KR100947916B1 - Printed circuit board for probe card - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a printed circuit board for a probe card.

The present invention is a printed circuit board for a probe card mounted on the support ring of the probing inspection apparatus in a state in which a plurality of probes are coupled in a horizontal state, the inner surface of the outer portion to be electrically connected to one end of the probe A connection terminal formed to be exposed to the connection terminal; A metal layer formed on the surface of the outer portion at least partially in surface contact with the support ring and spaced apart from the connection terminal; And a solder resist layer formed between the connection terminal and the metal film layer on the surface of the outer portion.

Therefore, since the printed circuit board can be mounted on the support ring in a horizontal state through the metal film layer portion having excellent surface flatness, the printed circuit board can provide excellent horizontality and position alignment in the mounted state. In addition, the one side connector can be accurately connected to the mating connector, and the coupled probe can be exactly in contact with the contact terminal on the semiconductor die, thereby improving the reliability in operation and inspection.

Probe cards, printed circuit boards, solder resist

Description

Printed circuit board for probe card {PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FOR PROBE CARD}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printed circuit board for a probe card, and more particularly, surface flatness can be improved by manufacturing a part of the surface to be finished with a metal film layer instead of a solder resist layer. In this regard, the present invention relates to a printed circuit board for a probe card, in which accurate horizontality and position alignment according to mounting can be secured.

In general, a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device (semiconductor device) consists of a number of steps, the final step of assembling the semiconductor device (a plurality of semiconductor die manufactured to form a separate integrated circuit (IC) on a wafer (wafer) ( Only dies (ie chips) are selected and assembled except good dies.

Therefore, a probe (i.e., a probe) is contacted with each semiconductor die in order to determine whether the semiconductor dies on the wafer are good or bad prior to assembly, and then electrically inspected for their performance, with automated probing inspections. Use a device (aka prober).

1 shows a conventional probing inspection apparatus.

The probing inspection apparatus 100 generates a test signal and a test head provided on a tester side, which is a kind of computer device that detects and analyzes a response signal received as a result and determines whether the semiconductor die is good or bad. 110, a probe card 120 for electrically connecting the test head 110 and the semiconductor die on the wafer w to be inspected in the middle to a case body (not shown) of the apparatus. The support ring 130 is provided so as to seat and support the outer portion of the probe card 120, and the support chuck 140 is provided on the lower side to seat the wafer (w) to be inspected on the upper surface by suction ).

The probe card 120 transmits an inspection signal applied from the test head 110 on the tester side to the semiconductor die on the wafer w and reversely transmits a response signal accordingly. Combining the plurality of probes 124 and the plurality of probes 124 disposed in the vertical direction and spaced apart at a pitch corresponding to the contact terminals so as to contact the contact pads on the die, It consists of a printed circuit board (122) for electrically connecting the coupled probe 124 and the test head 110.

Here, the printed circuit board 122 is a circular flat plate having a rather large area, and is usually implemented as a multilayer printed circuit board having upper and lower multilayer signal wiring layers.

A plurality of one-side connectors 126 are arranged in the outer portion on the upper surface of the printed circuit board 122 so as to be spaced apart at regular intervals along the circumferential direction, and the test head 110 on the tester side to form a corresponding arrangement. A plurality of mating connectors 112 are provided on the bottom surface of the.

Therefore, the one-side connector 126 on the side of the printed circuit board 122 and the mating connector 112 on the test head 110 side are electrically connected to each other by inserting and coupling each other. In this case, the one-side connector 126 and the mating connector are electrically connected. The pair of connecting means of 112 has a ZIF (Zero Insertion) which requires little external force in the inserting direction when inserting and engaging with each other so that breakage and detachment of the printed circuit board 122 can be prevented when detaching. Force connector is usually implemented.

The plurality of probes 124 are provided in the vertical direction on the lower side of the printed circuit board 122, and each of the probes 124 contacts the contact terminals of the semiconductor die on the wafer w to transmit an electrical signal.

As the probe 124, a needle of a wire form, a blade of a thin sheet form, a spring pin, etc. are widely used, and a conductive metal material such as tungsten or nickel alloy is widely used. Is formed.

The support ring 130 is a ring shape provided to be fixed to the case body of the device, and has a cross-sectional shape of "L" shape, that is, a shape having a vertical portion and a horizontal portion as shown.

Therefore, when the probe card 120 is mounted and mounted in the horizontal state inside the support ring 130, the outer surface of the lower surface side of the printed circuit board 122 constituting the probe card 120 includes the support ring 130. It is seated in surface contact with the horizontal portion of the.

The effect at the time of a test | inspection by the above structure is demonstrated schematically below.

