Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Patent
1997-03-04
2000-04-04
Do, Diep N.
Electricity: measuring and testing
Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components
Of individual circuit component or element
324758, 324754, 324 725, G01R 173
Patent
active
060465999
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a contact device for making connection to an electronic circuit device and to methods of fabricating and using such a contact device, such as in the manufacture of semiconductor or other devices.
An important aspect of the manufacture of integrated circuit chips is the testing of the circuit embodied in the chip in order to verify that it operates according to specifications. Although the circuit could be tested after the chip has been packaged, the expense involved in dicing the wafer and packaging the individual chips makes it preferable to test the circuit as early as possible in the fabrication process, so that unnecessary efforts will not be expended on faulty devices. It is therefore desirable that the circuits be tested either immediately after wafer fabrication is completed, and before separation into dice, or after dicing, but before packaging. In either case, it is necessary to make electrical connection to the circuits' external connection points (usually bonding pads) in a non-destructive way, so as not to interfere with subsequent packaging and connection operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,895 discloses a probe for testing integrated circuits. The probe includes a stiff metal substrate made of beryllium copper alloy, for example. The substrate is generally triangular in form and has two edges that converge from a support area toward a generally rectangular tip area. There is a layer of polyimide over one main face of the substrate, and gold conductor runs are formed over the layer of polyimide. The conductor runs and the metal substrate form microstrip transmission lines. The conductor runs extend parallel to one another over the tip area and fan out toward the support area. A contact bump is deposited on the end of each conductor run that is on the tip area. The tip area of the substrate is slit between each two adjacent conductor runs whereby the tip area is divided into multiple separately flexible fingers that project in cantilever fashion from the major portion of the substrate.
The probe shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,895, is designed to be used in a test station. Such a test station may include four probes having the configuration shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,895, the probes being arranged in an approximately horizontal orientation with their contact bumps facing downwards, with the four rows of contact bumps along four edges of a rectangle. The DUT is generally rectangular and has connection pads along the edges of one face. The DUT is placed in a vacuum chuck with its connection pads upwards. The vacuum chuck drives the DUT upward into contact with the probe, and overdrives the DUT by a predetermined distance from first contact. According to current industry standards, such a test station is designed to produce a nominal contact force of 10 grams at each connection pad. Therefore, the amount of the overdrive is calculated to be such that if contact is made at all connection pads simultaneously, so that each contact bump is deflected by the same amount, the total contact force will be 10 grams force multiplied by the number of connection pads.
If the material of the probe substrate is a beryllium copper alloy and each flexible finger has a length of about 0.75 mm, a width of about 62 microns and a height of about 250 microns, and the probe is supported so that the mechanical ground is at the root of the fingers, the contact force produced at the tip of the finger is about 7.7 grams for each micrometer of deflection of the tip of the finger. Therefore, if the contact bumps at the tips of the fingers are coplanar and the connection pads of the DUT are coplanar, and the plane of the contact bumps is parallel to the plane of the connection pads, an overdrive of about 1.3 microns from first contact will result in the desired contact force of 10 grams at each connection pad. However, if one of the connection pads should be 1.3 microns farther from the plane of the contact bumps than the other connection pads, when the DUT is displaced by 1.3
REFERENCES:
patent: 3405361 (1968-10-01), Kattner et al.
patent: 3810016 (1974-05-01), Chayka et al.
patent: 3832632 (1974-08-01), Ardezzone
patent: 3851249 (1974-11-01), Roch
patent: 3866119 (1975-02-01), Ardezzone et al.
patent: 4035723 (1977-07-01), Kvaternik
patent: 4161692 (1979-07-01), Tarzwell
patent: 4574235 (1986-03-01), Kelly et al.
patent: 4585727 (1986-04-01), Reams
patent: 4588241 (1986-05-01), Ardezzon
patent: 4636722 (1987-01-01), Ardezzone
patent: 4673839 (1987-06-01), Veenendaal
patent: 4697143 (1987-09-01), Lockwood et al.
patent: 4749942 (1988-06-01), Sang et al.
patent: 4751457 (1988-06-01), Veenedaal
patent: 4758785 (1988-07-01), Rath
patent: 4764723 (1988-08-01), Strid
patent: 4829233 (1989-05-01), Flemming et al.
patent: 4829242 (1989-05-01), Carey et al.
patent: 4891585 (1990-01-01), Janko et al.
patent: 4894612 (1990-01-01), Drake et al.
patent: 4899099 (1990-02-01), Mendenhall et al.
patent: 4904933 (1990-02-01), Snyder et al.
patent: 4906920 (1990-03-01), Huff et al.
patent: 4912399 (1990-03-01), Greub et al.
patent: 4918383 (1990-04-01), Huff et al.
patent: 4943768 (1990-07-01), Niki et al.
patent: 4975638 (1990-12-01), Evans et al.
patent: 4980637 (1990-12-01), Huff et al.
patent: 5061894 (1991-10-01), Ikeda
patent: 5191708 (1993-03-01), Kasukabe et al.
patent: 5221895 (1993-06-01), Janko et al.
patent: 5355080 (1994-10-01), Sato et al.
patent: 5414371 (1995-05-01), Isaac
patent: 5416429 (1995-05-01), McQuade et al.
patent: 5489855 (1996-02-01), Poisel
patent: 5528159 (1996-06-01), Charlton
patent: 5621333 (1997-04-01), Long
Long Tommy
Sabri Mohamed
Saunders J. Lynn
Do Diep N.
Loudermilk Alan R.
Microconnect, Inc.
Solis Jose M.
LandOfFree
Method and device for making connection does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and device for making connection, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and device for making connection will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-368986