Disclosure of Invention
Embodiments of the present invention provide a probe card apparatus and a self-aligned probe, which can effectively improve the defects of the existing conductive probe.
The embodiment of the invention discloses a probe card device which comprises a first guide plate unit and a second guide plate unit which are arranged at intervals, a plurality of self-aligning probes penetrating through the first guide plate unit and the second guide plate unit, and a gap between any two adjacent self-aligning probes, wherein each self-aligning probe comprises a connecting end part, a testing end part and a first connecting part, the connecting end part is positioned at the outer side of the first guide plate unit far away from the second guide plate unit, the testing end part is positioned at the outer side of the second guide plate unit far away from the first guide plate unit and is used for detachably propping against an object to be tested, a datum axis is jointly defined by the connecting end part and the testing end part, a first connecting part is positioned in the first guide plate unit, a guide protrusion is formed on the first connecting part, a gap of not more than 4 micrometers (mu m) is formed between the first connecting part and the first guide plate unit, the second connecting part is positioned in the second guide plate unit, and an arc-shaped part is connected with the first connecting part and the second connecting part, and the arc-shaped part is used for detachably propping against the object to be tested, wherein the maximum distance between the datum axis and the datum axis is more than 75 micrometers.
Preferably, each self-aligned probe defines a narrow region at a position of the arc portion formed with the greatest distance, and in each self-aligned probe, a sectional area of the arc portion gradually increases from the narrow region toward the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion.
Preferably, in each self-aligned probe, the distance of the stenosis relative to the first connection is equal to the distance of the stenosis relative to the second connection.
Preferably, the constriction region and the guide projection are located on opposite sides of the reference axis, respectively.
Preferably, each self-aligning probe is formed with a rib adjacent to the first guide plate unit at the arc portion, the rib and the guide protrusion of each self-aligning probe are respectively located at opposite sides of the reference axis, and the rib of each self-aligning probe does not contact the first guide plate unit.
Preferably, in each self-aligned probe, a maximum width of the first connection portion is greater than a maximum width of the second connection portion.
Preferably, the probe card device further comprises a signal adapter plate adjacent to the first guide plate unit, wherein when the first guide plate unit and the second guide plate unit are obliquely staggered, each self-aligned probe is provided with a guide protrusion, so that the adapter end part is propped against the signal adapter plate at an angle of 85-95 degrees.
The embodiment of the invention also discloses a self-aligning probe which comprises a transfer end part, a test end part and a first connecting part, wherein the transfer end part is used for propping against a signal adapter plate, the test end part is used for propping against an object to be tested in a separable way, a reference axis is defined between the transfer end part and the test end part, the first connecting part is connected with the transfer end part, a guide protrusion is formed on the first connecting part, a second connecting part is connected with the test end part, and an arc-shaped part is connected with the first connecting part and the second connecting part, and the maximum distance between the arc-shaped part and the reference axis is greater than 75 microns and less than 150 microns.
Preferably, the self-aligned probe defines a narrow region at a position of the arc-shaped portion formed with the maximum distance, and the cross-sectional area of the arc-shaped portion gradually increases from the narrow region toward the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion.
Preferably, the distance of the stenosis relative to the first connection is equal to the distance of the stenosis relative to the second connection.
In summary, in the probe card apparatus and the self-aligned probe according to the embodiments of the present invention, the guide protrusion is formed on the first connecting portion, so that the gap between the self-aligned probe and the first guide plate unit can be effectively controlled, thereby facilitating the development and application of the probe card apparatus.
For a further understanding of the nature and the technical aspects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings, which are included to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention.
Detailed Description
The following specific examples are presented to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein with respect to a probe card apparatus and a self-aligned probe, and those skilled in the art will appreciate the advantages and effects of the present invention from the disclosure herein. The invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modifications and various other uses and applications, all of which are obvious from the description, without departing from the spirit of the invention. The drawings of the present invention are merely schematic illustrations, and are not intended to be drawn to actual dimensions. The following embodiments will further illustrate the related art content of the present invention in detail, but the disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
It will be understood that, although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components or signals, these components or signals should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used primarily to distinguish one element from another element or signal from another signal. In addition, the term "or" as used herein shall include any one or combination of more of the associated listed items as the case may be.
Please refer to fig. 1 to 6, which illustrate an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the present embodiment discloses a probe card apparatus 1000 (e.g., a vertical probe card apparatus) comprising a probe head 100 and a signal adapter 200 abutted against one side of the probe head 100 (e.g., the top side of the probe head 100 in fig. 1), wherein the other side of the probe head 100 (e.g., the bottom side of the probe head 100 in fig. 1) is used for abutted against a test object (device under test, DUT) (not shown, such as a semiconductor wafer).
