body part 22a to elastically deform, bringing the contact parts 26, 28 of the probe 22 into contact with the lead terminals 51, 52, and inputting the driving power for the inspection to the object 50 to be inspected.

In the probe 22 of the present embodiment described above, the conductive members 23, 24 are laminated in the main body 22a via the insulating layer 25. Therefore, even if the probe 22 is elastically deformed when the contact portions 26, 28 contact the lead terminals 51, 52, the distance between the conductive members 23, 24 that provide positive and negative potentials is maintained constant in the main body 22a, and fluctuations in the capacitance of the probe 22 due to deformation of the probe 22 can be suppressed. In addition, in this embodiment, the magnetic fields generated in the conductive members 23, 24 cancel each other out, thereby suppressing ringing during pulse driving. As a result, even tests that input a large current or high-frequency drive power source can be accurately evaluated.

The probe 22 has a simple structure in which conductive members 23, 24 made of conductive leaf springs are laminated via an insulating layer 25, and therefore can be manufactured at low cost. Moreover, in this embodiment, the pressing portion 34 presses the probe 22, so that the contact portions 26, 28 of the probe 22 can be brought into contact with the lead terminals 51, 52, and therefore the structure of the pressing mechanism 32 can also be simplified.

In this embodiment, when the contact portions 26, 28 are brought into contact with the lead terminals 51, 52, the pressing portion 34 presses the main body portion 22a of the probe 22, causing it to elastically deform. This allows the main body portion 22a to elastically deform while minimizing deformation of the contact portion 22b, thereby suppressing capacitance fluctuations due to deformation of the probe 22 and ringing during pulse driving.

In addition, in this embodiment, the main body portion 22a is bent and has contact portions 26, 28 at its tip, so that the proportion of the main body portion 22a in which the conductive members 23, 24 are stacked in an insulating state in the probe 22 is increased, and capacitance fluctuations due to deformation of the probe 22 and ringing during pulse driving can be suppressed.

Second Embodiment
The inspection device 110 of the second embodiment will be described with a focus on the parts that are different from the first embodiment, mainly with reference to Figures 4(a), (b) and 5. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

In the first embodiment described above, one contact portion 26, 28 is provided on each of the conductive members 23, 24, but in the probe 122 of this embodiment, multiple contact portions 126, 126b are provided on one conductive member 123.

Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4(a) and (b), a notch 127 is formed in the center of the width direction W at the tip of one conductive member 123, and contact portions 126a, 126b are formed on both sides in the width direction W. Also, notches 129a, 129b are formed in the tip of the other conductive member 124 on both sides in the width direction W, and a contact portion 128 is formed in the center of the width direction W.

When such conductive members 123, 124 are stacked with insulating layers 125a, 125b between them, the conductive members 123, 124 are stacked in a mutually insulated state in the main body 122a of the probe 122. In this embodiment, the insulating layers 125a, 125b are provided around the conductive members 123, 124, but an insulating layer may be provided around either one of the conductive members 123, 124, or an insulating layer may be provided only between the conductive members 123, 124.

In the contact portion 122b of the probe 122, the contact portions 126a, 126b of one conductive member 123 protrude from the main body portion 22a so as to face the notches 129a, 129b of the other conductive member 124. The contact portion 128 of the other conductive member 124 protrudes from the main body portion 22a so as to face the notch 127 of the one conductive member 123 while being insulated without contacting the contact portions 126a, 126b of the one conductive member 123.

In the probe 122, one of a positive potential and a negative potential (e.g., a positive potential) is applied to one conductive member 123 via an electrode 38 from a power supply circuit, and the other of a positive potential and a negative potential (e.g., a negative potential) is applied to the other conductive member 124 via an electrode 39. As a result, the contact parts 126a, 126b, and 128 are arranged side by side in the width direction W of the conductive members 123 and 124 so that the negative potential contact part 128 is located between the positive potential contact parts 126a and 126b.

The probe 122 of this embodiment is held on the base portion 30 so that the contact portion 126a of one conductive member 123 faces the lead terminal 51 of the object to be inspected 50, and the contact portion 128 of the other conductive member 124 faces the lead terminal 52, as shown in FIG. 5.

The pressing portion 34 of the pressing mechanism 32 presses the main body portion 122a of the probe 122 to elastically deform it. As a result, the contact portion 126a comes into contact with the lead terminal 51 to apply a positive potential, and the contact portion 128 comes into contact with the lead terminal 52 to apply a negative potential, thereby inspecting the object to be inspected 50.

When the inspection of the object 50 to be inspected is completed, the pressure applied by the pressing portion 34 to the main body 122a of the probe 122 is released, and the contact portions 126a and 128 are separated from the lead terminals 51 and 52. Thereafter, the base portion 30 is moved in the width direction W by a moving mechanism (not shown) so that the contact portion 128 of the other conductive member 124 faces the lead terminal 51 of the object 50 to be inspected, and the contact portion 126b of one conductive member 124 faces the lead terminal 52.

The pressing portion 34 of the pressing mechanism 32 presses the main body portion 122a of the probe 122 to elastically deform it. As a result, the contact portion 128 contacts the lead terminal 51 to input a positive potential, and the contact portion 126b contacts the lead terminal 52 to input a negative potential, thereby inspecting the object 50 to be inspected.

