WO2023003251A1

WO2023003251A1 - Contact probe assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2023003251A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/010172
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김학준; 김석민; 이태종; 김성호
Original assignee: 주식회사 새한마이크로텍
Priority date: 2021-07-21
Filing date: 2022-07-13
Publication date: 2023-01-26
Also published as: KR102321081B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a contact probe assembly and, more specifically, to a vertical contact probe assembly. The present invention provides a contact probe assembly which is used to test an electronic device, and comprises: a first support having a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a plurality of first through-holes formed to pass through the first and second surfaces; and a plurality of contact probes inserted in the first though-holes, respectively.

Description

contact probe assembly

The present invention relates to contact probe assemblies, and more particularly to vertical contact probe assemblies.

A probe card having a plurality of contact probes is widely used for performance testing of semiconductor devices formed on wafers and flat panel displays including liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light emitting diodes.

Probe cards are largely classified into cantilever types and vertical types according to their structures. The double vertical probe card includes a plurality of vertical contact probes, a plate-shaped first support supporting both ends of the vertical contact probes, and a second support. It includes a contact probe assembly having a support. Both ends of the vertical contact probe are inserted into through holes formed in the first and second supports. When the terminal of the inspected object is pressed against the tip portion of the vertical contact probe, the vertical contact probe slides in the through hole, and the elastic portion of the vertical contact probe is bent.

In a conventional vertical contact probe assembly, a cobra pin formed by compressing a metal wire to form an elastic part has been mainly used, and a vertical contact probe manufactured using MEMS technology has recently been used.

[Prior art literature]

Korean registered patent 10-0701498

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1769355

The present invention aims to provide a novel vertical contact probe assembly.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is used for testing of an electronic device, has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and has a plurality of penetrating the first surface and the second surface. A contact probe assembly including a first support body having a first through hole and a plurality of contact probes inserted into the first through hole is provided.

The contact probe includes a tip portion, a head portion, and an elastic portion elongated between the tip portion and the head portion.

A stopper portion configured to be caught on the first surface of the first support body is formed on the head portion so as not to pass through the first through hole.

In addition, when pressure is applied to the contact probe to insert the contact probe into the first through hole, the contact probe is compressed to pass through the first through hole, and after passing through the first through hole, it expands to form the first through hole. An elastic protrusion configured to catch on the second surface of the first support is formed.

In addition, the present invention provides a contact probe assembly characterized in that the maximum protruding point of the elastic protrusion is disposed outside the first through hole.

In addition, a part of the elastic protrusion provides a contact probe assembly, characterized in that disposed inside the first through hole.

The elastic protrusion may include a curved structure formed on one side surface of the contact probe, and an opening formed between the one side surface and the curved structure.

In addition, the contact probe assembly is characterized in that one end close to the first supporter of the curved structure is coupled to the one side surface, and the other end farther from the first supporter is separated from the one side surface by a gap.

The elastic protrusion may include a pair of protrusions protruding from both sides of the contact probe, and a through slit formed in the elastic portion between the pair of protrusions along a longitudinal direction of the elastic portion. A probe assembly is provided.

In addition, the contact probe assembly further includes a second supporter disposed parallel to the first supporter at regular intervals and having a plurality of second through holes.

In addition, the stopper part provides a contact probe assembly, characterized in that the protruding from one side and the rear surface of the head part.

In addition, the first through hole is rectangular, and the head part is disposed to be in close contact with the corner of the first through hole.

Here, the first through hole and the second through hole are rectangular, and when the contact probe assembly is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the first support, the first through hole and the second through hole are offset in a diagonal direction. .

The head part is disposed to be in close contact with one corner of the first through hole, and the tip part is disposed to be in close contact with the opposite corner of the second through hole disposed diagonally with the one corner.

1 is a view showing a contact probe assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a view showing a part of a contact probe assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a view showing a contact probe assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a part of the contact probe shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the first through hole of the first support and the second through hole of the second support overlap when the contact probe assembly shown in FIG. 3 is viewed from above.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the position of the contact probe in the first through hole and the second through hole of the contact probe of the contact probe assembly shown in FIG. 3;

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments introduced below are provided as examples to sufficiently convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention may be embodied in other forms without being limited to the embodiments described below. And in the drawings, the width, length, thickness, etc. of components may be exaggerated for convenience. Like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the specification.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the contact probe assembly 1 according to the present embodiment includes a first support 10 , a second support 20 and a plurality of contact probes 100 .

