阅读说明：本技术 电连接装置 (Electrical connection device ) 是由 林崎孝幸 于 2018-04-03 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种电连接装置,该电连接装置包括：探针头(20),其具有引导孔(200),引导孔(200)的与延伸方向垂直的形状是对多边形的拐角部进行倒圆角而成的形状；以及探针(10),其被以贯穿引导孔(200)的状态保持于探针头(20),在探针(10)的与引导孔(200)的拐角部(200C)相对的角区域中,形成有沿着探针(10)的轴向的缺口。(The present invention provides an electrical connection device, comprising: a probe head (20) having a guide hole (200), wherein the shape of the guide hole (200) perpendicular to the extending direction is a shape obtained by rounding off the corner parts of a polygon; and a probe (10) which is held by the probe head (20) in a state of penetrating the guide hole (200), wherein a notch along the axial direction of the probe (10) is formed in an angular region of the probe (10) which is opposite to a corner portion (200C) of the guide hole (200).)

1. An electrical connection device, characterized in that,

the electrical connection device includes:

A probe head having a guide hole, a shape of which perpendicular to an extending direction is a shape in which corners of a polygon are rounded; and

A probe held by the probe head in a state of penetrating the guide hole,

In an angular region of the probe that is opposite to the corner portion of the guide hole, a notch is formed along an axial direction of the probe.

2. The electrical connection device of claim 1,

The notch is a shape obtained by cutting the corner region into a quadrangle in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction.

3. The electrical connection device of claim 1,

The notch is a shape in which the corner region is cut into a step shape in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction.

4. the electrical connection device of claim 1,

Chamfering the corner region of the probe to form the notch.

5. The electrical connection device of claim 1,

The shape of the guide hole perpendicular to the extending direction is a shape approximating a quadrangle having 4 corner portions.

6. The electrical connection device of claim 1,

The probe is held inside the probe head in a state of being bent by elastic deformation.

7. The electrical connection device of claim 1,

The probe head has a top portion, an upper guide portion, a lower guide portion, and a bottom portion,

the top portion, the upper guide portion, the lower guide portion, and the bottom portion each have the guide hole through which the probe passes,

The notch is formed in the corner region of the probe opposed to at least the corner portion of the guide hole.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electrical connection device used for measuring electrical characteristics of an object to be tested.

Background

In order to measure electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected such as an integrated circuit without being separated from a wafer, an electrical connection device having a probe in contact with the object to be inspected is used. The probe is held in a state of being inserted through a guide hole formed in the probe head, for example (see patent document 1, for example).

As the probe, a probe having a polygonal cross section perpendicular to the axial direction is used. For example, a probe having a quadrangular cross section perpendicular to the axial direction is used for measurement of MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems). In this case, the shape of the guide hole of the probe head is also formed in a quadrilateral in accordance with the shape of the cross section of the probe.

disclosure of Invention

problems to be solved by the invention

In the case where the guide hole formed in the probe head has a polygonal shape, corner portions of the guide hole are generally rounded. Therefore, there is a problem that the angular region of the probe contacts the inner wall surface of the corner portion of the guide hole, and the probe is worn or broken.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection device in which abrasion and damage of a probe due to contact between an angular region of the probe and an inner wall surface of a guide hole of a probe head are suppressed.

Means for solving the problems

With one aspect of the present invention, an electrical connection device is provided, wherein the electrical connection device includes: a probe head having a guide hole, wherein the shape of the guide hole perpendicular to the extending direction is a shape obtained by rounding off the corner part of a polygon; and a probe held by the probe head in a state of penetrating the guide hole, wherein a notch is formed in an angular region of the probe facing a corner portion of the guide hole along an axial direction of the probe.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

The present invention can provide an electrical connection device in which abrasion and damage of a probe due to contact between an angular region of the probe and an inner wall surface of a guide hole of a probe head are suppressed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of an electrical connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a cross section of a probe of the electrical connection device according to the embodiment of the present invention and a shape of a guide hole of a probe head.

Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a cross section of a probe and a shape of a guide hole of a probe head of a comparative example.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of a probe and a probe head of an electrical connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a cross section of a probe and a shape of a guide hole of a probe head of another comparative example.

Fig. 6 is (a) a schematic process diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing a probe of an electrical connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 6 (a) is a plan view, fig. 6 (b) is a cross-sectional view, and fig. 6 (c) is a perspective view of a tip region.

fig. 7 is a schematic process diagram (second) for explaining a method of manufacturing a probe of an electrical connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 7 (a) is a plan view, fig. 7 (b) is a cross-sectional view, and fig. 7 (c) is a perspective view of a tip region.

