KR100781395B1 - Assembly for probe beam - Google Patents

Abstract

A probe beam assembly is provided to prevent distortion of a probe beam by implementing an elastic unit in the probe beam. A probe beam assembly includes plural probe beams(100), a pair of external sockets(200), a U-shaped elastic unit(300), and a pair of coupling pins(10). The probe beams include a body, a contact unit extruded from an upper portion of the body, and a connection unit extruded from a lower or a side portion of the body. The external sockets are coupled with both sides of the probe beams. The U-shaped elastic unit inserted the connection unit is soldered on pads or lands of a PCB. The coupling pins are inserted into through holes(112a,112b), which are formed at upper and lower portions of the body, while arranging the probe beams by the external sockets.

Description

Probe Beam Assembly {ASSEMBLY FOR PROBE BEAM}

1a and 1b is an exemplary view showing a conventional probe beam assembly,

Figure 2a is an exemplary view showing a probe beam assembly according to the present invention,

2b is an exploded perspective view of a probe beam assembly according to the present invention;

3 is an exemplary view showing a probe beam according to the present invention;

4 is an exemplary view showing an arrangement of a connection portion of a probe beam and an elastic receiving portion accommodating the same according to the present invention;

5 is an exemplary view showing an external socket according to the present invention;

6 is an exemplary view showing an inner socket according to the present invention;

Figure 7a is an exploded perspective view of the elastic receiving portion according to the present invention,

7B is an exemplary view of an elastic piece constituting the elastic receiving portion of FIG. 7A;

Figure 7c is an illustration showing the elastic deformation of the elastic piece of Figure 7b,

8 is an exemplary view showing a state in which the probe beam structure of the present invention is mounted on a probe card.

** Description of symbols for the main parts of the drawing **

100: probe beam 110: body

112a and 112b: through hole 114: through hole

116 hole 120 contact portion

130: connection part 200 (200a, 200b): external socket

210: slot 300: elastic receiving portion

310: elastic piece 312: flat portion

400: internal socket 410: slot

10 (10a, 10b): fastening pin 20: fixing pin

30: coupling pin

The present invention relates to a probe beam assembly constituting a probe card for testing a semiconductor chip, the probe including an elastic receiving portion that can be easily attached to and detached from the bottom of the probe beam, and can reduce the contact resistance between the PCB pad or land compared to the conventional A beam assembly is disclosed.

When the Korean Utility Model Model No. 20-0396613 (Assembly of the probe pin and socket of the probe card) (hereinafter referred to as 'predecessor') for the conventional probe beam assembly, a plurality of probes as shown in Figure 1a and 1b It can be seen that the pin 20 and the probe pin socket 10 provided with a plurality of slots 3a for receiving and accepting the left and right sides thereof. Herein, the term 'probe pin' is defined as 'probe beam' in consideration of the terms of the present invention to be described below.

The probe beam socket 10 forms slots 3a on both sides to insert and receive the left or right side of the probe beam 20 as mentioned above. In addition, a fixing protrusion 5 having a bolt 9 and a fastening hole 5a is added to the bottom of the socket 10 and inserted into the recess 30a provided in the PCB 30, and then the recess 30a of the recess 30a is provided. It is fastened through the bolt (9) screwed into the fastening hole (5a) at the bottom.

Since the slots, fastening holes, etc. of the probe beam socket 10 are made by machining, it is not easy to process the current chip having a fine pitch between pads. This is because machining faces the limits of precision that can be achieved.

In addition, the probe beam assembly and the PCB are fastened through a separate bolt 9, so that the assembly process is inefficient in terms of cost or time. Moreover, if the assembly had to be separated from the PCB for replacement, the efficiency would be significant.

On the other hand, the electrical connection between the probe beam 20 and the PCB has a structure in which the lower end of the connecting portion 16 (designated as a 'contact portion' in the prior art) is in contact with or bonded to a pad (or land) of the PCB. . However, considering that the thickness of the cross-sectional area of the probe beam is thin, it can be understood that the area in contact with the pad is narrow. This means that the contact resistance between the pads is large. Therefore, the preceding proposal adopts the following measures to reduce contact resistance.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the shape of the connecting portion 16 is formed in a zig zag, to have a predetermined elastic force structurally, and then the bolt 10 between the socket 10 and the PCB is fastened. The connecting portion 16 is deformed in a direction that is reflected against the pad of the PCB (as understood by the contraction of the elastic portion). By applying the elastic restoring force due to the deformation after the fastening to the pad, to minimize the lifting phenomenon of the pad and the bottom of the contact portion, to reduce the contact resistance within a given condition.

