KR20090085726A - Space transformer and probe card having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A space transformer and a probe card having the same are provided to reduce manufacture costs by installing a through hole and making the device simple. In a space transformer and a probe card, an interposer(140) is perpendicularly connected to a printed circuit board. A first side(151a) is face with a printed circuit board, and a space conversion board(151) comprises a second side facing the first side. A through hole(152) is penetrated from the first side to the second side, and a conductive film(153) surrounds the surface of the through hole. A first conductive line(154) is formed on the first side and is connected to the conductive film.

Description

SPACE TRANSFORMER AND PROBE CARD HAVING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a space transducer used in a probe card and a probe card including the same, and more particularly, to a space transducer and a probe card including the same, which simplify a structure and reduce manufacturing costs.

In general, semiconductor devices have a fabrication process of forming contact pads for circuit patterns and inspections on a wafer, and an assembly process of assembling wafers having circuit patterns and contact pads into respective semiconductor chips. It is manufactured through.

Between the fabrication process and the assembly process, an inspection process is performed in which an electrical signal is applied to the contact pads formed on the wafer to inspect the electrical properties of the wafer. This inspection process is performed to inspect a defect of a wafer and to remove a portion of a wafer in which a defect occurs during an assembly process.

In the inspection process, inspection equipment called a tester for applying an electrical signal to a wafer and probe equipment for performing an interface function between the wafer and the tester are mainly used. Among them, the probe card includes a printed circuit board that receives an electrical signal applied from a tester and a plurality of probes in contact with contact pads formed on the wafer.

In recent years, as the demand for high integrated semiconductor chips increases, the circuit patterns formed on the wafer by the fabrication process become high integrated, whereby the spacing between neighboring contact pads, i.e., the pitch, is formed very narrowly. It is becoming.

In order to inspect such fine pitch contact pads, the probe of the probe card is also formed at a fine pitch, thus compensating the difference between the terminal spacing and the probe spacing on the printed circuit board between the printed circuit board and the probe. Space transformers are being used.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional probe card with a space transducer.

As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional probe card 10 includes a printed circuit board 11, an interposer 12, a space converter 13, and a probe 14.

The printed circuit board 11 includes a probe circuit pattern formed for an inspection process, and performs a function of receiving an electric signal applied from a tester (not shown) and transferring it to the probe 14.

The interposer 12 is connected to the probe circuit pattern of the printed circuit board 11 to electrically connect the printed circuit board 11 and the probe 14.

The space transducer 13 is formed to have a smaller spacing (pitch) between the first pads 13a formed on the lower surface than the spacing (pitch) between the second pads 13b formed on the upper surface, thereby performing a function of pitch conversion.

In addition, the space converter 13 is formed of a multi-layer ceramic (MLC) substrate, and transmits an electrical signal received from the printed circuit board 11 to the probe 14 by a conductive layer formed therein. .

Such a multilayer ceramic substrate is manufactured by alternately forming a conductive layer and an insulating layer in an insulating substrate several times.

However, since the space converter 13 is manufactured by overlapping the insulating layer and the conductive layer a plurality of times, the manufacturing process is complicated, the manufacturing time is long, and accordingly, the manufacturing cost is high.

One embodiment of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a space converter that can reduce the manufacturing cost and a probe card that can inspect a wafer having a fine pitch contact pad including the same It is done.

As a technical means for achieving the above technical problem, a first aspect of the present invention is a probe card, a printed circuit board, an interposer connected to the printed circuit board substantially perpendicular to the printed circuit board, the printing A space conversion substrate comprising a first surface facing a circuit board and a second surface facing the first surface, a through hole penetrating from the first surface to the second surface, and a conductive wire surrounding the surface of the through hole. A film, a first conductive line formed on the first surface and connected to the conductive film, a first pad connected to the first conductive line and in contact with the interposer, and formed on the second surface; A second conductive line connected to the second conductive line, and the first paddle connected to the second conductive line in a central direction of the plate surface of the space conversion substrate. Space and a second pad spaced from the transducer and provides a probe card including a probe attached to the second pads of the space transformer.

The through hole may be positioned between the first pad and the second pad in an extension direction of the plate surface of the space conversion substrate.

The distance between the through hole and the short side of the space conversion substrate may be closer than the distance between the short side of the first pad and the space conversion substrate and the distance between the short side of the second pad and the space conversion substrate.

The prop may be prepared using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology.

The apparatus may further include a first reinforcing plate positioned on the printed circuit board.

The apparatus may further include a second reinforcement plate positioned between the printed circuit board and the space transducer and having a through hole through which the interposer passes.

In addition, a second aspect of the present invention is a space transducer of a probe card, comprising: a space conversion substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface facing the first surface, the first surface being penetrated from the first surface to the second surface; A through hole, a conductive film surrounding the surface of the through hole, a first conductive line formed on the first surface and connected to the conductive film, and a first conductive line connected to the first conductive line and formed on the first surface. A pad, a second pad formed on the second surface and connected to the conductive layer, and a second pad connected to the second conductive line and spaced apart from the first pad in a central direction of the plate surface of the space conversion substrate; It provides a space converter comprising a.

