WO2007077784A1

WO2007077784A1 - Contact probe

Info

Publication number: WO2007077784A1
Application number: PCT/JP2006/325755
Authority: WO
Inventors: Toshio Kazama; Shigeki Ishikawa
Original assignee: Nhk Spring Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2005-12-28
Filing date: 2006-12-25
Publication date: 2007-07-12
Also published as: JP2007178404A; TW200739085A; TWI325960B; JP4916719B2

Abstract

A contact probe capable of satisfying a desired pitch between contact probes, and further satisfying various characteristics such as load characteristics, abrasion resistance characteristics, and electric characteristics required for a contact probe. The contact probe comprises a plunger (1) brought into contact with a matter to be inspected, a plunger (2) brought into contact with a connection terminal (31) on a inspecting device side, and a wire (3) provided between the plungers (1, 2), wherein the plungers (1, 2) having respective desired characteristics and selected according to the matter to be inspected and the wire (3) having desired characteristics and selected according to the matter to be inspected are combined together and are mechanically joined using close-coiling spring joints (4, 5).

Description

Specification

Contact probe

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a contact probe used when electrically inspecting a semiconductor integrated circuit such as an LCD panel or an LSI chip.

Background art

Conventionally, when inspecting an LCD panel or the like, the LCD panel is electrically contacted with a plurality of connection terminals of the LCD panel via a plurality of contact probes, and various test signals are given from the inspection apparatus to the LCD panel. I did an inspection!

[0003] As this contact probe, there is a wire probe, and in this wire probe, a plunger and a spring portion made of a wire are formed of the same material. A plurality of wire probes are arranged on the plate at a predetermined pitch. The needle-like tip of each plunger contacts the terminal of the object to be inspected, and the needle-like tip and the terminal of the object to be inspected by the reaction force of the spring part. Is in contact with each other. At this time, each plunger slides through the opening of the plate that guides the plunger.

[0004] Further, a thin plate having a concave portion or a convex portion having a spring property is integrally connected to an extra fine linear body having a needle portion at the tip, and the extra fine cylindrical body is tightly fitted to the extra fine linear body. There are contact probes (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4).

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3680295

Patent Document 2: JP 2004-152495 A

Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-99037

Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-148236

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0006] By the way, in the conventional wire probe described above, the plunger and the spring portion are formed of the same material, and tungsten or powder noise is a material that satisfies the electrical resistance, wear resistance, and productivity. Usually, it is manufactured using [0007] However, this tungsten or powder noise has a problem in that it is difficult to perform high-frequency measurement with a high electric resistance value.

On the other hand, the wire probe described above has a single wire structure, and the wire diameter is determined in consideration of the pitch. For example, when the pitch is 150 μm or less, the wire diameter is 50 to 70 μm. If tungsten is used in this case, the resistance value including the contact resistance is as high as 5 Ω or more. Furthermore, with this wire probe, the allowable current limit is 1 to 3 A when the wire diameter is 50 μm and the total length is 30 mm.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and satisfies various characteristics such as load characteristics, wear resistance characteristics, and electrical characteristics required for contact probes while satisfying a desired pitch between contact probes. It is an object of the present invention to provide a contact probe that can be further satisfied.

Means for solving the problem

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a contact probe according to the present invention includes a plunger that contacts an object to be inspected and a plunger that contacts a connection terminal on the inspection apparatus side. A wire provided between each plunger, each plunger having a desired characteristic selected according to the object to be inspected, and a wire having a desired characteristic selected according to the object to be inspected. It is characterized in that it is mechanically connected in combination.

[0011] Further, the contact probe according to the present invention includes a plunger that contacts the object to be inspected, and a wire that connects one end to the plunger and contacts the other end to the connection terminal on the inspection apparatus side. The plunger having desired characteristics selected according to the object to be inspected and the wire having desired characteristics selected according to the object to be inspected are combined and mechanically connected.

[0012] The contact probe according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the other end of the wire is barrel-polished.

[0013] Further, in the contact probe according to the present invention, in the above invention, the plunger and the wire are mechanically connected using a pipe joint.

[0014] Further, the contact probe according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the plunger and the wire are mechanically connected using a closed coil spring. To do.