It should be noted that, in order to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment, the drawings only show a partial configuration of the probe card apparatus 1000, so as to clearly show the configuration and connection relationship of each component of the probe card apparatus 1000, but the present invention is not limited to the drawings. The respective component configurations of the probe head 100 and the connection relationships thereof will be described below.
As shown in fig. 1, the probe head 100 includes a first guide plate unit 1, a second guide plate unit 2 spaced from the first guide plate unit 1, a spacer plate 3 clamped between the first guide plate unit 1 and the second guide plate unit 2, and a plurality of self-aligned probes 4 penetrating the first guide plate unit 1 and the second guide plate unit 2. Wherein any two adjacent self-aligned probes 4 are separated by a distance D4.
It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the self-aligned probe 4 is described with the first guide plate unit 1, the second guide plate unit 2 and the partition plate 3, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the invention not shown, the self-aligned probe 4 may be applied (e.g., sold) independently or used with other components.
In this embodiment, the first guide unit 1 includes a first guide plate, and the second guide unit 2 includes a second guide plate. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, which are not shown, the first guide plate unit 1 may include a plurality of first guide plates (and spacers interposed between two adjacent first guide plates), and the second guide plate unit 2 may also include a plurality of second guide plates (and spacers interposed between two adjacent second guide plates), the plurality of first guide plates may be disposed offset from each other, the plurality of second guide plates may be disposed offset from each other, and the first guide plate unit 1 may be disposed offset from each other with respect to the second guide plate unit 2.
Furthermore, the partition plate 3 may have a ring-shaped structure, and the partition plate 3 is clamped at the corresponding peripheral portions of the first guide plate unit 1 and the second guide plate unit 2, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments not shown in the present disclosure, the spacer 3 of the probe card apparatus 1000 may be omitted or replaced by other components.
It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the plurality of self-aligned probes 4 have substantially the same structure, so for convenience of description, a single self-aligned probe 4 is described below, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the invention not shown, the configuration of the plurality of self-aligned probes 4 included in the probe head 100 may be slightly different, or the self-aligned probes 4 may include only some of the configurations described below.
In order to facilitate understanding of the structure of the self-aligning probe 4, the structure of the self-aligning probe 4 will be described below in the case where the first guide plate unit 1 is not disposed in a staggered manner with respect to the second guide plate unit 2.
As shown in fig. 1 and 3 to 5, the self-aligned probe 4 is of an integrally formed single-piece structure, and the self-aligned probe 4 includes a connection end 41 and a test end 42 at two ends thereof, a first connection portion 43 connected to the connection end 41, a second connection portion 44 connected to the test end 42, and an arc portion 45 connecting the first connection portion 43 and the second connection portion 44. That is, the self-aligned probe 4 includes the transfer end 41, the first connection portion 43, the arc portion 45, the second connection portion 44, and the test end 42 in order, but the invention is not limited thereto.
The switching end 41 is located at an outer side of the first guide plate unit 1 (e.g. an upper side of the first guide plate unit 1) away from the second guide plate unit 2 and is used for propping against the signal switching board 200 adjacent to the first guide plate unit 1, and the testing end 42 is located at an outer side of the second guide plate unit 2 (e.g. a lower side of the second guide plate unit 2) away from the first guide plate unit 1 and is used for detachably propping against the object to be tested adjacent to the second guide plate unit 2. Furthermore, the first connecting portion 43 is located in the first guide unit 1, the second connecting portion 44 is located in the second guide unit 2, and the arc portion 45 is located between the first guide unit 1 and the second guide unit 2.
In more detail, the adaptor end 41 and the test end 42 together define a reference axis L, and in this embodiment, the reference axis L passes through the center of the adaptor end 41 and the center of the test end 42, but the invention is not limited thereto. The distance D between the arc portion 45 and the reference axis L is greater than 75 micrometers (μm) and less than the distance D4 (or 150 μm), and the distance D4 may be 150 micrometers in the present embodiment, but the invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, any conductive probe (e.g., linear conductive probe) that does not have the arcuate portion 45 is not the self-aligned probe 4 of the present embodiment.
In this embodiment, the position of the self-aligned probe 4 at the arc-shaped portion 45 with the maximum distance D is defined as a narrow area 451, and the cross-sectional area of the arc-shaped portion 45 gradually increases from the narrow area 451 toward the first connecting portion 43 and the second connecting portion 44, and the distance between the narrow area 451 and the first connecting portion 43 is equal to the distance between the narrow area 451 and the second connecting portion 44.
Accordingly, in this embodiment, by the structural design of the arc portion 45, the stress of the arc portion 45 during deformation can be dispersed in each part of the arc portion 45 in a relatively dispersed manner, and the stress is not concentrated in a specific area of the arc portion 45, so that the service life of the self-aligned probe 4 can be effectively prolonged.
The first connection part 43 is formed with a guide protrusion 431, and the guide protrusion 431 may be at least partially located in the first guide plate unit 1, that is, the guide protrusion 431 may be partially located outside the first guide plate unit 1, but only a portion of the guide protrusion 431 located in the first guide plate unit 1 may perform a guide function.
