JPH10284551A - Mesh cleaner and cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply and completely remove an adhesion matter of a slit strip conductor such as prober, etc., or a projecting conductor such as bump terminal, etc., by a method wherein there are provided cleaner layers comprising a base layer having rubber as a main body and a mesh-like inorganic fiber layer formed integrally on the base layer. SOLUTION: There are provided cleaner layers comprising a base layer 2 having rubber and a mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 formed on the base layer 2, and this cleaner layer 4 is coated on a surface of a substrate 5 and formed in a sheet form as a whole. A bump terminal 21A is thrust in the cleaner layer 4 to remove an adhesion matter thereof. When the bump terminal 21A is pulled off from the cleaner layer 4, an adhesion matter O removed from the bump terminal 21A is adhered to the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 and base layer 2, and the bump terminal 21A is pulled off from the cleaner layer 4 in a state that the adhesion matter O is completely removed. Thereby, the adhesion matter O is completely removed by simply and reliably cleaning the bump terminal 21A.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mesh cleaner and a cleaning method, and more particularly, to a mesh cleaner and a cleaning method for removing deposits on a linear conductor such as a probe needle used for a probe card or a projecting conductor such as a bump terminal. About the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When inspecting electrical characteristics of a wafer,
For example, a probe device is used as the inspection device. The probe device 10 is, for example, an inspection device that is used when performing an electrical inspection on individual chips on a wafer one by one or a plurality thereof in a wafer state, and is configured as shown in FIG. 3, for example. As shown in FIG. 1, the probe device 10 includes a loader unit 11 for transferring a wafer W stored in a cassette C, and a transfer mechanism (not shown) provided in the loader unit 11. A prober unit 12 for inspecting the transferred wafer W, a controller 13 for controlling the prober unit 12 and the loader unit 11, and a display device 14 serving also as an operation panel for operating the controller 13
It is comprised including.

A sub-chuck (not shown) is provided in the loader unit 11 to pre-align the wafer W based on the orientation flat via the sub-chuck, and to perform pre-alignment via a transfer mechanism. The subsequent wafer W is transferred to the prober unit 12.

The prober unit 12 has a main chuck 15 on which a wafer W can be mounted in the X, Y, Z, and θ directions, and a wafer W mounted on the main chuck 15 at an inspection position. An alignment mechanism 16 having an alignment bridge 16A or the like for accurate alignment, and a wafer W aligned by the alignment mechanism 16
And a probe card 17 having a probe needle 17A for performing an electrical inspection of the probe card. The probe card 17 is fixed to an opening at the center of a head plate 18 which can be opened and closed with respect to the top surface of the prober 12 via an insert ring 18A. Prober unit 1
A test head 19 is rotatably arranged on the prober 2. The probe card 17 and a tester (not shown) are electrically connected to each other via the test head 19 swiveled on the prober unit 12. A signal is transmitted and received between the wafer W on the main chuck 15 via the probe card 17,
The electrical test of a plurality of chips formed on the wafer W is sequentially performed by a tester.

By the way, when inspecting the wafer W,
For example, the main chuck 15 is moved via a driving mechanism to align the wafer W on the main chuck 15 with the probe needles 17A. Then, the main chuck 15 is overdriven upward, and the electrode pad of the wafer W (for example, aluminum) is used. A natural oxide film (made of aluminum oxide) or the like formed on the (formed) surface is scraped off by the probe needle 17A, and the wafer W is inspected by reliably bringing the probe needle 17A into contact with the electrode pad. I have to. When the contact between the probe needle 17A and the electrode pad P is repeated as shown in FIG. 4 for inspection, aluminum oxide or the like adheres to the probe needle 17A as a deposit O, which hinders the subsequent inspection. May come.

For this reason, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, a polishing plate 20 is mounted on a mounting table 15A projecting laterally from the main chuck 15, and the probe needle 17 is
A needle tip is being cleaned. That is, the probe needle 1
The needle O of 7A is brought into contact with the polishing plate 20, and the main chuck 15 is moved up and down to polish the probe needle 17A, thereby removing the deposit O on the needle.

