JPH11148947A - Probe for testing of semiconductor apparatus and its manufacture and probe apparatus using the probe needle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase an area of true contact to a pad and obtain sure electric contact by setting an angle between a tangent of a leading end face of a probe at a surface of the pad and the surface of the pad when the pad is pressed to be a specific value or larger. SOLUTION: An electric connection between a probe 1 and a pad 2 is obtained when the pad 2 is sheared and deformed thereby breaking an oxidation film 8 at a surface and a fresh face is brought in touch with the probe at the probing time. An angle because of the shearing and deformation is determined by an orientation at the time of sputtering. Theoretically, supposing that the shearing is brought about only with an angle of a slide face, the pad is sheared at 0 deg. or 35.3 deg., that is, at angles so far from each other. However, experiments make it clear that a minimum angle of a slide face 6 enabling the shearing is 15 deg. and an angle of the slide face bringing about the shearing stably is 17 deg.. Therefore, a leading end of the probe is shaped so that an angle of a vector 7 in a tangential direction of the leading end to the surface of the pad is not smaller than 15 deg., preferably, not smaller than 17 deg., whereby the oxidation film 8 of the pad surface can be broken and the probe can be brought in touch with the fresh face of the pad, thus achieving sufficient electric connection.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a probe needle for performing an operation test of a semiconductor device such as a semiconductor integrated circuit wafer, a semiconductor product manufactured by a film forming method, a method of manufacturing the same, and a method of using the probe needle. Related to the probe device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 13A, a conventional probe needle is a probe device (commonly called a probe card) 20 for vertically moving a probe needle 202 whose tip is bent in a hook shape.
1, the test (probing) was performed by breaking the oxide film on the pad surface and making a true contact (electrical contact) with the newly formed pad surface when pressed against a test pad (hereinafter referred to as a pad) of the semiconductor integrated circuit. . FIG. 13B shows the state of the tip of the probe needle during this probing. The size is modeled to make the explanation easier to understand. As shown in FIG. 13 (b), the tip 200 of the conventional probe needle is originally finished flat, or when the curved surface is approximated to a sphere even if it is intentionally machined into a spherical surface. Curvature radius R is 20-30 μm
Because of the above, for example, at the time of probing,
The entire flat tip portion comes into contact, and the probing is performed with the oxide film 204 on the surface of the pad 203 and the contaminants on the surface interposed. As the probe is pressed against the pad, a portion of the oxide film 204 on the surface of the pad is broken to form a conductive portion 206 that makes true electrical contact, and a continuity test is performed. However, by repeating the probing, the oxide film 204 is deposited on the probe "heel" portion 205 where the stress is the largest, so that the true contact area with the pad is reduced, and the conduction becomes unstable. Therefore, as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-18560, vibration is applied to the needle tip so that electrical contact can be reliably obtained.

Further, since tungsten used as a probe material is a powder sintered body and has a defect inside the material, machining the tip shape as a probe needle causes material defects (voids) to appear on the surface. A pad material such as aluminum entered the material defect that appeared on the tip surface of the probe, and formed an adhesion nucleus and an attached matter grew to increase the contact resistance. Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-140613 attempts to remove material defects by performing a heat treatment on a tungsten material.

[0004]

The conventional probe needle is configured as described above, and as shown in FIG. 13, the area of the true contact between the tip of the probe needle and the pad (electrically conductive portion 206) as shown in FIG. ) Is extremely small, and sufficient conduction may not be obtained. Further, the tungsten probe needle material has a vacancy defect inside, and it is conceivable that a heat treatment is performed to crush the vacancy defect. However, when the heat treatment is performed at a temperature higher than the recrystallization temperature, the probe material becomes brittle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide a probe needle capable of increasing a true contact area between a probe needle tip and a pad so as to obtain a reliable electric contact, and a method of manufacturing the same. A method and a probe device using the probe needle are provided.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a test probe needle for a semiconductor device, the tip shape of which is the tip of the probe on the pad surface when the distal end portion is pressed against a test pad of the semiconductor device. The angle between the tangent to the surface and the pad surface is 15 degrees or more.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a probe for testing a semiconductor device according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the tip of the probe has a spherical curved surface, the radius of curvature is R, and the thickness of the pad. Where t is the angle formed by the tangent of the probe tip surface on the pad surface to the pad surface at the time of pressing and the pad surface is θ = cos ⁻¹ (1-t / R) ≧ 15 ° Is a spherical curved surface having a curvature radius R satisfying the following.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a test probe needle for a semiconductor device according to the second configuration, wherein the probe tip has a spherical curved surface and a flat portion is provided at the probe tip. It is.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a test probe needle for a semiconductor device according to the third configuration, wherein the radius of the flat portion is r and the spherical curved surface is θ = cos ^{−. 1} [{(R ² −r ² ) ^1/2 −t} / R] ≧ 15
° is a spherical curved surface having a radius of curvature R satisfying the following relationship:

