KR20160063063A - A probe tip and a method of manufaturing thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment, provided is a method for manufacturing a probe tip. The manufacturing method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a lump consisting of a hexahedron substrate forming material; (b) coating and patterning a mask material of a pillar cross section size on the upper surface of the lump; (c) forming an integrated pillar and a substrate by performing an anisotropical etching process on the lump so as to form a pillar with the pillar cross section size; (d) removing the coated mask material; (e) coating a protective film with a regular thickness on the surface of the substrate and the pillar; (f) exposing an edge part of the pillar by etching the protective film located in the edge part of the pillar; (g) forming a tip by performing an etching process on the edge part of the exposed pillar; and (h) removing the entire protective film. The present invention is designed to provide a probe tip capable of having a high aspect ratio and adjusting the diameter of an end.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a probe tip and a method of manufacturing a probe tip,

The present invention relates to a probe tip and a method for manufacturing a pro tip according to an embodiment. More particularly, the present invention relates to an atomic force microscope (AFM) for surface shape measurement, a probe card used for characterizing electronic devices, a field effect display (FED), and a probe tip applied to a metamaterial. And a method of manufacturing the probe tip.

The probe tip can be applied to an atomic force microscope (AFM) for surface shape measurement, a probe card used for characterizing electronic devices, a field effect display (FED), and a metamaterial. With the development of nanotechnology, the shape to be measured is becoming more complicated and smaller in size, making the tip of the probe tip the desired shape.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2001-0100530 A discloses an active probe having a probe having a large aspect ratio which is essential for the development of a nano storage device using SPM (Scanning Probe Microscopy) technology and an active probe with high aspect ratio tip and Fabrication method thereof.

A European patent (EP 2169409 A1) discloses a general probe tip shape. These probe tips are made of silicon with different wet etch rates along the crystal direction, and have a pyramid shape, with the side surface always at an angle of 54.7 ° with the underside. Therefore, the aspect ratio of the tip is limited to a certain value, and the tip of the probe tip also has a constant angle.

Due to the low aspect ratio of the probe tip, the vertical section is obliquely measured and the deep surface is not measurable. In addition, the tip of the conventional probe tip has a rectangular shape corresponding to the crystal direction of the silicon wafer at the beginning and the pyramid-like shape as a whole. Therefore, the measurement result is different when the measurement surface comes into contact with the side of the probe tip and when the measurement surface comes into contact with the edge in the process of measuring the shape.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a probe tip having a high aspect ratio and capable of adjusting the diameter of the tip.

According to one embodiment, there is a need to provide a method of manufacturing a probe tip that includes a tip with a reduced cross-section.

The probe tip according to an embodiment includes a substrate, a column connected at one end to the substrate, and a tip portion connected at the other end of the column and tapering toward the end, And the substrate, the column, and the tip end portion may be made of the same material.

According to one aspect, the height of the column may be greater than the width of the column, and the end of the tip may be smaller than the cross-section of the column.

According to one aspect, the tip end portion may be formed by isotropically etching the edge portion of the column after exposing only the rim portion of the column.

According to one aspect, the slope of the tip end side face may increase from the bottom end to the tip end of the tip end portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a probe tip, comprising the steps of: providing a mass composed of a hexagonal substrate-forming material; coating and patterning a mask material having a columnar cross-sectional size on an upper surface of the mass; Forming an integrated pillar and a substrate by anisotropically etching the mass to form a pillar having a predetermined size, removing the coated mask material, coating a protective film having a predetermined thickness on the surface of the substrate and the pillar, Etching the protective film located at the rim of the column to expose the rim of the column, etching the rim of the exposed column to form a tip, and removing all of the protective film And the prepared probe may include a tip portion that tapers toward the end have.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in the step of forming the tip portion, the sharpness of the tip portion can be adjusted by adjusting the etching depth of the rim portion of the column.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in the step of forming the tip portion, the tip portion of the exposed column may be isotropically etched to form a tip portion.

According to one embodiment, a probe tip having a high aspect ratio and capable of adjusting the diameter of the tip can be provided.

According to one embodiment, it is possible to provide a method of manufacturing a probe tip that includes a tip with a reduced cross-section.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a probe tip according to one embodiment.
2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a process of manufacturing a probe tip according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a height of a tip portion according to an etch height in a process of manufacturing a probe tip according to an embodiment.
4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the rim of the tip portion is etched using an actual silicon substrate.

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

In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

Hereinafter, a structure of the probe tip 100 according to an embodiment and a method of manufacturing the same will be described with reference to the drawings.

The Figure shows a probe tip 100 according to one embodiment.

The probe tip 100 is a substrate 110. A column 120 connected at one end to the substrate 110 and a tip 130 connected at the other end of the column 120 and tapering toward the end, The tip end portion 120, and the tip end portion 130 may be made of the same material.

The tip portion 130 is formed by etching the rim portion of the column after exposing only the rim portion of the rim, as will be described later in detail.

