JP7539843B2 - Probe cards and electronic device test equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a probe card used to test electronic devices under test (DUTs), such as integrated circuit elements formed on semiconductor wafers, and to an electronic device test apparatus equipped with the probe card.

The probe card comprises a first substrate on which probe needles are mounted, a second substrate electrically connected to the test device body, and an interposer that is interposed between the first and second substrates and electrically connects the first and second substrates. An anisotropic conductive rubber sheet is used as the interposer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-002865 A

By combining multiple divided anisotropic conductive rubber sheets to form the above-mentioned interposer, it is possible to accommodate larger semiconductor wafers. However, there is a problem in that the placement of signal wiring is restricted at the boundaries between the anisotropic conductive rubber sheets, which impedes the speed of test signals.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a probe card that can increase the speed of test signals, and an electronic device test device equipped with the probe card.

[1] The probe card according to the present invention is a probe card comprising a probe head having probes that contact multiple DUTs formed on a wafer, a wiring board, and a relay member interposed between the probe head and the wiring board, the relay member comprising a plurality of interposers that electrically connect the probe head and the wiring board, and a holding member that holds the plurality of interposers while facing the probe head and the wiring board.

[2] In the above invention, the holding member may be a plate-shaped housing having a plurality of openings each large enough to accommodate the interposer, and each of the openings may extend through the housing.

[3] In the above invention, the multiple openings may be arranged to correspond individually to the multiple DUTs, and each of the openings may contain, in a plan view, the tips of multiple probes that contact one of the DUTs.

[4] In the above invention, the multiple openings may be arranged non-uniformly.

[5] In the above invention, the housing may have a plurality of opening groups each composed of a plurality of the openings arranged side by side, and the spacing between adjacent opening groups may include a portion that is wider than the openings.

[6] In the above invention, the plurality of openings constituting the opening group may be arranged in a non-linear manner.

[7] In the above invention, the plurality of openings may include an opening located on the center line of the housing.

[8] In the above invention, the multiple openings may have substantially the same shape as one another, and the multiple interposers may also have substantially the same shape as one another.

[9] In the above invention, the housing may have a holding portion that protrudes toward the inside of the opening and holds the interposer.

[10] In the above invention, the holding portion may be located on the probe head side relative to the interposer.

[11] In the above invention, the holding portion may be located on a first main surface of the housing that faces the probe head.

[12] In the above invention, the housing may have a positioning portion that protrudes toward the inside of the opening and positions the interposer relative to the opening.

[13] In the above invention, the positioning portion may be exposed from a second main surface of the housing that faces the wiring board.

[14] In the above invention, the housing may have a restraining portion that protrudes toward the inside of the opening and restrains the interposer within the opening.

[15] In the above invention, the restraint portion may be located on the wiring board side relative to the interposer.

[16] In the above invention, the restraint portion may be located on a second main surface of the housing that faces the wiring board.

[17] In the above invention, the housing may have a notch around the opening that is in communication with the opening.

[18] In the above invention, the notch may be exposed from a second main surface of the housing that faces the wiring board.

[19] In the above invention, the housing may have a substantially circular shape.

[20] In the above invention, the probe card may further include a stiffener attached to the wiring board, and the wiring board may have a connector mounted on a main surface opposite to the main surface facing the relay member.

[21] The electronic device test apparatus according to the present invention is an electronic device test apparatus for testing a DUT formed on a wafer, and is equipped with a test head to which the above-mentioned probe card is connected, and a tester for testing the DUT via the test head.

In the present invention, the relay member includes a plurality of interposers and a holding member that holds the plurality of interposers. This allows the interposers to be placed at any position, and there are no restrictions on the placement of signal wiring, allowing for faster test signals.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device test apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the connection relationship between a test head, a probe card, and a prober in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a probe card according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a probe card according to an embodiment of the present invention, which corresponds to part IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a relay board according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing a portion VI in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an interposer in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a housing according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an opening in the embodiment of the present invention, and is an enlarged view showing the X portion in FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective plan view showing the positional relationship between the opening of the housing, the probe, and the DUT in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the layout of openings in a housing in an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device testing apparatus according to this embodiment, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the connection relationship between the test head, probe card, and prober according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device testing apparatus 1 in this embodiment includes a test head 10, a tester 70, and a prober 90. The tester 70 is electrically connected to the test head 10 via a cable 71, and is capable of testing the electrical characteristics of a DUT 101 (see FIG. 11) such as an IC device formed on a semiconductor wafer 100 (see FIG. 2) by inputting and outputting test signals to the DUT 101. The test head 10 is inverted from the maintenance position (shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1) by a manipulator 95 and positioned above the prober 90.

