KR101425701B1 - A forked probe for testing semiconductor devices - Google Patents

Abstract

A forked probe design is provided that includes a forked bending element that more efficiently stores displacement energy and for use in a novel probe card. Specifically, the novel probe card includes a substrate and a forked probe connected to the substrate. Wherein the forked probe includes a base connected to the substrate and a forked bending element connected to the base, the forked bending element having a first prong connected at least to the second prong through a prong connection structure, Contains linked handles. The improvement to the probe card includes a structure in which the first prong and the second prong resiliently store some of the displacement energy when the probe tip contacts the DUT. In addition, the forked bending element can be manufactured using photolithography and layer photolithography. Each prong can be composed of different materials. The forked bending element may also be composed of a nickel alloy. Also, the first prong may be configured to be tighter than the second prong, which provides a shorter rubbing length. The stiffness of the prongs can be manipulated by changing the shape and / or material of prongs.

Description

[0001] A FORKED PROBE FOR TESTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES FOR TESTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES [0002]

The present invention relates to an apparatus for testing semiconductor devices, and more particularly to the design of probe contactors for such testing.

Integrated circuits are fabricated by patterning and processing semiconductor wafers in a large parallel process. Each wafer has many identities of the same integrated circuit referred to as "die ". It may be desirable to test semiconductor wafers before the die is cut into individual integrated circuits and packaged for sale. If a defect is found, the defective die may be discarded before wasting the resources to package the defective part. Each die can also be tested before or after being packaged, after being cut into individual integrated circuits (where "packaging" is a process involving electrical interconnect packaging to protect the die and allow assembly to the wiring board Quot;).

To test a wafer, usually called a device under test (DUT), or a respective die, a probe card that contacts the surface of the DUT is usually used. The probe card generally has three special characteristics: (1) an XY arrangement of each probe moving in the Z direction to contact the die pad, (2) an electrical interface connecting the card to a circuit test instrument, (3) The probe card has a rigid reference plane formed in such a way that it is accurately fixed in place. When the probe card contacts the die pad, it is possible to make firm contact with the probe tip due to movement in the Z direction. The probe card ultimately provides an electrical interface that allows the circuit test instrument to temporarily connect to the DUT. The above method of die test is very efficient because multiple dies can be tested at the same time. To further increase this efficiency, the probe card manufacturer is manufacturing a larger probe card with an ever increasing number of probes.

Currently two major types of probe designs are used to test semiconductor dies, which are cantilevers and torsion probes, and Figures 6A and 6B show typical cantilever probes. The probe 605 includes a probe base 620 secured to the probe tip 610, the bending element 615 and the substrate 625. This overall structure is referred to herein as a probe card. The DUT is generally moved in the Z direction (indicated by arrow 630) with respect to the fixed probe card, thereby causing the bending element 615 to flex so that the probe tip 610 contacts the die pad under test. Figure 6b shows how the probe bending element 635 flexes while contacting the die. As each probe moves to contact the DUT contact pad (this situation is referred to as touchdown), the probe tip rubs the contact pad, thereby completing the electrical contact with the die so that testing can begin. The die contact pad, which is typically aluminum (but may be gold, solder, and even copper), is often coated with a thin aluminum oxide layer or other undesirable passivating coating layer, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI > Upon completion of the test, the probe 605 is moved away from the die pad, and the probe returns to its original position.

However, the cantilever design has several disadvantages. A typical cantilever probe is designed as a long bending element that provides a smaller tip contact angle (compared to the same size tip of a typical torsion probe design) during touchdown. This results in a larger tip contact area, and therefore a larger probe force is required to penetrate the aluminum oxide layer. If the force is increased by the hundreds or thousands of probes of a probe card, the probe card must be processed to accommodate considerable force, which generally strengthens the probe card component, Increases complexity.

Another disadvantage is an inefficient distribution of stress. During touchdown, the cantilever probe bends to generate a probe-like stress that appears to be concentrated on the top and bottom surfaces of the bending element near the probe base end of the probe. Figure 7a shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the stresses to which the bending elements of the cantilever probe are subjected, while Figure 7b shows a cross-sectional view in the width direction (A-A section and B-B section) of the stress at each end of the element. The left side (labeled "705") of the figure near the A-A section is part of the bending element near the probe base, and the right side (portion "710") near the B-B section is near the probe tip. The area of the bending element, which is subjected to stresses greater than 50% of the maximum stress, is shown in hatched (815). The corresponding volume of the bending bar subjected to stress greater than 50% of the maximum stress is about 25% of the total cantilever bar volume, and the volume is concentrated in the vicinity of the probe base 705. The opposite end 710 of the bending bar is subjected to a very low stress. It can be clearly seen in Figures 7A and 7B that the stress distribution is inefficient because only a small portion of the bending element receives the stress. It is also in this small part that manufacturers in the probe can not further strengthen the bending element (often by widening the probe foot) to reduce stress and prevent failure.