The first support 10 and the second support 20 are substantially parallel and spaced apart from each other at regular intervals. A plurality of first through holes 11 are formed in the first support 10 , and a plurality of second through holes 21 are formed in the second support 20 . In the contact probe assembly 1, the first through hole 11 and the corresponding second through hole 21 may be slightly offset from each other.

The first supporter 10 is disposed on the side of the space transformer (not shown) of the probe card, and the second supporter 20 is disposed on the side of the inspection target such as a semiconductor device (not shown). The first through hole 11 and the second through hole 21 are formed substantially perpendicular to the surface of each support body. The first through hole 11 and the second through hole 21 may be rectangular through holes.

The contact probe 100 is located between the head part 110 in contact with the circuit board of the probe card, the tip part 130 in contact with the inspected object, and between the head part 110 and the tip part 130, and pressure is applied to the tip part 130. It includes an elastic part 120 that is elastically deformed when applied thereto.

The tip part 130 is inserted into the second through hole 21 , and the head part 110 is inserted into the first through hole 11 .

The head part 110, the elastic part 120, and the tip part 130 extend in the Z-axis direction, and the elastic part 120 is slightly bent in the Y-axis direction.

The width and thickness of the tip part 130 or the elastic part 120 disposed in the second through hole 21 are smaller than the width and thickness of the second through hole 21, so that the elastic probe 100 has the second through hole. It can move in the Z-axis direction within (21). An end of the tip portion 130 is exposed to the outside of the second supporter 20 . The tip portion 130 is inclined to become thinner as it goes toward the end.

In addition, the width and thickness of the head part 110 or the elastic part 120 disposed in the first through hole 11 are smaller than those of the first through hole 11, so that the elastic probe 100 It can move in the Z direction within one through hole (11). The end of the head part 110 is exposed to the outside of the first supporter 10 .

A stopper portion 115 protruding from the first side surface 101 of the head portion 110 is formed at the end of the head portion 110 to prevent the head portion 110 from falling out of the first through hole 11. . The lower end of the stopper part 115 is caught on the first surface 13 (upper surface in FIG. 1) of the first support 10.

The head part 110 is inclined so as to become thinner as it goes toward the end.

In addition, when pressure is applied to the contact probe 100 to insert the contact probe 100 into the first through hole 11, the contact probe 100 is compressed to pass through the first through hole 11, and the first through hole After passing through the hole 11, an elastic protrusion 150 configured to expand and catch on the second surface 14 of the first support 10 is formed.

The elastic protrusion 150 includes a curved structure 152 formed on a second side surface 102 opposite to the first side surface 101 of the contact probe 100 . The curved structure 152 is generally in the form of a curved plate. Both ends 151 and 153 of the curved structure 152 are coupled to the second side surface 102 . An opening 154 is formed between the second side surface 102 and the curved structure 152 so that the curved structure 152 can be pressed toward the second side surface 102 .

The curved structure 152 is made of an elastic material. Therefore, when pressure is applied during the process of inserting the contact probe 100 into the first through hole 11, the maximum protruding point 155 of the curved structure 152 is pressed and brought closer to the second side surface 102. And when the distance from the first side surface 101 to the maximum protruding point 155 is equal to the width of the first through hole 11, the maximum protruding point 155 of the contact probe 100 is the first through hole 11 ) pass through When the curved structure 152 passes through the first through hole 11, the curved structure 152 is restored to its original state by an elastic force.

After the elastic protrusion 150 passes through the first through hole 11 , the maximum protrusion point 155 of the elastic protrusion 150 is disposed outside the first through hole 11 . The maximum protruding point 155 of the elastic protrusion 150 is disposed below the second surface 14 of the first support 10 .

A part of the upper end 151 of the curved structure 152 is disposed inside the first through hole 11 . Accordingly, the portion located between the upper end 151 of the curved structure 152 of the contact probe 100 and the maximum protruding point 155 becomes caught on the second surface 14 of the first support 10 .

As a result, the movement of the contact probe 100 inserted into the first through hole 11 in the z-axis direction is restricted. That is, downward movement is restricted by the stopper portion 115 having a width greater than that of the first through hole 11, and upward movement is also restricted by the elastic protrusion 150 restored to its original state. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the contact probe 100 from being undesirably removed from the first through hole 11 due to an impact or the like applied to the contact probe assembly 1 .