The test head 10 incorporates multiple pin electronics cards (not shown) that transmit and receive test signals to and from the DUT 101. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a motherboard 11 is attached to the bottom of the test head 10. A connector 12, such as a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) connector or an LIF (Low Insertion Force) connector, is provided on the bottom surface of the motherboard 11. A coaxial cable 13 is connected to the connector 12, and the connector 12 on the motherboard 11 is electrically connected to the pin electronics, etc. via the coaxial cable 13. A probe card 20 is attached to the motherboard 11 to establish an electrical connection between the DUT 101 and the test head 10.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a probe card in this embodiment, and Figure 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the probe card in this embodiment, which corresponds to part IV in Figure 2.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the probe card 20 includes a probe head 30, a wiring board 40, a relay member 50, and a stiffener 60. Note that the stiffener 60 is not shown in Fig. 4. The wiring board 40 in this embodiment corresponds to an example of a "wiring board" in the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the probe head 30 includes a plurality of probes 31 that electrically contact the pads 102 of the DUT 101 formed on the semiconductor wafer 100, and a wiring board 32 on which the probes 31 are mounted.

The probes 31 are probe needles formed from a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon substrate using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technology. Each probe 31 is mounted on the underside of the wiring board 32 so that the tip 311 of the probe 31 faces the pad 102 of the DUT 101. Note that the probe 31 may be a vertical type such as a pogo pin, or a membrane type with bumps formed on an insulating film.

The wiring board 32 includes a substrate 33 made of a material with a relatively small coefficient of thermal expansion, such as ceramics. A wiring pattern 34 is formed on the underside of the substrate 33, and the probes 31 are mounted on the wiring board 32 by being connected to the wiring pattern 34 via solder joints 35. The multiple probes 31 are locally arranged on the underside of the wiring board 32 in a portion facing the DUTs 101 among the multiple DUTs 101 formed on the semiconductor wafer 100 so that the multiple probes 31 can simultaneously contact the DUTs 101. A conductive path 36 that passes through the substrate 33 is connected to the end of the wiring pattern 34. The conductive path 36 is connected to an upper pad 37 provided on the upper surface of the substrate 33.

In contrast, the wiring board 40 is a multi-layer printed wiring board, and includes a substrate 41 made of, for example, glass epoxy resin. One end of a conductive path 42 that passes through the substrate 41 is connected to a lower pad 43 provided on the lower surface of the substrate 31. The lower pad 43 is disposed in a position opposite the upper pad 37 of the wiring board 32.

A plurality of connectors 44 are mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 41. The other end of the conductive path 42 described above is connected to this connector 44. For example, a ZIF connector or an LIF connector can be used as this connector 44. The connector 12 of the motherboard 11 described above is fitted into this connector 44. As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of connectors 44 are arranged in a circular pattern on the upper surface of the wiring board 40. The stiffener 60 is provided on the upper surface of the wiring board 40 so as to surround the circularly arranged connectors 44, and reinforces the probe card 20.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the relay member in this embodiment, and Figure 6 is an enlarged view showing part VI in Figure 5.

The probe card 20 of this embodiment includes a relay member 50 interposed between the probe head 30 and the wiring board 40. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, this relay member 50 includes a plurality of interposers 51 and a housing 52. The interposers 51 electrically connect the probe head 30 and the wiring board 40. The housing 52 holds the interposers 51 while facing the probe head 30 and the wiring board 40. In this embodiment, all of the interposers 51 of the relay member 50 have the same shape.

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the interposer in this embodiment, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in Figure 7.

The interposer 51 is an anisotropic conductive film that becomes electrically conductive in the vertical direction at the applied portion when pressure is applied in the thickness direction. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the interposer 51 includes a frame 511 and a plurality of conductive parts 515.

The frame 511 is made of an electrically insulating material such as a resin material, and has an overall generally plate-like shape. A central portion 512 of the frame 511 holds a number of conductive portions 515, while an outer periphery 513 of the frame 511 is thinner than the central portion 512. The thin outer periphery 513 is placed on a protruding portion 522 (described below) of the housing 52, thereby holding the interposer 51 in the housing 52 (see FIG. 4).