According to the first method of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a probe needle for testing a semiconductor device is provided. The probe needle is pierced into a polishing plate in which abrasive grains are solidified with a resin material, and the tip of the probe needle has a radius of curvature R. A step of processing into a spherical curved surface portion, rubbing the tip of the probe needle on a polishing plate having higher rigidity than the probe needle, and processing into a shape having a flat portion with a radius r on the spherical curved surface portion, and By polishing the probe needle with a polishing plate having lower rigidity than the probe needle, a step of forming the spherical curved surface portion and the flat portion into a smooth continuous shape is performed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a method of manufacturing a probe needle for testing a semiconductor device, the probe needle is made of a linear metal material obtained by sintering a powdery raw material. The heat treatment conditions are as follows: In a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, the processing temperature is set to be lower than the recrystallization temperature of the metal material, the pressure of the non-oxidizing gas is increased, and the volume of the metal material shrinks with time. Under the conditions described below.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a test probe needle for a semiconductor device, wherein the probe needle is made of tungsten or a tungsten alloy, and the probe needle is subjected to a heat treatment, and the heat treatment condition is set to a treatment temperature. 300
C. or more and 650.degree. C. or less, pressurization of 200 to 2000 atm, and treatment time of 0.5 to 5 hours.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a test probe for a semiconductor device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein the probe needle has a spherical curved surface with a radius of curvature. R, the diameter of the beam portion connected to the spherical curved surface is D, and when the probe needle contacts the test pad having the inclination angle α and the thickness t, the beam portion of the probe needle and the spherical curved surface When the most distant distance between the intersecting line and the bottom surface of the test pad is H, H = R−Rsin (β−α) ≧ t (where β = c
os ⁻¹ (D / 2R)).

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a test probe for a semiconductor device according to any one of the first to fifth configurations, or the first to third test needles for a semiconductor device. In a test probe needle for a semiconductor device formed by the above method, the tip of the probe needle is formed of platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), rhodium (R).
h), gold (Au), cadmium (Cd), or an alloy of any of these.

[0015] The probe device according to the present invention comprises
A semiconductor device according to any one of the sixth configuration uses a test probe needle.

According to a test method of the present invention, a probe needle according to any one of the first to sixth configurations is pressed against a test pad of a semiconductor device, and a test pad material and the probe needle are relatively slid to each other. The pad material is piled up in a layered form and rejected, and an operation test is performed.

[0017] Another test method according to the present invention is directed to the first test method.
The test probe needle of the semiconductor device according to any one of the sixth to sixth configurations is pressed against the test pad of the semiconductor device to relatively slide the test pad material and the probe needle to perform an operation test; The tip shape of the probe needle is managed by controlling the width of the probe mark formed by the contact between the probe needle and the test pad.

In the semiconductor device according to the present invention, the probe needle according to any one of the first to sixth configurations is pressed against a test pad of the semiconductor device, and the test pad material and the probe needle are slid relative to each other. The pad material is piled up in a layered form and rejected.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiment 1 An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a probe needle and a pad according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a probe needle, 2 is a pad, 3 is a crystal orientation of the pad, 4, 5,
6 is a sliding surface, 7 is a tangential vector of a needle tip, 8 is a pad surface oxide film, 9 is an oxide film adhered portion, 10 is an electrically conductive portion, and 11 is a shear. As shown in FIG. 1B, the electrical conduction between the probe needle 1 and the pad 2 is such that the pad 2 is sheared and deformed to break the oxide film 8 on the surface during probing.
Obtained by contact with the new pad surface. The angle at which shear deformation can occur is determined by the orientation during sputtering.
For example, in the case of an aluminum pad, as shown in FIG. 1A, it is known that the crystal orientation 3 of the pad 2 at the time of sputtering has a so-called C-axis orientation aligned with (111). The angle between the (111) sliding surface 4 and the pad surface is 0 degree. Among the other sliding surfaces, the sliding surface 5 having the smallest angle with the pad surface is (110), (101), and (011), and the angle is 35.3.
Degrees. If shearing can occur only at the angle of the sliding surface, the shearing should occur only at discrete values such as 0 degrees or 35.3 degrees. However, from the experimental results, it was found that shearing was performed at various angles instead of discrete values. This is because the shearing along the sliding surface 4 and the sliding surface 5 is combined, and a shearing 11 as shown in FIG. 1B occurs. The minimum angle of the sliding surface 6 at which shearing can be apparent from the experiment is 15 degrees, and the angle of the sliding surface at which stable shearing occurs is 17 degrees. Therefore, the tangent direction vector 7 of the needle tip
Make an angle of 15 degrees or more with the pad surface, preferably 17 degrees.
If the needle tip shape is not less than the degree, the oxide film 8 on the pad surface is broken, and the pad can be brought into contact with the new pad surface, and sufficient electrical conduction can be obtained.