[0007]

However, in the case of the conventional cleaning method, the probe needle 17A is pressed against and polished by the polishing plate 20 to remove the deposits O such as shavings on the electrode pad at the tip of the probe. However, it is not always possible to polish the entire needle tip, and there is a possibility that the attached matter O remains on the needle tip in a state where it is easily peeled off, and that the residue of the needle tip is peeled off from the needle tip at the time of inspection, thereby contaminating the chip. there were. Also, shavings and the like remain on the polishing plate 20 after the polishing of the needle tip, or the polishing plate 2
The abrasive grains of 0 may be peeled off from the polishing plate 20, and these may become a source of particles. In addition, as the size of the chip becomes increasingly finer in the future, the influence of the above-mentioned particles on the chip will increase, albeit slightly. Further, when producing the probe needle 17A, burrs remain at the tip of the probe needle 17A. However, since the burrs are removed by, for example, a wet etching process, the deburring operation is complicated. .

[0008] Among probe cards, there is a membrane type probe card. In this type of probe card, a large number of bump terminals formed on the membrane are brought into contact with the electrode pads to perform an electrical characteristic test on the chip. Adheres and interferes with subsequent examinations. However, in the case of the membrane probe card, there is no means for polishing the bump terminals, and it has been difficult to remove the attached matter. Furthermore, flip-chip elements have solder bumps on the electrodes and heat-melt the solder bumps to perform face-down bonding on the substrate. However, if impurities are attached to the solder bumps, electrical connection failure will occur. Conventionally, deposits on solder bumps are removed by blasting or the like. However, since the blast material is scattered during the blasting process, it is necessary to take measures against the blast material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a mesh cleaner and a cleaning device capable of easily and surely removing deposits on a linear conductor such as a probe needle or a projecting conductor such as a bump terminal. It is intended to provide a way.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mesh cleaner for piercing a linear conductor or a protruding conductor to remove extraneous matter from the linear or protruding conductor. , And a cleaner layer comprising a mesh-like inorganic fiber layer integrally laminated on the base layer.

Further, a mesh cleaner according to a second aspect of the present invention is the mesh cleaner according to the first aspect, wherein the cleaner layer is provided on a substrate surface.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mesh cleaner according to the first or second aspect, wherein a filler is dispersed in the base layer. is there.

The cleaning method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to a cleaner layer comprising a base layer mainly composed of rubber and a mesh-like inorganic fiber layer integrally laminated on the base layer. The present invention is characterized in that a striated conductor or a protruding conductor is pierced to remove deposits on the striated conductor or the protruding conductor.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. First, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a mesh cleaner 1 of the present embodiment includes a base layer 2 having rubber, and a mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 laminated on the base layer 2. The cleaner layer 4 is formed on the surface of the substrate 5 and formed in a plate shape as a whole. Therefore, a case where the bump terminals of the membrane probe card are cleaned by using the mesh cleaner 1 will be described below.

The rubber which is the main component of the base layer 2 includes
For example, any of inorganic rubber and organic rubber can be used, and among them, silicon rubber which is an inorganic rubber can be preferably used. As the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 to be laminated on the base layer 2, for example, glass fiber 3A is formed as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), a fiber obtained by plain weaving long fibers can be used. Further, the glass fiber 3A does not have to be woven regularly as shown in FIG. 3 (b), and the glass fiber 3A may be configured so that the bump terminal or the probe needle penetrates the base layer 2 through the space between the fibers. Good. Therefore, either long fibers or short fibers can be used as the inorganic fibers. Further, the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 is preferably formed by stacking a plurality of mesh-like inorganic fibers 3A. Then, the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 is integrated with the base layer 2 so as not to peel off. Further, the substrate 5 is preferably excellent in affinity with rubber and hardly peeled off from the substrate. For example, in the case of silicon rubber, a silicon substrate can be preferably used. Further, the surface of the substrate 5 may be roughened and roughened to enhance the adhesion between the substrate 5 and the rubber.

The base layer 2 may contain a filler. As a filler, for example, silica sand,
Granules such as glass, ceramics such as alumina and carborundum (trade name) can be preferably used, and these granules can be used alone or in combination of two or more. The powder used as the filler is preferably adjusted to a particle size of 3 to 15 μm, for example, and more preferably adjusted to a particle size of 5 to 10 μm. If the particle size is less than 3 μm, the filler 3 hardly functions as abrasive grains, and if it exceeds 15 μm, the affinity between the base material and the filler is poor and the needle tip may be damaged.