[0015] In the contact probe according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, the wire is covered with a coil spring having a desired pitch.

[0016] In the contact probe according to the present invention, in the above invention, the plunger is offset to the position of each plunger or the position of the plunger and the other end of the wire with respect to the sliding direction of the plunger. And the entire wire is wound in an S shape.

[0017] Further, in the contact probe according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, the plunger is formed with a groove for connecting the wire during cutting or electroplating.

[0018] In the contact probe according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, the wire is plated with a low-resistance material.

The invention's effect

[0019] The contact probe according to the present invention includes a plunger that contacts the object to be inspected, a plunger that contacts the connection terminal on the inspection apparatus side, and a wire provided between the plungers. Since each plunger having a desired characteristic selected according to the object and a wire having the desired characteristic selected according to the object to be inspected are combined and mechanically connected, the desired contact between the contact probes is obtained. While satisfying the pitch, various characteristics such as load characteristics, wear resistance characteristics, and electrical characteristics required for contact probes are further improved.

As a result, it is possible to flexibly realize a satisfactory contact probe.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a contact probe according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

2 is a diagram showing a stroke state of the contact probe shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a contact probe when a pipe joint is used for joining a plunger and a wire.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a contact probe according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a contact probe according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a contact probe according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a contact probe according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

[0021] 1, 2, 61 Plunger

3, 53, 63 wire

4, 5 Sealed spring joint

4a, 4c, 5a, 5c

4b, 5b pitch spring

6 Retaining part

10, 11, 40, 50, 60 Contact probe

14, 15 Pipe fitting

20 Probe block

21 Upper insulation

21a, 22a opening

22 Lower insulation

23 Side wall insulation

30 connection blocks

31 Connection terminal

41 Secret spring

62 groove

CI, C2 center axis

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a contact probe which is the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described. This will be described with reference to the plane.

[0023] (Embodiment 1)

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounted state of the contact probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the contact probe shown in FIG. 1 is in contact with an object to be inspected with a desired stroke. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the contact probe 10 has a cylindrical plunger 1 whose tip side that contacts the object to be inspected is formed in a weight shape, and a tip that contacts the connection terminal 31 on the inspection device side in a weight shape. It has a formed cylindrical plunger 2 and a cylindrical wire 3 having a desired spring coefficient by coupling the plungers 1 and 2 together.

[0024] The rear end of the plunger 1 and one end of the wire 3 are mechanically connected by a closed spring joint 4. The closet spring joint 4 also acts as a force with the closet springs 4a, 4c and the pitch winding part 4b sandwiched between them, and the pitch end spring part 4b is soldered or brazed so that the plunger 1 and the wire 3 is connected. Providing such close-spring spring portions 4a and 4c can prevent the solder attached to the pitch-spring spring portion 4b from spreading. Further, the rear end of the plunger 1 and the wire 3 are mechanically connected by a closed spring joint 5. As with the dense spring joint 4, the dense flange joint 5 has a pitch flange portion 5b between the dense spring portions 5a and 5c, and the pitch flange spring portion 5b is soldered or brazed. Plunger 2 and wire 3 are connected by By providing such dense spring portions 5a and 5c, it is possible to prevent the solder attached to the pitch helical spring portion 5b from spreading.

[0025] A plurality of contact probes 10 are arranged in the probe block 20 with a predetermined pitch. The probe block 20 has a layered upper insulating part 21, a layered lower insulating part 22, and a side wall insulating part 23, and forms an internal space in which a plurality of contact probes 10 are arranged. The upper insulating portion 21 and the lower insulating portion 22 are provided with corresponding opening portions 21a and 22a, respectively, and the plunger 1 is inserted into the opening portion 21a to perform the positioning of the plunger 1 and the function of the guide. . A plunger 2 is inserted into the opening 22a, and functions as a positioning of the plunger 2 and a guide. The openings 21a and 22a are formed such that the diameters of the forces having a circular cross section are slightly larger than the diameters of the plungers 1 and 2, respectively. The plunger 1 has a retaining part 6 that prevents the plunger from slipping out of the probe block 20 on the rear end side. The diameter of the retaining portion 6 is slightly larger than the diameter of the opening 21a. The height of the side wall insulating portion 23 is such that no load is applied to the wire, the retaining portion 6 contacts the inner wall of the upper insulating portion 21, and the tip of the plunger 2 contacts the connection terminal 31 of the connection block 30. Set to touch.