Embodiment 2 In the probe needle having the tip shape shown in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, when the needle tip shape is a spherical curved surface having a radius R, the thickness of the pad 2 is t, and the needle tip curved surface is formed on the pad surface. Assuming that the angle between the tangential direction and the pad surface is θ, R, θ, and t have a relationship of R−Rcos θ = t. Therefore, if the shape of the needle tip is designed to be a spherical curved surface that satisfies θ = cos ⁻¹ (1-t / R) ≧ 15 °, the pad can be smoothly shear-deformed with a small force, and the probe needle The tip comes into contact with the new surface, and sufficient electrical conduction can be obtained. Although the shape of the probe needle tip surface is illustrated and described as a spherical surface in order to easily explain the relationship between the angle of the sliding surface where the shear deformation of the pad material occurs and the probe tip shape, the actual spherical surface need not be a perfect spherical surface. However, if the shape is a curved surface close to a spherical surface, an effect can be obtained.

As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the tip shape can be obtained by repeatedly piercing the probe needle 1 into a polishing plate 63 in which polishing abrasive grains 61 are fixed with a synthetic resin 62. For example, starting from a state where the tip of the tungsten probe needle is flat, silicon rubber and diamond abrasive of # 3000 are pierced 3000 to 4000 times into the above-mentioned polishing plate constituted by a weight ratio of about 1: 3, so that R15 is obtained.
It becomes a spherical curved surface of about μm. Further, the surface roughness of the tip of the probe needle is improved to about 1 μm or less by piercing the abrasive material with diamond abrasive grains of # 6000 to 10000 several hundred times.

FIG. 3 shows a probe mark made on the aluminum pad 2 using the probe needle 1. Since the aluminum 31 discharged at the tip of the probe has a layered (lamella) structure, it can be seen that the tip of the probe is continuously shear-deformed with the test pad material. The above-mentioned layered structure is laminated so as to exceed the thickness of the aluminum pad of 0.8 μm, and has an exclusion form in which a projection is formed on the aluminum pad. When performing the wire bonding from the outside to the aluminum pad,
This has the effect of being the starting point of contact / bonding between the aluminum pad and the wire, and is expected to improve the bonding time and bonding strength. In addition, dimples 32, which are evidence of ductile fracture, are observed at the contact portion between the probe needle tip and the aluminum pad, indicating that new surfaces are in contact between the probe needle tip and the aluminum pad material. As a result of a continuity test using this needle, continuity failure hardly occurred in contacts exceeding 20,000 times. Although aluminum is used as an example of the test pad material in the present embodiment, the same effect can be obtained if the pad material is a material that undergoes the same slip deformation (shear deformation) as aluminum.

Embodiment 3 FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, in a test probe needle having a spherical curved tip, when the width of a probe mark formed by the contact between the probe needle and the pad is W, the radius of curvature R of the tip of the probe needle is R.
Is (W / 2) ² = R ² − (R−t) ² , and is therefore represented by R = (W ² + 4t ² ) / 8t. That is, by monitoring the width of the probe mark, the radius of curvature R of the tip of the needle can be obtained, and the shape of the needle can be managed. For example, if the thickness of the pad is now 0.8 microns, the width of the probe mark applied to the test pad is observed with an optical microscope. If the width is 9 microns, the radius of curvature of the probe tip is about 13 microns. You can see that there is. By observing the probe mark with an optical microscope and measuring the width of the probe mark, the shape of the probe tip can be easily managed. Conventionally, the probe device (probe card) is removed one by one and the probe tip is removed off-line. The inspection process can be omitted.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a probe needle according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. A device such as a prober is used to perform the operation of bringing the probe needle into contact with the test pad.However, for the purpose of positioning the probe needle, some prober models optically recognize the probe tip and position it. There is. When the radius of curvature of the tip of the probe needle shown in the first embodiment is about several microns, image recognition is performed because the tip of the needle is a spherical curved surface and the focal point of the optical system observing the needle tip is shallow. May not be able to perform automatic alignment. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a flat portion 51 is provided at the tip of the needle as shown in FIG. As a result, the image recognition at the tip of the needle becomes good, and the time for automatic positioning can be shortened. Also,
This flat portion 51 is not completely flat, but has a depth of focus of 3 to
It may be a flat surface having a flatness such that an optical system of about 6 μm can be recognized, or a spherical curved surface having a large radius of curvature.

Embodiment 5 FIG. 5A and 5B, the radius of curvature of the probe tip spherical portion 52 is R, the radius of the probe tip flat portion 51 is r, and the test pad The film thickness is t,
Assuming that the angle between the tangential direction of the probe tip spherical portion 52 and the pad surface on the pad surface is θ, there is a relationship of (R ² −r ² ) ^1/2 −Rcos θ = t, so that θ = cos ⁻¹ [ {(R ² −r ² ) ^1/2 −t} / R] ≧ 15
° By processing into a spherical curved surface with a radius of curvature R that satisfies the following relationship, the pad shears and breaks the oxide film on the pad surface, and the probe tip can contact the newly formed pad surface, and sufficient electrical conduction can be achieved. Will be obtained. Here, in order to manage the shape of the needle tip in the same manner as in the third embodiment, based on the relationship (W / 2) ² = R ² − {(R ² −r ² ) ^1/2 −t} ² The same management may be performed.