The through hole may be positioned between the first pad and the second pad in an extension direction of the plate surface of the space conversion substrate.

The distance between the through hole and the short side of the space conversion substrate may be closer than the distance between the short side of the first pad and the space conversion substrate and the distance between the short side of the second pad and the space conversion substrate.

According to one of the embodiments of the above-described problem solving means of the present invention, the manufacturing process is simplified by a space converter having a through-hole to reduce the manufacturing cost, it is possible to inspect a wafer with a fine pitch contact pad It has an effect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is located "on" with another part, this includes not only when a layer is in contact with another layer, but also when there is another layer between the two layers. In addition, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, which means that it may further include other components, except to exclude other components unless otherwise stated.

Hereinafter, the probe card 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a probe card according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of portion A of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the probe card 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include a printed circuit board 110, a first reinforcement plate 120, a second reinforcement plate 130, and an interposer 140. ), Spatial transducer 150 and probe 160.

The printed circuit board 110 is formed in a substantially disk shape and has an upper surface and a lower surface opposing the upper surface. Probe circuit patterns (not shown) are formed on the upper surface, and grooves are formed between neighboring probe circuit patterns. The lower surface is formed with a hole on which the interposer 140 to be described later is mounted.

Since the probe card 100 can inspect the highly integrated wafer, the spacing between neighboring probe circuit patterns formed on the upper surface of the printed circuit board 110 can be very narrow, and by the current flowing through the neighboring probe circuit patterns Interference may occur between probe circuit patterns. Grooves formed between neighboring probe circuit patterns serve to suppress interference between probe circuit patterns caused by the current as described above.

In addition, the printed circuit board 110 may be pitch-transformed through wires from the top surface to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board 110 in the printed circuit board 110 to inspect the high integrated wafer.

The printed circuit board 110 may be connected to a tester for an inspection process. The first reinforcement plate 120 is mounted on the printed circuit board 110.

The first reinforcement plate 120 is positioned on the printed circuit board 110, and serves to reinforce the printed circuit board 110 from an external impact. The second reinforcement plate 130 is mounted to face the first reinforcement plate 120 with the printed circuit board 110 therebetween.

The second reinforcement plate 130 is positioned between the printed circuit board 110 and the space converter 150 to be described later. A through hole 125 through which the interposer 140 penetrates from the printed circuit board 110 is formed at the center portion of the second reinforcing plate 130. The second reinforcement plate 130 serves to reinforce the space transducer 150 from external shocks and the like.

That is, the second reinforcement plate 130 suppresses its own flow of the space transducer 150 so that the plurality of probes 160 to be described later on the space transducer 150 uniformly contact the contact pads of the wafer.

One end of the interposer 140 is connected to a probe circuit pattern (not shown) of the printed circuit board 110, and the other end thereof is in contact with the space transducer 150. The interposer 140 serves to transfer an electrical signal through the printed circuit board 110 to the space converter 150 for the inspection process.

In other embodiments, the interposer 140 may be a resilient fin member to resiliently contact the space transducer 150.

As shown in FIG. 3, the space converter 150 includes a space conversion substrate 151, a through hole 152, a conductive film 153, a first conductive line 154, a first pad 155, and a second. The conductive line 156 and the second pad 157 are included.

The space conversion substrate 151 is an insulating substrate including ceramic, glass, silicon, and the like, and has a first surface 151a facing the printed circuit board 110 and a second surface 151b facing the first surface 151a. ). The space conversion substrate 151 may be a flexible substrate.

The through hole 152 is positioned between the first pad 155 and the second pad 157 which will be described later in the extending direction of the plate surface of the space conversion substrate 151, and the second surface 151b from the first surface 151a. Through) the space conversion substrate 151. The through hole 152 may be formed in the space conversion substrate 151 when manufacturing the space conversion substrate 151, and may be formed in the space conversion substrate 151 using a manufacturing apparatus such as a perforator. The conductive film 153 is formed on the surface of the through hole 152.

The conductive layer 153 includes conductive materials such as nickel (Ni), gold (Au), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu), and may be formed on the surface of the through hole 152 through a coating method. .

In another embodiment, the conductive film 153 may be located throughout the through hole 152. That is, the conductive film 153 may be formed by being buried in the entire through hole 152.

The first conductive line 154 is connected to the conductive film 153 located on the first surface 151a of the space conversion substrate 151 and is formed on the first surface 151a of the space conversion substrate 151. . The first conductive line 154 includes conductive materials such as nickel, gold, silver, and copper. The first pad 155 is formed at the end of the first conductive line 154.

The first pad 155 includes conductive materials such as nickel, gold, silver, and copper, and is in contact with the other end of the interposer 140. The first pad 155 is connected to the first conductive line 154.

The second conductive line 156 is connected to the conductive film 153 formed on the second surface 151b of the space conversion substrate 151 and is formed on the second surface 151b of the space conversion substrate 151. . The second conductive line 156 includes conductive materials such as nickel, gold, silver, and copper. The second pad 157 is formed at the end of the second conductive line 156.

