KR101545815B1 - Probe card having interchangeable thin film in damaged and method for interchanging thin film in damaged - Google Patents

Abstract

A probe card capable of replacing a damaged thin film resistor of the present invention has a wiring line in a probe substrate and an upper surface port on the probe card which interface an electric signal between a tester and a probe. The probe card of the present invention includes: a thin film resistor pattern which has a first thickness on the probe substrate in order to provide resistance to a path of the electric signal interfaced by the wiring line; a pair of thin film circuit patterns which have a second thickness larger than the first thickness on the probe substrate, and are connected to both ends of the thin film resistor pattern electrically; and a protective film which is stacked on the thin film resistor pattern and the thin film circuit pattern to protect the thin film resistor pattern and the thin film circuit patterns, and exposes the thin film circuit patterns through opening for resistor replacement. According to the present invention, it is easy to replace the damaged thin film resistor.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a probe card and a thin film resistor replacement method capable of replacing a damaged thin film resistor during an inspection process.

The present invention relates to a probe card capable of replacing a damaged thin film resistor during an inspection process, and a replacement method thereof. In particular, a thin film resistor has a small line width and is damaged or deformed by heat generation Such damage may cause a decrease in the inspection yield because the resistance value can not be modified to provide a desired resistance value. Therefore, resistance damage occurring in the manufacturing process of the thin film resistor, as well as in the inspection process after the manufacture of the thin film resistor The resistance of the thin film resistor is changed in the manufacturing process of the thin film resistor in the process of manufacturing the thin film resistor and the both ends of the replacing resistor are connected to the exposed thin film circuit through the opening for resistance change, Damaged foil that can simply replace the new replacement resistor on the existing thin-film resistor The resistance replacement will be possible to provide a probe card and a replacement method.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an electric inspection apparatus uses a probe to electrically contact an object to be inspected, such as a semiconductor substrate, on which a circuit pattern is formed, and is interfaced by electrical contact with the object using a tester, The electrical connection state of the object to be inspected is determined.

Such an electrical inspection apparatus includes a wiring line for interfacing electrical signals between the probe and the tester. In particular, the wiring line has a structure including a branch line branching to at least two at a position close to the probe. This is because the number of channel terminals to be electrically connected to the tester is limited. Therefore, the wiring line is branched into at least two so that an electric signal is interfaced between one channel terminal and at least two probes. However, when the wiring line includes at least two branch lines, when an abnormality occurs in any one of the branch lines, a situation occurs in which it is determined that an abnormality occurs in the normal branch line.

As shown in FIG. 1, in order to prevent a voltage drop of an electric signal due to an abnormality occurring in one branch line or an abnormality of a normal remaining branch line, the electric inspection apparatus includes a branch line 13a branching from the wiring line 11 , 13b, 13c, and 13d, respectively, of the resistors 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d. Here, the probes 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are located at the ends of the branch lines 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d, respectively. Each of the probes 19a, 19b, 19c, and 19d has a structure in which the probes 19a, 19b, 19c, and 19d are in electrical contact with the DUTs 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d.

An example of an electrical inspection apparatus having a structure that provides a resistance to each of the branch lines is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0978233 (hereinafter referred to as "prior art document"). This prior art document discloses a technique for constructing a resistance line so as to have a different line width and / or thickness from the rest of the wiring line as part of the wiring line.

However, the resistive lines disclosed in the prior art documents may cause breakage and deformation of the thin film resistive pattern in the manufacturing process as well as in the inspection process after the manufacturing process. Generally, more than 10,000 connection terminals are formed on the substrate structure. However, when some thin film resistance patterns are generated during the manufacturing process or during the inspection process, there is a problem that all the very expensive substrate structures must be disposed of.