The tip portion 130 may be formed by isotropically etching the rim of the column 120 after exposing only the rim of the column 120. The column 110 may be formed on the bottom surface of the column 110, The height from the tip 130 to the tip 130 and the section at which the tip 130 begins. The tip portion 130 may have a structure in which the cross section decreases as it goes up.

Since the cross section of the column 120 can be formed in an arbitrary shape and manufactured through a separate process from the tip 130, the ratio of the width R and the height L can be arbitrarily adjusted. Therefore, if the height L is made larger than the width R, the shape formed inside the deep valley can be measured.

The height R of the column 120 of the probe tip 100 is greater than the width L of the column 120 and the end of the tip 130 may be smaller than the cross section of the column.

The side surface of the tip portion 130 is steeply raised from the bottom to the end connected to the column 120. Both sides of the tip portion 130 have a shape in which a quarter of the circle is symmetrical Likewise, it can have a concave shape.

A quarter of a circle corresponding to 90 degrees to 180 degrees in a clockwise direction has a slope near 0 at a portion corresponding to 180 degrees and a slope near to an infinity at a portion corresponding to 90 degrees. Accordingly, the inclination of the side of the tip 130 increases from the bottom to the tip of the tip 130.

If the end portion of the tip end portion 130 is sharpened, it can be used as an AFM tip for measuring the surface shape. If the end portion is not sharp and a certain area remains, a probe Can be used as a card tip.

The substrate 110, the column 120, and the tip 130 may all be formed of a material including semiconductors, metals, organic materials, and the like. In addition, when the column 120 is formed into a circular shape, the tip portion 130 of the probe tip 100 has a circular symmetrical shape, so that the same measurement result can be obtained regardless of the direction in which the probe tip 100 is measured.

Therefore, the probe tip 100 can adjust the width and depth of the measurable valleys when the measurement object has a valley shape by adjusting the width R and the width L of the column 110.

2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of manufacturing the probe tip 100 according to an embodiment. 2 are cross-sectional views taken along the line A-A 'in Fig.

The method of manufacturing a probe tip 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of providing a mass composed of a substrate forming material, coating and patterning a mask material 140 having a columnar sectional size on the upper surface of the mass, Forming an integrated pillar 120 and a substrate 110 by anisotropically etching the mass to form the pillar 120 having the columnar cross-sectional size, removing the coated material 140, Coating a protective film 150 having a predetermined thickness on the surface of the substrate and the column, exposing a rim of the column by etching a protective film located at a rim of the column, Forming a tip portion by etching, and removing the entire protective film 150.

In the step of forming the tip, the tip of the exposed column may be isotropically etched to form a tip.

Etching can be roughly divided into wet etching and dry etching, wet etching using solution, and dry etching using gaseous gas.

Wet etching can be classified into two types, isotropic etching and anisotropic etching. Isotropic etching is characterized by the fact that it is etched at the same rate in all directions regardless of the crystal plane direction of the material, so that it has a slight curved surface after etching, and the accuracy is not very high. Anisotropic etching is a process that etches at different rates depending on the crystal structure surface, which can increase the precision, but the etching rate is slow and the visualized surface may become rough. 2 (a) shows a lump composed of a hexagonal substrate-forming material, and a mask material 140 having a columnar cross-sectional size is coated on the upper surface of the lump and patterned.

The shape of the substrate-forming material is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate-forming material are flat with the ground in order to clarify the size of the column section that the mask material 140 is intended to exhibit.

In the patterning process, the mask material 140 is left only in substantially the same shape as the polygonal or circular column shape, and the remaining mask material 140 is removed.

 The mask material 140 used in this case must have a property of not being etched in the next anisotropic etching process, and a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, a photosensitive material, or the like may be used.

Referring to FIG. 2 (b), the mass is anisotropically etched to form the column 120 having the columnar section size, thereby forming the integrated column 120 and the substrate 110. The cross-section of the etched and remaining column 120 has the same cross-section as the mask material 14 and the depth of the etched portion must be equal to or greater than the height of the column 120 and the tip portion 130.

FIG. 2 (c) shows a state in which the mask material 140 coated in the previous step is removed. The mask material 140 is preferably completely removed before the start of the next step because the protective film 150 must be covered on the pillars 120 and the substrate 110 in the next step.

2 (d) shows a state in which the thickness of the protective film 150 is coated on the surfaces of the substrate 110 and the pillars 120. FIG. The protective layer 150 covers all the surfaces of the exposed substrate 110 and the pillar 120, and preferably has a uniform thickness.

The protective film material 150 should have a property that it is not etched in the next isotropic etching process and may be formed by using a TEOS silicon oxide film or an atomic layer deposition (ALP) device using low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) It can be used as an example.

FIG. 2 (e) shows a state in which the rim of the column 120 is exposed by etching the protective film 150 located at the rim of the column 120. That is, the step of exposing the conductive layer 150 is to etch a part of the passivation layer 150, so that the passivation layer 150 located at the rim of the first top surface of the column 120 is etched to expose only the rim portion, The protective film 150 remains.