FIG. 8 shows a cantilever probe 805 with a constant width at the bending element 810. As shown in the dark region 815, the cantilever probe 805 is subjected to the greatest amount of stress at the probe base. The cantilever probe 820 of FIG. 8 has a probe base with a wider bend element 825 and a taper for the probe tip. As shown by the shaded area 830, the stresses received at the bending element 825 are much smaller than in the non-wide design. However, the design is not costly. A wider bending element near the probe base will adversely affect the mounting density of the probe card as shown in Fig. Inefficient packaging density makes it difficult to size and design probe placement to test finer pitch DUTs (pads closer together).

A second type of probe is based on a torsional design developed to overcome some of the disadvantages. For example, U.S. Patent No. 6,426,638 describes a torsion spring design. Figure 6C shows a torsion probe design. The probe tip 81 flexibly moves in response to a force applied perpendicularly to the tip 81 when it contacts the DUT contact pad. The vertical movement of the tip 81 causes the arm 82 to be depressed and twist the twist element 83 in the direction indicated by the arrow 90. The torsional element 83 acts as a torsion spring, thereby applying a restoring force to the tip 81.

The torsional design has several advantages over the cantilever design. A typical torsion probe is designed with a short arm, and during touchdown the probe tip provides a larger tip contact angle (compared to a tip of the same size as a conventional cantilever probe design). This results in a smaller tip contact area and thus requires a smaller probe force to penetrate the aluminum oxide layer, thereby reducing the total force exerted by the probe card. The reduced total force benefits because the probe card does not need to be strengthened as compared to the cantilever design being compared, thereby reducing manufacturing costs or allowing more probes to be mounted on a card.

Finally, the torsional design distributes the stress more efficiently across the volume of the torsional element. Figure 10a shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the stress experienced by the torsional element, while Figure 10b shows a cross-sectional view in the width direction of the stress at each end of the element (C-C section and D-D section). The area of the torsional element that is subjected to stresses greater than 50% of the maximum stress is shown as the hatched area 1005 and the center of the torsion element 1010 is subjected to a minimal amount of stress. The corresponding volume of the torsional element which is subjected to stresses greater than 50% of the maximum stress is about 60% of the total torsional element volume. Unlike cantilever designs, the stresses span the entire length of the torsional element, which is not concentrated at the probe base. Therefore, it is more effective to make the width of the torsion bar constant and thereby improve the mounting density.

Unfortunately, the torsion probe also has disadvantages. First, in a typical twist design with a short shaped arm, the scrub length is generally longer, so the size of the contact pad for the DUT can be limited. Second, again, because of the generally short shape of the can, a large torsional force is required for greater z displacement of the probe tip during the test. The large twist can cause a small z-distortion of the torsion element due to fatigue of the material, which can be interpreted as z-movement. Third, the torsion probe also limits the mounting density in some DUT deployment configurations. 11A shows a probe configuration 1105 with a probe base 1110 and a probe tip 1115. As shown in FIG. In this configuration, the probe card effectively tests the DUT with a contact pad configuration that matches the probe tip configuration. In Fig. 11B, a new probe configuration 1120 with another probe tip configuration 1125 is shown. However, the configuration may not work well because the probes in two or more areas 1130, 1135 interfere with each other and the probe card does not work efficiently.

There is therefore a need for a probe that exploits the advantages of the bi-probe design while reducing the disadvantages of torsion probing and cantilever probe designs.

The present disclosure provides a novel forked probe design that solves the problems of the prior art by allowing the probe to store displacement energy more efficiently. Specifically, the novel probe card includes a substrate and a forked probe connected to the substrate. Wherein the forked probe comprises a base connected to the substrate and a forked bending element connected to the base, the forked bending element having a first prong connected to the second prong at least via a prong connection structure, And the prong connection structure is connected to the handle. A probe tip having a structure for contacting the DUT is connected to the first prong. The improvement to the probe card includes making the first prong, the second prong, and the handle bend to resiliently store the displacement energy when the probe tip contacts the DUT. In addition, the forked bending element can be manufactured using photolithography and layered photolithography. Each prong can be composed of different materials. The forked bending element may also be composed of a nickel alloy. In addition, the first prong may be configured to be stiffer than the second Prong, which may provide a short rubbing length. The stiffness of the prong can be manipulated by changing its shape and / or material composition.