In this embodiment, the positive and negative potentials can be switched and input to the lead terminals 51 and 52 simply by moving the probe 122 in the width direction W, without changing the power supply circuit that generates the driving power signal for the inspection.

The rest of the configuration and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, so detailed explanations will be omitted.

(Example of change)
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and gist of the invention.

For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, the main body 22a is bent and the contact portions 26, 28 are provided at its tip, but as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the contact portions 222b, 322b may be bent at their upper ends.

In other words, in the probe 222 shown in FIG. 6, a body portion 222a in which conductive members 223 and 224 are laminated with an insulating layer 225 interposed therebetween, and a contact portion 222b are provided in a portion extending upward from the base portion 30.

In the contact portion 222b, a notch 327 is formed on one side of the width direction W of one conductive member 223, and a contact portion 226 is formed on the other side of the width direction W. In addition, a notch 229 is formed on the other side of the width direction W at the tip of the other conductive member 224, and a contact portion 228 is formed on one side of the width direction W. As a result, in the contact portion 222b, at least a part of the width direction W of the conductive members 223, 224 is shifted in the width direction W so that they do not overlap each other in the thickness direction of the conductive members 223, 224. The upper end of the contact portion 222b is bent in an L-shape, and its tip is adapted to contact the lead terminals 51, 52.

In the probe 322 shown in FIG. 7, a body portion 322a in which conductive members 323 and 324 are laminated via an insulating layer 325, and a contact portion 322b are provided in a portion extending upward from the base portion 30. In the contact portion 322b, a notch 327 is formed in the center of the width direction W of one conductive member 323, and contact portions 326a and 326b are formed on both sides of the width direction W. In addition, notches 329a and 329b are formed on both sides of the width direction W at the tip of the other conductive member 324, and a contact portion 328 is formed in the center of the width direction W. As a result, in the contact portion 322b, at least a part of the width direction W of the conductive members 232 and 324 is shifted in the width direction W so that they do not overlap each other in the thickness direction of the conductive members 323 and 324. The upper end of the contact portion 322b is bent in an L-shape, and its tip is adapted to contact the lead terminals 51 and 52.

In these modified probes 222 and 322, the main body 222a and 322a are secured, which makes it possible to suppress capacitance fluctuations due to deformation of the probe 222 and ringing during pulse driving, while allowing the contacts 226, 228, 3261, 326b, and 328 to be elastically deformed individually to a certain degree, thereby suppressing the connection resistance with the lead terminals 51 and 52.

In order to bring the probes 222, 322 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 into contact with the lead terminals 51, 52 of the object to be inspected 50, the pressing portion 34 may press the main body portions 222a, 322a of the probes 222, 322, or may press the contact portions 222b, 322b. Since the probes 222, 322 can be brought into contact with the lead terminals 51, 52 of the object to be inspected 50 while suppressing deformation of the contact portions 222b, 322b, it is preferable to press the main body portion 222a to bring the probes 222, 322 into contact with the lead terminals 51, 52 of the object to be inspected 50, and it is more preferable to press the vicinity of the contact portions 222b, 322b of the main body portions 222a, 322a.

In addition, in the first and second embodiments described above, a probe in which two conductive members are stacked in an insulated state has been described, but a probe may be configured by stacking three or more conductive members in an insulated state.

In addition, in the first and second embodiments described above, a contact portion is provided at the tip of the bent portion of the conductive member, but the entire probe may be provided in a flat plate shape without bending the conductive member.

10...inspection device, 12...stage, 20...contact device, 22...probe, 22a...main body, 22b...contact part, 23...conductive member, 24...conductive member, 25...insulating layer, 26...contact part, 27...notch, 28...contact part, 29...notch, 30...base, 32...pressing mechanism, 34...pressing part, 36...moving part, 38...electrode, 39...electrode, 50...semiconductor laser, 51...lead terminal, 52...lead terminal

Claims (5)

A main body portion in which a plurality of plate-shaped conductive members are laminated in an insulated state;
a contact portion provided for each of the conductive members, the contact portion protruding from the main body portion so that one of the conductive members does not overlap with another of the conductive members;
a plurality of the contact portions are provided on one of the conductive members, and the contact portions provided on the other conductive members are disposed between the contact portions on the one of the conductive members;
A probe in which at least one of the main body portion and the contact portion is elastically deformed to bring the contact portion into contact with an object to be inspected. The probe according to claim 1, in which the main body is elastically deformed to bring the contact portion into contact with the object to be inspected. The probe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main body is bent. The probe according to claim 1 or 2, in which the contact portion is bent. An inspection device including a probe that contacts an object to be inspected and a pressing unit that presses the probe against the object to be inspected,
The probe includes a main body in which a plurality of plate-shaped conductive members are stacked in an insulated state, and a contact portion in which a contact portion protruding from the main body is provided for each of the conductive members so that one of the conductive members does not overlap with another of the conductive members,
The pressing portion presses one of the main body portion and the contact portion to elastically deform it, thereby bringing the contact portion into contact with an object to be inspected.

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