Fig. 8 is a schematic process diagram (third) for explaining a method of manufacturing a probe of an electrical connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 8 (a) is a plan view, fig. 8 (b) is a cross-sectional view, and fig. 8 (c) is a perspective view of a tip region.

fig. 9 is a schematic process diagram (fourth) for explaining a method of manufacturing a probe of an electrical connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 9 (a) is a plan view, fig. 9 (b) is a cross-sectional view, and fig. 9 (c) is a perspective view of a tip region.

FIG. 10 is a schematic process diagram (fifth) for explaining a method of manufacturing a probe of an electrical connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 10 (b) is a cross-sectional view,

Fig. 10 (c) is a perspective view of the tip region.

Fig. 11 is a schematic view showing another example of a probe of an electrical connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which fig. 11 (a) is a plan view and fig. 11 (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction B-B of fig. 11 (a).

Fig. 12 is a schematic plan view showing a cross section of a probe of the electrical connection device according to the modification of the embodiment of the present invention and a shape of a guide hole of a probe head.

fig. 13 is a schematic plan view showing a cross section of a probe of an electrical connection device according to another modification of the embodiment of the present invention and a shape of a guide hole of a probe head.

Detailed Description

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings below, the same or similar reference numerals are given to the same or similar parts. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the ratio of the thicknesses of the respective portions and the like are different from those in reality. It is to be noted that the drawings naturally include portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios from each other. The embodiments described below are embodiments illustrating apparatuses and methods for embodying the technical ideas of the present invention, and the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, and the like of the constituent members are not specified as follows in the embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, an electrical connection device 1 of an embodiment of the present invention includes a probe 10, a probe tip 20 holding the probe 10, and an electrode substrate 30 on which the probe tip 20 is mounted. The electrical connection device 1 is a vertical operation type probe card used for measuring electrical characteristics of the device 2, and when the device 2 is measured, tip portions of the probes 10 are brought into contact with inspection pads (japanese patent No.: inspection パ ッ ド) (not shown) of the device 2. In fig. 1, a state in which the probe 10 is not in contact with the object 2 is shown. At the time of measurement, for example, the chuck 3 on which the device 2 is mounted is raised, and the tip of the probe 10 is brought into contact with the device 2.

The probe tip 20 has a guide hole 200, and the guide hole 200 penetrates the probe tip 20 between a 1 st main surface 201 opposed to the object 2 and a 2 nd main surface 202 opposed to the electrode substrate 30. The probe 10 is held by the probe head 20 in a state of penetrating the guide hole 200.

As shown in fig. 1, the base end portions of the probes 10 protruding from the 2 nd main surface 202 of the probe tip 20 are connected to electrode pads 31 formed on the lower surface of the electrode substrate 30. The electrode pad 31 is electrically connected to a connection pad 32 disposed on the upper surface of the electrode substrate 30 via an electrode wiring (not shown) formed inside the electrode substrate 30. The connection pads 32 are electrically connected to an inspection device such as an IC tester, not shown. A predetermined voltage and current are applied to the test object 2 through the probe 10 by the test apparatus. Then, the signal output from the device under test 2 is transmitted to the inspection apparatus via the probe 10, and the characteristics of the device under test 2 are inspected.

The shape of a cross section (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "cross section") perpendicular to the axial direction of the probe 10 is a polygon. The shape of the guide hole 200 perpendicular to the extending direction (hereinafter referred to as "hole shape") is a shape obtained by rounding off corner portions of a polygon corresponding to the shape of the cross section of the probe 10.

Fig. 2 shows an example in which the cross section of the probe 10 has a quadrangular shape. The hole shape of the guide hole 200 is an approximately quadrangular shape having 4 rounded corner portions 200C corresponding to the shape of the cross section of the probe 10. When the hole shape of the guide hole 200 is polygonal, the corner portion 200C of the guide hole 200 is generally rounded as shown in fig. 2 due to a problem of machining or the like. For example, in the case of a quadrangular guide hole 200 having a side length of 40 μm, the corner section 200C is rounded at a size of 8 μm.

as shown in fig. 2, a notch is formed along the axial direction of the probe 10 in an angular region opposed to the corner portion 200C of the guide hole 200. In the example shown in fig. 2, the notch formed in the probe 10 has a shape in which a corner region is cut into a square in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction.

In addition, the larger the area of the cross section of the probe 10, the larger the allowable amount of current flowing through the probe 10. The area of the cross section of the probe 10 is maximized in the case where the apex of the corner region is in contact with the apex of the circular arc of the guide hole 200. For example, as shown in fig. 3, in the case of the probe 10 of the comparative example in which no notch is formed in the corner region, the area of the cross section is maximized.