In one embodiment, the substrate may further include a pivot, wherein the second prong contacts the pivot while the probe tip contacts the DUT.

In another embodiment, the forked bending element is connected to the base through a second prong. The embodiment may further include a pivot connected to the substrate, wherein the forked bending element contacts the pivot through the handle while the probe tip contacts the DUT.

In another embodiment, the forked bending element is connected to the base through a handle. The embodiment may further include a pivot connected to the substrate, wherein the second prong contacts the pivot while the probe tip contacts the DUT.

In another embodiment, the pivot is connected to a second prong, which contacts the substrate while the probe tip contacts the DUT.

Also disclosed is a novel forked probe design including a base portion configured to be connected to a substrate and a forked bending element coupled to the base portion. The forked bending element includes at least a first prong connected to a second prong through a prong connection structure, and the prong connection structure is connected to the handle. The probe tip is connected to the first prong. The improvement of the forked probe includes that the first prong, the second prong, and the handle bend to resiliently store the displacement energy when the probe tip contacts the DUT. The forked bending element can also be fabricated using photolithography and layer photolithography. Each prong can be composed of different materials. The forked bending element may also be composed of a nickel alloy.

In one embodiment, the forked bending element is connected to the base through a second prong. In yet another embodiment, the forked bending element is connected to the base via a handle. In another embodiment, the pivot is connected to a second prong or handle.

By using the above embodiments, it is possible to manufacture a forked probe using the advantage of a simple cantilever design, i. E. The advantage of a torsional design with a shorter rubbing length, i.e. a more even stress distribution and mounting density. An advantage of a forked probe is that the probe efficiently absorbs displacement energy over a larger volume of the probe, thereby reducing the need to strengthen the probe. Further, by operating the rigidity of the prong including the fork-shaped bending element, the rubbing length can be shortened. Further, the direction of the rubbing can be changed by operating the structure of the forked probe. As such, the probe is more efficient and cost effective with probe failure due to material fatigue due to high mounting density, low failure rate and low over stress. By fine-tuning the forked probe through the configuration of the prongs and the composition of the material, customization is possible for particular applications that further improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the probe card.

Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of a novel forked probe design.
Figures 2a and 2b illustrate the embodiment of Figure 1 of a configuration in combination with an unjoined configuration (i.e., when the probe tip contacts the DUT).
Figures 3A and 3B illustrate another novel forked probe design of a configuration in combination with an unbonded configuration (i.e., when the probe tip contacts the DUT).
Figures 3C and 3D illustrate a comparison of the undesirable mounting density of the torsion probe configuration compared to the mounting density of the forked probe configuration.
Figures 4A and 4B illustrate another novel forked probe design of a configuration in combination with an unbonded configuration (i.e., when the probe tip contacts the DUT).
Figures 5A and 5B illustrate another novel forked probe design of a configuration in combination with an unbonded configuration (i.e., when the probe tip contacts the DUT).
Figures 6A and 6B show a cantilever probe.
Figure 6c shows a torsion probe.
7A and 7B are cross-sectional views of the longitudinal and width directions of the stresses to which the bending element of the cantilever probe is subjected, respectively.
Figure 8 shows the force exerted by a cantilever probe with a constant width of bending element and a wide bending element.
Figure 9 shows the mounting density of a cantilever probe with a widened bending element.
Figs. 10A and 10B are longitudinal and cross-sectional views, respectively, of the stresses to which the twist element of the twist probe is subjected.
Figs. 11A and 11B show the mounting density and concomitant inefficiency of the torsion probe arrangement.

Described below is a novel forked probe design that includes a forked bending element. The element allows the forked probe to more efficiently store displacement energy over a larger volume in the probe structure. The forked probe has the advantage of higher packing density, less probe failure due to material fatigue, lower probe card force and shorter rubbing length. The forked probe design can be manipulated to optimize for specific applications while improving probe card efficiency and cost effectiveness.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a novel forked probe 105. The forked probe 105 includes a probe base 110 connected to a substrate (not shown) and a forked bending element 115 (shaded for illustration). The forked bending element 115 includes at least two prongs 120 and 125, a prong connection structure 127 between the prongs and a table fork 129 including a handle 129 connected to the prong base 110 and prong connection structure 127. [ As shown in FIG. The probe tip 130 is connected to the first prong 120 through the probe support 135. A pivot 140 (also known as a stop) located a distance from the second prong 125 is connected to the substrate. Due to the perspective of FIG. 1, the narrow spacing between the pivot 140 and the second prong 125 is not visible.

