Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-22
2004-04-27
Zarneke, David A. (Department: 2829)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components
Of individual circuit component or element
C324S757020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06727714
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a probe card for a wafer test (inspection jig for a wafer test) of a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4
is a configurational view showing the outline of a probe part when a wafer test is conducted in the related art. In
FIG. 4
, reference numeral
1
denotes a wafer stage for supporting a wafer
2
to be measured;
3
denotes a test head;
4
denotes a performance board;
5
denotes a POGO pin ring;
6
denotes a probe card substrate;
7
denotes a probe needle; and the probe card substrate
6
and the probe needle
7
constitute a probe card
8
.
A semiconductor device undergoes a wafer test by the configuration shown in
FIG. 4
at the step of a wafer. At this time, the probe needle
7
of the probe card
8
flaws the pad of the wafer
2
to be measured to establish an electric contact, thereby inspecting the function of the semiconductor device with a tester.
FIG. 5
is a configurational view showing a vertical type probe card in the related art. In
FIG. 5
, reference numeral
6
denotes a probe card substrate;
7
denotes a probe needle;
9
denotes a space transformer; and
10
denotes a wiring.
In this vertical type probe card, the probe card substrate
6
is connected to the probe needle
7
via the space transformer
9
through the wiring
10
made of a Nichrome wire, a coaxial cable or the like and the wiring
10
is connected with solder.
In this case, there are presented the following problems: that is, the soldering of the wiring
10
becomes difficult and the manufacturing time increases with the increasing packing density of the semiconductor device and the increasing density of the probe needles
7
caused by the increasing of the number of pads; and the increasing density of the wirings
10
reduces the waveform transmitting performance between the probe card substrate
6
and the probe needle
7
and makes it impossible to respond to the speed-up of the semiconductor device (the increasing of an operating frequency).
In order to solve such problems, in particular, in order to respond to the speed-up of the semiconductor device, there is proposed a probe card having a structure shown in FIG.
6
.
FIG. 6
is a configurational view showing a probe card employing an interposer substrate in the related art. In
FIG. 6
, reference numeral
11
denotes a probe card substrate;
12
denotes an interposer substrate soldered to the bottom surface of the probe card substrate
11
;
13
denotes probe needles formed in such a way as to be put into electric contact with the bottom surface of the interposer substrate
12
;
14
a
to
14
d
denote stiffeners for supporting the probe card substrate
11
;
15
a
and
15
b
denote the positioning holes of the probe needles
13
made in the stiffeners
14
b
and
14
d
;
16
a
and
16
b
denote positioning pins inserted into the positioning holes
15
a
and
15
b
to fix the probe needles
13
.
In
FIG. 6
, the interposer substrate
12
is soldered to the bottom surface of the probe card substrate
11
and the probe needles
13
are formed such that they are put into electric contact with the bottom surface of the interposer substrate
12
. The probe needles
13
are positioned and fixed to the interposer substrate
12
by arranging the probe needles
13
from the bottom surface side of the interposer substrate
12
and by inserting the positioning pins
16
a
and
16
b
into the positioning holes
15
a
and
15
b
made in the stiffeners
14
a
and
14
d.
Since the probe card in the related art is constituted in the foregoing manner, in the probe card shown in
FIG. 6
, the interposer substrate
12
itself is apt to be reduced in thickness because the interposer substrate
12
is easily formed.
However, if the interposer substrate
12
becomes thinner, also the positioning holes
15
a
and
15
b
formed in the stiffeners
14
b
and
14
d
need to be made shallow, thereby insufficiently fixing the probe needles
13
to the interposer substrate
12
by the positioning pins
16
a
and
16
b
, which results in decreasing the accuracy of positioning the probe needles
13
. In particular, if the thickness of the interposer substrate
12
becomes smaller than 1.2 mm, there is presented a problem that the accuracy of positioning decreases markedly.
Further, if the interposer substrate
12
becomes thinner, when the probe needles
13
press the wafer
2
to be measured, the interposer substrate
12
is warped by the pressure applied to the interposer substrate
12
by probe needles
13
, which presents a problem that this warping of the substrate
12
causes instability in the contact near the solder between the interposer substrate
12
and the probe card substrate
11
and flaws and breaks the interposer substrate
12
.
Incidentally, in the configuration of the interposer substrate
12
, in the case where a terminal pitch in the terminal layout of the probe card substrate
11
side is wider than a terminal pitch in the terminal layout of the probe needle
13
side, for example, the terminal pitch in the terminal layout of the probe card substrate
11
side is 0.8 mm and the terminal pitch in the terminal layout of the probe needle
13
side ranges from 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, when the probe needles
13
press the wafer
2
to be measured, the probe needles
13
of from 9 to 16 pins are pushed up at least a region of 0.8 mm×0.8 mm of the interposer substrate
12
, so that a load as large as about from 1 to 2 kg is applied to the region of 0.8 mm×0.8 mm of the interposer substrate
12
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve the aforementioned problem and the object of the present invention is to provide a probe card capable of improving the positioning accuracy of the probe needles and preventing the warping of the interposer substrate.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a probe card having an offset substrate electrically connected between a probe card substrate and an interposer substrate.
Thus, it is possible to secure the thickness of the interposer substrate plus the thickness of the offset substrate for the depths of the positioning hole of the probe needle positioning member, which results in the improved positioning accuracy of the probe needle.
In addition, it is possible to provide the offset substrate with the bypass capacitor.
Here, resin may be fully stuffed between an offset substrate and the interposer substrate.
Thus, it is possible to prevent the electric connection between the offset substrate and the interposer substrate from being made unstable, and the fully stuffed resin integrates the offset substrate with the interposer substrate to increase thickness to thereby prevent the interposer substrate from being warped and flawed or broken.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5534784 (1996-07-01), Lum et al.
patent: 5828226 (1998-10-01), Higgins et al.
patent: 6456099 (2002-09-01), Eldridge et al.
patent: 6483328 (2002-11-01), Eldridge et al.
patent: 5-136224 (1993-06-01), None
patent: 7-301642 (1995-11-01), None
Nguyen Tung X.
Zarneke David A.
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