WO2020218803A1

WO2020218803A1 - Probe cleaner

Info

Publication number: WO2020218803A1
Application number: PCT/KR2020/005255
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chae-Yoon Lee
Original assignee: Leeno Industrial Inc.
Priority date: 2019-04-24
Filing date: 2020-04-21
Publication date: 2020-10-29
Also published as: KR20200124442A; TWI736192B; TW202039106A; KR102174493B1

Abstract

Disclosed is a probe cleaner for cleaning and decontaminating a probe. The probe cleaner includes a main body including a cleaning surface facing toward a test socket in which probes are arranged; a cleaning member provided in the cleaning surface and configured to remove a foreign material at a tip of the probe; and a positioning guide configured to guide a cleaning position of the main body as being engaged with a corresponding shape portion of the test socket based on movement of the main body toward the test socket.

Description

PROBE CLEANER

The present disclosure relates to a probe cleaner which decontaminates probes arranged in a test socket for testing a semiconductor or the like object to be tested.

A test device for testing electric characteristics of a device to be tested, such as a semiconductor, has employed a test socket in which retractable probes are arranged. The probes arranged in the test socket include one ends to be in contact with contact points of a device to be tested, for example, bumps made of lead, and the other ends to be in contact with a pad of a test circuit board, when the test is carried out. As the probes are used so many times, an end tip of the probe being in contact with the bump is contaminated with accumulated foreign materials transferred from the bump. Like this, the contamination causes the tip of the probe to be increased in contact resistance and become blunt, thereby decreasing the reliability of the test.

An aspect of the present disclosure is conceived to solve the foregoing problems, and provide a probe cleaner to decontaminate probes arranged in a test socket.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a probe cleaner. The probe cleaner includes: a main body including a cleaning surface facing toward a test socket in which probes are arranged; a cleaning member provided in the cleaning surface and configured to remove a foreign material at a tip of the probe; and a positioning guide configured to guide a cleaning position of the main body as being engaged with a corresponding shape portion of the test socket when the main body moves toward the test socket.

The probe cleaner may further include a supporting member configured to support the cleaning member, wherein the main body includes a protruding/retracting accommodator configured to accommodate and allow the supporting member to protrude and retract.

The probe cleaner may further include an elastic member configured to elastically push the supporting member in a direction of protruding from the cleaning surface.

The main body may include a grip extended in an opposite direction to the cleaning surface.

The elastic member may be accommodated in the grip.

The probe cleaner may further include a displacement generator provided between the supporting member and the main body and configured to generate predetermined displacement on a plane transverse to a protruding/retracting direction of the supporting member when the supporting member moves to protrude or retract.

The displacement generator may include a displacement projection protruding from one of the supporting member and the main body toward the other, and an engagement groove provided in the other and configured to generate horizontal displacement while engaging with the displacement projection.

The probe cleaner according to the present invention can easily and conveniently clean contaminants of probes arranged in a socket.

The above and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a test socket and a probe cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the test socket taken along line A-A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a probe in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cut-open perspective view of the probe cleaner taken along line B-B of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling state of the test socket and the probe cleaner of FIG. 1 at cleaning;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing operating states of the probe cleaner; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a probe cleaner according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

Below, a probe cleaner 20 applied to a test socket 10 will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a test socket 10 and a probe cleaner 20 according to an embodiment of the disclosure, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the test socket 10 taken along line A-A of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a probe 130 in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the test socket 10 includes a probe supporter 11 to support a plurality of probes 130, and an insert 12 elastically floating on the probe supporter 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the probe 130 includes a barrel 132 shaped like a cylinder, a first plunger 134 partially inserted in one side of the barrel 132, a second plunger 136 partially inserted in the other side of the barrel 132, and a spring 138 interposed between the first plunger 134 and the second plunger 136 inside the barrel 132. The first plunger 132 includes a tip to be in contact with a contact point (e.g. a bump) of an object to be tested, such as a semiconductor, when a test is carried out. The second plunger 136 is in contact with a pad of a test circuit board. The probe 130 shown in FIG. 3 is merely given by way of example for description, and various probes may be employed.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the probe supporter 11 includes an insert accommodator 111 to accommodate the insert 12 elastically floating thereon, four walls 112 surrounding the insert 12 accommodated in the probe accommodator 111, a guide accommodating hole 113 provided in the middle of the walls 112, and a probe inserting portion 115 provided on the bottom of the insert accommodator 111.