Korean Patent No. 10-0978233

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a probe card, Or some thin film resistance due to breakage may be damaged, in which case it is almost impossible to repair only the damaged thin film resistor that is covered by the protective film. Therefore, if the damaged thin film resistor is not repaired, the inspection process of the inspection object can not be performed. Accordingly, the present invention provides a probe card capable of replacing a damaged thin film resistor capable of repairing a damaged thin film resistor pattern, and a replacement method thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a probe card capable of replacing a damaged thin film resistor which can be easily replaced with a new replacement resistance while leaving a broken thin film resistance pattern, and a replacement method therefor.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a probe card capable of replacing a damaged thin film resistor, comprising: a wiring line inside a probe substrate; and a top terminal on the probe substrate, A thin film resistor pattern having a first thickness on the probe substrate to provide a resistance to a path of the electrical signal interfaced by the wiring line; A pair of thin film circuit patterns having a large second thickness and electrically connected to both ends of the thin film resistor pattern and a thin film resistor pattern and a thin film circuit pattern pattern for protecting the thin film resistor pattern and the pair of thin film circuit patterns , And is electrically connected to the pair of thin film circuits It includes a protective film to expose a turn.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of replacing a damaged thin film resistor in a probe card of the present invention, comprising: applying a first photoresist on a probe substrate; removing a portion of the first photoresist to form a thin film resistor; Forming a thin film resist pattern on the exposed probe substrate using a plating process and a planarizing process, removing the first photoresist, forming a second photoresist on the thin film resist pattern, Removing a part of the second photoresist so as to form a thin film circuit at both ends of the thin film resistor pattern so that at least a part of the thin film resistor pattern is exposed; A step of forming a thin film circuit pattern using the process and removing the second photoresist, Forming a protective film on the thin film circuit pattern, applying a third photoresist on the protective film, and forming a portion of the protective film corresponding to the thin film circuit pattern formed at both ends of the thin film resistor pattern, Forming a resistance replacement opening by removing a part of the protective film to be exposed, removing the third photoresist, and removing the damaged photoresist using the resistance replacement opening when the thin film resistor pattern is damaged, And replacing the thin film resistor pattern with a replacement resistor previously prepared with the same resistance value.

As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, the following effects can be expected.

First, by forming an opening for resistance replacement in preparation for the thin film resistance breakdown in the manufacturing process of the thin film resistor, even if breakage and deformation occurs in the thin film resistance during the inspection process, it can be easily replaced by a new replacement resistance, Is expected to be effective.

Second, the size of the replacement resistor is set based on the size of the thin film resistor to be replaced, and the interval between the ends of the resistor is set in advance, thereby minimizing defects during replacement work and preventing damage to other components .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electrical signal interfacing assembly of a prior art electrical inspection apparatus. FIG.
2 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a configuration of a probe card according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a plan view showing a configuration of a probe card capable of replacing a thin film resistor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a sectional view of the cutting line I-I 'in FIG.
5A to 11B are plan views and cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a probe card including a resistance replacement opening according to the present invention.
FIGS. 12A to 14B are plan views and cross-sectional views illustrating a method of replacing a thin film resistor using a resistance change opening in the case of a thin film resistor damage according to the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings The advantages and features of the present invention, and how to achieve them, will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. The dimensions and relative sizes of layers and regions in the figures may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Embodiments described herein will be described with reference to plan views and cross-sectional views, which are ideal schematics of the present invention. Thus, the shape of the illustrations may be modified by manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific forms shown, but also include changes in the shapes that are produced according to the manufacturing process. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures have schematic attributes, and the shapes of the regions illustrated in the figures are intended to illustrate specific types of regions of the elements and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a probe card capable of replacing a damaged thin film resistor according to the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a probe card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the probe card 200 may include a probe substrate 201, probes 221, 223, 225, and 227, a channel terminal 231, and an interface.

Specifically, the probe substrate 201 is a member for connecting an object (not shown) for inspecting the electrical state and a tester (not shown) for determining the electrical state of the object.