First, the wafer (w), which is an inspection object, is transferred and seated and adsorbed on the support chuck 140, and then the support chuck 140 is moved to be close to the position of the probe card 120 to detect the probe on the probe card 120. 124 comes in contact with the wafer w on the support chuck 140, ie each probe 124 is in contact with each contact terminal of the semiconductor die on the wafer w.

Then, a test signal is generated by the tester, and the test signal is generated, and the test signal is sequentially transmitted to the test head 110, the counterpart connector 112, the one-side connector 126, and the signal wiring layer in the printed circuit board 122 and the probe 124. And then eventually input to the corresponding contact terminal of the semiconductor die on the wafer w.

On the other hand, the response signal generated from the semiconductor die on the wafer w is inversely connected to the contact terminal on the semiconductor die, the probe 124, the signal wiring layer in the printed circuit board 122, the one side connector 126, and the mating connector 112. And is transmitted through the test head 110, and then eventually enters the tester.

Therefore, the tester detects an abnormality of each semiconductor die by using an input response signal.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the printed circuit board 122 constituting the probe card 120 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

The printed circuit board 122 constituting the probe card 120 has a complicated signal wiring structure for transmitting various kinds of electrical signals, and a plurality of unit boards are stacked up and down rather than a single layer structure so as to correspond thereto. It is implemented with a multilayer structure.

As is well known, a multilayer printed circuit board is manufactured such that a plurality of unit boards having a signal wiring layer 122b made of a conductive material on the surface thereof are stacked and integrated.

As described above, the printed circuit board 122 for the probe card 120, which is implemented as a multilayer printed circuit board, includes a substrate stack 122a and a substrate stack 122a formed so that a plurality of unit boards are stacked and integrated. The substrate is connected to the via contact 122c formed in the vertical direction to electrically connect the signal wiring layers 122b formed up and down in the multilayer, and the via contact 122c in the substrate stack 122a. A substrate stack formed to protrude on the upper surface of the stack 122a and electrically connected to the one side connector 126 side to be connected to the via contact 122c in the substrate stack 122a. The substrate laminate body is formed so as to protrude on the lower surface of the 122a, except for the lower surface connection terminal 122e to which one end of the probe 124 is electrically connected, and the upper surface connection terminal 122d and the lower surface connection terminal 122e. Overall cover of upper and lower surfaces of 122a) So that the solder resist layer is formed to protect the surface (solder resist layer) (122f-u, 122f-d) comprises a.

Therefore, the upper surface connection terminal 122d, the via contact 122c, the signal wiring layer 122b, and the lower surface connection terminal 122e make electrical connection selectively.

The upper surface connection terminal 122d formed on the upper surface of the substrate stack 122a is electrically connected to the contact pin 126a of the one-side connector 126 mounted on the upper surface of the board stack 122a.

The lower surface connection terminal 122e formed on the lower surface of the substrate stack 122a is electrically connected to one end of the probe 124 coupled to the lower side thereof.

The substrate stack 122a is a structure in which the signal wiring layer 122b is formed on the body of each insulating material, and after selectively stacking a layer including an insulating material including glass fiber and a circuit pattern. It is manufactured to be integrated through heat and pressure.

The via contact 122c formed in the substrate stack 122a in the vertical direction is formed by plating or filling the inside of the via hole penetrating up and down with a conductive material.

For the upper surface connection terminal 122d and the lower surface connection terminal 122e formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate stack 122a, the contact pins 126a of the one-side connector 126 are respectively connected through soldering. One end of the probe 124 is coupled.

Therefore, in order to prevent soldering of portions other than the upper surface connection terminal 122d and the lower surface connection terminal 122e to be soldered at the time of soldering bonding, a solder resist in the form of a paint is applied to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate stack 122a and cured. By doing so, solder resist layers 122f-u and 122f-d are formed.

That is, the solder resist layers 122f-u and 122f-d generally cover the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate laminate 122a except for the upper surface connection terminal 122d and the lower surface connection terminal 122e to be exposed to the outside. Solder bridges should not be generated during soldering.

However, the conventional printed circuit board 122 for the probe card 120 has the following problems.

In general, since the probe 124 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the printed circuit board 122, the connection terminal 122e is also provided at the center of the printed circuit board 122 so that the solder resist is formed at the outer edge of the lower surface of the printed circuit board 122. Layers 122f-u and 122f-d are present.

Since the solder resist layers 122f-u and 122f-d are formed by applying and curing a solder resist in a liquid state, the surface flatness thereof is not uniform and poor.

