Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Implements – Fabric
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-13
2001-01-09
Warden, Sr., Robert J. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Implements
Fabric
C015S210100, C451S456000, C451S536000, C442S050000, C442S052000, C442S054000, C134S042000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170116
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning device for semiconductor inspection devices and particularly to an abrasive member and a cleaning device for a probe needle for a probe card.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, a device referred to as a probe card has been used in the inspection process of semiconductor devices.
FIG. 15
is a cross section of a conventional probe card. The conventional probe card shown in
FIG. 15
has an opening
114
formed approximately at the center of a substrate
116
. Provided around opening
114
are a plurality of probe needles
111
towards the center of opening
114
. Probe needle
111
is connected via a wiring to a terminal (not shown) arranged at a periphery of substrate
116
. In inspecting a semiconductor device, the terminal is connected to an inspection device referred to as a prober. The probe card is arranged opposite to a surface of a semiconductor device to be inspected and is also arranged to allow the tip of probe needle
111
to come in contact with an electrode formed on the surface of the semiconductor device. Electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device are thus inspected via probe needle
111
in contact with the electrode formed on the surface of the semiconductor device.
FIG. 16
is a schematic diagram for illustrating the conventional probe needle
111
shown in FIG.
15
. In
FIG. 16
, a lead portion of the probe needle has a diameter D of approximately 0.25 mm, an end of the probe needle has a length L of approximately 7 mm, and a tip
112
of the probe needle that comes in contact with an electrode of a semiconductor device has a diameter d of approximately 30 &mgr;m. The materials for the probe needle include tungsten or the like.
In inspecting a semiconductor device, tip
112
of the probe needle comes into contact with an electrode
105
formed on a surface of the semiconductor device, as shown in
FIGS. 17 and 18
.
FIGS. 17 and 18
are schematic views for illustrating how the tip of the probe needle comes in contact with the electrode formed on the surface of the semiconductor device. As shown in
FIG. 17
, as a semiconductor device
117
is raised towards probe needle
111
, electrode
105
formed on the surface of semiconductor device
117
comes into contact with tip
112
of probe needle
111
. Electrode
105
of semiconductor device
117
is formed of aluminum, and a thin aluminum oxide layer
118
is formed on a surface of electrode
105
. Since aluminum oxide layer
118
is an insulator, tip
112
of probe needle
111
simply pressed against electrode
105
, as shown in
FIG. 17
, does not result in an aluminum layer
119
, which is positioned under aluminum oxide layer
118
, coming into contact with tip
112
of probe needle
115
and probe needle
111
cannot pass current to electrode
105
.
Accordingly, semiconductor device
117
is typically further raised after tip
112
of probe needle
111
is brought into contact with electrode
105
, as shown in FIG.
18
. Probe needle
111
is thus elastically deformed and tip
112
of probe needle
111
is horizontally moved on electrode
105
. Aluminum oxide layer
118
on the surface of electrode
105
is thus partially removed from the surface of the electrode to allow aluminum layer
119
as the exact electrode to come into direct contact with tip
112
of probe needle
111
. The process shown in
FIG. 18
will be referred to as an overdrive process hereinafter. Tip
112
of probe needle
111
has thus come into contact with electrode
105
in conventional inspection processes.
However, a portion of aluminum oxide layer
118
removed from the surface of electrode
105
in the overdrive process shown in
FIG. 18
adheres to tip
112
of probe needle
111
, as shown in FIG.
19
. When a foreign matter
113
, such as aluminum oxide, as an insulator thus adheres to tip
112
of probe needle
111
, foreign matter
113
prevents the electrical connection between tip
112
of probe needle
111
and electrode
105
(shown in
FIG. 18
) of the semiconductor device, which makes it difficult to pass a predetermined current to electrode
105
. Accordingly, repeated use of such a probe needle has disadvantageously resulted in an inaccurate inspection of semiconductor devices.
Accordingly, a cleaning operation of probe needles has been conventionally provided so that foreign matter
113
, such as aluminum oxide, is removed from tip
112
of probe needle
111
.
FIG. 20
shows a cross section of an abrasive sheet for probe needles that is used in a conventional cleaning operation of probe needles. The conventional abrasive sheet
102
for probe needles in
FIG. 20
employs silicon rubber
120
as a matrix, and abrasive grains
121
, such as artificial powdery diamond, are dispersedly arranged in silicon rubber
120
. When tip
112
(shown in
FIG. 19
) of probe needle
111
(shown in
FIG. 19
) is stuck into abrasive sheet
102
predetermined times, abrasive grains
121
in abrasive sheet
102
allows foreign matter
113
(shown in
FIG. 19
) to be scratched off the surface of probe needle
111
. Thus, foreign matter
113
has been conventionally removed from tip
112
of probe needle
111
.
FIG. 21
is a flow chart of a conventional, probe needle cleaning operation comprising by four steps. Step
1
is the step of arranging a probe card opposite to an abrasive sheet. Step
2
is the step of sticking the tip of a probe needle into the abrasive sheet predetermined times.
FIG. 22
schematically shows the tip of probe needle being stuck into the abrasive sheet the predetermined times in step
2
. As shown in
FIG. 22
, tip
112
of probe needle
111
is stuck into abrasive sheet
102
and foreign matter
103
, such as aluminum oxide, adhering to tip
112
of probe needle
111
can thus be scratched off by abrasive grains
121
in abrasive sheet
102
.
When step
2
is completed, however, a viscous silicon rubber film
124
resulting from the silicon rubber as the matrix of abrasive sheet
102
(shown in
FIG. 22
) that is softened adheres to tip
112
of probe needle
111
, as shown in
FIG. 23. A
foreign matter
122
also adheres to silicon rubber film
124
. Foreign matter
122
includes foreign matter
113
(shown in FIG.
22
), such as aluminum oxide, removed from tip
112
of probe needle
111
in step
2
, abrasive grains
121
(shown in
FIG. 22
) removed from abrasive sheet
102
, a removed portion of silicon rubber
120
as the matrix of abrasive sheet
102
and the like.
Accordingly, the conventional probe needle cleaning operation requires the step of spraying an organic solvent on the tip of the probe needle and thus removing foreign matter
122
(shown in
FIG. 23
) adhering to the tip, as indicated in FIG.
21
.
FIG. 24
schematically shows a performance of step
3
. As shown in
FIG. 24
, an organic solvent
123
is sprayed on tip
112
of probe needle
111
, silicon rubber film
124
is dissolved and silicon rubber film
124
and foreign matter
122
are thus removed from tip
112
.
When step
3
is completed, organic solvent
123
adheres to probe needle
111
, as shown in FIG.
25
. Accordingly, the conventional probe needle cleaning operation provides the step of blowing air against probe needle
111
(shown in
FIG. 25
) as step
4
, as shown in
FIG. 21
, to dry organic solvent
123
(shown in
FIG. 25
) adhering to the tip of probe needle
111
, and simultaneously blowing off foreign matters and the like remaining on the surface of probe needle
111
.
Conventional probe needle cleaning operations have thus been performed.
As described above, a conventional probe needle cleaning operation provides sticking tip
112
of a probe needle into abrasive sheet
102
predetermined times, as shown in
FIG. 22
, to remove foreign matter
113
, such as aluminum oxide, adhering to tip
112
of the probe needle, while silicon rubber
120
as the matrix of abrasive sheet
102
is softened and becomes viscous silicon rubber film
124
which in turn adheres to tip
112
of the probe
McDermott & Will & Emery
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Snider Theresa J.
Warden, Sr. Robert J.
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