For example, the probe substrate 201 may be implemented as a single structure consisting of one substrate or a complex structure composed of one or more substrates.

The probe substrate 201 of the single structure may be formed of a single substrate. As described above, when the probe substrate 201 is made of a single structure such as a single substrate, the probes 221, 223, 225, and 227 may be disposed on one surface 21a of the probe substrate 201, The channel terminal 231 may be disposed on the other surface 23b. In addition, even when the probe substrate 201 is a single substrate, a single substrate itself may be a multi-layer structure in which a plurality of substrate constituent layers are stacked.

The probe substrate 201 of the composite structure may include a first substrate 21, a second substrate 23, and a connection portion 25 as shown in FIG. The first substrate 21 may be a ceramic substrate such as LTCC or HTCC and may be represented by a micro probe head (MPH), a space transformer (space transformer), or the like. The connection portion 25 may be represented by an interposer, a pogo-pin, or the like.

When the probe substrate 201 is composed of a composite structure including the first substrate 21, the second substrate 23 and the connection portion 25, The probes 221, 223, 225 and 227 may be positioned on the first substrate 21a and the channel terminals 231 may be positioned on the second surface 23b of the second substrate 23 of the probe substrate 201. [ The connection unit 25 is interposed between the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 23 to interface electrical signals between the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 23. At this time, the connection portion 25 can be positioned so that the connection terminals 211 and 213 of the first substrate 21 and the connection terminals 233 and 235 of the second substrate 23 can be electrically connected.

The probes 221, 223, 225, and 227 are disposed on one surface 21a of the probe substrate 201 and are in electrical contact with the object to be inspected when performing electrical inspection.

The channel terminal 231 is disposed on the other surface 23b of the probe substrate 201 and electrically connected to the tester when conducting electrical inspection.

In the electrical inspection using the probe card 200, the electrical state of the test object is determined by an electrical signal interfaced between the probes 221, 223, 225, and 227 and the tester. Therefore, the probe card 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an interface for interfacing electrical signals between the probes 221, 223, 225, 227 and the tester.

The interface may include a wiring line 31 located inside the probe substrate 201 and upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37, and 39 located on one surface 21a of the probe substrate 201. In the case where the probe substrate 201 is a composite structure as in the embodiment of the present invention, the interface may include a connecting portion 25 and a connecting portion 25 in addition to the wiring line 31 and the upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37, The connection terminals 211, 213, 233, and 235 may be connected to the connection terminal. Therefore, the wiring line 31 is an element for interfacing an electric signal between the probes 221, 223, 225, 227 and the tester, so that all paths through which the electric signals are interfaced between the probes 221, 223, 225, 227 and the tester . ≪ / RTI >

Therefore, when the channel terminal 231 is located on the other surface 23b of the probe substrate 201 as in the embodiment of the present invention, the wiring line 31 is connected to the probes 221, 223, 225, and 227 Channel terminals 231. In this way, As mentioned above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the wiring line 31 is provided between the probes 221, 223, 225, 227 and the tester or probes 221, 223, 225, 227 and the channel terminal 231, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > interfaced < / RTI > Thus, the wiring line 31 has a structure passing through the inside of the probe substrate 201. [

The upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37 and 39 may have a contact with the wiring line 31 when they are part of the wiring line 31 or when the wiring line 31 is in the form of a via. Particularly, in the embodiment of the present invention, the upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37, 39 which are in contact with the branch lines 310a, 310b, 310c, 310d to be described later will be described as an example. Here, the upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37, and 39 can adjust the flow of the electric signal by providing a resistance to the path of the electric signal that is interfaced by the wiring line 31 through the thin film resistor R .

The upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37 and 39 may be located on a part of all the paths of the wiring line 31 or may be formed as probes 221, 223, 225, and 227 may be located on one surface 21a of the probe substrate 201.