However, the method of minimizing contact resistance adopted by the preceding proposal causes the following problems. First of all, a means for preventing the probe beam 20 from being pushed upward from the socket 10 by the elastic force should be provided. Although the preceding specification does not clearly state the above means, it can be easily considered that the adhesive used as the fixing material between the slot 3a and the probe beam 20 is simply the means. The adhesive used is subject to the constraint that it must be reliable enough to sustain the reaction by continuous elastic resilience.

Second, elastic resilience is essentially dependent on the bolted connection between the probe beam socket 10 and the PCB. This has a complex aspect with the problem of the probe beam socket 10 described above. In other words, the structure of the probe beam socket 10 is designed to be somewhat complicated by the structural features of the probe beam 20. For example, the fastening structure with the PCB by a bolt is mentioned.

Third, the connecting portion 16 formed to have elastic force has a long electrical path in a state where the cross section is small. This problem can be easily understood from Ohm's law that the resistance of a conductor is proportional to its length and inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a connection of a simple shape that does not require the addition of a separate elastic force, and easily detachable from the connection and the PCB The present invention provides a probe beam assembly including an elastic receiving portion capable of reducing contact resistance between lands or pads.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a probe beam assembly which can prevent deformation of a probe beam by preventing a force in a vertical direction from being applied.

Other objects and features will become more apparent from the following detailed description based on the accompanying drawings. In the meantime, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known functions and configurations related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, it should be noted that the detailed description is omitted.

2A and 2B show a configuration of a probe beam assembly according to the present invention. Figure 2a is an exemplary view illustrating a completed assembly of the probe beam assembly, Figure 2b is an exploded perspective view thereof.

First, referring to FIG. 2B, the probe beam assembly basically inserts the plurality of probe beams 100 and the left and right sides at equal intervals through the slots 210 while the probe beams are arranged in the plane direction D. FIG. Approximate 'U' which is soldered to a pair of external sockets 200 (200a, 200b) to be accommodated and a pad or land of a PCB to insert and receive a connection portion under the probe beam; A pair of fastening pins 10 inserted into the female elastic receiving part 300 and through holes 112a and 112b formed at the upper and lower portions of the probe beam body to maintain the alignment (surface alignment) of the probe beam; 10a, 10b). Fastening pin 10 is an insulating material.

In addition, by inserting and receiving one side of the rectangular through-hole 114 formed in the center of the probe beam body may further include an internal socket 400 to assist the alignment of the probe beam, in this case the internal socket 400 and the through The fixing pin 20 is inserted into the space between the other sides of the ball in an interference fit manner and supports the inner socket 400 so as to firmly insert and accommodate one side of the through hole. The fixing pin 20 is made of an insulating material like the fastening pin 10.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the probe beam 100 includes a rectangular body 110, a contact portion 120 protruding from the left side of the upper part of the body to contact the pad of the chip, and a lower portion of the body. Protruding from the left [A], the center [B] or the right [C] of the connection portion 130 is inserted into the elastic receiving portion (300).

As mentioned above, the upper and lower portions of the body 100 form through holes 112a and 112b into which the fastening pins 10a and 10b can be inserted, and the inner slot 400 is provided in the assembly of the present invention. When included, a rectangular through hole 114 into which the inner slot 400 is inserted may be further formed between the pair of through holes, that is, in the center of the body 110. Here, if the through-hole 114 is formed in detail, a semi-circular groove 116 for adding the fixing pin 20 to the right center of the through-hole is added.

As mentioned, the connection part 130 is said to be formed to protrude a predetermined length from any one of the left side, the center, or the right side of the lower body. When a plurality of probe beams are arranged, the following two things can be assumed. First, the first probe beam connection part is the left side, the second is the center, the third is the right side, and the fourth is a so-called hatched arrangement (A in Fig. 4) located again on the left side, and then the left side. Is a zigzag arrangement ([B] of FIG. 4) which is positioned at the center, the right side, the center and the left side. The arrangement of the probe beam is to avoid mutual interference due to the size of the elastic receiving portion 400 arranged on the PCB.

