KR101662951B1

KR101662951B1 - Probe Card with a Push Plate

Info

Publication number: KR101662951B1
Application number: KR1020150083805A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김일
Original assignee: 김일
Priority date: 2015-06-14
Filing date: 2015-06-14
Publication date: 2016-10-14

Abstract

The present invention relates to a circuit board for transmitting electrical signals received from a space transformer to a tester and having a tester electrode formed on a surface thereof so as to be electrically connected to the tester; A space transformer for electrically connecting the circuit board and the probe and having a probe electrode formed on the surface of the probe, the probe electrode being capable of contacting the probe and transmitting an electrical signal; A plunger made of a conductive material and a spring extended in the longitudinal direction of the plunger, one end of which is electrically connected to the probe electrode of the space transformer, and the other end of which is in contact with the surface of the test object, A plurality of probes for transmitting the probe to the test body; A guide plate having a probe hole into which the probe is inserted and having a plate thickness that is thinner than the length of the probe so that the probe inserted into the probe hole protrudes from the surface; A probe plate having a probe hole through which the probe penetrates, and a push plate movable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the probe; And one side of the probe is in close contact with one side of the inner wall of the probe hole of the push plate.
According to the present invention as described above, the probe can be easily replaced even when the guide plate is not separated from the space changer, and the positional accuracy of the probe is greatly improved.

Description

Probe Card with Push Plate {Probe Card with a Push Plate}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a probe card for inspecting electric characteristics of a semiconductor integrated circuit, and more particularly, to a probe card capable of improving the positional accuracy of a probe constituting a probe card, . This technique can be equally applied to electric inspection jigs and the like which inspect the electrical characteristics of the package PCB on the peninsula.

A probe card is a device that contacts an electronic device to transmit an electrical signal to a tester in order to test whether an electric device such as a semiconductor integrated circuit or a semiconductor package PCB is manufactured with the correct specification. The probe card electrically connects the test object and the tester in the inspection process. One end of the probe provided on the probe card is brought into contact with the test body, and the other end is brought into contact with the space deformer included in the probe card, and the space deformer is connected to the tester through the circuit board. When the probe card is attached to the specimen, the probe is pressed vertically between the specimen and the transducer. Both ends of the probe are brought into contact with the test body and the electrodes formed in the space deflector, respectively, and the test body and the space transformer are electrically connected through the probe. The electrical signal transmitted through the probe is transmitted to the tester through the space transformer and the circuit board. A probe card that uses a vertical probe, such as a pogo probe, is called a vertical probe card.

A circuit board electrically connected to the space transformer and having a tester electrode formed on a surface of the tester so as to electrically connect the tester with an electrical signal received from the space transformer; A space transformer placed between the circuit board and the probe and electrically connected to the circuit board and the probe and having a probe electrode on the surface thereof capable of transmitting an electrical signal by contacting the probe; And the other end is brought into contact with the electrode formed on the surface of the test body to electrically connect the space transformer and the test body to the probe electrode of the space transformer, A plurality of probes connected to the probe; And a probe plate which is opposed to the test body and has probe holes into which the probes are inserted and whose thickness is smaller than the length of the probes so that probes inserted into the probe holes are protruded from the surface of the probes, .

A probe hole is formed in a guide plate facing the test body, and a probe is inserted into the probe hole. One end of the inserted probe protrudes from the surface of the guide plate so that one end of the probe can contact the test body. At this time, the inner diameter of the probe hole is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the thick part of the probe, so that the thick part of the probe is caught in the probe hole, and the probe can not escape from the guide plate in the gravity direction. The probe can not escape through the probe hole. Therefore, when the failed probe needs to be replaced, the probe plate is separated from the space transformer, the probe is separated through the probe hole on the side of the space transformer having a large inner diameter, The guide plate and the space changer must be reassembled.