Embodiment 6 FIG. In the probe needle having the tip shape according to the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, a curved surface 53 that smoothly connects the flat portion 51 and the spherical portion 52 is provided. The probe needle which has a flat portion 51 on the distal end spherical portion 52 and has a continuous shape with the spherical portion 52 by the curved surface 53,
As shown in FIG. 6A, the polishing abrasive grains 61 are
The probe needle 1 is repeatedly pierced into the polishing plate 63 solidified by the above, the curvature radius R at the tip of the needle is adjusted, and the spherical curved surface portion 52 is formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the flat portion 51 is provided by rubbing the ceramic plate 64 having higher rigidity than the probe needle 1. Then, probe needle 1
The flat portion 51 and the spherical curved portion 52 are connected by a smooth curved surface 53 by polishing with a polishing plate (polisher) 65 having a lower rigidity than that of the above. As a result, stress concentration on the pad is reduced, and damage to the pad and the layer below the pad can be reduced. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing the distribution of stress applied to the pad, and FIGS.
5 shows the state before and after polishing by No. 5.

As shown in FIG.
The test pad material shows a characteristic deformation when the probe needle No. 6 is used. A continuous shear deformation of the material occurs at the tip of the probe, and the exclusion marks of the pad material have a layered structure (lamella structure) 31. When this lamella structure is formed and the test pad material is rejected, the deformation resistance of the test pad material is also small, and as a result,
Stress loading on layers below the test pad layer is also reduced. In addition, the formation of the layered protrusions on the pad in this manner facilitates the formation of a bonding nucleus during wire bonding to the pad. As a result, the ultrasonic vibration time during bonding can be shortened, and the bonding strength can be improved.

Embodiment 7 FIG. 8 is a SEM image of the cross section of each tungsten needle after etching to show the difference between the probe needle according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention and a general probe needle. FIG. 8A shows the structure of a general tungsten probe needle, and FIG. 8B shows the structure after heat treatment of the tungsten needle. Since the tungsten probe needle is a sintered body, the material after sintering contains voids. In order to crush the holes, the sintered material is rolled by machining and further drawn to obtain a needle-like crystal structure, but there are still 1 to 2% of holes (voids). Therefore, it is desired to perform a heat treatment for crushing the pores. However, if a heat treatment is performed in a temperature region where the tungsten material is recrystallized, the needle-like crystal structure of the tungsten material is broken, and the original material strength of tungsten is lost. . Therefore, in the present embodiment, a high pressure is applied from the outside at a relatively low temperature, and the pores inside the tungsten material are crushed by a synergistic effect of the temperature and the pressure. In a metal material that has been drawn like a probe needle, considerable processing strain (residual stress) remains inside the material. It is considered that due to this processing strain, particularly the metal atoms randomly arranged in the vicinity of the crystal grain boundaries have a high chemical potential energy, and it is considered that the metal atoms move even at a relatively low temperature. Therefore, when the metal atoms move by exposing the metal material having a large processing strain to a relatively low temperature, it is intended to further apply hydrostatic pressure from the outside to crush the vacancies near the crystal grain boundaries inside the metal material. Therefore, the heat treatment conditions are below the recrystallization temperature of the material, the pressure is above the pressure at which the metal material is deposited and shrunk, and the processing time is until the volume shrinkage of the metal material to be treated stops approximately, , A processing temperature of 300 ° C to 600 ° C and a processing pressure of 200 to 2000
Atmospheric pressure, treatment time is 0.5 to 5 hours by heat treatment,
Voids decrease sharply. Even in the above heat treatment conditions, it has been clarified from experiments that the number of vacancies drastically decreases when the processing temperature is 500 ° C., the processing pressure is 1000 atm or more, and the processing time is 1 hour or more. As for the pressure condition, the higher the pressure, the shorter the processing time is. However, 2000 atm was the limit of the pressure device.
Usually, in order to crush the vacancy defects inside the material, a high pressure is applied at a temperature near the recrystallization temperature of the material (usually 40 to 50% of the melting point of the material) or higher, and heat treatment (referred to as HIP treatment). However, in the case of the present embodiment, the pores can be crushed by performing a heat treatment at a temperature approximately one digit lower than the melting point of, for example, 3400 ° C. of tungsten.

By this heat treatment, it was found that the crystal orientation was remarkably aligned in the direction in which the probe material was drawn.
It has been found that this effect makes the etching and polishing rates at the time of processing the tip of the probe uniform and makes the tip of the needle a very smooth and smooth surface. As a result, the oxide is less likely to adhere to the tip of the probe needle, and probing with good electrical conduction has become possible. Further, as shown in Table 1, the mechanical properties were also uniform (the variation in Young's modulus was 18.8 to 25.2 × 103 kgf / mm ² before the treatment, whereas 22.3 to 26 kg after the treatment. .3 × 103kgf
/ Mm ² ), by performing probing using the probe device to which the above-mentioned probe needle is attached, it becomes possible to reduce an extra overdrive and load in consideration of the variation of the probe needle.