In addition, when replacing the damaged contact probe 100, when trying to separate the contact probe 100 from the first support 10, it can be separated by applying sufficient force to the contact probe 100 and pulling it. At this time, the curved structure 152 is compressed again and can pass through the first through hole 11 of the first support 10 .

In addition, when a compressive force is applied in the z-axis direction of the contact probe 100 for measurement, the curved structure 152 is compressed, so that the contact probe 100 can move in the z-axis direction within the first through hole 11. .

In addition, a part of the upper end 151 side of the curved structure 152 disposed inside the first through hole 11 has the first side surface 101 of the contact probe 100 on the left inner surface of the first through hole 11. It also serves to align in a state of close contact with the If all of the contact probes 100 are aligned in the same direction, there is an advantage in that it is easy to respond to a narrow pitch.

2 is a view showing a part of a contact probe assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the contact probe 200 of the contact probe assembly 2 of this embodiment is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in the structure of the elastic protrusion 250 .

The elastic protrusion 250 of this embodiment includes a curved structure 252 formed on the second side surface 202 of the contact probe 200 . The curved structure 252 is generally in the form of a curved plate. The upper end 251 close to the first support 10 of the curved structure 252 is coupled to the second side surface 202, and the lower end 253 far from the first support 10 is spaced apart from the second side surface 202. separated by An opening 254 is formed between the curved structure 252 and the second side surface 202 .

This embodiment, compared to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , has an advantage that the possibility of plastic deformation of the curved structure 252 is small. That is, in the process of the contact probe 200 passing through the through hole 11 of the first support 10, instead of the maximum protruding point 255 being pressed, the lower end 253 far from the first support 10 is While moving in a direction close to the opening 254, since the curved structure 252 rotates around the upper end 251 as an axis, it is possible to reduce a phenomenon in which the maximum protruding point 255 is pressed and deformed plastically.

The curved structure 252 is made of an elastic material. Therefore, when pressure is applied in the process of inserting the contact probe 200 into the first through hole 11, the curved structure 252 rotates around the upper end 251 of the curved structure 252 as an axis, and the second side surface 202 ), and when the curved structure 252 passes through the first through hole 11, the curved structure 252 is restored to its original state.

In this embodiment as well, after the elastic protrusion 250 passes through the first through hole 11 , the maximum protrusion point 255 of the elastic protrusion 250 is disposed outside the first through hole 11 . The maximum protruding point 255 of the elastic protrusion 250 is disposed below the second face 14 of the first support 10 .

A part of the upper end 251 side of the curved structure 252 is disposed inside the first through hole 11 . Accordingly, the portion located between the upper end 251 of the curved structure 252 of the contact probe 200 and the maximum protruding point 255 becomes caught on the second surface 14 of the first support 10 .

As a result, the movement of the contact probe 200 inserted into the first through hole 11 in the z-axis direction is restricted. That is, downward movement is restricted by the stopper portion 215 having a width greater than that of the first through hole 11, and upward movement is restricted by the elastic protrusion 250 restored to its original state.

3 is a view showing a contact probe assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view showing a part of the contact probe shown in FIG. 3 . 4(a) is a side view of the top of the contact probe of FIG. 3 viewed from the right side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the contact probe where a stopper portion is formed as viewed from above.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in the structure of the elastic protrusion.

In this embodiment, the elastic protrusion 350 includes a pair of elastic beams 351 and 352 separated by a through slit 354 and a pair of

protrusions

355 and 356 protruding from each of the elastic beams 351 and 352. ).

When pressure is applied during the process of inserting the contact probe 300 into the first through hole 11, the elastic beams 351 and 352 form a through slit ( 354) direction. When the distance between the pair of

protrusions

355 and 356 is equal to the width of the first through hole 11 , the contact probe 300 passes through the first through hole 11 . When the pair of

protrusions

355 and 356 pass through the first through hole 11, the pair of elastic beams 351 and 352 are restored to their original state by the elastic force.

After the elastic protrusion 350 passes through the first through hole 11, a pair of

protrusions

355 and 356, which are the maximum protrusion points of the elastic protrusion 350, are disposed outside the first through hole 11. . A pair of

protrusions

355 and 356 are disposed below the second face 14 of the first support 10 .