In this embodiment, the contact portion 120 is set to protrude substantially on the upper left side of the body 110, but may be set to be formed on the right side rather than the left side. In addition, although the contact portion 120 is described as being in direct contact with the chip pad in the present embodiment, it should be noted that the contact is actually made through a separate tip provided at the tip 122 of the contact portion 120. something to do.

Referring to FIG. 5, the external sockets 200 form slots 210 having a predetermined depth d disposed at predetermined intervals on one surface thereof. The width or width w of the slot corresponds to the thickness of the probe beam 100. As described above, the slot 210 inserts and accommodates the left or right side of the body 110 of the probe beam 100.

6 shows an internal socket 400. The inner socket 400 has the same configuration as that of the outer socket 200, including forming a plurality of slots 410, except that the rectangular through hole 114 formed in the body 110 of the probe beam 100 is formed. It is different in that it has a height h (high enough to be inserted into the through hole) lower than the height.

The external socket 200 and the internal socket 400 described above are formed of the same material as a silicon wafer, which is a basic material of the chip IC, and is formed between chip pads that may be caused by heat during probing. In order to match the pitch fluctuation, the interval of the probe beam 100 can be rearranged in the plane direction ('D' in FIG. 2B). In addition, unlike the socket shown in the prior art has a simple structure. For reference, although not shown in the drawing, the outer socket 200 and the inner socket 400 include an oxide film SiO ₂ having a predetermined thickness on the surface thereof for insulation.

7a and 7b is a view showing the elastic receiving portion 300, the elastic receiving portion 300 of the present invention is approximately 'U' shaped to form a coupling hole (3) in the upper left, right, lower left, right Is composed of a plurality of elastic pieces 310 and four coupling pins 30 to be inserted into each coupling hole 312 in the state in which the elastic pieces 310 are stacked so that the elastic pieces are integrated. . In the present embodiment, the elastic piece 310 is set to five as the conductive material, but the present invention is not limited to the number. In addition, the coupling pin 30 is preferably set to be a conductive material, of course, may be an insulating material.

Specifically, the elastic piece 310 has a lower flat portion 312 soldered to the pad or land of the PCB by Surface Mounted Technology (SMT), and a left side protruding from the left and right sides of the flat portion 312. Consists of posts 314a and 314b, forming a U-shape as a whole as mentioned above. The upper inner sides of the left and right sides 314a and 314b form curved portions 4a and 4b, so that even if an elastic deformation of the left and right sides is applied, both sides of the lower contact portion 130 of the probe beam 100 are smoothly contacted.

When the elastic piece 310 is elastically deformed at the left and right sides 314a and 314b, the elastic deformation force is concentrated at the connection portion between the left and right sides and the flat portion 312, and thus (or in extreme cases) elastic restoring force. It may exceed the limit. Therefore, the elastic piece 310 of the present invention in consideration of this point, by further forming grooves (5a, 5b) on the left side of the left side (314a) and the right side of the post (314b), the force concentrated on the connection site Disperse That is, when the elastic deformation force is applied to the left and right sides, as illustrated in FIG. 7C, the deformation force is further applied to the B portion than the A portion. Of course, it should be noted that the modified example of FIG. 7C is somewhat exaggerated for convenience of description.

Hereinafter, a case in which the probe beam assembly of the present invention is inserted into the probe card will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

First, it is assumed that a space (hereinafter, an insertion space) is provided between the blocks 50 so that the probe beam assembly of the present invention can be inserted into the probe card. However, the left and right inner walls of the block 50 are formed with a step 52 that can support the lower portions of the outer sockets 200a and 200b. The PCB is disposed below the block 50, and the elastic receiving portion 300 is soldered to a pad or land of the PCB. Therefore, the probe beam assembly except for the elastic accommodating part 300 is inserted into the insertion space so that the connection portion 130 of the probe beam is inserted into the elastic accommodating part 300. In this state, the top cover 60 is disposed above the assembly of the probe beam so that the probe beam assembly does not deviate upward. Here, the upper cover 60 forms a window 62 for accommodating the contact portion 120 of the probe beam 100.

The insertion state of such a probe beam assembly has the following advantages over the prior art pointed out above. The first is that the structure of the socket for aligning the probe beams at a predetermined interval is simple, and the configuration for adding elastic force to the probe beam is not necessary for the contact force with the PCB pad. Easily removable for replacement, Reduction of contact resistance because both sides of the connection part of the probe beam is in contact with the elastic receiving part.The outer and inner sockets are made of silicon wafer, so the chip pad is heated by probing. The distance between the probe beams can be rearranged so as to correspond to the pitch fluctuations therebetween, and other vertical and vertical forces are not applied except when the contact portion 110 of the probe beam contacts the pad of the chip. Undesired deformation can be prevented.