[0030]

[Table 1]

Further, since the probe tip surface can be processed smoothly, the coefficient of friction with the test pad material with which the probe comes into contact can be reduced, and the radius of curvature of the spherical curved surface of the conventional probe tip shape is 20%. Even in the case of ３０30 μm or more, the pad material slides on the probe tip and the pad material is pushed out in front of the probe,
It has been found that the effect of stabilizing the electric contact resistance is small and can be obtained. Therefore, by forming the probe needle tip shape of the fourth and fifth embodiments using the material obtained by heat treating the probe needle, probing with stable electric contact resistance and automatic recognition of the probe tip position can be performed. Time and test costs can be significantly reduced.
Further, by heat-treating this probe needle, the contact resistance can be stabilized even with a conventional probe tip shape. For example, FIG. 9 shows a model of the state of probing when the tip of the probe contacts the pad. The probe needle 1 has a spherical tip with a spherical curvature, a radius of curvature of R, and a diameter of a beam portion connected to the spherical curved surface is D.
When the probe needle contacts the test pad having the thickness t at the inclination angle α, the intersection between the beam portion of the probe needle and the spherical curved surface and the bottom of the test pad are the most distant. H = R−Rsin (β−α) ≧ t (where β = co
s ^-1 (D / 2R)) In order to cause the pad material to shear under the effect of the shape under the probing condition satisfying the contact condition of Was required. However, in the non-oxidizing atmosphere, the probe needle is pressurized under the condition that the processing temperature is equal to or lower than the recrystallization temperature of the metal material, the pressure of the non-oxidizing gas is increased, and the volume of the metal material contracts with time. By eliminating material defects, the probe tip surface can be finished very smoothly. As a result, the coefficient of friction between the pad material and the probe tip surface is reduced, and if the contact state is as shown in FIG. 9, the pad material is pushed forward, and the probe tip surface can come into contact with the new surface of the pad material. . It has been found that this heat treatment effect makes it possible to make stable contact even with the conventional probe tip shape.

Embodiment 8 FIG. FIG. 10 shows a probe needle according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. The contact surface between the tip of the probe needle 90 and the pad 2 at the time of probing may reach a high temperature of 1000 ° C. or more due to shear deformation.
Since tungsten is very easily oxidized at a high temperature, the thickness of the tip of the probe needle 90 subjected to the heat treatment described in Embodiment 7 is 0.01 to 0.1 μm to prevent oxidation.
The surface coating layer 91 made of Pt, Ir, Rh, Au, Cd and their alloys is plated and deposited. By probing using the probe device to which the probe needle is attached, the oxide is less likely to adhere to the tip of the probe needle, and probing with good electrical conductivity can be performed.

Embodiment 9 FIG. 11 is a sectional configuration diagram showing a probe device according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. In the probe device having the cantilever type probe needle 100 and having an opening through which the tip of the probe needle 100 can be seen from the surface on which the probe needle is not attached, the side of the probe substrate 101 on which the needle is not attached. Is covered with a plate 104 having a nozzle 105 configured to spray gas to the probe tip corresponding to the probe tip position, and further covers the plate 104 so that a space is formed between the plate 104 and the plate 104. Attach the cover 103. A tube 102 for injecting gas is attached to the cover 103, and argon and argon are provided in a space between the cover 103 and the plate 104.
A non-oxidizing gas such as nitrogen is injected at a rate of 5 to 10 L / min. The injected non-oxidizing gas is supplied to the nozzle 105
Therefore, the non-oxidizing gas concentration near the tip of the probe needle is increased, and the oxidation of the probe needle 100 can be prevented. Further, since the gas is spouted vigorously, dust on the wafer can be removed. Further, by attaching the cantilever type probe needle which has been subjected to the heat treatment shown in Embodiment 7 to the probe device having such a structure, the electrical conductivity is improved and the probe needle is prevented from being oxidized. be able to.

Embodiment 10 FIG. FIG. 12 is a sectional configuration diagram showing a probe device according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.
Having a vertical or similar probe needle 110,
A probe device having a multilayer structure such as a probe fixing plate 111 and a plate 113 provided with a guide hole 115 for the probe needle 110. A space is provided between the probe fixing plate 111 and the plate 113 provided with the guide hole. A secret seal structure in which the space is hermetically sealed by the seal 112 is adopted. The guide hole 115 has a diameter of 1.2 to 1.5 times the probe needle diameter. Therefore, the non-oxidizing gas is sent into the closed space to eject the non-oxidizing gas from the guide hole 115 at a rate of 2 to 5 liters / min. Thus, oxidation of the probe needle can be prevented. Further, since the gas is spouted vigorously, dust on the wafer can be removed. Furthermore, by attaching a vertical or similar probe needle subjected to the heat treatment shown in Embodiment 7 to the probe device having such a structure, electrical conductivity is improved, and
Oxidation of the probe needle can be prevented.

In each of the embodiments described above, the probe needle and the probe device for performing a wafer test of a semiconductor integrated circuit are mainly described. However, according to the contact method according to the present invention, for example, a film forming method or the like can be used. Also, the present invention can be applied to a probe needle used for testing a semiconductor product by another manufacturing process, and can perform probing with good electrical continuity. Further, the probe needle of the present invention can be applied to the case where the probe needle of the present invention is in contact with a lead frame of a semiconductor device in which soft solder plating is performed on a material such as 42 alloy, and a final test with good electrical continuity can be performed. Further, the present invention can be applied to an operation test of an electronic circuit board on which a semiconductor device is mounted, and probing with good electrical conduction can be performed.