The second pad 157 includes conductive materials such as nickel, gold, silver, and copper, and is spaced apart from the first pad 155 in the center direction of the plate surface of the space conversion substrate 151. The second pad 157 is connected to the second conductive line 156. The distance between the second pads 157 connected to the first pads 155 formed to face each other and formed to face each other is smaller than the distance between the first pads 155.

The conductive film 153, the first conductive line 154, the first pad 155, the second conductive line 156, and the second pad 157 are entirely connected. The conductive film 153, the first conductive line 154, the first pad 155, the second conductive line 156, and the second pad 157 form the conductive film 153 on the space conversion substrate 151. When it may be formed integrally, or may be formed through different processes.

One end of the probe 160 is attached to the second pad 157, and the other end contacts the contact pad of the wafer during the inspection process. The probe 160 may be manufactured using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology.

For example, MEMS technology forms an opening in the form of a probe 160 in a sacrificial substrate using photolithography, fills the opening with a conductive material such as nickel by using a plating method, and removes the sacrificial substrate. The technique for manufacturing the probe 160, which is a conductive material filled in, is referred to.

As such, since the distance between the second pads 157 in contact with the probes 160 is smaller than the distance between the first pads 155 in contact with the interposers 140, the interposer 140 and the probes are smaller. Pitch conversion between the 160 is made. That is, the distance between neighboring probes 160 may be narrowed. Thereby, the highly integrated semiconductor wafer with a fine pitch contact pad can be inspected.

As described above, the first pad 155 and the second pad 157 formed on the first surface 151a and the second surface 151b of the space conversion substrate 151 through the through hole 152 simply. ), The pitch conversion can be performed, so that the manufacturing process of the space transducer 150 is simple and the manufacturing time is shortened. Thereby, manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Hereinafter, a probe card 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a space converter included in a probe card according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, only the characteristic parts distinguished from the first embodiment will be described and described, and the description thereof will be omitted according to the first embodiment. In addition, in the second embodiment of the present invention, for the convenience of description, the same components will be described using the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 4, between the through-hole 152 of the space converter 150 and the short side 151c of the space conversion substrate 151 included in the probe card 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The distance of is closer than the distance between the short side 151c of the first pad 155 and the space conversion substrate 151 and the short side 151c of the second pad 157 and the space conversion substrate 151. That is, the through hole 152 is located closer to the short side 151c of the space conversion substrate 151 than the first pad 151 and the second pad 157.

Each of the first conductive line 154 and the second conductive line 156 is connected to the conductive film 153 formed on the first surface 151a and the second surface 151b.

As described above, in the space converter 150 of the probe card 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, since the through hole 152 and the first conductive line 154 are formed outside the interposer 140, Not affected by other members that may be located in the area B between the first pads 155 facing each other, and other parts that may be located in the area B between the first pads 155 facing each other It does not affect the member.

The foregoing description of the present invention is intended for illustration, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be easily modified in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is shown by the following claims rather than the above description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional probe card using a space transducer,

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a probe card according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

3 is an enlarged view of a portion A of FIG. 2,

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a space converter included in a probe card according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (9)

In the probe card, Printed circuit board, An interposer connected to the printed circuit board and substantially perpendicular to the printed circuit board, A space conversion substrate comprising a first surface facing the printed circuit board and a second surface facing the first surface, a through hole penetrating from the first surface to the second surface, and surrounding the surface of the through hole. A conductive film formed on the first surface and connected to the conductive film; a first pad connected to the first conductive line and in contact with the interposer; A space converter including a second conductive line connected to the film, and a second pad connected to the second conductive line and spaced apart from the first pad in a central direction of the plate surface of the space conversion substrate; A probe attached to the second pad of the spatial transducer Probe card comprising a. The method of claim 1, And the through hole is located between the first pad and the second pad in an extension direction of the plate surface of the space conversion substrate. The method of claim 1, The distance between the through hole and the short side of the space conversion substrate is And a distance between the short side of the first pad and the space conversion substrate and the distance between the short side of the second pad and the space conversion substrate. The method of claim 1, The probe is a probe card that is manufactured using the MEMS (MEMS, Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology. The method of claim 1, And a first reinforcement plate positioned on the printed circuit board. The method of claim 1, And a second reinforcing plate positioned between the printed circuit board and the spatial transducer and having a through hole through which the interposer penetrates. In the space converter of the probe card, A space conversion substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, A through hole penetrating from the first surface to the second surface, A conductive film surrounding the surface of the through hole, A first conductive line formed on the first surface and connected to the conductive film, A first pad connected to the first conductive line and formed on the first surface; A second conductive line formed on the second surface and connected to the conductive film; A second pad connected to the second conductive line and spaced apart from the first pad in a center direction of the plate surface of the space conversion substrate; Space converter comprising a. The method of claim 7, wherein And the through hole is located between the first pad and the second pad in an extension direction of the plate surface of the space conversion substrate. The method of claim 7, wherein The distance between the through hole and the short side of the space conversion substrate is And a distance between a short side of the first pad and the space conversion substrate and a distance between a short side of the second pad and the space conversion substrate.

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