The reason why the protective film 150 remains in the remaining portion is that if the protective film 150 is completely removed, it is possible to prevent the side surface of the column 120 itself from being etched during the etching process and to etch more than the depth to be etched This can be prevented.

FIG. 2 (f) shows a state where the tip portion 130 is formed by etching at the exposed portion of the rim of the column 120.

FIG. 2 (g) shows the completed probe tip 100 with the substrate 110, the column 120, and the tip 130 after removing the remaining protective film 150.

3 (a) to 3 (c) show the shape change of the tip portion 130 according to the etching depth in the process of FIG. 2 (f).

In the step of forming the tip 130, the sharpness of the tip 130 can be controlled by controlling the etching depth of the rim of the column 120.

In this process, the etching proceeds at the rim of the column 120. When the degree of etching is adjusted around the rim of the column 120, the area where the etching is performed becomes wider, So that the depth of the edge of the substrate is etched.

FIG. 3 (a) shows a state in which the etching depth is set to be shallow, and the degree of etching is less than the center of the column 120. Here, the cross-sectional diameter of the tip portion 130 has a smaller diameter than the cross-section of the column 120.

In this case, since the tip of the tip portion 130 is bluntly formed, it may be difficult to use when a high level of measurement accuracy is required.

In FIG. 3 (b), when the etching depth is advanced to the center of the upper surface, the tip of the tip portion 130 has a very sharp shape with a very steep slope. 2 (f), the tip portion 130 has a pointed shape, and has a shape of a preferable probe tip 100 according to an embodiment.

In this case, the tip of the tip portion 130 is a portion in which the shape corresponding to 1/4 of the circle is symmetric to meet, so that it can be seen that the slope is formed to be very steep.

3C shows a state in which the etching depth advances to a degree exceeding the center of the upper surface. As the etch depth increases, the radius of the etched region becomes larger. Accordingly, the radius of curvature of the side of the tip portion 130 also increases correspondingly.

If the etch depth progresses to a level beyond the center of the column 120, the height of the column itself will be reduced, thereby making it difficult to achieve the desired height and width ratio of the column initially.

In this case, although the tip of the tip portion 130 has a pointed shape, since the length from the bottom to the tip of the tip portion 130 as a whole becomes low, the height of the tip portion 130 becomes small, The sharpness also becomes smaller.

Since the area of the tip of the probe tip 100 can be adjusted in the process of adjusting the etching depth, it is possible to provide the probe tip 100 having various diameters, which can be applied to the probe card 100 as well as the probe card.

Fig. 4 shows a SEM photograph of a device in which the shape of Fig. 3 (a) is fabricated using a silicon substrate. The silicon oxide film used as the protective film 150 is removed along the rim of the tip 130 and the diameter R2 of the tip of the tip 130 is less than the diameter R1 of the pillar 120 by etching Can be confirmed.

A metal, a semiconductor, a dielectric, a polymer, or the like may be deposited on the surface of the probe tip 100 in order to control the mechanical, electrical, and optical characteristics of the surface of the probe tip 100 according to one embodiment.

The probe tip manufacturing method according to an embodiment can provide a probe tip 100 capable of measuring a precise shape of a surface having a large step height because a tip having a high aspect ratio can be manufactured using a minimum process step.

In addition, since a tip having the same shape of 360 degrees can be manufactured on a column having a circular cross section by using isotropic etching, the probe tip 100 can be provided which can measure the same shape regardless of the moving direction.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, such modifications or variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

100: probe tip
110: substrate
120: Column
130:
140: mask material
150: Shield
R2: Diameter of leading edge
R1: Diameter of the column

Claims (5)

Board;
A column having one end connected to the substrate; And
A tapered portion connected at the other end of the column and becoming tapered toward the end;
Lt; / RTI >
The tip portion is formed by etching only the rim portion of the column and then the rim portion of the column,
Wherein the substrate, the column, and the tip end are made of the same material.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a slope of the proximal side surface increases from a bottom to an end of the proximal portion.
The method according to claim 1,
And the tip portion is formed by isotropically etching the rim of the column after exposing only the rim of the column.
A method of manufacturing a probe tip,
Providing a mass composed of a substrate-forming material;
Coating and patterning a mask material having a columnar cross-sectional size on an upper surface of the mass;
Anisotropically etching the mass to form a column having the column cross-sectional size, thereby forming an integrated column and a substrate;
Removing the coated mask material;
Coating a protective film on the surface of the substrate and the column;
Etching the protective film located at the rim of the column to expose a rim of the column;
Etching the rim of the exposed column to form a tapered portion; And
Removing the protective film;
And a tapered tip that tapers towards the tip.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the sharpness of the tip is adjustable by adjusting an etch depth of a rim of the column in the step of forming the tip.

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