In addition, notches 514 are formed at each of the four corners of the outer periphery 513 of the frame 511. Each notch 514 has a straight portion 514a extending inward from the outer edge of the frame 511, and a circular portion 514b located at the tip of the straight portion 514a. As described below, when the interposer 51 is inserted into the opening 521 of the housing 52, the positioning pin 523 of the housing 52 fits into this notch 514, thereby positioning the interposer 51 with respect to the opening 521 of the housing 52.

As shown in FIG. 8, each conductive portion 515 includes a cylindrical portion 516 made of an elastic resin material, and conductive particles 517 dispersed within the cylindrical portion 516. Although not particularly limited, an example of the material constituting the cylindrical portion 516 is silicone rubber. In this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 516 is made of the same resin material as the resin material constituting the frame 511, but is not particularly limited to this. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the multiple conductive portions 515 are regularly arranged in a matrix in the center portion 512 of the frame 511.

Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the housing in this embodiment, Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the opening in this embodiment, and an enlarged view showing part X in Figure 9. Figure 11 is a perspective plan view showing the positional relationship of the opening in the housing, the probe, and the DUT in this embodiment, and Figure 12 is a plan view showing the layout of the opening in the housing in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, the housing 52 has a generally circular shape with multiple openings 521 formed therein, and has a shape corresponding to the semiconductor wafer 100. Although not particularly limited, the metal material constituting the housing 52 may be a material with a low thermal expansion coefficient, such as alloy 42. In this embodiment, all of the openings 521 formed in the housing 52 have the same shape.

9 and 10, each opening 521 has a rectangular planar shape corresponding to the outer shape of the interposer 51, and penetrates the housing 52 in the thickness direction of the housing 52. In this embodiment, one interposer 51 can be accommodated in one opening 521. The multiple openings 521 are arranged to individually correspond to some of the multiple DUTs 101 formed on the semiconductor wafer 100, and one opening 521 corresponds to one DUT 101, so that one interposer 51 corresponds to one DUT 101. More specifically, each opening 521 contains the tips 311 of all the probes 31 that contact all the pads 102 of the same DUT 101 in the plan view shown in FIG. 11.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the housing 52 has five opening groups 520A-520E. Each opening group 520A-520E is composed of a plurality of openings 521 aligned with one another. Each opening group 520A-520E is aligned in a non-linear manner, and as a result, the plurality of openings 521 are arranged non-uniformly in the housing 52.

In this embodiment, each of the opening groups 520A to 520E is made up of a plurality of openings 521 arranged in a generally arc shape. The interval _L1 between the adjacent opening groups 520A and 520B includes a portion that is greater than the length _L0 of the opening 521 (see FIG. 10) ( _L1 > _L0 ).

Similarly, the interval _L2 between the adjacent opening groups 520B, 520C also includes a portion that is longer than the length _L0 of the opening 521 ( _L2 > _L0 ). The interval _L3 between the adjacent opening groups 520C, 520D also includes a portion that is longer than the length _L0 of the opening 521 ( _L3 > _L0 ). The interval _L4 between the adjacent opening groups 520D, 520E also includes a portion that is longer than the length _L0 of the opening 521 ( _L4 > _L0 ).

The multiple openings 521 also include an opening 521a located on the center line CL of the housing 52. Similarly, the multiple openings 521 also include an opening 521b located on an orthogonal line OL that is substantially perpendicular to the center line CL.

The arrangement of the multiple openings 521 formed in the housing 52 is not limited to the above, and can be set arbitrarily depending on the arrangement of the DUTs to be tested simultaneously on the semiconductor wafer, etc.

As shown in FIG. 10, the housing 52 of this embodiment further includes a protrusion 522, a positioning pin 523, a restraining piece 524, and a notch 525 in each opening 521.

The protrusion 522 in this embodiment corresponds to an example of a "holding portion" in the present invention, the positioning pin 523 in this embodiment corresponds to an example of a "positioning portion" in the present invention, the restraining piece 524 in this embodiment corresponds to an example of a "restraining portion" in the present invention, and the notch 525 in this embodiment corresponds to an example of a "notch" in the present invention.

The protrusion 522 protrudes from the periphery of the opening 521 toward the inside of the opening 521 and is located on the lower surface 52b (see FIG. 4) of the housing 52 facing the probe head 30. Therefore, the lower part of the opening 521 is narrowed by this protrusion 522. The outer periphery 513 of the frame 511 of the interposer 51 inserted into the opening 521 is placed on this protrusion 522, so that the interposer 51 is held in the housing 52.

In this embodiment, the protrusion 522 is provided around the entire circumference of the opening 521, but as long as the interposer 51 can be stably held, this is not particularly limited, and the protrusion 522 may protrude partially from the periphery of the opening 521.

