KR100638105B1 - Vertical type probe - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vertical type probe.

The present invention relates to a vertical probe in which the upper end is fixed to the probe card side and the tip of the lower end is in vertical contact with the pad of the semiconductor chip. It is characterized in that it comprises a load absorbing portion having a three-dimensional structure symmetrical in a number of directions to prevent the concentration of the load to the tip by first causing the dispersion deformation while maintaining the vertical state.

Therefore, it is possible to realize stable contact with the pads of the semiconductor chip, prevent mass damage, and prevent damage to itself, and provide a probe capable of mass production at a low cost and high density array, thereby reducing the overall inspection cost and improving the inspection efficiency. It is effective to improve.

Probe, vertical, card, cantilever, needle, micro, optical, semiconductor, chip

Description

Vertical probes {VERTICAL TYPE PROBE}

1 is a view schematically showing a conventional epoxy fixed ring type probe card,

2 is a photograph showing that scratches are generated in a pad on a semiconductor chip to be inspected in the related art;

3 representatively shows vertical probes in accordance with the present invention;

4 is a view showing a state in which vertical probes are deformed with respect to a load according to the present invention;

5 is a view for explaining the concept of a probe card using a vertical probe according to the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10 semiconductor chip 12 pad

15: scratch 20: probe card

22 substrate member 24 probe

24a: tip 240: spiral probe

340: rhombus probe 440: trigeminal probe

240a, 340a, 440a: tips 240b, 340b, 440b: load absorbing part

300: probe card 320: substrate member

322: fixed electrode

The present invention relates to a probe used to electrically test whether a semiconductor chip is normally present. More specifically, the probe is vertically contacted with a pad of a semiconductor chip to be inspected to reduce contact damage with each other, compared to a conventional cantilever type. In addition, the present invention relates to a vertical probe capable of high-density arrangement in its shape and effectively coping with inspection of highly integrated semiconductor chips.

In general, semiconductor chips that have been manufactured are subjected to an electrical die sorting (EDS) test that examines electrical characteristics before assembling into a liquid crystal display (LCD) or semiconductor package, and according to the result of the EDS test Of the semiconductor chip is assembled into a liquid crystal display element or a semiconductor package, and the defective semiconductor chip is discarded without being assembled. The EDS test is performed in a prober station equipped with a probe card capable of electrically contacting a tester in which various measuring devices are built into a computer and a unit semiconductor chip to be inspected.

A probe card is an electrical coupling medium that connects a pad (contact terminal) of a semiconductor chip to a tester. The probe card includes a printed circuit board (PCB) and a probe connected to a circuit of the substrate. Is connected to the tester side and receives the electrical signal required for the test from the tester, and the tip of the probe contacts the pad of the semiconductor chip to be inspected and transmits the electrical signal from the substrate to the semiconductor chip. do. Of course, the electrical signal corresponding to the electrical signal applied to the semiconductor chip is inversely received by the tester through the probe from the semiconductor chip, the substrate.

Figure 1 schematically shows a well known epoxy fixed ring type probe card.

A cantilever type needle probe having a unit semiconductor chip 10 to be inspected in the center hole of the ring-type substrate member 22 and having one end fixed to the bottom surface side of the substrate member 22 ( A plurality of tips 24 are arranged so that the tip 24a contacts the pad 12 of the chip 10 located inside the central hole.

Here, the plurality of probes 24 are fixed to the bottom side of the substrate member 22 through a fixing member (not shown) made of epoxy, and a predetermined portion thereof is downward in the horizontal direction, that is, the pad 12 direction of the chip 10. It is bent close to the vertical shape, and mainly consists of high rigid silicon-like material.

However, the probe card 20 has a distance between the probes 24 and 100 μm, and the number of the pads 12 on the chip 10 is limited to about 500, and is manufactured through silicon etching technology. There is a limit to reducing the spacing to 100 占 퐉 or less, and there is a problem in that it spreads widely in the horizontal direction and cannot cope with the pad 12 of the highly integrated semiconductor chip 10.

In addition, since the very small probe 24 must be manually cut and polished to be fixed and aligned to the substrate member 22, there is a limitation in mass production, and there are problems in that a large difference occurs in the characteristics due to the skill of the operator. have.

In addition, according to the high rigidity of the silicon material and the shape of the cantilever, the breakage occurs easily, such as breakage due to the generation of stress concentration in a specific vicinity, and the fatigue property is easily lowered and eventually broken in the course of repeated inspections. There is also a problem that causes the failure of (20).

In addition, when the number of pads 12 on the chip 10 is large and the arrangement thereof is not constant, the contact pressure is not constant as a whole because the distance from the fixed point of the probe 24 to the tip 24a is not constant. The conductivity is lowered, and when pressed with a high load to prevent this, the load is concentrated on the tip 24a of the two probes 24 as long as they are specifically protruded, resulting in contact damage to the probes 24 and the pad 12. There was also a problem.

In addition, the tip of the tip (24a) is in the form of a cantilever can be moved in the state in contact with the pad 12, the scratches on the pad 12 as shown in the photograph of Figure 2 with self damage ( There was also a problem in that the "15" part in the drawing to peel off the gold film coated on the pad (12) to damage.

The present invention was devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is made of a photocurable resin material to cope with fine pitch of a highly integrated semiconductor chip capable of high density arrangement and to suppress contact damage during inspection. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vertical probe that can be manufactured by a micro-steerolithography technology (MST).