[0027] Here, the probe block 20 and the connection block 30 are integrated, and the tip end side of the plunger 1 is moved to the terminal side of the object to be inspected, and the tip of the plunger 1 is pressed against the terminal of the object to be inspected. When contact is made, as shown in FIG. 2, the plunger 1 slides in the lower end direction, and the entire wire 1 is bent in a bow shape and functions as a spring. In this case, since the entire wire 3 is bowed, a spring having a low spring coefficient can be realized.

[0028] It should be noted that the wire 3 may have a directionality in the stagnation using a flat wire. 3 The material of layer 3 is realized by piano wire, tungsten (W) wire, beryllium nickel (BeNi) wire, beryl copper (BeCu) wire, etc. on the surface to improve resistance value and high frequency characteristics. Alternatively, solder plating, Au plating, Ni plating, etc. are applied for the purpose of changing the spring characteristics. Plungers 1 and 2 are realized with Ni material, Nolinei 7 and so on, and Au plating and Ni plating are applied as needed. Plungers 1 and 2 are manufactured by cutting, pressing force, electric machining, etching and the like.

[0029] In addition, the plungers 1, 2 and the wire 3 are joined by soldering, but they may be joined by laser welding using a laser welding apparatus, or by spot welding as a welding technique. Also good. Moreover, you may join by pressure bonding, such as a press.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, pipe joints 14 and 15 may be used in place of the dense springs 4 and 5. In this case, the plungers 1 and 2 and the wire 3 are connected by caulking or the like.

[0031] Further, the wire 3 is provided with an insulating film to prevent electrical contact between adjacent wires during a stroke. In this case, when an insulating film is formed on the wire 3 in advance, it is preferable to manufacture the wire 3 with the insulating film formed thereon. However, it is necessary to remove the insulation film where the plungers 1 and 2 are in electrical contact.

[0032] Here, in the first embodiment, the optimum material and the optimum structure are provided for the plunger 1, the plunger 2 and the wire 3 according to the inspection contents, and these optimum materials and the optimum structure are provided. Since a combination of various structures is mechanically connected by the above-described closed spring joints 4, 5, etc., the optimum contact probe 10 can be flexibly manufactured. For example, the contact probe 10 having the wire 3 having the cross-sectional area of the wire matched to the allowable current value of the inspection can be easily manufactured. When the inspection uses a high-frequency signal, it is possible to easily manufacture a contact probe having the wire 3 on the surface of which various platings are made to make the high-frequency resistance value of the wire 3 low. Furthermore, the plungers 1 and 2 can be changed to plungers having appropriate materials and structures according to the object to be inspected. In other words, since the restriction that the plungers 1 and 2 and the wire 3 are made of the same material is lifted, the optimal combination of load characteristics, wear resistance characteristics, electrical characteristics, etc. is achieved by mechanically combining them. A contact probe having characteristics can be flexibly manufactured.

[0033] In addition, the wire 3 used in the first embodiment is provided with a special uneven shape on the wire 3, so that by providing the special shape, the cross-sectional area of the wire is reduced and the allowable current value is increased. It will never be lowered. In addition, since the spring action is generated when the entire wire 3 is pinched, a contact probe having a low spring coefficient can be realized.

[Embodiment 2]

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the force formed so that the central axes of the openings 21a and 22a coincide with each other. In the second embodiment, the central axes of the openings 21a and 22a are shifted.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a mounting state of the contact probe 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, each opening 21a, 22a is arranged so that the central axis C1 of the opening 21a of the upper insulating part 21 and the central axis C2 of the opening 22a of the lower insulating part 22 have a predetermined offset. Is provided. This offset is about 0.1 to: Lmm.

[0036] When the plunger 1 is inserted into the opening 21a and the plunger 2 is inserted into the opening 22a, the wire 3 forms an S shape and is set in the probe block 20 as shown in FIG. . Here, when the plunger 1 is in a stroke state, the wire 3 has an S-shape in advance, so that the wire 3 is squeezed in the direction in which the S-shape is crushed. That is, the stagnation of the wire 3 can be restricted in the direction connecting the opening 21a and the opening 22a.

