KR101317251B1 - Probe Card - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a probe card capable of reducing a signal transmission path from a main substrate to a probe so as to have less influence on an external noise signal and coping with highly integrated devices. The probe card 100 includes a probe 110 contacting the electrode pad of the semiconductor chip to determine whether the semiconductor chip is defective or not. A first guide 120 for supporting the probe 110; a first guide 120 having a hole 122 through which the probe 110 is inserted; A second guide 130 for receiving a predetermined portion of the probe 110; A first bar 140 supporting the first guide 120 while receiving the probe 110 penetrating the first guide 120; A flexible substrate 160 connected to the probe 110 to transmit an electrical signal to the probe 110; And a main board 170 connected to the flexible board 160 to transmit an electrical signal to the flexible board 160, wherein the flexible board 160 and the main board 170 are sockets provided on the main board 170. It is characterized in that the connection through the unit 172.

Probe card, probe

Description

Probe Card {Probe Card}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a probe card that is in contact with an electrode pad of a semiconductor chip to determine whether or not a semiconductor chip is defective. More particularly, the present invention relates to a probe card capable of reducing a signal transmission path from a main substrate to a probe, thereby receiving less influence on an external noise signal.

Generally, a semiconductor device is fabricated through a fabrication process for forming a pattern on a wafer and an assembly process for assembling a wafer on which a pattern is formed to each chip, and between such a fabrication process and an assembly process An electrical dicing (EDS) process is performed to check the electrical characteristics of each chip constituting the wafer.

The EDS process is a process for discriminating defective chips among the chips constituting the wafer, that is, an electric signal is applied to each chip constituting the wafer, and it is judged whether or not the defect is caused by a signal checked from the applied electric signal For this purpose, it is necessary to provide a probe card including a probe which directly contacts the pattern of each chip on the wafer and applies an electrical signal.

Generally, the probe card includes a main substrate, a sub-substrate (or a ceramic substrate called a space transformer), an interface means for interfacing a main substrate and a sub-substrate (or a probe), a probe As shown in Fig.

Recently, semiconductor devices are increasingly highly integrated, and accordingly, development of probe cards for highly integrated semiconductor devices is essential. In the probe card for a highly integrated semiconductor device, the interface means for connecting the main substrate and the sub substrate is very important. The interface means should be such that the circuit pattern is gradually reduced from the main substrate to the sub-substrate while accurate electrical signal transmission from the main substrate to the sub-substrate is required.

In the conventional probe card, the interface means is usually a rod or a wire having a circular or elliptical cross section, and its upper and lower ends are connected to the main board and the sub board by welding or soldering, respectively, so that an electrical signal is transmitted. But. Such conventional interface means has a problem in that damage due to an impact that may occur during the contact process between the probe and the pad (i.e., welding or soldering between the substrate and the interface unit) may occur due to the lack of connection flexibility.

A probe card for solving the above-mentioned problems has been disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 0394134.

1 is a view showing a configuration of a probe card according to the related art. And FIG. 2 is a view showing a configuration of a needle block applied to the probe card of FIG.

The conventional probe card includes a main substrate member 10, a flexible substrate member 20 detachably coupled to the main substrate member 10, an upper stiffening plate member 30, a flexible substrate member 20, A plurality of socket members 50 through which the flexible substrate member passes and both side ends thereof are screwed to the guide plate member 40; A needle block 60 having a plurality of needles 62 embedded therein so as to protrude finely up and down respectively, a circuit pattern connected to the other end side pattern of the flexible substrate member is formed, A connecting pattern is formed so as to be electrically connected to the upwardly projecting connection end of the needle 62 of the needle block while the connecting pattern of the upper and lower surfaces is electrically connected to each other, And a reinforcing plate member (80).

However, the conventional probe card configured as described above has the following problems. First, there is a problem in that it takes a long time to manufacture a probe card by manually connecting the sub substrate, the needle and the needle block, the sub substrate and the flexible substrate, the flexible substrate, and the main substrate. In addition, since the load of the card assembly is increased because of the plurality of substrate members, there is a problem in that the bending of the substrate member occurs. In addition, by mounting the flexible substrate in the socket through the main substrate, there is a problem that damage to the flexible substrate occurs to inhibit signal transmission.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a probe card capable of minimizing deformation, such as bending, by reducing the load by providing only a guide and a bar as a structure. In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a probe card that is easy to repair and easy to manufacture by having a configuration for connecting a signal line to a flexible substrate coupled to the socket portion provided on the main substrate.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a probe card that can minimize the damage to the flexible substrate by having a configuration in which the flexible substrate is coupled to the socket portion provided on the upper surface of the main substrate without penetrating the main substrate.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a probe card comprising: a probe which contacts an electrode pad of a semiconductor chip to determine whether the semiconductor chip is defective; A first guide for supporting the probe, the first guide having a hole through which the probe is inserted; A second guide for receiving a predetermined portion of the probe; A first bar supporting the first guide while receiving the probe penetrating the first guide; A flexible substrate connected to the probe to transmit an electrical signal to the probe; And a main substrate connected to the flexible substrate so that an electrical signal is transmitted to the flexible substrate, wherein the flexible substrate and the main substrate are connected through a socket part provided on the main substrate.