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a vertical probe in which the upper end is fixed to the probe card side and the tip of the lower end is vertically contacted with the pad of the semiconductor chip. A vertical probe comprising a load absorbing part having a three-dimensional structure that is symmetrical in a plurality of directions so as to maintain a vertical state with respect to a vertical load at a predetermined length, thereby causing a dispersion deformation to prevent the load from being concentrated at the tip. to provide.

The above objects and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the preferred embodiments of the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by those skilled in the art.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 representatively represents vertical probes according to the invention.

According to the present invention, various vertical probes 240, 340, and 440 are manufactured by using micro-steerolithography technology (MST), in which (a) is a spiral 240, (b) Rhombus 340, (c) represents the triangular 440, respectively.

The vertical probes 240, 340, and 440 are vertically fixed so as to be in vertical contact with the pad 12 of the semiconductor chip 10 to be inspected to reduce contact damage between each other than the conventional cantilever probe 24. The shape of the semiconductor chip 10 can be effectively coped with the inspection of the highly integrated semiconductor chip 10 because its shape is not extended in the horizontal direction.

The vertical probes 240, 340, and 440 have upper ends fixed to the substrate member 320 of the probe card 300, and lower ends of the vertical probes 240a, 340, and 440 contact the pads 12 of the semiconductor chip 10. 340a, 440a are integrally formed with a short length, and the middle portion of both ends is provided with a three-dimensional load absorbing portion 240b, 340b, 440b, which absorbs external vertical loads and maintains a vertical state, causing deformation first. do.

The load absorbing portion 240b of the helical probe 240 is gently bent at least once, and the load absorbing portion 340b of the rhombic probe 340 has a plurality of bent pillars spaced at a predetermined angle from each other. When viewed from the form of a mutual diamond shape, the load absorbing portion (440b) of the tri-shaped probe 440 is concentrated on the tip 440a of the lower side inclined while maintaining the parallel three columns spaced at a certain angle to each other It is connected form.

Of course, the number of bends in the spiral probe 240, the number of pillars in the rhombus probe 340 and the trigeminal probe 440, their morphological conditions, and the like may be determined by contact pressure with the pad 12 of the chip 10, It should be appropriately selected in consideration of deformation conditions.

4 shows a state in which the above-described vertical probes are deformed with respect to a load.

The vertical probes 240, 340, and 440 according to the present invention first deform evenly without stress concentration while the load absorbing parts 240b, 340b, and 440b are vertical to the vertical load acting from the upper and lower sides. Therefore, to prevent contact damage by preventing load concentration on the tips 240a, 340a, and 440a, and to increase the contact load, the tips 240a, 340a, and 440a of all the probes 240, 340, and 440 are chip ( 10 may be brought into full contact with the pad 12.

Furthermore, the vertical probes 240, 340, and 440 according to the present invention can be manufactured by microoptic shaping technology.

Micro-optic shaping technology is applied to conventional micro-structured fabrication (stereolithography) in the fabrication of microstructures, using a photocurable resin cured by ultraviolet light to continue to laminate the cross section having a certain layer thickness to produce a three-dimensional shape do.

Such micro-optic technology is well represented in the "Preparation of 3D Structures Using Micro-Optic Forming Technology" in the 2001 Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference, and no probe has been manufactured using micro-optic technology. .

Using such a micro-optic technology can reduce the production cost and improve productivity compared to the conventional.

As described above, the probes 240, 340, and 440 according to the present invention are made of a polymer material, and thus are more flexible than conventional silicon, so the possibility of breakage is remarkably low. It may also be produced using a composite material composited.

5 shows a concept of a probe card using a vertical probe according to the present invention.

The fixed electrode 322 is formed on the substrate member 320 of the probe card 300 to fix the upper side of the probe 340 to the fixed electrode 322, and the fixed electrode 322 is connected through wiring. To be connected to the circuit.

In the above description, three types of vertical probes 240, 340, and 440 are representatively represented, but in addition, the load absorbing parts may be zigzag-shaped, zigzag-type probes, etc. Of course, it can be produced.

In the foregoing description, it should be understood that those skilled in the art can make modifications and changes to the present invention without changing the gist of the present invention as merely illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a stable contact with the pad of the semiconductor chip while preventing self and contact damage, and to provide a probe capable of mass production at a low cost and a high density arrangement, thereby reducing the overall inspection cost. The effect of improving the inspection efficiency can be achieved.

Claims (7)

In a vertical probe in which the upper end is fixed to the probe card side and the tip of the lower end is in vertical contact with the pad of the semiconductor chip. It includes a load absorbing portion having a three-dimensional structure symmetrical in a number of directions to prevent the concentration of load to the tip by first causing a dispersion deformation while maintaining a vertical state with respect to the vertical load at a predetermined length in the middle of both ends Vertical probe. delete The method of claim 1, The load absorbing unit, A vertical probe, characterized in that the plurality of bent pillars spaced apart from each other by a certain angle to form a rhombus when viewed from the side. The method of claim 1, The load absorbing unit, Vertical poles characterized in that the plurality of pillars spaced at a predetermined angle to each other while being parallel to the inclined to be concentrated concentrated on the tip side. The method of claim 1, It is basically composed of photocurable resin, Vertical probes produced by microoptic shaping technology. The method of claim 5, And a conductive material coated on a surface of the photocurable resin. The method of claim 5, As the photocurable resin, A vertical probe comprising a composite of a conductive material.

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