[0037] In the second embodiment, the wire 3 is offset by the offset of the central axis of the openings 21a and 22a. Since the stagnation direction of the wire can be regulated, contact between adjacent wires can be prevented, and a narrow pitch can be promoted.

[0038] (Embodiment 3)

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, a cover spring 41 is further provided on the wire 3 of the contact probe 10 shown in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of the contact probe according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, in this contact probe 40, a beak spring 41 is further wound around the wire 3 of the contact probe 10 shown in the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0040] In this contact probe 40, since the cover spring 41 is further provided on the wire 3, the spring coefficient of the wire 3 can be increased. Furthermore, when fine adjustment of the spring coefficient is performed, a pitch spring may be used in place of the cover spring 41. In addition, if the dense spring 41 is provided, the allowable current value can be increased.

[Embodiment 4]

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In Embodiments 1 to 3 described above, the force used to connect the plungers to both ends of the contact probe In this Embodiment 4, only the plunger on the inspection object side is connected to the wire, As a structure without a plunger on the inspection device side.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of the contact probe according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this contact probe 50, the plunger 2 and the closed spring joint 5 of the contact probe 10 shown in the first embodiment are deleted, and the wire 53 corresponding to the wire 3 is directly connected. The length is such that it can contact the connection terminal. Furthermore, both ends of the wire 53 are formed into spherical ends by barrel polishing. The end of the wire on the plunger 11 side is connected to the plunger 1 by a close spring joint 4 and a solder joint.

[0043] In the fourth embodiment, since it is not necessary to provide the plunger 2, it is possible to flexibly realize a contact probe having optimum characteristics with a simple configuration. [Embodiment 5]

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In Embodiment 4 described above, the force used to connect the plunger 1 and the wire 53 by the close-spring spring joint 4 and solder joint or the like. In Embodiment 5, the close-spring spring joint 4 is not used. Connect the plunger and the wire.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of the contact probe according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7, the plunger 61 corresponding to the plunger 1 is provided with a groove 62 sandwiching one end of the wire 63 corresponding to the wire 53 on the rear end side. The plunger 61 and the wire 63 are connected by sandwiching one end of the wire 63 by the groove 62 and performing soldering, force staking, driving, laser welding, or the like. Note that the end of the wire 63 on the plunger 61 side need not be barrel polished. Further, the groove 62 of the plunger 61 can be formed by applying a pressing force to the plunger 61 and applying an electric force.

[0046] In the fifth embodiment, since the close-spring spring joint 4 used for joining the plunger and the wire on the object side to be inspected is not used, the contact with the optimum characteristics can be achieved with a simpler configuration. The probe can be realized flexibly. Industrial applicability

As described above, the contact probe according to the present invention is useful when electrically inspecting semiconductor integrated circuits such as LCD panels and LSI chips.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A plunger that contacts the object to be inspected, a plunger that contacts the connection terminal on the inspection device side, and a wire provided between the plungers, and a desired one selected according to the object to be inspected A contact probe characterized in that each plunger having characteristics and a wire having desired characteristics selected according to the object to be inspected are combined and mechanically connected.

[2] A desired contact selected according to the object to be inspected, having a plunger that contacts the object to be inspected and a wire that has one end connected to the plunger and the other end in contact with the connection terminal on the inspection device side A contact probe characterized in that the plunger having the above characteristics and a wire having a desired characteristic selected according to the object to be inspected are combined and mechanically connected.

3. The contact probe according to claim 2, wherein the other end of the wire is barrel-polished.

[4] The contact probe according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plunger and the wire are mechanically connected using a pipe joint.

[5] The contact probe according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plunger and the wire are mechanically connected using a closed coil spring.

[6] The contact probe according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the wire is covered by a coil spring having a desired pitch winding.

[7] With respect to the sliding direction of the plunger, the position of each plunger, that is! /, Has an offset between the position of the plunger and the other end of the wire, and the entire wire is formed in an S shape. The contact probe according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the contact probe is stiffened.

[8] The contact probe according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the plunger is formed with a groove for connecting the wire during cutting or electroplating.

[9] The contact probe according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the wire is plated with a low-resistance material.