Wherein the probe comprises a body having an "a" shape passing through the first guide; A post portion formed at one end of the body portion; And a tip portion formed at one end of the post portion and contacting a pad of the semiconductor chip. A protrusion may be formed on a side surface of the body portion so that the body portion is not separated downward from the first guide.

The body and the protrusion may be fixed to the first guide with an epoxy.

The material of the first and second guides may include silicon.

The display device may further include a second bar connected to a bottom surface of the first bar to support the first bar.

The material of the first and second bars may include invar.

The probe and the flexible substrate may be connected through a conductive line.

A reinforcing member for preventing deformation of the main board may be connected to the main board.

According to the present invention, by providing only the configuration of the guide and the bar as a structure of the probe card, the load is reduced, thereby reducing the deformation such as bending.

In addition, according to the present invention, by providing a configuration for connecting the signal line to the flexible substrate coupled to the socket portion provided on the main substrate there is an effect that is easy to repair and easy to manufacture.

In addition, according to the present invention, the flexible substrate is provided with a configuration coupled to the socket portion provided on the upper surface of the main substrate without penetrating the main substrate, thereby minimizing damage to the flexible substrate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in order to facilitate a person skilled in the art to easily carry out the technical idea of the present invention. do.

3 and 4 are a cross-sectional view and an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the probe card 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a connection state between the probe 110 and the signal line 164.

3 and 4, the probe card 100 includes a probe 110, first and second guides 120 and 130, first and second bars 140 and 150, a main substrate 170, and The reinforcing member 180 is a main configuration.

The probe 110 is brought into contact with the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip to determine whether or not the semiconductor chip is defective. Here, the material used for manufacturing the probe 110 may include tungsten (W), copper (Cu), nickel-cobalt (Ni-Co) alloy, beryllium-copper (Be-Cu)

In the present invention, the probe 110 includes a body portion 112, a post portion 114, a tip portion 116, and a protruding terminal portion 118.

The body portion 112 has a vertical portion 112a and a horizontal portion 112b connected to each other to be formed in a "b" shape, and a post portion 114 having a predetermined length is formed at an end of the horizontal portion 112b. In addition, as the horizontal cross-sectional area is gradually reduced at the end of the post portion 114, the tip portion 116 is formed in a polygonal or conical shape so that the tip portion 116 is in direct contact with the pad of the semiconductor chip. A protruding terminal portion 118 protruding from the body portion 112 is formed near the middle of the body portion 112. The protruding terminal portions 118 protrude in opposite directions from each other with respect to the body portion 112 of the probe 110. The protruding terminal portions 118 are preferably formed in the same shape and size.

The body part 112, the post part 114, the tip part 116 and the projecting terminal part 118 constituting the probe 110 are integrally formed by using an electroplating method or a fine patterning method. The probe 110 is preferably fabricated to have a thickness ranging from 30 to 50 mu m.

The signal line 164 is soldered to the end of the vertical portion 112a of the body 112 constituting the probe 110, and the circuit pattern of the probe 110 and the main substrate 170 to be described later is connected to the signal line 164. A flexible printed circuit (FPCB) 160 for connecting is soldered.

The first guide 120 serves to fix and support the probe 110. Referring to FIG. 4, a plurality of probes 110 are inserted into the first guide 120 in two rows, and the probes 110 in each column are opposed to each other.

In general, the guide used in the probe card is fixed to support the probe to prevent the probe from moving from its original position by moving in the X- or Y-axis direction due to the pressure generated when the probe and the electrode pad of the semiconductor chip contact each other. As the semiconductor chip is highly integrated, the gap between the pads of the semiconductor chip decreases, and thus the gap between the probes decreases, so that electrical contact between the probes may occur, so that the guide may serve as an insulating film between the probes.