Furthermore, the self-alignment probe 4 is formed with the guide protrusion 431 so that a gap G of not more than 4 micrometers (μm) is formed between the first connection portion 43 and the first guide unit 1, and the gap G is the minimum distance between the first connection portion 43 and the first guide unit 1 in the present embodiment. That is, when the first connection portion 43 is located in a penetration hole (not shown) of the first guide plate unit 1, the first connection portion 43 is formed with the guide protrusion 431 such that the gap G between the first connection portion 43 and the inner wall surface of the penetration hole can be controlled to be not more than 4 μm.
In another aspect, the first connecting portion 43 is formed with the guide protrusion 431, so that a maximum width W43 of the first connecting portion 43 may be larger than a maximum width W44 of the second connecting portion 44, and the above width condition can effectively avoid increasing difficulty of implanting the self-aligned probe 4 into the first guide plate unit 1 and the second guide plate unit 2. In addition, the cross-sectional area of the self-aligned probe 4 may gradually increase from the narrow zone 451 toward the guide protrusion 431, so that the first connection portion 43 may also be used to assist the arc portion 45 in sharing stress.
Furthermore, the guide protrusions 431 are located at opposite sides of the reference axis L from the narrow area 451 in the present embodiment, so as to facilitate the implantation of the self-aligned probes 4 into the first guide unit 1 and the second guide unit 2, and help maintain the overall structural stability of the probe card apparatus 1000, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the invention not shown, the guide protrusion 431 and the narrowed zone 451 may be located on the same side of the reference axis L.
Further, each of the self-aligning probes 4 may be formed with a rib 46 adjacent to the first guide plate unit 1 at the arc portion 45, and the rib 46 and the guide protrusion 431 are respectively located at opposite sides of the reference axis L, without the rib 46 of each of the self-aligning probes 4 contacting the first guide plate unit 1. That is, any protrusion on the same side as the guide protrusion 431 or in contact with the first guide plate unit 1 is different from the rib 46 of the present embodiment.
As described above, when the first guide plate unit 1 and the second guide plate unit 2 are obliquely offset from each other, the arc-shaped portions 45 of the plurality of self-aligned probes 4 are disposed toward the same side, and each self-aligned probe 4 is formed with the guide protrusion 431, so that the transfer end 41 abuts against the signal transfer board 200 at an angle σ between 85 degrees and 95 degrees. The adaptor end 41 preferably abuts against the signal adaptor board 200 at an angle σ of substantially 90 degrees (e.g. 88 degrees to 92 degrees), but the invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, when the self-aligned probe 4 is replaced with a conductive probe 4a without any conductive bump 431 (e.g., fig. 7), the conductive probe 4a will abut against the signal adapter board 200 at an angle α of less than 85 degrees (e.g., 70 degrees).
Accordingly, the probe card apparatus 1000 in the present embodiment can effectively control the gap G between the self-aligned probe 4 and the first guide plate unit 1 by the structural design of the self-aligned probe 4 (e.g. the first connecting portion 43 is formed with the guide protrusion 431), thereby facilitating the development and application of the probe card apparatus 1000. The self-aligned probe 4 can also be located at opposite sides of the reference axis L through the guide protrusion 431 and the narrow area 451, so that the first connecting portion 43 can abut against the first guide plate unit 1 with the guide protrusion 431, thereby sharing part of the stress, and improving the service life of the self-aligned probe 4.
Furthermore, the gap G between the self-aligned probes 4 and the first guide plate unit 1 is controlled to be smaller than 4 μm, so that the offset of the transfer end 41 caused by the offset arrangement of the first guide plate unit 1 and the second guide plate unit 2 can be reduced, that is, the transfer end 41 can be guided by the guide protrusion 431, and further is abutted against the signal adapter 200 at an angle σ between 85 degrees and 95 degrees.
In addition, the self-aligned probe 4 can guide the transfer end 41 through the guide protrusion 431, so that the transfer end 41 of the self-aligned probe 4 can be further shortened, and the self-aligned probe 4 can be suitable for more testing applications.
[ Technical Effect of embodiments of the invention ]
In summary, in the probe card apparatus and the self-aligned probe according to the embodiments of the present invention, the guide protrusion is formed on the first connecting portion, so that the gap between the self-aligned probe and the first guide plate unit can be effectively controlled, thereby facilitating the development and application of the probe card apparatus.
In addition, according to the probe card device and the self-alignment probe disclosed by the embodiment of the invention, by the structural design of the arc-shaped part, stress can be dispersed at each part of the arc-shaped part in a relatively dispersed manner without being concentrated on a specific block of the arc-shaped part, so that the service life of the self-alignment probe can be effectively prolonged.
The foregoing disclosure is only illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, as all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the description and drawings are therefore intended to be embraced therein.