The insert accommodator 111 has an approximately quadrangular space corresponding to the insert 12, and includes a plurality of springs (not shown) standing on the bottom thereof. The insert 12 is elastically floating as inserted in a spring accommodating hole (not shown) which accommodates the spring on the bottom thereof. On the bottom of the insert accommodator 111, the first plunger 134 of the plurality of probes 130 protrudes.

The four walls 112 are arranged at the sides of the quadrangular space.

The guide accommodating hole 113 may accommodate a positioning guide 214 of the probe cleaner 20 (to be described later) and guide a cleaning position.

The probe inserting portion 115 includes a first probe inserting portion 114 at an upper side, and a second probe inserting portion 116 at a lower side.

The first probe inserting portion 114 includes a first probe hole 1142 to accommodate and support the upper side of the barrel 132 of the probe 130.

The second probe inserting portion 116 may be detachably mounted to the first probe inserting portion 114 as being spaced apart from the first probe inserting portion 114. The second probe inserting portion 116 includes a second probe hole 1162 to accommodate and support the lower side of the barrel 132 of the probe 130.

The insert 12 includes a test-object accommodator 122 to accommodate an object-to-be-tested such as a semiconductor therein, and a bottom portion 124. The bottom portion 124 is formed with a plurality of through holes 1242. The through hole 1242 allows a contact point, for example, a bump of an object-to-be-tested to put thereon, and allows the first plunger 134 of the probe 130 to pass therethrough and become in contact with the bump when the test is performed. To make the first plunger 134 pass through the through hole 1242, the insert 12, i.e. an object to be tested may be pressed down while compressing the spring and move in a downward direction when the test is performed.

FIG. 4 is a cut-open perspective view of the probe cleaner 20 taken along line B-B of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling state of the test socket 10 and the probe cleaner 20 of FIG. 1 at cleaning.

The probe cleaner 20 includes a main body 21, a cleaning member 22, a supporting member 23 for supporting the cleaning member 22, an elastic member 25 for making the supporting member 23 elastically protrude and retract, and a grip 26.

The main body 21 approximately has a quadrangular shape, and includes a protruding/retracting accommodator 212 placed at the center thereof and accommodating the supporting member 23 to protrude and retract, and four projections 213 protruding from four sides. The main body 21 includes a cleaning surface 215 facing toward the test socket 10. The cleaning surfaces 215 of the four projections 213 include positioning guides 214 protruding toward the four walls 112 of the test socket 10, respectively. The positioning guide 214 may be inserted in the guide accommodating hole 113 provided in the wall 112 of the test socket 10.

The main body 21 includes a grip inserting portion 216 extended in an opposite direction to the cleaning surface 215, and a spring inserting portion 217 having a diameter reduced the grip inserting portion 216. The grip 26 may slide in a lengthwise direction as being inserted in the grip inserting portion 216. The spring inserting portion 217 may be inserted atone side of the elastic member 25.

The cleaning member 22 may be detachably provided in the supporting member 23 and protrude and retract from the cleaning surface 215 based on the protruding and retracting operations of the supporting member 23. In other words, the cleaning member 22 may press the bottom of the insert 12 when protruding, thereby cleaning the tip of the first plunger 134 of the probe 130 protruding passing through the through hole 1242 of the inert 12.

The cleaning member 22 may be manufactured based on combination between an elastic base material made of silicon rubber or urethan rubber, and a fine-particle abrasive material made of silicon carbide or diamond powder.

The supporting member 23 includes a cleaning member supporter 232 to which the cleaning member 22 is detachably attached, and a supporting rod 234 extended backward from the cleaning member supporter 232 as a single body and accommodated in the grip 26. The end portion 2342 of supporting rod 234 may be fastened to a holder 264 inside the grip 26.

The elastic member 25 allows the supporting rod 234 to pass therethrough and is interposed with opposite ends supported between the spring inserting portion 217 of the main body 21 and the holder 264 provided inside the grip 26. Therefore, the elastic member 25 allows the grip 26 to elastically move in the lengthwise direction. In result, when the grip 26 is pressed and pushed toward the test socket 10, the supporting member 23 protrudes from the cleaning surface 215 of the main body 21. When the grip 26 is released from the pressing, the grip 26 is restored to the protruding/retracting accommodator 212 of the main body 21 based on the restoring operation of the elastic member 25.

The grip 26 is formed with a hollow 262 having an inlet 261 opened at one side. The grip 26 includes the holder 264 to hold the other side of the elastic member at the opposite side to the inlet 261, and hold the end portion of the supporting rod 234.