For reference, the probe beam assembly of the present invention is manufactured through a semiconductor process such as photolithography, etching, plating, or the like.

As described above and described with reference to a preferred embodiment for illustrating the technical idea of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the configuration and operation as shown and described as described above, it is a deviation from the scope of the technical idea It will be understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations can be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, all such suitable changes and modifications and equivalents should be considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention, the structure of the socket for aligning the probe beams at predetermined intervals is simple, and a configuration for adding elastic force to the probe beam is not necessary for the contact force with the PCB pad as in the prior art.

In addition, since the probe beam is easily detachable, both sides of the connection part of the probe beam are in contact with the elastic receiving part, so that the contact resistance can be reduced as compared with the conventional art.

In addition, since the external socket and the internal socket are manufactured through a silicon wafer which is a basic material of the chip IC, the coefficient of thermal expansion is the same, and thus the interval between the probe beams is rearranged in response to the pitch variation between the chip pads due to heat.

In addition, except that the contact portion of the probe beam is in contact with the pad of the chip, since the force in the vertical direction is not applied, it is possible to prevent deformation of the probe beam by continuous use.

Claims (16)

A plurality of probe beams 100 including a rectangular body 110, a contact portion 120 protruding on an upper side of the body, and a connection portion 130 protruding on a lower left, center, or right side of the body; A pair of external sockets 200 for inserting and receiving the left and right sides of the probe beam at predetermined intervals through the slot 210; A substantially U-shaped elastic receiving part 300 which is soldered to a pad or land of a PCB and inserts and receives the connection part; And A pair of fastening pins 10 inserted into the through-holes 112a and 112b formed near the upper and lower portions of the body in a state in which the plurality of probe beams are aligned in the surface direction by the external sockets; Probe beam assembly comprising a. The method according to claim 1, The probe beam 100 further includes a rectangular through hole 114 between the through holes, an inner socket 400 for inserting and receiving one side of the through hole through the slot 410, and the through hole. Probe beam assembly further comprises a fixing pin 20 is inserted between the other side and the inner socket. The method according to claim 2, The other side of the through hole 114, Probe beam assembly, characterized in that for forming the groove 116 for positioning the fixing pin (20). The method according to claim 1, The fastening pin 10 is, Probe beam assembly, characterized in that the insulating material. The method according to claim 2 or 3, The fixing pin 20, Probe beam assembly, characterized in that the insulating material. The method according to claim 1, The outer socket 200, Probe beam assembly, characterized in that the silicon wafer material. The method according to claim 6, The outer socket 200, A probe beam assembly comprising an oxide film formed on the surface thereof. The method according to claim 2, The inner socket 400, Probe beam assembly, characterized in that the silicon wafer material. The method according to claim 8, The inner socket 400, A probe beam assembly comprising an oxide film formed on the surface thereof. The method according to claim 1, The elastic receiving portion 300, A plurality of elastic pieces 310 having coupling holes 3 formed in upper left, right and lower left and right in a substantially 'U' shape, and a plurality of couplings inserted into the respective coupling holes in a state in which the elastic pieces are stacked; Probe beam assembly, characterized in that consisting of a pin (30). The method according to claim 10, The elastic piece 310, And a flat part (312) soldered to a pad or land of a PCB, and a left and right piece (314a, 314b) protruding from the left and right sides of the flat part. The method according to claim 11, The upper inner side of the left and right sides 314a and 314b, Probe beam assembly, characterized in that to form a curved portion (4a, 4b). The method according to claim 11 or 12, Probe beam assembly, characterized in that the groove (5a, 5b) is formed on the left side of the left side (314a) and the right side of the post (314b). The method according to claim 10 or 11, The elastic piece 310, Probe beam assembly, characterized in that the conductive material. The method according to claim 10, The coupling pin 30, Probe beam assembly, characterized in that the conductive material. The method according to claim 1, Arrangement of the connection portion 130 of the probe beams 100 aligned by the outer socket 200, A probe beam assembly characterized by a hatched arrangement (left, middle, right, left, middle, right, ...) or zigzag arrangement (left, middle, right, middle, left, middle, right, ...).

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