2A and 2B show the same embodiment shown in FIG. 2A is a side view of the forked probe 105 in an unbonded configuration, i.e., the configuration in which the probe tip is not in contact with the DUT. In this respect, the spacing between the pivot 140 and the second prong 125 is visible. In FIG. 2B, the forked probe 105 is in a combined configuration (i.e., in contact with the DUT) such that a force 205 is applied to the probe tip. The force 205 bends the forked bending element, thus resiliently storing the displacement energy. Due to the shape of the forked bending elements, the energy is more uniformly distributed than in a simple cantilever design. Specifically, the probe 105 includes a first prong 120 at a location 215, a second prong 125 at a location 225, and a handle 129 at locations 220 and 210, (Shaded). The advantage of a more evenly distributed stress is that the probe does not need to be reinforced with additional material to operate effectively as in a simple cantilever design, and therefore a much more efficient and desirable packing density is possible with the forked probe 105.

Another advantage of the forked probe design is that the rubbing length is shorter compared to the torsion probe. 2A, probe 105 acts as a cantilever with respect to the rubbing length before the probe 105 is engaged but the second prong 125 contacts the pivot 140. When the second prong 125 contacts the pivot 140, the second prong 125 begins to slide along the pivot 140, thereby causing the probe tip to slightly translate. However, the movement of the probe tip (and subsequent rubbing length) is much smaller than the torsion probe design. Thus, the forked probe has a higher mounting density than the torsion probe design.

The rubbing length can be adjusted more finely by manipulating the material composition and / or shape of prongs. For example, in FIG. 2A, the second prong 125 may be made stronger than the first prong 120, which would provide a shorter rubbing length. An advantage over short rubbing lengths is that it allows test dies with smaller contact pads. Conversely, the second prong 125 may be made to be weaker than the first prong 120, which would provide a longer rubbing length. The rigidity of each prong can be manipulated by selecting an appropriate material. Materials with low Young's modulus are more flexible and therefore weaker. Higher Young's modulus is stronger. By making prongs longer and / or thinner and thus weaker prongs, stiffness adjustments can be made, and conversely stiffer prongs can be made shorter, thicker and / or wider. The same operation can be performed on the forked bending element handle.

The forked probe may be constructed using a number of techniques, including those disclosed in U.S. Patent Applications No. 11/019912 and No. 11/102982, both of which are commonly owned by the applicant of the present application , Incorporated herein by reference. The two applications describe the use of common photolithographic patterning techniques combined with the use of sacrificial metals to further fabricate microstructures such as probes. The probe can be made using several kinds of materials. The most common of these is a nickel alloy that has good performance and is preferably plated. The alloy may include nickel cobalt (NiCo) and nickel manganese (NiMn), and nickel manganese is more flexible, i.e., has the lowest Young's modulus.

U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11 / 194,801 teaches forming other portions of the probe in different photolithographic layers, and the shape is described in U.S. Patent Application Serial Nos. 11/019912 and 11/102982 using a photolithographic process Is possible. Using this technique, it is possible to produce various parts of a forked probe with different materials, which makes it possible to fine tune the hybrid probe properties. For example, to obtain a short rubbing length, the first prong 120 may be made of nickel cobalt (less flexible) while the second prong 125 may be made of nickel manganese (more flexible). If long rub lengths are desired, the materials can be selected differently.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate another embodiment of a novel forked probe 305. FIG. Figure 3a is a side view of a forked probe 305 in an unfastened configuration, i.e., a configuration in which the probe tip is not in contact with the DUT. The forked probe 305 includes a probe base 310 connected to the substrate 312 and a forked bending element 315 (shaded for illustration). The forked bending element 315 further includes at least two prongs 320,325, a prong connection structure 327 between the prongs and a handle 329 connected to the prong connection structure 327. The probe tip 330 is connected to the first prong 320 through the probe post 335. A pivot 340 positioned at a distance 345 from the handle 329 is connected to the substrate. Or the pivot 340 may be attached to the handle 329. 3B, the forked probe 305 is in a combined configuration (i.e., in contact with the DUT) such that a force 350 is applied to the probe tip. The force 350 bends the forked bending element, thus resiliently storing the displacement energy. As described above, due to the shape of the forked bending elements, the energy can be more evenly distributed than in a simple cantilever design. That is, the forked probe 305 has four or more regions 355, 360, 365, and 370 that are subjected to a high stress and these regions are spread over the first prong 320, the second prong 325, and the handle 329. By having a more evenly distributed stress profile, the forked probe 305 can operate more effectively and efficiently without reinforcement or excessive processing, as in a simple cantilever design. Of course, the forked probe 305 may be configured with a variety of materials and / or shapes to achieve the desired performance specifications.