Accordingly, the solder resist layers 122f-u and 122f-d having poor surface flatness are supported by the support ring 130 because the outer portion of the bottom surface of the printed circuit board 122 is mounted on the horizontal portion of the support ring 130. As a result, the horizontal and positional alignment of the mounted printed circuit board 122 is poor.

As a result, a problem arises in that the mounted one side connector 126 is erroneously connected to the mating connector 112, and the coupled probe 124 is erroneously contacted with a contact terminal on the semiconductor die, thereby improving reliability in operation and inspection. It is falling.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, by improving the level and position alignment of the printed circuit board according to the mounting, to provide a printed circuit board for the probe card that can ensure the reliability of operation and inspection The purpose is to provide.

The above objects and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the preferred embodiments of the present invention by those skilled in the art.

A printed circuit board for a probe card in which an outer portion is mounted in a horizontal state on a support ring of a probing inspection apparatus in a state in which a plurality of probes of the present invention are combined to achieve the above object, is electrically connected to one end of the probe. A connection terminal formed to be exposed to the inner surface of the outer portion; A metal layer formed on the surface of the outer portion at least partially in surface contact with the support ring and spaced apart from the connection terminal; And a solder resist layer formed between the connection terminal and the metal film layer on the surface of the outer portion.
Preferably, the connection terminal and the metal film layer may be formed of the same metal material.

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Also preferably, the connection terminal and the metal layer may be formed of copper (Cu) material.

Also preferably, the connection terminal and the metal film layer may be formed at the same time by forming a film layer at the same time through any one of thin plate attachment, vapor deposition, and plating, and may be simultaneously patterned to complete formation.

According to the present invention, since the printed circuit board can be seated on the support ring through the metal film layer portion having excellent surface flatness, the printed circuit board can have excellent horizontality and positional alignment in the mounted state. In addition to being able to be connected precisely with respect to the coupled probe, the coupled probe can be exactly contacted with a contact terminal on the semiconductor die, thereby improving the reliability in operation and inspection.

In addition, since the metal film layer may be simultaneously formed on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board together with the bottom connection terminal, an additional process may not be generated, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

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

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a printed circuit board for a probe card according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Prior to the description, the same components as in the prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description will be omitted.

The printed circuit board 122 'for the probe card 120' according to the present invention is mounted on the support ring 130 of the probing inspection apparatus so as to be seated in a horizontal state while the plurality of probes are coupled to each other. The outer peripheral portion of the lower surface side of which at least a portion of the ring is seated in surface contact is not formed of the solder resist layer 122f-d as in the prior art, but is formed of a metal film layer having excellent surface flatness.

Accordingly, the printed circuit board 122 ′ may be seated to contact the support ring 130 through the metal film layer 122g having excellent surface flatness, thereby ensuring excellent horizontality and position alignment. Can be.

At this time, the metal film layer 122g may be formed by a thin plate attachment, deposition, plating, etc. Among them, the thin plate attachment method is to press the thin plate to attach, the deposition method is a semiconductor pattern formation Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) or Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), which is mainly used in the process, is used. It is to use.

In addition, the metal film layer 122g is spaced apart from the connection terminal 122e to prevent conduction with the lower surface connection terminal 122e, so that only at least a portion of the metal ring layer 122 is directly in surface contact with the support ring 130. The other portion of the surface of the outer portion between the connection terminal and the metal film layer is formed of a solder resist layer 122f-d 'as in the related art.

That is, since the lower surface connection terminal 122e is mainly formed at the central portion of the lower surface side of the printed circuit board 122 ′ for connection with the probe 124, only the outer surface of the outer portion that is horizontally seated on the support ring 130 is formed of metal. When the film layer 122g is formed, and the metal film layer 122g and the lower surface connection terminal 122e are formed of the solder resist layer 122f-d ', the metal film layer 122g is formed by the solder resist layer 122f-d'. ) And the bottom surface may be cut off the electrical contact between the connection terminal (122e).

In addition, the metal film layer 122g is formed through the same material and manufacturing method as the connection terminal 122e so that the metal film layer 122g may be simultaneously formed together with the lower surface connection terminal 122e.

Preferably, since the upper and lower connection terminals 122d and 122e are mainly formed of copper (Cu) material, the metal film layer 122g may also be formed of the same copper material.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the printed circuit board 122 'for the probe card 120' having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, a substrate stacked body 122a in which a via contact 122c in a vertical direction is formed along with a multilayer signal wiring layer 122b is manufactured.