[0036]

As described above, according to the test probe needle of the semiconductor device according to the first configuration of the present invention, the tip shape is changed to the pad surface when the tip is pressed against the test pad of the semiconductor integrated circuit. The angle between the tangent line of the probe tip surface and the pad surface is set to 15 degrees or more, so that the tip of the probe needle can efficiently shear-deform the pad during probing, and the probe tip and the pad have sufficient electrical continuity. Can be obtained.

According to the probe needle for a semiconductor device of the second configuration of the present invention, in the probe needle of the first configuration, the tip of the probe has a spherical curved surface, the radius of curvature is R, and the pad radius is R. The thickness of the spherical surface is defined as θ = cos ⁻¹ (1-t / R) ≧ 15 ° where θ is the angle between the tangent of the probe tip surface on the pad surface and the pad surface when pressed. Since a spherical curved surface having a radius of curvature R that satisfies the following relationship is satisfied, the new surface inside the pad always comes into contact with the probe tip, and sufficient conduction can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a flat portion is provided at the tip of the probe in the probe needle of the second configuration. When performing alignment, the time required for alignment during measurement can be reduced, and measurement variations can be eliminated.

According to the probe needle for testing a semiconductor device according to the fourth configuration of the present invention, in the probe needle of the third configuration, when the radius of the flat portion is r, the spherical curved surface is θ = cos ^-1 [{(R ² −r ² ) ^1/2 −t} / R] ≧ 15
° Since a spherical surface with a radius of curvature R that satisfies the relationship
A new surface inside the pad is always in contact with the tip of the probe, and sufficient conduction can be obtained.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing a probe needle for testing a semiconductor device according to the first method of the present invention, the probe needle is pierced into a polishing plate having abrasive grains hardened with a resin material, and the tip of the probe needle is pierced. Is processed into a spherical curved surface having a radius of curvature R, the tip of the probe needle is rubbed against a polishing plate having a higher rigidity than the probe needle, and is processed into a shape having a flat portion having a radius r on the spherical curved surface portion. The step, and the step of polishing the probe needle with a polishing plate having a lower rigidity than the probe needle, so as to perform the step of making the spherical curved surface portion and the flat portion a smooth continuous shape. And a probe needle can be formed so that the flat portion and the spherical spherical surface of the needle tip can be connected by a smooth curved surface, the electrical conductivity is good, and the needle positioning can be easily performed. Also, the concentration of stress on the pads is reduced,
Damage to the pad and the layer under the pad can be reduced.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing a test probe needle of a semiconductor device according to the second method of the present invention, the probe needle is made of a linear metal material obtained by sintering a powdery raw material. The probe needle is subjected to a heat treatment, and the heat treatment is performed in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere at a processing temperature of not more than the recrystallization temperature of the metal material, and increasing the pressure of the non-oxidizing gas to increase the volume of the metal material. Since the pressure is applied under the condition of shrinking with time, the pores near the crystal grain boundaries can be crushed by the effect of the pressure while suppressing the coarsening of the crystal of the metal material. Drastically decreased,
Mechanical properties become uniform. Therefore, by using the probe needle that has been subjected to the heat treatment, it is possible to provide a uniform needle having good electric characteristics. As a result, the margin of the amount of the probe needle pressed against the pad can be reduced, and all the needles can be electrically connected with a small needle load.

According to the method of manufacturing a probe needle for a semiconductor device according to the third method of the present invention, the probe needle is made of tungsten or a tungsten alloy, and the probe needle is subjected to a heat treatment. Since the processing temperature is not less than 300 ° C. and not more than 650 ° C., the pressure is 200 to 2,000 atm, and the processing time is 0.5 to 5 hours, generally, in the case of a probe needle made of tungsten or the like having a hole therein,
At the time of probing, a substance having a large electric resistance such as a pad oxide may enter the pores and lose electrical continuity. However, by performing an appropriate heat treatment, the pores are sharply reduced and mechanical properties are reduced. As a result, a uniform needle having good electrical conductivity can be provided.

According to the probe needle for a semiconductor device of the fifth configuration of the present invention, in the probe needle formed by the second method, the tip of the probe needle has a spherical curved surface and its curvature is The radius is R, the diameter of the beam part connected to the spherical curved surface is D, and the probe needle is
When contacting the test pad with the thickness t at the falling angle α,
An intersection line where the beam part of the probe needle and the spherical curved surface intersect,
Assuming that the farthest distance from the bottom surface of the test pad is H, H = R−Rsin (β−α) ≧ t (where β = c
os ^-1 (D / 2R). Since the contact condition is satisfied, material defects do not appear on the finished surface of the probe tip surface, so that a stable contact can be obtained even with a conventional probe tip having a probe tip shape. become able to.