When a filler is mixed with the rubber of the base layer 2, the mixing ratio of the rubber and the filler (rubber / filler) is, for example, preferably 5/5 to 3/7, and more preferably 4/6 to 3/7. 3/7 is more preferred. If the compounding ratio is less than 5/5, the significance of mixing the filler is lost, and if it exceeds 3/7, the familiarity between the rubber and the filler is poor, and the needle tip may be damaged. Since the compounding ratio of the rubber and the filler varies depending on the material of the probe needle 17A or the bump terminal, it is necessary to appropriately select a compounding ratio suitable for the material of the probe needle 17A or the bump terminal.
For example, when the material of the probe needle 17A is tungsten, the mixing ratio is preferably 4/6. The thickness t of the cleaner layer 4 coated on the substrate 5 is not particularly limited as long as it can pierce the probe needle 17A and remove the attached matter at the needle tip.
1000 μm is preferred. As the bump terminal of the membrane probe card, for example, a diamond or sapphire ore coated with gold, a gold alloy or the like is used. In addition, in the case of the probe needle 17A shown in FIG. 4, as the material thereof, for example, an alloy such as palladium or beryllium is used in addition to tungsten.

In preparing the mesh cleaner 1, first, the rubber as the base 2 and the filler 3 are mixed by a conventionally known method to prepare a raw material for the cleaner layer 4. For example, a filler is gradually added to a raw rubber of silicon rubber until a predetermined compounding ratio is obtained. Next, a predetermined amount (for example, 1.5 to 4% based on raw rubber) of a polymerization initiator (for example, benzoyl peroxide) as a catalyst is added, and the filler is sufficiently dispersed. Then, the compound is allowed to stand after an aging period until the filler is sufficiently used. Then, after applying this compound on a silicon substrate 5, two mesh-like glass fibers 3A are laminated to form a mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3. In this state, the silicon-containing material is coated at a predetermined temperature (for example, about 120 ° C.). A predetermined pressure (for example, 7) is applied to the compound on the substrate 5.
0 kg / cm ² ) for about 10 minutes, and then the temperature is lowered to stop the pressing operation. Through this series of operations, the raw rubber of the compound is polymerized and cured to form a silicone rubber, and the cleaner layer 4 composed of the base layer 2 in which the filler is dispersed in the silicone rubber and the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 forms the surface of the silicon substrate 5. And integrated with the silicon substrate 5.

Next, one embodiment of the cleaning method of the present invention using the mesh cleaner 1 will be described. A case where the mesh cleaner 1 is mounted on, for example, the mounting base 15A of the main chuck 15 shown in FIG. 5 to clean a bump terminal of a membrane probe card as a probe will be described.

When the bump terminals 21A of the membrane probe card 21 are repeatedly brought into contact with the electrode pads of the wafer a predetermined number of times to perform the inspection, as shown in FIG. Deposits O, such as aluminum oxide, adhere, making it impossible to perform accurate subsequent inspection. Thus, the bump terminal 21A is cleaned by the cleaning method of the present embodiment, and the attached matter O is removed.

First, the main chuck 15 (FIG. 5)
) To align the mounting table 15A directly below the bump terminals 21A. Next, the main chuck 15
Is raised, the cleaner layer 4 of the mesh cleaner 1 on the mounting base 15A comes into contact with the bump terminal 21A. Furthermore,
When the main chuck 15 is overdriven, the bump terminals 21 </ b> A hit the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 as shown in FIG. 2, push the glass fibers 3 </ b> A around, and pierce the base layer 2. When the bump terminal 21A passes through the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3, dust or the like lightly attached to the bump terminal 21A is squeezed by the silicon rubber of the base layer 3.