In order for the probe to be inserted, the inner diameter of the probe hole at the spatial transducer side should be larger than the outer diameter of the thickest portion of the probe. However, the inside diameter of the probe hole on the side of the test body should be smaller than the thickest part of the probe so that the probe can be caught by the thick part. One end of the probe protrudes from the surface of the guide plate, and a thick portion of the probe is caught in the guide hole, so that the probe can not escape in the direction of gravity. However, the probe is seen in a state of being inserted, and the probe hole is formed slightly larger than the probe inserted in each part. Due to this difference in size, the probe can be swung from several um to several tens of um in the probe hole. The probe is not located at the center of the probe hole due to the shaking, and the positional accuracy between the probes is also deteriorated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure in which a broken probe can be replaced without detaching the guide plate from the probe card. Further, the probes are located at the same positions in all of the probe holes, thereby providing a probe card with greatly improved positional accuracy of the probes.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a push plate is provided so that a guide plate and a wide surface face each other. The push plate is formed with a push hole into which the probe is inserted, and the push plate is configured to be movable horizontally even when the probe is inserted into the probe card. When the push plate is horizontally moved in a state that the probe is inserted into the push plate and the guide plate, the side surface of the probe is closely fixed to the inner surface of the push hole of the push plate and the probe hole of the guide plate . In this state, the probe can freely move vertically even when it is mechanically tightly fixed so that stable electrical contact with the test body can be achieved.

In the present invention, A circuit board electrically connected to the space transformer and serving to transmit an electrical signal received from the space transformer to the tester and having a tester electrode formed on the surface thereof for electrical connection with the tester; A space transformer located between the circuit board and the probe and electrically connected to the circuit board and the probe and having a probe electrode on the surface thereof to allow the probe to contact and transmit an electrical signal; A plunger made of a conductive material and a spring capable of expanding and contracting in the longitudinal direction of the plunger, one end of which is electrically connected to the probe electrode of the space transformer and the other end of which is in contact with the surface of the test body A plurality of probes for transmitting an electrical signal to a test body; The probe is inserted between the space transformer and the test body. The probe is inserted into the probe. The thickness of the plate is smaller than the length of the probe, so that the probe inserted into the probe is protruded from the surface. A guide plate; A push hole is formed in which the probe is inserted into the push hole, and the probe is movable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the probe while the probe is inserted into the push hole. A push plate; And the push plate is moved so that one side of the probe can be brought into close contact with one side of the inner wall of the push hole of the push plate.

According to the present invention as described above, even when the guide plate is not separated from the space changer, the probe can be easily replaced through the probe hole formed in the guide plate, and all the probes are located at the predetermined positions in the probe hole, The accuracy is also greatly improved.

In the structure of the present invention, the probe is inserted through the push hole of the push plate. When the push plate pushes the side surface of the probe, the probe is brought into close contact with the inner wall of the probe hole, and the probe is fixed to the probe hole by the frictional force generated between the probe and the inner wall of the probe hole. The probe is very small in weight, so that the influence of inertia or gravity is negligibly small, and the probe is fixed to the probe hole by only a small force coming into contact with the inner wall of the probe hole, so that the probe hole does not come out. In the structure in which the probe is fixed using the push plate, even if the probe hole is formed large, the probe does not come out of the probe hole due to gravity or inertia. That is, the smallest inner diameter of the probe hole in the guide plate can be formed larger than the diameter of the thickest portion of the probe. Therefore, it is not necessary to disassemble the guide plate from the probe card, and it is possible to easily replace the probe through the probe hole exposed in the front face in a state where the probe card is fully assembled.