FIG. 5 is the cross-sectional view showing the coupling state of the test socket 10 and the probe cleaner 20 of FIG. 1 at cleaning, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing operating states of the probe cleaner 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the test socket 10 and the probe cleaner 20 are coupled, the positioning guide 214 of the probe cleaner 20 is inserted in the guide accommodating hole 113 of the test socket 10 to thereby remove contamination accumulated in the tip of the first plunger 134 of the probe 130 of the test socket 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, the cleaning member 22 is being spaced apart from the tip of the first plunger 134 of the probe 130.

When the elastic member 25 is pressed down using the grip 26 from the state shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the supporting member 23 protrudes from the cleaning surface 215 of the main body 21 and presses the bottom 124 of the insert 12 of the test socket 10 as shown in FIG. 7. In result, the insert 12 elastically is moved toward a first probe inserting portion 114. Based on such movement of the insert 12, the first plunger 134 of the probe 130 protrudes upward from the bottom 124 of the insert 12 while passing through the through hole 1242 of the insert 12. The tip of the first plunger 134 protruding as above is put in the cleaning member 22 and decontaminated.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a probe cleaner 20 according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 8, the probe cleaner 20 includes the main body 21, the supporting member 23 inserted in the protruding/retracting accommodator 212 of the main body 21, and the grip 26 coupled to the main body 21 and slidably movable with regard to the main body 21. The probe cleaner 20 may include

displacement generators

27 and 28 provided between the supporting member 23 and the main body 21. The

displacement generators

27 and 28 may move the supporting member 23 transverse to the protruding/retracting direction of the supporting member 23 when the supporting member 23 moves to protrude or retract.

The displacement generator 27 includes a displacement projection 27 protruding from the main body 21 to the supporting member 23 inside the protruding/retracting accommodator 212, and an engagement groove 28 provided in the supporting member 23 and generating horizontal displacement while engaging with the displacement projection 27. The displacement projection 27 includes a barrel 273 inserted in a hole 272 formed in a lateral wall of the main body 21, a spring 274 inserted in the barrel 273, and a ball plunger 276 partially inserted in the barrel 273. The engagement groove 28 is formed as a groove provided in the lateral side of the supporting member 23 at a position corresponding to the ball plunger 276 and extended in a moving direction of the supporting member 23. The engagement groove 28 may be obliquely extended with respect to the moving direction. In result, the supporting member 23 moves protruding and retracting by rotating corresponding to the obliqueness of the engagement groove 28, when the supporting member 23 protrudes and retracts. Such rotating movement of the supporting member 23 allows the cleaning member 22 to rotate and accommodate the tip of the first plunger 134, thereby having an improved effect on removing contamination.

Alternatively, the probe cleaner 20 may be used as a part of a pusher provided on the top of the test socket 10. For example, the cleaning member 22 may be mounted to the pusher that presses an object-to-be-tested put on the test socket 10.

According to the disclosure, the probe cleaner has a simple structure and is convenient for a worker to remove contamination accumulated in the tip of the probes provided in the test socket. Therefore, the probes arranged in the test socket are decontaminated, thereby improving the reliability of the test and durability of the probes.

Although the present disclosure is described in detail through a few exemplary embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and may be variously embodied without departing from the scope defined in the appended claims.

Claims

A probe cleaner comprising:

a main body comprising a cleaning surface facing toward a test socket in which probes are arranged;

a cleaning member provided in the cleaning surface and configured to remove a foreign material at a tip of the probe; and

a positioning guide configured to guide a cleaning position of the main body as being engaged with a corresponding shape portion of the test socket based on movement of the main body toward the test socket.
The probe cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a supporting member configured to support the cleaning member,

wherein the main body comprises a protruding/retracting accommodator configured to accommodate and allow the supporting member to protrude and retract.
The probe cleaner according to claim 2, further comprising an elastic member configured to elastically push the supporting member in a direction of protruding from the cleaning surface.
The probe cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the main body comprises a grip extended in an opposite direction to the cleaning surface.
The probe cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the elastic member is accommodated in the grip.
The probe cleaner according to claim 2, further comprising a displacement generator provided between the supporting member and the main body and configured to generate predetermined displacement on a plane transverse to a protruding/retracting direction of the supporting member based on protruding/retracing movement of the supporting member.
The probe cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the displacement generator comprises a displacement projection protruding from one of the supporting member and the main body toward the other, and an engagement groove provided in the other and configured to generate horizontal displacement while engaging with the displacement projection.