Since the deposit O such as aluminum oxide is strongly adhered to the bump terminals 21A, the deposit O cannot be removed by the base layer 2 and the glass fiber is not removed when passing through the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3. 3A penetrates into the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 while being scraped off. Thereafter, when the main chuck 15 descends and the bump terminal 21A comes off from the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3, the deposit O is completely scraped off by the glass fiber 3A and remains in the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3, and as a result, The attached matter O is completely removed from the bump terminals 21A that have come off from the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
The bump terminals 21A are pierced into a cleaner layer 4 composed of a base layer 2 made of silicone rubber and a mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 made of glass fibers 3A integrally laminated on the base layer 2 to pierce the bump terminals 21A. When the bump terminal 21A pierces the cleaner layer 4, the extraneous matter, such as dust, lightly adhered to the bump terminal 21A is squeezed out by the silicon rubber 2 of the base layer 2 and removed to the bump terminal 21A. Deposits O, such as aluminum oxide, which have strongly adhered, are surely scraped off by the glass fibers 3A while piercing or leaving the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3. When the bump terminal 21A comes off the cleaner layer 4, the adhered substance O scraped from the bump terminal 2A adheres to the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3 and the base layer 2, and the adhered substance O is completely removed. It comes off from the cleaner layer 4 in the state. That is, conventionally, it has been difficult to clean the bump terminals 21A. However, according to the present embodiment, the bumps 21A can be easily and reliably cleaned to remove the attached matter O reliably.

In the above embodiment, the case where the bump terminals 21A of the membrane probe card are cleaned has been described. However, the mesh cleaner 1 is also used for removing the deposits O on the probe needles 17A of the probe card 17 shown in FIG. be able to. In addition, the mesh cleaner 1 of the present embodiment can also be used for deburring a needle tip remaining when the probe card is cut as a probe needle 17A from the wire before the probe card is assembled into the probe device, for example, in a manufacturing process of the probe card. . At present, the tip of the probe needle 17A is deburred by wet etching, but if the mesh cleaner 1 of this embodiment is used,
When the probe needle 17A is pierced, deburring can be performed extremely easily with the glass fiber 3A of the mesh-like inorganic fiber layer 3. When the probe needle 17A is to be cleaned, the base material layer 2 may be filled with a filler (eg, powdered particles such as silica sand, glass, ceramics such as alumina, carborundum, etc., alone or as a mixture of two or more powdered particles. (Consisting of a body), it is possible to more reliably remove the attached matter O.

The mesh cleaner 1 can be used for cleaning solder bumps formed on a flip chip device. Therefore, by performing face-down bonding after cleaning the solder bumps, the flip-chip elements can be reliably bonded to the substrate without impairing the electrical characteristics.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but can be applied to a probe for inspecting a mounted electronic component. In short, a mesh cleaner having a cleaner layer composed of a base layer mainly composed of rubber and a mesh-like inorganic fiber layer integrally laminated on the base layer, and a cleaning method using the mesh cleaner. If present, all are included in the present invention.

[0027]

According to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to easily and surely remove deposits on a linear conductor such as a probe needle or a projecting conductor such as a bump terminal. A mesh cleaner and a cleaning method can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which a bump terminal is cleaned using a mesh cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) shows a state immediately before a bump terminal having an adhered substance is stabbed into a mesh cleaner. Sectional view showing (b)
FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the surface of the mesh cleaner of FIG.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an embodiment of cleaning a bump terminal using the mesh cleaner shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a probe device, and is a front view in which main parts are cut away.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing a state in which probe needles are repeatedly brought into contact with electrode pads of a wafer and aluminum oxide or the like is attached to the probe tips of the probe needles.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main chuck of the probe device shown in FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mesh cleaner 2 Base layer 3 Fiber layer 3A Mesh glass fiber 4 Silicon substrate 17A Probe needle (straight conductor) 21A Bump terminal (projection conductor)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A mesh cleaner for piercing a striated conductor or a protruding conductor to remove deposits on the striated conductor or the protruding conductor, wherein a base layer mainly made of rubber and a base layer are integrally formed on the base layer. A mesh cleaner comprising a cleaner layer comprising a laminated mesh-like inorganic fiber layer. 2. The mesh cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said cleaner layer is provided on a substrate surface. 3. The mesh cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a filler is dispersed in the base layer. 4. A linear conductor or a protruding conductor is pierced into a cleaner layer comprising a base layer mainly composed of rubber and a mesh-like inorganic fiber layer integrally laminated on the base layer. A cleaning method, comprising removing an adhering substance on a projecting conductor.