In a conventional probe card, the probe may be displaced in the probe hole by a size difference between the diameter of the probe and the inner diameter of the probe hole. As the size of the probe hole is increased to facilitate the insertion of the probe, the positional accuracy of the probe is further reduced. In the structure proposed in the present invention, the push plate pushes all the probes in one direction, so that all the probes are fixed at the same position of the probe holes. That is, the position variation due to the difference between the thickness of the probe and the size of the probe hole is completely eliminated, and the positional accuracy of the probe is greatly improved as compared with the conventional structure.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional vertical probe card,
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of a vertical probe; FIG. (a) is a probe composed of a plunger, a coil spring and a barrel, (b) a probe composed of a plunger and a coil spring, (c) a probe composed of a plunger and a MEMS coil spring,
3 is a sectional view showing the structure of a probe card having a push plate as one example to which the technique of the present invention is applied,
4 is a sectional view showing a plate structure for fixing a probe; (b) is an example in which the technique of the present invention is applied, a structure composed of one guide plate and one push plate, (c) is an example in which the technique of the present invention is applied, and A structure composed of a guide plate and a push plate,
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a position where a contact point for fixing a probe is formed on a probe, as an example to which the technique of the present invention is applied; FIG. (a) shows a structure in which all three contact points are formed in a barrel, (b) a structure in which one contact bar is formed in a barrel and two in a plunger, (c) Two on the plunger, two on the spring,
6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a push pin passing through one guide plate and one push plate, and a plan view showing a structure of both ends of the push pin,
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a push pin passing through two guide plates and one push plate as one example to which the technique of the present invention is applied, and a plan view showing the structure of both ends of the push pin,
FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a cross-sectional shape of a push pin end exposed to the outside, as an example to which the technique of the present invention is applied,
9 shows an example in which the position of the push plate is fixed by the resilient restoring force of the post pin 75 passing through two guide plates 40 and one push plate 50 Fig.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the following description will mainly focus on a probe card for inspecting semiconductor wafers, the present invention is not limited to semiconductor wafer inspection and is applicable to all probe cards having a plurality of vertical probes including electrical inspection jigs, It is to be understood that they are included in the technical idea of the present invention.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional vertical probe card.

A circuit board 20 electrically connected to the space transformer and serving to transmit an electrical signal received from the space transformer to the tester and having a tester electrode on the surface thereof so as to be electrically connected to the tester; A space transformer (30) located between the circuit board and the probe, electrically connecting the circuit board and the probe, and having a probe electrode formed on the surface of the probe, the probe electrode being capable of contacting the probe and transmitting an electrical signal; A plurality of probes which are electrically connected to probe electrodes of the space transformer and whose other ends are in contact with the surface of the test piece to electrically connect the space transformer and the test piece, A vertical probe 10 of FIG. And a guide plate (40) facing the test body and formed with a probe hole into which the probe is inserted, a probe inserted into the probe hole protruding from the probe, the plate being thinner than a length of the probe, A probe card is constructed. The guide plate is fixed to the probe card by the fixing pin 85. When the guide pin is detached from the probe card by loosening the fixing pin, the probe can be replaced through a large guide hole formed on the side of the space transformer. The inner diameter of the probe hole formed in the guide plate on the side opposite to the space transformer is larger than the diameter of the thickest portion of the probe so that the probe can be inserted into the probe hole, The inner diameter of the hole is smaller than the diameter of the thickest part of the probe so that the thick part of the probe is caught in the hole and the probe can not escape from the guide plate through the guide hole of the guide play facing the test body. The probe hole is larger than the probe, so that the probe inserted into the probe hole may flow slightly in the probe hole, thereby changing the position of the probe in a limited range.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of a vertical probe; FIG. (a) is a probe composed of a plunger 11, a coil spring 12 and a barrel 13, (b) a probe composed of a plunger and a coil spring, (c) And a MEMS coil spring.

The vertical probe consists of at least one plunger (11) and one spring (12). The spring has elasticity in the longitudinal direction of the probe, and the length of the entire probe is elongated. As shown in FIG. 2 (c), when a spring is made by the MEMS process, the coil spring is formed of a thin thin plate, and the shape of the cross section of the coil is circular in a general coil spring. . In the probe card, one end of the probe is brought into contact with the probe electrode formed on the surface of the spatial transducer, and the other end is brought into contact with the surface of the test body.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a probe card having a push plate 50 as one example to which the technique of the present invention is applied.