Specifically, the via contact is formed by integrally manufacturing the signal wiring layer 122b on the body of the insulating material, forming a via hole penetrating in the vertical direction, and plating or filling the via hole with a conductive material. By forming 122c, the substrate laminated body 122a can be manufactured.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, a thin film layer is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate stack 122a by using a method of attaching a thin plate of a metal material or depositing or plating the metal material. The film layer is patterned by using a series of photolithography and etching processes widely used in the semiconductor pattern forming process, thereby forming the upper and lower connection terminals 122d and 122e having a desired shape. ) And a metal film layer 122g.

At this time, the formation process of the upper surface connection terminal 122d on the upper surface and the formation process of the lower surface connection terminal 122e and the metal film layer 122g on the lower surface are respectively performed separately, and the important point is the lower surface connection terminal on the lower surface. Formation of the 122e and the metal film 122g is carried out simultaneously.

In detail, the metal material is formed into a thin film layer on the surface of the substrate stack 122a by any one method of lamination, deposition, or plating, and then the formed film layer is subjected to a series of semiconductor pattern forming processes of photolithography and etching. By patterning in the desired form, the lower surface connection terminal 122e and the metal film layer 122g are formed at once.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the solder resist layer 122f-u is generally applied to the upper and lower portions of the substrate stack 122a between the upper connection terminal 122d, the lower connection terminal 122e, and the metal film layer 122g. , 122f-d ').

Specifically, the liquid solder resist is first applied overall by screen printing, curtain coating, roll coating, spray coating, and the like, and then heated. Or by selectively curing in the same manner as ultraviolet irradiation, and removing and patterning the uncured solder resist of only the upper connection terminal 122d, the lower connection terminal 122e, and the metal film layer 122g to form a solder resist of a desired shape. Layers 122f-u and 122f-d '.

As a result, the printed circuit board 122 ′ according to the present invention may be manufactured, and the probe card may be further coupled to the one side connector 126 and the probe 124 on the printed circuit board 122 ′. 120 'can be made.

According to the present invention as described above, the outer surface side of the lower surface side of the printed circuit board 122 'seated on the support ring 130 as a metal film layer (122g) having excellent surface flatness without being formed as a conventional solder resist layer Since the finish is formed, the printed circuit board 122 ′ may have excellent horizontality and position alignment in a state where it is mounted to be seated on the support ring 130.

Thus, the horizontal and positional alignment of the one-side connector 126 and the probe 124 coupled to the printed circuit board 122 'can also be accurate, so that the one-side connector 126 is connected to the mating connector 112 during operation. Can be accurately connected, and the probe 124 can be exactly in contact with the contact terminals on the semiconductor die, and as a result, reliability in operation and inspection can be ensured.

In particular, according to the present invention, since the metal film layer 122g is formed at the same time as the connection terminal 122e, no additional process is generated, and thus manufacturing cost can be reduced.

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.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional probing inspection apparatus,

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a conventional printed circuit board for a probe card;

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a printed circuit board for a probe card according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

4A to 4C are cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a process of manufacturing a printed circuit board for a probe card according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

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

120 ': probe card 122': printed circuit board

122a: substrate laminate 122b: horizontal wiring layer

122c: Via contact 122d: Top connection terminal

122e: Bottom connection terminal 122f-u, 122f-d ': Solder resist layer

122g: metal film layer 124: probe

126: one side connector 126a: contact pin

Claims (5)

In the printed circuit board for a probe card mounted on the support ring of the probing inspection device in a state in which a plurality of probes are coupled to the outside is mounted in a horizontal state, A connection terminal formed to be exposed to an inner surface of the outer portion to be electrically connected to one end of the probe; A metal layer formed on the surface of the outer portion at least partially in surface contact with the support ring and spaced apart from the connection terminal; And And a soldering resist layer formed between the connection terminal and the metal film layer on the outer surface of the outer portion. The method of claim 1, The connection terminal and the metal film layer, Printed circuit board for a probe card, characterized in that formed of the same metal material. The method of claim 2, The connection terminal and the metal film layer, Printed circuit board for a probe card, characterized in that formed of copper (Cu) material. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The connection terminal and the metal film layer, A printed circuit board for a probe card, characterized in that the film layer is formed at the same time through any one of thin plate attachment, vapor deposition, and plating, and then patterned and completed at the same time. In the printed circuit board for a probe card mounted on the support ring of the probing inspection device in a state in which a plurality of probes are coupled to the outside is mounted in a horizontal state, The printed circuit board, A connection terminal formed to be exposed to an inner surface of the outer portion to be electrically connected to one end of the probe; A metal layer formed on the surface of the outer portion at least partially in surface contact with the support ring and spaced apart from the connection terminal; And And a soldering resist layer formed between the connection terminal and the metal film layer on the outer surface of the outer portion.

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