As a result, the movement of the contact probe 300 inserted into the first through hole 11 in the z-axis direction is restricted. That is, downward movement is restricted by the stopper portion 315 having a width greater than that of the first through hole 11, and upward movement is restricted by the elastic protrusion 350 restored to its original state. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the contact probe 300 from being undesirably removed from the first through hole 11 due to an impact or the like applied to the contact probe assembly 3 .

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown best in FIG. There is a difference from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , when the contact probe assembly 3 is viewed from above, the first through hole 11 of the first support 10 and the second through hole 21 of the second support 20 are It is rectangular, and the first through hole 11 and the second through hole 21 are offset by a distance L in the diagonal direction of the first through hole (or the second through hole). After inserting the contact probe 300 into the first through hole 11 and the second through hole 21 in a state in which the first through hole 11 and the second through hole 21 are aligned, the first support ( 10) can be achieved by a method of relatively moving the second supporter 20 by a distance L in a diagonal direction.

As shown in FIG. 6 , when the first through hole 11 and the second through hole 21 are offset in the diagonal direction, the head portion 310 of the contact probe 300 is the first through hole 11 It adheres to one side (lower right corner) of the edge. Further, the tip portion 330 is in close contact with one corner of the first through hole 11 and the opposite (upper left corner) corner of the second through hole 21 disposed diagonally. At this time, the lower surfaces of the

stoppers

315 and 317 are in close contact with the upper surface 13 of the first support 10 . In this embodiment, since the

stoppers

315 and 317 are formed on the rear surface 304 as well as the side surface 301 of the head part 310, the head part 310 of the contact probe 300 is not biased to one side. The contact probe 300 can be supported more stably.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and is common in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims. Of course, various modifications and implementations are possible by those with knowledge of, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention.

[Description of code]

1, 2, 3: contact probe assembly

10: first support

20: second support

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600: contact probe

110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610: head

120, 220, 320, 420, 520, 620: elastic part

130, 230, 330, 430, 530, 630: tip part

Claims

A first support used for testing an electronic device, having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and having a plurality of first through holes penetrating the first surface and the second surface; , A contact probe assembly including a plurality of contact probes inserted into the first through hole,

The contact probe includes a tip part, a head part, and an elastic part extending long between the tip part and the head part,

A stopper portion configured to be caught on the first surface of the first support body is formed on the head portion so as not to pass through the first through hole,

When pressure is applied to the contact probe to insert the contact probe into the first through hole, the contact probe is compressed to pass through the first through hole, and after passing through the first through hole, it expands to form the first through hole. A contact probe assembly, characterized in that an elastic protrusion configured to be caught on the second surface of the support is formed.
According to claim 1,

The contact probe assembly, characterized in that the maximum protruding point of the elastic protrusion is disposed outside the first through hole.
According to claim 2,

A contact probe assembly, characterized in that a part of the elastic protrusion is disposed inside the first through hole.
According to claim 1,

The elastic protrusion,

A curved structure formed on one side of the contact probe,

A contact probe assembly, characterized in that an opening is formed between the one side and the curved structure.
According to claim 4,

The contact probe assembly, characterized in that one end of the curved structure close to the first supporter is coupled to the one side surface, and the other end farther from the first supporter is separated from the one side surface by a gap.
According to claim 1,

The elastic protrusion,

A pair of protrusions protruding from both sides of the contact probe;

The contact probe assembly comprising a through slit formed in the elastic portion between the pair of protrusions along a longitudinal direction of the elastic portion.
According to claim 1,

The contact probe assembly further comprises a second supporter disposed parallel to the first supporter at regular intervals and having a plurality of second through holes formed therein.
According to claim 1,

The contact probe assembly, characterized in that the stopper portion protrudes from one side and the rear surface of the head portion.
According to claim 8,

The first through hole is rectangular,

The contact probe assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the head portion is disposed to be in close contact with an edge of the first through hole.
According to claim 8,

Further comprising a second support disposed in parallel with the first support at regular intervals and having a plurality of second through holes formed therein,

The first through hole and the second through hole are rectangular,

When the contact probe assembly is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the first support,

The first through hole and the second through hole are offset in a diagonal direction,

The head part is disposed to be in close contact with one corner of the first through hole, and the tip part is disposed to be in close contact with an opposite corner of the second through hole disposed diagonally with the one corner.