And the wiring line 31 may include branch lines 310a, 310b, 310c, and 310d branching to at least two. This is caused by the difference between the number of the channel terminals 231 and the number of the probes 221, 223, 225, and 227. When the probe substrate 201 is a composite structure, the branch lines 310a, 310b, 310c and 310d are formed on one surface 21a of the first substrate 21 or on one surface 21a of the first substrate 21, 1 substrate 21, as shown in FIG. When the wiring line 31 includes the branch lines 310a, 310b, 310c and 310d, the upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37 and 39 are designed to correspond to the branch lines 310a, 310b, 310c and 310d, . That is, when the upper surface terminals 33 are formed so as to correspond to the branch lines 310a, the upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37 and 39 are connected to any one of the branch lines 310a, 310b, 310c, 310b, 310c, and 310d may be protected so that there is no abnormality in the remaining branch lines 310b, 310c, and 310d when an abnormality occurs in the branch line 310a. The upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37 and 39 according to the embodiment of the present invention are arranged such that when any one branch line 310a of the branch lines 310a, 310b, 310c and 310d is abnormal, And may be an isolation resistor that protects lines 310b, 310c, and 310d from malfunctioning.

In addition, the upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37, 39 referred to as other examples are connected to the probes 221, 223, 225, 227 and the channel terminal 231 or the probes 221, 223, 225, 227 by the branch lines 310a, 310b, 310c, Or a shunt resistor that compensates for a decrease in the voltage of an electrical signal interfaced between the tester 221, 223, 225, 227 and the tester.

The upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37 and 39 according to the embodiment of the present invention form a contact with the wiring line 31 (or the branch lines 310a, 310b, 310c and 310d) 221, 223, 225, 227 and the tester or probe 221, 223, 225, 227 and the channel terminal 231. [

3 and 4, the upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37 and 39 are formed on the probe substrate 201 with a first thickness (or a first line width) (Or a second line width) larger than the first thickness (or the first line width) on the probe substrate 201 and electrically connected to both ends of the thin film resistor pattern R, (R) and a thin film circuit pattern (C) for protecting the circuit pattern (C) and the thin film resistor pattern (R) and the thin film circuit pattern (C) (P) which exposes the protective film (P).

In this manner, making the first thickness (or the first line width) smaller than the second thickness (or the second line width) is intended to increase the resistance value generated by the thin film resistor pattern R.

The thin film circuit pattern C is composed of a via pattern Ca contacted with the wiring line 31 in the probe substrate 201 and a probe pattern Cb provided so that a probe (not shown) . For example, the via pattern Ca is formed to have a width sufficient to directly contact the via (not shown) and cover the via. The probe pattern Cb may be electrically connected to a vertically bonded probe (not shown) via a bump (not shown).

As described above, the probe card 200 can electrically interface the test object with the object to be inspected by using the upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37, and 39.

On the other hand, the thin film resistance pattern (R) has a small line width or thickness and damages such as deformation or peeling due to exothermic phenomenon in the process of providing electrical resistance, and this damage deforms the resistance value to provide a target resistance value The probe card becomes defective and causes the inspection yield of the inspection object to deteriorate. However, since the protective film P is formed on the upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37, 39 on which the probes are not provided, the thin film resistor pattern R can not be repaired without removing it. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, a part of the protective film P is removed to include the via pattern Ca and the resistance E for opening the resistance pattern for exposing a part of the probe pattern Cb.

The resistance exchange opening E allows a part of the thin film circuit pattern Cb electrically connected to both ends of the thin film resistor pattern R to be exposed. This allows the replacement resistor 600 to be described later to electrically connect the via pattern Ca of the top surface terminals 33, 35, 37, 39 with the probe pattern Cb through the resistance replacement opening E.

Although various nonconductive materials can be adopted as the material for forming the protective film P, it is preferable to employ polyimide (PI).