The positioning pins 523 protrude from the periphery of the opening 521 toward the inside of the opening 521 and are exposed from the upper surface 52a of the housing 52 facing the wiring board 40. More specifically, the positioning pins 523 have a shape corresponding to the notch 514 of the interposer 51 described above, and include a straight portion 523a extending from the periphery of the opening 521 toward the inside of the opening 521 and a circular portion 523b located at the tip of the straight portion 523a. In this embodiment, four positioning pins 523 are arranged near the four corners of the opening 521 so as to correspond to the notches 511c of the interposer 51. The positioning pins 523 fit into the notches 514 of the frame 511 of the interposer 51 inserted into the opening 521, thereby positioning the interposer 51 with respect to the opening 521 of the housing 52.

The restraining piece 524 protrudes from the periphery of the opening 521 toward the inside of the opening 521, and is located on the upper surface 52a of the housing 52 facing the wiring board 40. More specifically, the restraining piece 524 has a substantially triangular shape and is bridged between the periphery of the opening 521 and the straight portion 523a of the positioning pin 523. Although not particularly limited, the housing 52 in this embodiment has two restraining pieces 524 arranged at a pair of corners that face each other diagonally of the opening 521, and no restraining piece is provided at the other pair of corners that face each other diagonally.

The restraining piece 524 covers from above a portion of the outer periphery 513 of the interposer 51 that is inserted into the opening 521 and held by the protrusion 522. This makes it possible to restrain the interposer 51 from moving upward relative to the housing 52, and to prevent the interposer 51 from jumping out of the opening 521 of the housing 52.

The notches 525 are arranged around the opening 521 and are connected to the opening 521. The notches 525 are exposed from the top surface 52a of the housing 52. By inserting a tool or the like between the interposer 51 and the housing 52 through the notches 525, it is possible to remove the interposer 51 from the housing 52.

The housing 52 of this embodiment can be manufactured as follows. That is, multiple metal plates are prepared, and the metal plates are individually etched to form the above-mentioned openings 521, protrusions 522, positioning pins 523, restraining pieces 524, and notches 525 in the metal plates according to the stacking positions. These metal plates are then stacked on top of each other and joined together by, for example, diffusion bonding, to form the housing 52. Therefore, in this embodiment, the protrusions 522, positioning pins 523, and restraining pieces 524 are integrally formed with the housing 52.

Next, the interposers 51 are inserted into the openings 521 of the housings 52 to form the relay members 50. At this time, a part of the outer periphery 513 of the frame 511 of the interposer 51 is deformed and overcomes the restraining piece 524, so that the interposer 51 is restrained by the restraining piece 524. In this state, the protrusion 522 is located on the probe head 30 side relative to the interposer 51, while the restraining piece 524 is located on the wiring board 40 side relative to the interposer 51. Next, with the relay members 50 sandwiched between the probe head 30 and the wiring board 40, the probe head 30 is fixed to the stiffener 60 by bolt fastening or the like (not shown), thereby completing the probe card 20.

Returning to FIG. 2, the probe card 20 is held in an annular holder 80 with the probes 31 facing downward through the opening 81. The holder 80 holding the probe card 20 is held in an annular adapter 85, which is in turn held in an opening 92 formed in a top plate 91 of a prober 90. The adapter 85 is used to fit probe cards 20 of different sizes to the opening 92 of the prober 90 in accordance with the type of semiconductor wafer 100 and the shape of the test head 10. The probe card 20 and the motherboard 11 are mechanically connected by engaging a hook 14 provided on the bottom of the motherboard 11 with a hook 86 provided on the adapter 85, as shown in FIG. 2.

The prober 90 has a transport arm 94 that can move the semiconductor wafer 100 held by suction on the suction stage 93 in the XYZ directions and rotate it θ around the Z axis. During testing, the transport arm 94 places the semiconductor wafer 100 facing the probe card 20 that is facing the inside of the prober 90 through the opening 92, presses the wafer 100 against the probe card 20, and brings the probes 31 into contact with the pads 102 of the DUT 101. In this state, the tester 70 inputs a test signal to the DUT 101 and receives a response signal from the DUT 101. The electrical characteristics of the DUT 101 are evaluated by comparing the response signal with a predetermined expected value.

