Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-21
2004-07-20
Arbes, Carl J. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S825000, C029S846000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06763581
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention includes the concept of an electrical spiral contactor, the required semiconductor inspecting equipment and a solder-ball-contact semiconductor or other electronic device that makes a spherical-ball type of electrical connection.
2. Prior Art
Due to the increasing demand of greater density and the need to improve the high performance of semiconductor integrated circuits (IC), IC package (hereinafter called “a package” or “packages”) equipped with one ore more IC chips (hereinafter called “a semiconductor device”) this innovative idea allows for an even more advanced development stage in various ways. One such method includes increasing the number of pins (greater density) due to the miniaturization (thinning down) of the actual contact area. Using this new technique to increase the density of input and output terminals, packages with pin-counts as high as 1000 pins can be achieved. Consequently, this new method (due to it's reduced size) will also change the current lead line connection which is pulled from top and bottom or all quarters into a single bottom-only lead-line connection further reducing the total size of the package.
Thus if the complete bottom of a semiconductor device were lined with BGA (Ball Grid Array) contactors such that they would not be larger than the package itself, or a slightly different method CSP (Chip Size Package) which is a little larger than the actual semiconductor device itself, with the solder balls (instead of pins) aligned in a grid arrangement, the pitch interval can be reduced from 0.8 mm to 0.5 mm increasing density with the use of these solder balls.
Furthermore, solder probes are lighter, thinner and shorter than conventional probes allowing for further miniaturization and densification as well as improving electrical conductance, but to ensure such properties are adhered to, special inspection equipment specifically for such a new method is also required.
Current semiconductor inspection equipment perform their electrical tests using a needle-like probe or a meter reader and physically contacting the outer electrode leads on semiconductor devices and passing an electrical current through each semiconductor device to measure it's electrical properties. This method of semiconductor inspection is commonly referred to as wafer probing and is currently used to measure and confirm whether semiconductor devices functions per specification or not. Numerous devices are all embedded in a grid-pattern on the surface of a wafer and currently use a probe card which can contain up to several hundred or more individual probe needles which are capable of measuring one or multiple devices simultaneously, but as the complete wafer cannot be measured all at once due to the size of probe cards and also due to the miniaturization limitations with current probe card technology, this measurement must be repeated over and over moving the stage which the wafer rests to allow complete testing of all devices on the entire wafer.
However, when using the thinned-down super miniaturization and reduction in pitch of solder probes, a new problem in the precision and reliability of current inspection equipment arises due to the densification of solder balls technology.
Thus, just as prior inspection equipment technology was limited by the physical development limitations of such inspection equipment for that type of semiconductor technology, this new technology requires a new type of inspection equipment as the older technology is insufficient as it doesn't support the densification which/ solder balls require. Similarly, current measurement methods require contacting probe needles directly to the silicon leads which do cause damage to existing semiconductor devices sometimes damaging them or weakening their lifetime, but as solder balls are made of a softer metallic material, such hard contact with a probe needle will scratch the surface of the solder balls and or not make complete contact due to the spherical surface of the solder ball itself causing loss of the electrical properties thus rendering it outside of the specifications which it was originally designed to meet.
Therefore, the present invention is subject to provide a spiral contactor, semiconductor inspecting equipment (sockets, testing boards and probe cards) and electronic parts (mounting socket, mounting connector), these are capable for applying to miniature typed semiconductor device, package, super miniature bear chips and also wafer, for forming a current- carry circuit without giving a defamation and a flaw on soft solder balls, for applying to densification of solder balls, and for carrying out a high reliable inspection by reasonable price.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As a method to solve said subject, a spiral contactor regarding to the present invention is a contactor to make an electric connection with as a semiconductor device or electric parts having solder balls, and said contactor is characterized as comprising a spiral probe seen as a spiral shape in top view which is deformable in response to the shape of this solder probe when contacting with said solder probe on an insulating substrate to make an electric connection with a said semiconductor device or electric parts.
A spiral probe regarding to the present invention is a flat shaped spiral in non-loading condition, however, when a solder ball of a semiconductor device or electrical parts pressed on a spiral probe, contact area is expanding into outside from center of a semiconductor probe, consequently a spiral portion is bent into concave to deform like embracing a ball.
Compared with a point contact of conventional probe, a spiral probe can twine around a solder ball as screwing that causes a long and accurate contact as well as removing foreign matters by sliding action along a periphery of a solder probe even though there are adherence of foreign matters, consequently, a stable current-carrying contact can be secured that is highly reliable.
Besides, a spiral probe can get an accurate current-carrying since the corner of a spiral probe is sliding with being pressed to a periphery of solder ball and cut oxygen membrane on a periphery of a solder ball.
Furthermore, a spiral probe has a flexible compatibility with a variation in a diameter and sinking of solder balls due to twining. In addition, a spiral probe is flexibly acceptable for variation in positioning of vertical and horizontal direction of a solder probe.
According to the present invention, there is a spiral contactor wherein the insulating substrate is characterized as having said deformable structure by installing dents or through holes of bellow said spiral probes.
Said dents or through holes secure sufficient space under the condition that a sinking pressed by said solder ball does not affect the bends of said spiral probe.
According to the present invention, there is a spiral contactor further making said inner through hole as current-carry circuit of a vertical wiring method.
In the invention described, dispensing a copper plating to said inner-hole which is commonly called as through hole established in an insulating substrate to form a current-carry circuit by using this copper plating causes unnecessary parts for wiring on an insulating substrate. Furthermore allocating a spiral probe to an aperture can form a small space and efficient connecting circuit.
Applying to a densification of solder balls was difficult since a current-carry circuit by a conventional parallel wiring method required a space for connecting portion, wiring portion and so forth, however, for said vertical wiring method, applying to a densification of solder balls is easy due to a minimum space.
According to the present invention, there is a spiral contactor wherein one or a plurality of condensers are allocated to around said spiral probe, and said condenser is connected with said spiral probe.
In the present invention, as an electrical power supply source circuit, allocating a condenser ( pascon ) to around s
Hirai Yukihiro
Ueda Chihiro
Yoshida Kouichi
Arbes Carl J.
Hirai Yukihiro
Liniak Berenato & White
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