The advantage of the forked probe 305 is that it has a much shorter rubbing length than that described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, because the forked probe configuration actually changes the rubbing direction. 3A, probe 305 is engaged but before forked bending element 315 touches pivot 340, probe 305 acts like a cantilever with respect to the rubbing length. The direction of the rubbing length of the first mode is shown by the arrow 375. When the forked bending element 315 touches the pivot 340 via the handle 329 the handle 329 begins to slide along the pivot 340 so that the probe team moves a little in the direction of the arrow 380 So that the rubbing direction is changed in the second mode and the path is returned. Ultimately, the rubbing length is shorter than a conventional cantilever and is much shorter than a torsion probe design. Thus, the forked probe 305 can be used with a very high mounting density.

In addition, the forked probe has advantages over the torsion probe. In Figures 3C and 3D, the mounting density of the torsion probe is compared to the mounting density of the forked probe. FIG. 3C is the same as FIG. 11B, but is shown here for convenience of side by side comparison. It is necessary to know that the probe configuration 1120 may not work because in the two or more areas 1130 and 1135 the probes may interfere with each other and prevent the probe card from operating efficiently. However, the same probe tip configuration can be achieved using a forked probe as shown in FIG. Probe tip configuration 385 is identical to torsion probe tip configuration 1125, but does not result in interference between probes, as in a torsional design. Thus, forked probes can accommodate more probe team configurations than torsion probes.

Figures 4A and 4B illustrate another embodiment of the novel forked probe 405. [ 4A is a side view of a forked probe 405 in an unbonded configuration (i.e., the probe tip is not in contact with the DUT). The forked probe 405 includes a probe base 410 connected to the substrate 412 and a forked bending element 415 (shaded for illustration). The forked bending element 415 further includes at least two prongs 420 and 425, a prong connection structure 427 between prongs and a handle 429 connected to prong base 410 and prong connection structure 427. The probe tip 430 is connected to the first prong 420 through the probe post 435. The pivot 440 located at a distance 445 from the substrate 412 is connected to the second prong 425. Although not shown in this figure, it is also possible to have a second pivot on the substrate such that the pivot 440 can be brought into contact with the second pivot. In Fig. 4B, the forked probe 405 is in a combined configuration (i.e., in contact with the DUT) such that a force 450 is applied to the probe tip. Due to the force 450, the forked bending element deflects and thus elastically stores the displacement energy. As described above, the shape of the forked bending element allows the energy to be more evenly distributed than in a simple cantilever design. Specifically, the forked probe 405 has five regions that are subjected to high stresses throughout the forked probe bending element 415, the first prong 420 being highly stressed at the location 455, The second prong 425 is subjected to high stress at positions 460 and 465 and the handle 427 is subjected to a high stress at positions 470 and 475. [ By having a more evenly distributed stress profile, the forked probe 405 can operate more effectively and efficiently without reinforcement or excessive processing, as in a simple cantilever design.

Figures 5A and 5B illustrate another embodiment of a new forked probe 505 similar to the previous embodiment. 5A is a side view of the unbonded configuration, i.e., the forked probe 505 in which the probe tip is not in contact with the DUT. The forked probe 505 includes a probe base 510 connected to the substrate 512 and a forked bending element 515 (shaded for illustration). The forked bending element 515 further includes at least two prongs 520,525, a prong connection structure 527 between the prongs and a handle 529 connected to the prong base 510 and prong connection structure 527. The probe tip 530 is connected to the first prong 520 through the probe support 535. The pivot 540 located at a distance 545 from the substrate 512 is connected to the second prong 525. Although not shown in the drawings, it is also possible to have a second pivot on the substrate such that the pivot 540 is in contact with the second pivot. 5B, the forked probe 505 is in a combined configuration (i.e., in contact with the DUT) such that a force 550 is applied to the probe tip. The force 550 causes the forked bending element to bend and thus efficiently and elastically stores the displacement energy over the forked probe 505. [ Specifically, the forked probe 505 has five regions 555, 560, 565, 570, and 575 that are subjected to high stress. Each of the regions of high stress includes a first prong 520 (position 555), a second prong 525 (positions 565 and 575) and a handle 529 (positions 560 and 570) Lt; / RTI > As with all of the above embodiments, the forked probe 505 can be composed of various shapes and various materials to achieve the desired performance specifications.