A replacement resistor 600 is provided on the upper surface terminals 33, 35, 37, 39. The replacement resistor 600 is fabricated in the form of a chip and has coupling electrodes 600a and 600b on both ends thereof on an insulating substrate (not shown). A resistance pattern (not shown) is formed between the pair of coupling electrodes 600a and 600b. It is a matter of course that the resistance pattern must have the same resistance value as the damaged thin film resistance pattern R. [ The coupling electrodes 600a and 600b are made of copper (Cu) or nickel (Ni) and electrically contact with the thin film circuit pattern C through the opening E for resistance replacement. That is, the one-side coupling electrode 600a of the replacement resistor 600 is bonded to the via pattern Ca and the other coupling electrode 600b is bonded to the probe pattern Cb.

At this time, the one-side coupling electrode 600a, the via pattern Ca, the other coupling electrode 600b, and the probe pattern Cb are coupled and fixed by the solder joint portion 610. The solder joint 610 is formed by a solder cream. The solder cream may be made of a material having a low melting point such as Sn-Pb series, Sn-Bi series, Sn-Ag series, and Sn-Zn series.

Although not shown in the drawing, since the protective film P has a predetermined thickness, bumps are formed between the one-side coupling electrode 600a and the via pattern Ca or between the other coupling electrode 600b and the probe pattern Cb Can be bonded.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a probe card including a resistance replacement opening according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 11B.

5A and 5B, a first photoresist B1 is applied on a probe substrate 201 and a portion of the first photoresist B1 is removed to form a thin film resistor, To be exposed. At this time, although not shown in the figure, the probe substrate 201 includes a wiring line 31 therein.

6A and 6B, a thin film resistance pattern R is formed on the exposed probe substrate 201 using a deposition process (or a plating process) and a planarization process. Then, the first photoresist B1 is removed. By forming the thin film resistance pattern R and the circuit resistance pattern C to be described later through separate processes, the thickness or line width of the thin film resistance pattern R can be easily adjusted.

7A and 7B, the second photoresist B2 is applied on the thin film resist pattern R and the second photoresist B2 is coated to form a circuit resistance on both ends of the thin film resist pattern R. In this case, A part of the thin film resistor R is exposed.

8A and 8B, a thin film circuit pattern C is formed on the exposed thin film resistor R using a deposition process (or a plating process) and a planarization process, and then a second photoresist B2 is formed Remove.

9A and 9B, a protective film P is formed on the thin film resistor pattern R and the thin film circuit pattern C, respectively.

10A and 10B, a third photoresist B3 is coated on the protective film P and a via pattern Ca connected to both ends of the thin film resist pattern R for resistance exchange, A part of the protective film P corresponding to each of the protective films Cb is exposed.

Referring to FIGS. 11A and 11B, the protective film P to be exposed is removed to form a resistance exchange opening E.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 12A to 14B, a method of replacing the thin film resistor using a resistance change opening in the case of a thin film resistor damage will be described.

12A and 12B, in order to prevent short-circuited or short-circuiting of the disconnected thin-film resistive pattern R, the damaged thin-film resistive pattern R is cut and removed through an etching process. At this time, The protective film P covering the protective film P is also removed.

13A and 13B, a solder cream is applied onto the thin film circuit patterns C on both sides exposed through the resistance exchange opening E.

14A and 14B, after both ends of the replacement resistor 600 are aligned on the solder cream, the replacement resistor 600 is soldered to the upper surface terminals 33 and 35 , 37, 39). At this time, the reflow heating method for melting the solder cream is not suitable because it may cause deformation in other parts. Therefore, it is preferable to use a limited range, that is, a heating means (laser, ultrasonic wave, etc.) capable of locally melting the solder cream.

Meanwhile, the replacement resistor 600 is formed in advance through a semiconductor manufacturing process including a photolithography, a deposition plating, and a planarization process. Since the coupling electrodes 600a and 600b are formed at both ends of the replacement resistor 600, the coupling electrodes 600a and 600b are connected to the thin film circuit patterns Ca and Cb of the upper surface terminals 33, 35, .

