Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-26
2004-07-20
Karlsen, Ernest (Department: 2829)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components
Of individual circuit component or element
C324S754090
Reexamination Certificate
active
06765400
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an inspecting device equipped with a probe for judging whether or not a conductor circuit formed on a silicon wafer and the like is formed as designed, and a probe card.
BACKGROUND ART
Integrated circuits formed on a silicon wafer are inspected by pressing a probe against an inspection portion of the silicon wafer, sending electric current thereto and examining the conductivity thereof, the insulation thereof and the like. At present, with an enhancement of integration degree of a semiconductor chip, the integration degree of conductor circuits formed on the silicon wafer also is enhanced and the pitch to be inspected with probes becomes narrower. As a result, it has been becoming difficult to attach the probes directly to a head (performance substrate) of an inspecting device.
In order to cope with such a problem, a trunk substrate (probe card) is interposed therebetween and a contactor substrate on which probes are arranged is fitted to the head (performance substrate). This probe card (trunk substrate) comprises a multi-layered resin substrate, and causes wide-pitch terminals of the performance substrate and the probes, which have a narrow pitch, of the contactor substrate to be connected to each other through the probe card.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
At present, the test on temperature properties of the conductor circuit is conducted in a state of a silicon wafer. That is, a silicon wafer wherein conductor circuits are formed is cooled to minus several tens of centigrade degrees. In this state, the low-temperature performance thereof is tested. Also, a silicon wafer wherein conductor circuits are formed is heated up to one hundred and several tens of centigrade degrees. In this state, the high-temperature performance thereof is tested. However, for instance, in the case of using a probe card made only of a resin in which conductor circuits are formed or a probe card made of an alumina ceramic board, the tips of probes get out of position from sites to be inspected and cannot contact the sites upon such heating/cooling time. Thus, it happens that the silicon wafer is judged to be out of order.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem. An object thereof is to provide an inspecting device equipped with a probe card capable of inspecting an object to be inspected even upon the time of heating/cooling, and a probe card used in this inspecting device.
The inspecting device of the present invention for attaining the above-mentioned object is an inspecting device equipped with a performance substrate provided with a terminal for inspection; a contactor substrate provided with a probe contacting an object to be inspected; and a probe card intervening between the probe of the contactor substrate and a terminal of the performance substrate,
wherein the probe card is a multi-layered substrate in which a resin thin film is laminated on a ceramic board.
Since the probe card in the inspecting device of the present invention is a multi-layered substrate in which a resin thin film is laminated on a ceramic board, the thermal expansion coefficient of the entire probe card becomes close to the thermal expansion coefficient of the ceramic board and is substantially equal to the thermal expansion coefficient of a silicon wafer. For this reason, the probe card contracts thermally at a ratio similar to that of the silicon wafer at the time of heating/cooling the silicon wafer Therefore, the probe does not get out of position from a site to be inspected of the silicon wafer. Thus, appropriate inspection can be carried out.
In the above-mentioned inspecting device, the ceramic board of the above-mentioned probe card preferably comprises non-oxide ceramic.
In the case that the ceramic board of the probe card comprises non-oxide ceramic, the ceramic board has high thermal conductivity and follows a change in temperature of a silicon wafer. Thus, the ceramic board can be thermally contracted together with the silicon wafer.
In the above-mentioned inspecting device, the resin thin film preferably comprises thermosetting resin.
In the case that the resin thin film comprises thermosetting resin, the surface of the probe card can be caused to have high toughness.
The probe card of the present invention is a probe card for the use of an inspecting device for judging whether a conductor circuit formed on a silicon wafer is acceptable or defective,
wherein a resin thin film and a conductor circuit are serially formed in alternate fashion and in repetition on a ceramic board having a conductor-filled through hole and the resultant conductor circuits are interconnected each other by a via hole.
In the above-mentioned probe card, the resin thin film and the conductor circuit are formed on the ceramic board having high strength; therefore, the thermal expansion coefficients of the resin thin film and the conductor circuits are dominated by the thermal expansion coefficient of the ceramic board to become substantially equal to the thermal expansion coefficient of the ceramic board and thus become substantially equal to the thermal expansion coefficient of a silicon wafer.
For this reason, the probe card also expands and contracts thermally at the same ratio as the silicon wafer does when the silicon wafer is heated/cooled. Therefore, poor connection is not caused, for example, at the portion where the probe of the contactor substrate and the conductor circuit exposed from the resin layer surface of the probe card contact each other. Thus, the conductor circuit formed on the silicon wafer can be appropriately inspected.
In the above-mentioned probe card, the ceramic board preferably comprises nitride ceramic. The resin thin film preferably comprises thermosetting resin, particularly polyimide.
This is because nitride ceramic, particularly aluminum nitride, has high thermal conductivity and follows a change in the temperature of a silicon wafer, and polyimide causes the surface of the probe card to have high toughness.
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Ibiden Co. Ltd.
Karlsen Ernest
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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