The vertical portion 112a of the body portion 112 is penetrated through the through hole 122 and supported by the first guide 120. [ At this time, since the protruding terminal portion 118 contacts the upper surface of the first guide 120, the degree of penetration of the probe 110 is limited, and as a result, the probe 110 does not drop downward from the first guide 120 . The protruding terminal portion 118 is firmly fixed to the upper surface of the first guide 120 by the epoxy molding 190, and in this process, the epoxy molding 190 also comes into contact with the body portion 112, so that the probe 110 is formed. 1 Guide 120 may be more firmly fixed support. The horizontal portion 112b is spaced apart from the upper surface of the first guide 120 in a state where the projecting terminal portion 118 is fixed to the first guide 120. [

In the present invention, a plurality of first guides 120 may be provided, and a plurality of probes 110 may be fixedly supported on the first guides 120. For example, five DUTs (Device Under Test), that is, a plurality of probes 110 capable of measuring the electrical characteristics of five semiconductor chips are inserted and accommodated in one first guide 120, A plurality of guides 120 may be assembled to manufacture a probe card. As a result, even if some probes are broken, only the guide in which the probes are installed can be separated from the probe card, which makes it easy to repair the probe card.

The second guide 130 serves to minimize the interference between the probes 110 by limiting the movable range of the probes 110. The second guide 130 is disposed in a spaced space between the horizontal portion 112b of the body portion 112 and the upper surface of the first guide 120, particularly when the tip portion 116 is in contact with the electrode pad. A predetermined portion of the probe 110 is installed directly below the tip portion 116 to be easily received. The second guide 130 is formed with a receiving groove 132 in which a predetermined portion of the probe 110, that is, the horizontal portion 112b and a portion of the post portion 114, is accommodated. That is, since the probe 110 is accommodated in the receiving groove 132 of the second guide 130, the range of the probe 110 can be limited. Particularly, when the probes 110 are brought into contact with the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip, it is possible to suppress the movement in the left and right directions as much as possible, thereby minimizing the influence between the probes 110. In addition, the second guide 130 can mitigate the impact when the probe 110 comes into contact with the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip. As described above, according to the present invention, since the probe 110 is fixedly supported by the first 120 and the second 120, the position control of the probe can be finely controlled, so that the probe can easily contact the terminal of the highly integrated device There is an advantage.

The first and second guides 120 and 130 are preferably made of silicon. This is because micrometer-scale unit structures can be fabricated because silicon can be microfabricated, and it is easy to form an insulating film, which may be needed in an electronic device such as a probe card.

The first and second guides 120 and 130 may be manufactured separately and then joined together or may be integrally manufactured. In the former case, the first and second guides 120 and 130 are bonded using an epoxy molding (not shown).

The first bar 140 supports the first guide 120 while receiving the probe 110 penetrating the first guide 120. The first bar 140 is disposed below the first guide 120, and the first bar 140 is formed with a first hole 142 to accommodate the probe 110. Here, the diameter of the first hole 142 is formed sufficiently larger than the size of the vertical portion 112a of the body portion 112 so that the outer periphery of the vertical portion 112a of the body portion 112 and the inner circumference of the first hole 142. It is desirable to make the spaced apart. The first bar 140 is bonded to the first guide 120 using an epoxy molding 190.

The second bar 150 supports the first bar 140. The second bar 150 is disposed below the first bar 140, and the second bar 150 has a second hole 152 formed therein to accommodate the signal line 164 connected to the probe 110. do.

It is preferable to use Invar as the material of the first and second bars 140 and 150. This is because the variation of the probe card characteristics according to the temperature change can be minimized. The first bar 140 and the second bar 150 are bonded using the epoxy molding 190.

The signal line 164 accommodated in the second hole 152 formed in the second bar 150 is connected to the flexible substrate 160 connected to the socket portion 172 of the main substrate 170, which will be described later. In the flexible substrate 160, wirings are formed for each signal line 164 connected to each of the probes 110, and first contact terminals 162 for connecting to the sockets 172 are formed at each wiring end. A signal applied in a circuit pattern of the main substrate 170 may be applied to each probe 110.

As such, the probe card of the present invention has the advantage of minimizing deformation such as bending by reducing the load by providing only the guide and the bar as a structure.

5 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the probe unit 110A. As shown, the probe unit 110A includes a probe card 100 including a plurality of probes 110 / first and second guides 120 and 130 and first and second bars 140 and 150. It is the basic unit that constitutes. That is, the probe card 100 is manufactured by connecting the plurality of probe units 110A to the main board 170 to be described later.

The main board 170 corresponds to, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB), and is a board on which a circuit pattern for applying an electrical signal to the probe 110 is formed. The bottom of the second bar 150 is fixed.

A socket part 172 is formed on the main board 170 to receive an external signal, and the circuit pattern of the main board 170 penetrates the inside of the main board 170 in the socket 172 part. A second contact terminal 174 is connected to (not shown).

As a result, the electric signal in the probe card 110 is finally passed through the circuit pattern / main board 170 of the main board 170, the socket part 172, the flexible board 160, the signal line 164, and the probe 110 of the main board 170. It is applied to the electrode pad of a semiconductor chip.