According to the semiconductor device test probe needle of the sixth configuration of the present invention, the semiconductor device test probe needle of any of the first to fifth configurations or the first to third configurations of the semiconductor device of the first to fifth configurations. In the test probe needle for a semiconductor device formed by any one of the methods described above, the tip of the probe needle may be made of platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), rhodium (Rh), gold (Au), cadmium (Cd), or any of these. Coated with a material made of any one of the above alloys, it is possible to prevent oxidation of the metal material constituting the probe needle even if the pad becomes high temperature due to shear deformation during probing, and a needle having good electrical conductivity. Can be provided.

According to the probe device of the present invention, since the test probe needle of the semiconductor device according to any one of the first to sixth configurations is used, the electrical conductivity between the probe tip and the pad is good. A probe device can be obtained.

According to the test method of the present invention, the probe needle according to any one of the first to sixth configurations is pressed against the test pad of the semiconductor device, and the test pad material and the probe needle are relatively slid. The operation test is performed by stacking and removing the test pad material in layers, so that the new surface of the test pad material can be stably brought into contact with the tip surface of the probe needle, and probing with good electrical conduction can be performed. Become like

According to another test method of the present invention, the probe needle according to any one of the first to sixth configurations is pressed against the test pad of the semiconductor device, and the test pad material and the probe needle slide relatively. When performing the operation test, the tip shape of the probe needle is managed by managing the width of the probe mark formed by the contact between the probe needle and the test pad, so that the tip shape of the probe is easily managed. Will be able to

According to the semiconductor device of the present invention, the probe needle according to any one of the first to sixth configurations is pressed against the test pad of the semiconductor device, and the test pad material and the probe needle slide relative to each other. Since the test pad material is stacked and rejected, a projection is formed on the test pad. By using the protrusions, for example, when performing wire bonding on the test pad, the bonding time can be shortened.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing states of a probe needle and a pad according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a relationship between a probe needle and a pad according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a probe mark made on an aluminum pad by a probe needle according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a probe needle and a pad according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a probe needle according to embodiments 4 and 5 of the present invention, and a relationship between the probe needle and a pad.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view illustrating a method for manufacturing a probe needle according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing stress applied to a pad of a probe needle according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an SEM image of the tissues of a probe needle and a general probe needle according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between a probe needle and a pad according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a probe needle according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional configuration diagram showing a probe device according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional configuration diagram showing a probe device according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a state of a conventional probe device, a probe needle, and a pad.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 probe needle, 2 pads, 3 pad crystal orientation,
4 Sliding surface of (111), 5 (110), (10)
1), (011) sliding surface, 6 smallest sliding surface, 7 tangential vector at stylus tip, 8 pad surface oxide film, 9 oxide film adhesion portion, 10 electrical conduction portion, 11 shear, 31
Aluminum discharged at the probe tip, 32 dimples 51 Probe tip flat portion, 52 Probe tip spherical portion, 53 curved surface, 61 abrasive grains, 62 synthetic resin, 63
Polishing plate, 64 ceramic plate, 65 polisher, 9
0 probe needle, 91 surface coating layer, 100 cantilever probe needle, 101 probe substrate, 1
02 tubes, 103 covers, 104 plates,
105 nozzle, 110 vertical probe needle, 111
Probe fixing plate, 112 tube, 113 plate, 114 hermetic seal, 115 guide hole, 200
Probe needle tip, 201 Probe card, 202
Probe needle, 203 pad, 204 Pad surface oxide film, 205 Probe needle "heel" part, 206 Electrical conduction part.

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 21, 1998

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0013

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0013] The method of manufacturing the fourth test probe of a semiconductor device according to the method of the present invention, the Te placed <br/> the second way, the tip shape of the spherical curved surface of the probe needle, The radius of curvature is R, the diameter of the beam portion connected to the spherical curved surface is D, and when the probe needle contacts the test pad having a thickness t at an inclination angle α, the beam portion of the probe needle is When the most distant distance between the line of intersection of the spherical curved surface and the bottom surface of the test pad is H, H = R−Rsin (β−α) ≧ t (where β = c
os ^-1 and forms a (D / 2R)) becomes satisfies the contact condition shape.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0014

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

A semiconductor device according to a fifth configuration of the present invention has
The probe needle for strike can be obtained by any one of the above first to fourth methods.
It is formed by: Further, the test probe needle for a semiconductor device according to the sixth configuration of the present invention,
To fifth either Oite the test probe of a semiconductor device by the configuration of the platinum tip of the probe needle (P
t), iridium (Ir), rhodium (Rh), gold (A
u), cadmium (Cd), or a material comprising any of these alloys.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0043

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

According to the method of manufacturing a test probe for a semiconductor device according to the fourth method of the present invention, the second method is used.
And have you, in the probe needle tip shape of the spherical curved surface,
The radius of curvature is R, the diameter of the beam portion connected to the spherical curved surface is D, and when the probe needle contacts the test pad having a thickness t at an inclination angle α, the beam portion of the probe needle is When the most distant distance between the line of intersection of the spherical curved surface and the bottom surface of the test pad is H, H = R−Rsin (β−α) ≧ t (where β = c
os ^-1 (D / 2R)) Since the material is formed in a shape that satisfies the contact condition of: os ^-1 (D / 2R), no material defect appears on the finished surface of the probe tip surface. Will be able to