By using the above embodiments, it is possible to manufacture a forked probe using the advantage of a simple cantilever design, i. E. The advantage of a torsional design with a shorter rubbing length, i.e. a more even stress distribution and mounting density. An advantage of a forked probe is that the probe efficiently absorbs displacement energy over a larger volume of the probe, thereby reducing the need to strengthen the probe. Further, by operating the rigidity of the prong including the fork-shaped bending element, the rubbing length can be shortened. Further, the direction of the rubbing can be changed by operating the structure of the forked probe. As such, the probe is more efficient and cost effective with probe failure due to material fatigue due to high mounting density, low failure rate and low over stress. By fine-tuning the forked probe through the configuration of the prongs and the composition of the material, customization is possible for particular applications that further improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the probe card.

While the foregoing presents a particular embodiment of the invention, it is evident that many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the inventive concept thereof. The claims herein are intended to represent variations within the true concept and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and the scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes in the meaning of the scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be embraced therein. Moreover, applicants do not explicitly contemplate "embodiments of the specification are strictly equivalent" to the following claims. Philips vs. AHW Corporation Decision, 415F.3d 1303, 1323 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (Power Agreement).

Claims (32)

A substrate;
A forked bending element comprising at least two prongs, a handle, a prong connection structure between said at least two prongs and a handle,
A base portion connected between the substrate and the end of the handle of the forked bending element,
A probe tip,
A strut connected between an end of the first prong of at least two prongs of the forked bending element and the probe tip,
A pivot disposed at a predetermined distance from a second one of the at least two prongs of the forked bending element and connected to the substrate,
A pivot and a small gap between the ends of the second prong of at least two prongs
Probe card. A substrate;
A forked bending element comprising at least two prongs, a handle, a prong connection structure between said at least two prongs and a handle,
A base portion connected between the substrate and the end of the handle of the forked bending element,
A probe tip,
A strut connected between an end of the first prong of at least two prongs of the forked bending element and the probe tip,
And a pivot disposed at a predetermined distance from the substrate and connected to an end of a second prong of at least two prongs of the forked bending element,
A small gap between the pivot and the substrate
Probe card. A substrate;
At least two prongs, a handle, a forked bending element including a prong connection structure between the at least two prongs and the handle,
A base portion connected between an end of the first prong of at least two prongs of the forked bending element,
A probe tip,
A strut connected between an end of the second prong of at least two prongs of the forked bending element and the probe tip,
A pivot disposed at a predetermined distance from the handle of the forked bending element and connected to the substrate,
With a small gap between the end of the handle and the pivot
Probe card. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The first prong and second prong and the handles of the at least two prongs are configured such that when the probe tip contacts the device under test in response to displacement energy, at least one of the at least two prongs, Each of which is configured to be flexed to elastically store a portion of the displacement energy
Probe card 5. The method of claim 4,
When the probe tip contacts the device under test and the forked bending element contacts the pivot in response to displacement energy, at least one of the first prong, the second prong and the handles of the at least two prongs, respectively, Elastically stored
Probe card. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The forked bending element is manufactured using photolithography
Probe card. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A first prong of at least two prongs is fabricated using a first photolithographic layer and a second prong of at least two prongs is fabricated using a second photolithographic layer
Probe card. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The first prong of at least two prongs and the second prong of at least two prongs are made of materials different from each other
Probe card. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The forked bending element comprises a nickel alloy
Probe card. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The first prong of at least two prongs is more rigid than the second prong of at least two prongs
Probe card. 11. The method of claim 10,
The stiffness of the first prong of at least two prongs is achieved by altering the characteristics of the first prong of at least two prongs, said characteristic being selected from the group consisting of shapes, materials and combinations thereof
Probe card. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
At least one of the at least two first prongs, at least two prongs second prongs and at least one handle of the forked bending element has a rigidity of at least two prongs and a second prong of at least two prongs, And the stiffness of the rest of the handles
Probe card. 13. The method of claim 12,
The rigidity of each of the at least two prongs, the first prong, the at least two prongs, the second prong, and the handle, is achieved by varying a characteristic selected from the group consisting of shape, material, and combinations thereof
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