A connection relationship between the socket 172 and the flexible substrate 160 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 6 as follows.

Wires are formed in the flexible substrate 160 for each signal line 164 connected to each of the probes 110, and a first contact terminal 162 is provided at an end of the wire. As shown in FIG. 6A, the first contact terminal 162 is formed at the end of the flexible substrate 160 and is coupled to the socket 172.

The second contact terminal 174 coupled to the first contact terminal 162 is installed in the socket 172. The first contact terminal 162 is formed in a rod shape, and the end of the second contact terminal 174 is bent in a “U” shape. Therefore, the first contact terminal 162 is inserted into the second contact terminal 174 to be in elastic contact. In this case, a protrusion may be formed at an end portion of the second contact terminal 174 to improve contact between the first contact terminal 162 and the second contact terminal 174 and to facilitate the maintenance of the state of being coupled to each other. have. In addition, the shapes of the first contact terminal 162 and the second contact terminal 174 are not necessarily limited to those illustrated in FIG. 6 as long as they can be in contact with each other to transmit a signal and maintain a contact state.

As a result, the first contact terminal 162 is brought into contact with the second contact terminal 174, and then a predetermined pressure is applied to the flexible substrate 160 (see FIG. 6A). And the second contact terminal 174 are coupled so that an electrical signal can be transmitted from the main substrate 170 to the probe 110 through the first contact terminal 162 and the second contact terminal 174 coupled to each other. (See Fig. 6 (b)).

As described above, the probe card of the present invention is easier to repair than the conventional probe card because the circuit pattern of the probe 110 and the main substrate 170 is connected by using the flexible substrate 160 and the socket portion 172. This has the advantage of being easier. In addition, the flexible substrate 160 has an advantage of minimizing damage to the flexible substrate 160 by having a configuration in which the flexible substrate 160 is coupled to the socket portion 172 provided on the upper surface of the main substrate without penetrating the main substrate 170. .

A reinforcing member 180 is disposed below the main substrate 170 to support the main substrate 170 and prevent the main substrate from being bent downward by an external force. The reinforcing member 180 is coupled to the main substrate 170 using bolts 182.

7 is a perspective view illustrating a coupling state of the probe unit 110A and the main substrate 170. As shown, the probe unit 110A is coupled to the main substrate 170 by bolts 182.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a final completed state of the probe card 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the probe card 100 is manufactured by assembling a plurality of probe units 110A meeting the specifications of the probe card to the main board 170.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, Various variations and modifications are possible. Such variations and modifications are to be considered as falling within the scope of the invention and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a view showing a configuration of a probe card according to the related art; Fig.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a configuration of a needle block used in the probe card of Fig. 1; Fig.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a probe card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a probe card according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a probe unit;

6 is a view for explaining a coupling relationship between a flexible substrate and a socket portion.

7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the probe unit and the main board are engaged;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a final completed state of a probe card according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

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

100: Probe card

110: Probe

110A: Probe unit

112:

114: Post part

116: Tip

118: projecting terminal portion

120: First guide

122: Through hole

130: Second Guide

132: receiving groove

140: first bar

142: first hole

150: second bar

152: second hall

160: flexible substrate

162: first contact terminal

164: signal line

170: main board

172: socket

174: second contact terminal

180: reinforcing member

182: Bolt

190: epoxy molding

Claims (8)

A probe contacting the electrode pad of the semiconductor chip to determine whether the semiconductor chip is defective; A first guide for supporting the probe, the first guide having a hole through which the probe is inserted; A second guide for receiving a predetermined portion of the probe; A first bar supporting the first guide while receiving the probe penetrating the first guide; A flexible substrate connected to the probe to transmit an electrical signal to the probe; And A main substrate connected to the flexible substrate so that an electrical signal is transmitted to the flexible substrate / RTI &gt; And the flexible substrate and the main substrate are connected through a socket part provided on the main substrate. The method of claim 1, Wherein the probe comprises: An "a" shaped body portion passing through the first guide; A post portion formed at one end of the body portion; And A tip portion formed at one end of the post portion and in contact with a pad of the semiconductor chip / RTI &gt; Wherein a protrusion is formed on a side surface of the body so that the body is not separated from the first guide. 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein the body and the protrusion are fixed to the first guide by epoxy. The method of claim 1, Probe card, characterized in that the material of the first and second guide comprises silicon. The method of claim 1, And a second bar connected to a bottom surface of the first bar to support the first bar. The method of claim 5, Probe card, characterized in that the material of the first and second bars include invar (invar). The method of claim 1, And the probe and the flexible substrate are connected through a conductive line. The method of claim 1, And a reinforcing member for preventing deformation of the main board is connected to the main board.

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