In the present invention, A circuit board 20 electrically connected to the space transformer and serving to transmit an electrical signal received from the space transformer to the tester and having a tester electrode on the surface thereof so as to be electrically connected to the tester; A space changer (30) located between the circuit board and the probe, electrically connecting the circuit board and the probe, and having a probe electrode on the surface thereof, the probe electrode being capable of contacting the probe and transmitting an electrical signal; A plunger 11 made of a conductive material and a spring 12 having an elastic force in the longitudinal direction of the plunger, one end of which is electrically connected to the probe electrode of the space transformer, A plurality of probes (10) which are brought into contact with the surface of the probe to transmit an electric signal to the test body; The probes are inserted into the probes. The probes are inserted into the probes. The probes are inserted into the probes. The probes inserted into the probes are thinner than the probes. A guide plate (40); The push plate 50 is disposed in front of or behind the guide plate so as to be opposed to a large surface of the guide plate. The push plate 50 is inserted into the push plate 50 and is movable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the probe. );

And the push plate is moved so that one side of the probe can be brought into close contact with one side of the inner wall of the push hole of the push plate.

4 is a sectional view showing a plate structure for fixing the probe. (b) is an example in which the technique of the present invention is applied, and (c) is a structure composed of a guide plate and a push plate, and (c) is an example in which the technique of the present invention is applied. It is a structure composed of one push plate.

FIG. 4A shows a conventional structure in which the sizes of the openings of the probe holes formed in the guide plate 40 are different from each other. The probe 10 is inserted into or removed from the wide inlet side which is in contact with the space deflector. One end of the probe protrudes at the narrow side of the entrance, but the entire probe can not pass through. This is because the inside diameter of the probe hole is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the thick portion of the probe.

4 (b) shows an example in which the technique of the present invention is applied. The guide plate 40 is composed of one guide plate 40 and one push plate 50. When the push plate is vertically pushed in the longitudinal direction of the probe after the probes 10 are inserted into the probe hole 41 and the push hole 51 in common, one side of the probe is located on one side of the inner wall of the push hole 51 of the push plate Respectively. When one side of the probe is laterally pushed by the push plate, one side of the probe is brought into close contact with one side of the inner wall of the probe hole 41 in the guide plate. The pushing force from both the push hole and the probe hole fixes the position of the probe in the probe hole. And three contact points are formed on the probe side. In the structure of FIG. 4 (b), one contact point in the push hole and two contact points in the same one probe hole are formed.

Fig. 4 (c) is an example to which the technique of the present invention is applied, and is a structure composed of two guide plates 40 and one push plate 50. Fig. The probe is fixed in the probe hole while pushing the probe in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the probe, as in the case of FIG. 4 (b). The probes 10 are fixed while forming one contact point in each of the three holes formed in the three plates. Also in this case, when the probe card is assembled, the guide plates are integrally fixed to the space transformer and the circuit board, and the push plate is formed in a structure capable of moving in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the probe.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a position where a contact point 15 for fixing a probe is formed on a probe, as an example to which the technique of the present invention is applied. (b) is a structure in which one barrel and two plungers are formed on a plunger 11, (c) a structure in which a contact point is formed on a barrel 13, One point is a plunger and the other two are formed in a spring (12).

In the case of FIG. 5 (a), the contact point formed at the middle portion of the probe is formed in the barrel portion of the probe. The barrel of the probe is not deformed even when the probe is stretched or expanded, so that the probe can be most stably fixed. In this case, the contact point formed by the probe and the probe hole remains unchanged even if the probe is stretched or contracted while contacting the test body. In the structure shown in FIG. 5 (a), due to the effect that the push plate pushes the middle portion of the barrel, the barrel comes into contact with the coil spring, and the current is transmitted through the barrel having the lower impedance. Therefore, the additional effect that the measurement sensitivity of the probe card is improved can be seen.

In Fig. 5 (b), two upper and lower contact points are formed on the plunger. In this case, when the probe is stretched and contracted while contacting the test body, the contact points formed on the plunger move along with the up-down movement of the plunger. Even when the plunger moves up and down, the frictional force acting on the side surface of the plunger is maintained as it is, so that the probe remains fixed in its original position while being stretched and contracted.