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0044

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

A semiconductor device according to a fifth configuration of the present invention
According to the strike probe needle, any one of the above first to fourth
A needle with good electrical conductivity is provided.
Can be provided. Further, according to the sixth test probe of a semiconductor device according to the configuration of the present invention,
Oite the test probe of a semiconductor device according to any one of the above first to fifth, platinum tip of the probe needle (Pt), iridium (Ir), rhodium (Rh),
Coated with gold (Au), cadmium (Cd), or any alloy of these materials, prevents oxidation of the metal material that composes the probe needle even if the pad becomes hot due to shear deformation during probing. Can be
A needle with good electrical conductivity can be provided.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Mutsumi Kano 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsui Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takahiro Nagata 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 3 Rishi Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A test probe for testing the operation of a semiconductor device by pressing a tip against a test pad of a semiconductor device and electrically contacting the tip with the pad to form a tip of the probe. A test probe needle for a semiconductor device, wherein an angle between a tangent line of the probe tip surface on the pad surface and the pad surface at the time of pressing is 15 degrees or more. 2. The probe for testing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the probe is a spherical curved surface, the radius of curvature is R, the thickness of the pad is t, and the probe on the pad surface when pressed. When the angle between the tangent to the tip surface and the pad surface is θ, the spherical curved surface is a spherical curved surface having a radius of curvature R that satisfies the relationship θ = cos ⁻¹ (1-t / R) ≧ 15 °. A probe needle for testing a semiconductor device, comprising: 3. The test probe needle for a semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the probe tip has a spherical curved surface and a flat portion is provided at the probe tip. . 4. The test probe needle for a semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein a radius of the flat portion is r.
The spherical surface is represented by θ = cos ⁻¹ [{(R ² −r ² ) ^1/2 −t} / R] ≧ 15
° A probe needle for testing a semiconductor device, which is a spherical curved surface having a radius of curvature R satisfying the following relationship: 5. A probe needle is pierced into a polishing plate in which polishing abrasive grains are solidified with a resin material, and the tip of the probe needle has a radius of curvature R.
The step of processing into a spherical curved surface, rubbing the tip of the probe needle on a polishing plate having higher rigidity than the probe needle,
Processing the spherical curved surface into a shape having a flat portion with a radius r, and polishing the probe needle with a polishing plate having a lower rigidity than the probe needle, so that the spherical curved surface and the flat portion are smoothly A method for manufacturing a probe needle for testing a semiconductor device, comprising a step of forming a continuous shape. 6. A test probe needle of a semiconductor device for testing an operation of the semiconductor device by pressing a tip portion against a test pad of the semiconductor device and making the tip portion and the pad make electrical contact with each other. Is made of a linear metal material obtained by sintering a powdery raw material, and heat-treats the probe needle. The heat treatment conditions are as follows. A method for manufacturing a probe needle for testing a semiconductor device, characterized in that the temperature is not higher than the crystallization temperature, and the pressure of the non-oxidizing gas is increased so that the volume of the metal material is reduced with time. 7. The method of manufacturing a probe needle for a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the probe needle is made of tungsten or a tungsten alloy, and the heat treatment conditions are a processing temperature of 300 ° C. or more and 650 ° C. or less, and a pressure of 200 ° C. or less.
A method for manufacturing a test probe needle for a semiconductor device, wherein the treatment time is 0.5 to 5 hours. 8. The probe needle formed by the manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the probe needle has a spherical curved tip, a radius of curvature thereof is R, and a diameter of a beam portion connected to the spherical curved surface is R. D, when the probe needle contacts the test pad having a thickness t at a tilt angle α, the intersection between the intersection of the beam portion of the probe needle and the spherical curved surface and the bottom surface of the test pad When the distance is H, H = R−Rsin (β−α) ≧ t (where β = co
s ^-1 (D / 2R) A probe needle for testing a semiconductor device, which satisfies the following contact condition: 9. A test probe needle for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, or a test probe for a semiconductor device formed by the manufacturing method according to claim 5. Description: In the probe needle, the tip of the probe needle is platinum (Pt), iridium (I
r), rhodium (Rh), gold (Au), cadmium (C
d) or a probe needle for testing a semiconductor device, which is coated with a material composed of any of these alloys. 10. A probe device using the test probe needle for a semiconductor device according to claim 1. Description: 11. A test probe needle for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, which is pressed against a test pad of said semiconductor device, and a test pad material and said probe needle slide relative to each other. A test method for a semiconductor device, comprising: stacking test pad materials in a layered form; 12. A test probe needle for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, which is pressed against a test pad of said semiconductor device, and a test pad material and said probe needle are slid relative to each other. Controlling the tip shape of the probe needle by controlling the width of a probe mark formed by the contact between the probe needle and the test pad when performing an operation test. . 13. A test probe needle for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, which is pressed against a test pad of the semiconductor device, and a test pad material and the probe needle relatively slide. A semiconductor device, characterized in that the test pad material is stacked in a layered form and eliminated.