In this embodiment, as described above, the multiple probes 31 are locally arranged on the underside of the wiring board 32 so that they can simultaneously contact some of the multiple DUTs 101 formed on the semiconductor wafer 100. Therefore, by repeating multiple touchdowns, testing of all of the DUTs 101 formed on the semiconductor wafer 100 is completed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the relay member 50 includes a plurality of interposers 51 and a housing 52 that holds the plurality of interposers 51. Therefore, the interposers 51 can be placed at any position, and the placement of signal wiring is not restricted by the boundaries between interposers as in the conventional case. This allows for more accurate impedance matching, thereby enabling the test signal to be transmitted at higher speeds.

In addition, in this embodiment, the relay member 50 can be formed simply by inserting the interposer 51 into the opening 521 of the housing 52 and holding it in the housing 52, so the relay member 50 is easy to assemble.

In addition, in this embodiment, the relay member 50, which holds multiple interposers 51 in a single housing 52, is interposed between the probe head 30 and the wiring board 40, so the assembly of the probe card 20 is also excellent.

In addition, in this embodiment, the relay member 50 has the interposer 51 only where it is needed, and the total number of conductive parts 515 interposed between the probe head 30 and the wiring board 40 can be reduced compared to the conventional method. This allows the number of bolts that secure the probe head 30 to the stiffener 60 to be reduced, improving the degree of freedom of the wiring layout in the probe card 20.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the multiple openings 521 are arranged to correspond to the multiple DUTs 101 individually, and each opening 521 contains the tips of the multiple probes 31 that contact one DUT 101 in a planar view. Furthermore, all the openings 521 in the housing 52 have substantially the same shape, and all the interposers 51 in the relay member 50 also have substantially the same shape. Therefore, when the arrangement of the DUTs 91 that the probe card 20 contacts simultaneously is changed, it is only necessary to prepare the housing 52 that corresponds to the changed arrangement of the DUTs 101, and therefore the cost of the probe card 20 can be reduced.

The above-described embodiments are described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not described to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiments is intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, a so-called anisotropic conductive film is used as the interposer 51, but the configuration of the interposer is not particularly limited to this, so long as the interposer has an electrical relay function.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a metal housing 52 is used as the holding member, but the configuration of the holding member is not particularly limited to this as long as it is a member capable of holding the interposer 51.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1: Electronic device test apparatus 10: Test head 11: Motherboard 20: Probe card 30: Probe head 31: Probe 32: Wiring board 40: Wiring board 44: Connector 50: Relay member 51: Interposer 511: Frame 515: Conductive portion 52: Housing 520A to 520E: Opening group 521: Opening 522: Protrusion 523: Positioning pin 524: Restraint piece 525: Notch 60: Stiffener 70: Tester 90: Prober 91: Top plate 100: Semiconductor wafer 101: DUT
102...Pad

Claims (12)

a probe head having probes for contacting a plurality of DUTs formed on a wafer;
A wiring board;
a relay member interposed between the probe head and the wiring board,
The relay member is
a plurality of interposers electrically connecting the probe head and the wiring board;
a holding member that holds the plurality of interposers while facing the probe head and the wiring board ,
the holding member is a plate-shaped housing having a plurality of openings each large enough to accommodate the interposer;
Each of the openings extends through the housing;
The housing has a plurality of opening groups each including a plurality of the openings arranged side by side,
A probe card , wherein the intervals between adjacent opening groups include portions that are wider than the openings . 2. The probe card of claim 1 ,
the plurality of openings are arranged to correspond to the plurality of DUTs individually;
A probe card in which each of the openings contains, in a plan view, the tips of a plurality of the probes that contact one of the DUTs. 2. The probe card of claim 1 ,
A probe card in which the plurality of openings constituting the opening group are arranged in a non-linear manner. The probe card according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The plurality of openings includes an opening located on a centerline of the housing. The probe card according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The plurality of openings have substantially the same shape as one another,
The interposers also have substantially the same shape as one another. The probe card according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The housing has a holding portion that protrudes toward the inside of the opening and holds the interposer. The probe card according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The housing has a positioning portion that protrudes toward the inside of the opening and positions the interposer relative to the opening. The probe card according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
The housing has a restraining portion that protrudes toward the inside of the opening and restrains the interposer within the opening. The probe card according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
The housing has a notch around the opening that communicates with the opening. The probe card according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
The housing of the probe card has a generally circular shape. The probe card according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
The probe card further comprises a stiffener attached to the wiring board;
The wiring board has a connector mounted on a main surface opposite to the main surface facing the relay member. An electronic device test apparatus for testing a DUT formed on a wafer, comprising:
A test head to which the probe card according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is connected;
a tester for testing the DUT via the test head.

Images