When the contact point is formed on the coil spring as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the extension and contraction of the coil spring can be affected by the push plate contacting the contact point. In this case, it is desirable to make the portion where the contact point is formed by a MEMS coil spring so as to reduce the interference between the contact point and the coil spring. By forming the portion having the contact point as a portion having a long cylindrical shape, it is preferable that the contact point is not fixed to a part of the spring but can be moved while rubbing the cylindrical surface.

In all of the cases described above, the probes are fixed if there are two contact points that push the side portions of the probes in the same direction in the same direction, and one contact point that pushes the sides of the probe in the opposite direction. The contact point can be formed not only in a fixed part such as a barrel but also in a dynamic part according to the expansion and contraction of a probe such as a plunger and a spring.

6 is a sectional view showing the structure of a push pin 70 passing through one guide plate 40 and one push plate 50 as one example to which the technique of the present invention is applied, Fig.

The first push pin hole 45 and the second push pin hole 55 into which the push pin is inserted are formed in the guide plate 40 and the push plate 50, respectively. The push pins are partially formed thick, and the centers of the push pins and the center of the thick portions are not coincident with each other. That is, the thick portion is formed so as to have eccentricity, and the eccentric portion is positioned in the second push pin hole 55 formed in the push plate. When the push pin is rotated about the center of the push pin, the portion having the eccentricity pushes or pulls the inner wall of the second push pin hole. That is, the push plate can be moved by rotating the push pin. When the push plate is moved while the probe is inserted, the push pin can be used to push or pull the plate at the reference point. One or more push pins may be provided on one push plate. The second push pin hole is not separately formed in the push plate, but the structure in which the push pin having the eccentricity touches the outline of the push plate and pushes the push plate is also possible. It is preferable to expose one end of the push pin to the outside of the probe card so that the push pin can be rotated while the probe card is assembled.

A cross-shaped groove is formed in the end surface of the push pin exposed on the front surface of the guide plate so that the push pin can be easily rotated using a screwdriver or the like. With the probes inserted, the push plate pushes the side of the already inserted probe as the push pin is rotated to fix the probe. At this time, by adjusting the amount of rotation of the push pin, the frictional force of the probe hole of the push plate and the side surface of the push plate can be appropriately adjusted. If it is necessary to replace the probe, the force applied to the side of the probe can be removed by rotating the push pin in the opposite direction again.

Although not shown in the figure, the simplest type of push pin is a bolt-type push pin having a center axis disposed in the same direction as the push plate. As the push pin is rotated, the end of the push pin pushes or pulls the push plate while the push pin advances or retracts in the depth direction. Also in this case, it is preferable to form a cross or a square groove on the end surface of the push pin exposed on the side surface of the probe card so as to be easily turned by a driver or the like.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a push pin 70 passing through two guide plates 40 and one push plate 50 as one example to which the technique of the present invention is applied, Fig. As in the case of Fig. 6 described above, the push plate can push the side surface of the probe by rotating the push pin. The thickness of the end portion of the push pin, the size of the first push pin hole, and the size of the second push pin hole may be adjusted to restrict the direction in which the push pin is inserted or removed from the push pin hole.

8 is a plan view showing a cross-sectional shape of a push pin end exposed to the outside, as an example to which the technique of the present invention is applied. In order to facilitate rotation of the push pin, a cross-shaped groove is formed on the surface of the cross section in FIG. 8A, and a groove is formed on the cross-section surface in FIG. 8B . 8 (c) shows a structure in which the outer shape of the end portion of the push pin is processed so that the end surface of the push pin has a hexagonal shape, and Fig. 8 (d) ) Has a structure in which a straight portion is formed by cutting one side of the end portion of the push pin which was originally cylindrical.

One or more push pins may be formed independently for each push plate by dividing the area of the push plate into several portions. By dividing the area of the push plate, the number of probes corresponding to each push plate can be reduced, and the stress transferred to each push pin and the push plate can also be reduced. If the area of the push plate is divided into several areas, there must be at least one push pin corresponding to each push plate. In this case, the direction in which the push pin is exposed is arranged at the front face rather than the side face of the guide plate, Is high.