Although not shown in the drawing, since the protective film P has a predetermined thickness, the bonding electrodes 600a and 600b of the thin film circuit patterns Ca and Cb and the replacement resistor 600 can be joined by further bumps .

As described above, according to the present invention, a replacement resistance corresponding to the size of a thin film resistor is prepared in advance in preparation for a thin film resistor breakage occurring in an inspection process after a thin film resistor manufacturing process, exposing both ends of the thin film resistor, It is understood that the technical idea is to connect the time-alternating resistor to both ends of the exposed thin-film resistor. Many other modifications will be possible to those skilled in the art, within the scope of the basic technical idea of the present invention.

200: probe card 201: probe substrate
21: first substrate 23: second substrate
231: channel terminal 31: wiring line
310a, 310b, 310c, 310d:
33, 35, 37, 39: upper surface terminal
C: Thin film circuit pattern R: Thin film resistance pattern
Ca: Via pattern Cb: Probe pattern
P: Protective film E: Resistance change opening
600: Replacement resistor 600a, 600b: Coupling electrode
610: solder joint

Claims (7)

A probe card for interfacing an electric signal between a tester and a probe, wherein a wiring line inside the probe substrate and a top surface terminal on the probe substrate interfere with each other,
A thin film resistor pattern having a first thickness on the probe substrate to provide a resistance to a path of the electrical signal interfaced by the wiring line;
A pair of thin film circuit patterns having a second thickness larger than the first thickness on the probe substrate and electrically connected to both ends of the thin film resistor pattern; And
And a protection film which is laminated on the thin film resistor pattern and the thin film circuit pattern to protect the thin film resistor pattern and the pair of thin film circuit patterns and exposes the pair of thin film circuit patterns through a resistance replacement opening,
Further comprising a chip-type replacement resistor having the same resistance value as the thin film resistor pattern and having coupling electrodes at both ends thereof,
Wherein the replacement resistor is configured such that the coupling electrode is contacted with the thin film circuit pattern through the resistance replacement opening,
Wherein the pair of coupling electrodes are bonded to the pair of thin film resistor patterns exposed through the opening by respective solder joints,
And a bump is further adhered between the coupling electrode and the thin film circuit pattern. delete delete delete Applying a first photoresist on a probe substrate and removing a portion of the first photoresist to form a thin film resistor to expose the probe substrate;
Forming a thin film resist pattern on the exposed probe substrate using a plating process and a planarization process, and removing the first photoresist;
Applying a second photoresist on the thin film resistive pattern and removing a portion of the second photoresist to form a thin film circuit at both ends of the thin film resistive pattern so that at least a portion of the thin film resistive pattern is exposed;
Forming a thin film circuit pattern on the exposed thin film resist pattern using a plating process and a planarizing process, and removing a second photoresist;
Forming a protective film on the thin film resistor pattern and the thin film circuit pattern;
Applying a third photoresist on the protective film and exposing a portion of the protective film corresponding to each of the thin film circuit patterns formed at both ends of the thin film resist pattern for resistance change;
Removing a part of the exposed protective film to form a resistance replacement opening, and removing the third photoresist; And
And replacing the damaged thin film resistance pattern with the replacement resistance previously prepared with the same resistance value by using the resistance replacement opening when the thin film resistor pattern is damaged,
The step of replacing with the replacement resistor comprises:
Applying a solder cream on the thin film circuit pattern exposed through the resistance replacement opening;
Bonding the bumps on the thin film circuit pattern;
Aligning both ends of the replacement resistor with the bump and solder cream; And
Heating the solder cream locally with a heating means capable of melting the solder cream, and then joining the replacement resistor onto the thin film circuit pattern through cooling,
Wherein the replacement resistor is formed through a semiconductor fabrication process including photolithography, deposition plating, and planarization, and is fabricated in a chip form including a coupling electrode at both ends.
delete delete

Images