9 shows an example in which the position of the push plate is fixed by the resilient restoring force of the post pin 75 passing through two guide plates 40 and one push plate 50 Fig.

The original push pin has the function of moving the push plate and supporting the moved push plate so that it does not come back into place. However, except for the function of moving the push plate from the push pin, the post pin is only responsible for fixing the position of the push plate. The method of moving the push plate to the position where the post pin is fixed may be a method of using a conventional push pin or a method of pushing the outer side of the push plate in a lateral direction. In the case of using the push pin to move the position of the push plate, the push pin is removed after inserting the post pin so that the push plate is fixed at the moved position, so that the push pin continues to be used elsewhere. Since the post pin is simpler than the push pin and the manufacturing cost is lower, it is preferable to replace all the push pins with the post pins when the number of the push pins is large.

First, after inserting the post pin into the post pin hole, push the outer side of the push plate from the side direction, and the middle part of the post pin is bent and elastic deformed. At this time, both the probe hole and the push hole come in a straight line, thereby making the optimum condition for inserting the probe. Fig. 9 shows a state just before insertion of the probe through such a process. In this state, after the probe is inserted, when the external stress which sustained the push plate is removed, the elastic plate of the push pin causes the push plate to return in the direction opposite to the initial pushing. Due to the movement of the push plate, a contact point formed by two probe holes and one push hole is formed on the side of the probe, and the probe is fixed in the probe hole and the push hole. The push pins and the probes are both fixed at a point where the elastic restoring force of the thick push pin and the elastic restoring force of the probe having a small thickness are balanced with each other. Only the push pin and the plate and the push pin are shown in Fig. 9, and the probe is not shown. Basically, post pins do not have to have elasticity. Since the middle part of the probe is elastically deformed while slightly bending the probe, the post pin can continuously make the probe and the push hole come into close contact with each other without elastic deformation. When using the elastic deformation of the post pin, the probe and the push hole can be stably contacted more stably.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, it is possible to make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications or changes as fall within the scope of the invention.

10: Probe
11: plunger 12: spring
13: barrel 15: contact point:
20: Circuit board
30: space transformer
40: guide plate
41: probe hole
45: first push pin hole (first push pin hole)
50: push plate
51: Push hole
55: second push pin hole < RTI ID = 0.0 >
70: push pin 75: post pin
85: Holding pin

Claims

A circuit board disposed between the space transformer and the tester, the circuit substrate having a surface tester electrode electrically connected to the space transformer and the tester and electrically connected to the tester;
A space transformer disposed between the circuit board and the probe and electrically connected to the circuit board and the probe and having a probe electrode formed on the surface thereof to allow the probe to contact and transmit an electrical signal;
A plunger in the form of a rod made of a conductive material, a coil spring capable of elongating and contracting in the longitudinal direction of the plunger, and a barrel surrounding the coil spring, A plurality of probes electrically connected to the electrodes, the other end of which is brought into contact with the surface of the test object to transmit an electrical signal to the test object;
A first push pin hole for inserting a push pin is formed in the space transformer and a probe hole for inserting the probe is formed in parallel with the surface on which the probe electrode is formed, A probe plate inserted into the probe hole is protruded from a surface of the probe plate;
A second push pin hole is formed in a front surface or a rear surface of the guide plate such that the guide plate is opposed to a large surface of the guide plate and a push hole is formed through the probe, And a push plate movable in a direction parallel to the wide face of the plate;
The relative positions of the guide holes formed in the guide plate and the push holes formed in the push plate can be changed by rotating the push pins commonly inserted into the first push pin hole and the second push pin hole. Card.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a width of the probe is narrower than a narrowest portion of the probe hole formed in the guide plate so that the probe can pass through the probe hole formed in the guide plate.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least one post pin is provided to support the push plate so that one side of the probe is in close contact with one side of the inner wall of the push hole of the push plate.

The method according to claim 1,
And the push plate facing the guide plate is divided into two or more pieces.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a groove is formed in a cross section of a push pin end exposed to the outside or a linear portion is formed in a cross-sectional outline of the push pin end so as to facilitate rotation of the push pin.