However, in the state shown in fig. 3, since the corner region of the probe 10 comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the guide hole 200, the probe 10 is worn or broken. For example, when the probe 10 is held in the probe head 20 in a state of being bent by elastic deformation as shown in fig. 4, the probe 10 slides in the guide hole 200, and therefore the probe 10 is easily worn by contact with the inner wall surface of the guide hole 200.

The probe head 20 shown in fig. 4 has a top portion 21, an upper guide portion 24, a lower guide portion 25, and a bottom portion 23, through which the probe 10 penetrates. The top portion 21, the upper guide portion 24, the lower guide portion 25, and the bottom portion 23 each have a guide hole through which the probe 10 passes. Further, a notch is formed in a corner region of the probe 10 facing at least a corner portion of each guide hole. The spacer 22 is disposed between the top portion 21 and the bottom portion 23 of the probe head 20 to form a hollow region 210. The guide holes of the top portion 21 and the bottom portion 23 through which the same probe 10 passes are arranged at different positions. Therefore, the probe 10 is bent by the elastic deformation.

In the probe tip 20 shown in fig. 4, when the tip portion of the probe 10 comes into contact with the device 2 at the start of measurement of the device 2, the probe 10 is buckled in the hollow region 210. That is, the probe 10 is bent more by the flexural deformation. Thereby, the probe 10 is brought into contact with the device 2 under test with a predetermined pressure. Since the probe 10 has elasticity, when the probe 10 and the device under test 2 are in a non-contact state after the end of measurement, the probe 10 returns to the shape before the contact with the device under test 2.

as described above, the probe 10 held by the probe head 20 shown in fig. 4 slides inside the guide hole 200 when the measurement of the object 2 is started and after the measurement of the object 2 is completed. Therefore, in the state shown in fig. 3, the corner region of the probe 10 is easily brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the guide hole 200.

On the other hand, as in the comparative example shown in fig. 5, by reducing the area of the cross section of the probe 10, the contact between the probe 10 and the inner wall surface of the guide hole 200 can be suppressed. However, since the area of the cross section of the probe 10 is reduced, the resistance of the probe 10 increases. Therefore, the allowable amount of the current flowing through the probe 10 is reduced, and the measurement of the object 2 may be hindered.

In contrast, in the probe 10 shown in fig. 2, since the notch is formed in the corner region, the distance between the corner portion 200C of the guide hole 200 and the corner region of the probe 10 becomes larger than that in the state of fig. 3. Therefore, even when the probe 10 slides inside the guide hole 200, the probe 10 does not contact the inner wall surface of the guide hole 200. Therefore, abrasion and breakage of the probe 10 can be suppressed. In addition, since the reduction in the cross-sectional area is small as compared with the comparative example shown in fig. 5, the allowable amount of current flowing through the probe 10 can be increased.

Even when the probe 10 contacts the inner wall surface of the guide hole 200, since the notch is formed in the corner region of the probe 10, a plurality of portions of the probe 10 contact the inner wall surface of the guide hole 200 in 1 corner region. Therefore, the pressure at which the probe 10 contacts the inner wall surface of the guide hole 200 at each contact portion can be reduced. Therefore, abrasion and breakage of the probe 10 can be suppressed.

The size of the notch formed in the probe 10 is preferably set to such an extent that the corner region of the probe 10 does not contact the corner portion 200C of the guide hole 200. For example, the size of the notch is set in consideration of the assembly accuracy, the position of the probe 10, the change in shape with time, and the like. The size of the notch is also set taking into consideration the change in the position, shape, and the like of the probe 10 during measurement.

In the probe 10 held by the probe head 20 shown in fig. 4, a notch may be formed in at least a corner region that is adjacent to and faces the corner portion 200C of the guide hole 200 when the probe 10 slides inside the guide hole 200. That is, it is not necessary to form a notch in the corner region of the probe 10 having a large distance from the corner portion 200C of the guide hole 200. Accordingly, since the notch is not formed in the entire corner region facing the corner portion 200C as compared with the area of the cross section of the probe 10 shown in fig. 2, the reduction in the area of the cross section of the probe 10 can be made smaller as compared with the embodiment shown in fig. 2. Thus, the allowable amount of current flowing through the probe 10 can be increased.

As described above, according to the electrical connection device 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, the abrasion and damage of the probe 10 due to the contact between the probe 10 and the inner wall surface of the guide hole 200 can be suppressed by forming the notch in the corner region of the probe 10. Further, since the reduction in the area of the cross section is small, the reduction in the allowable amount of current flowing through the probe 10 can be suppressed.

Next, a method for manufacturing the probe 10 of the electrical connection device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 6 to 10. The method of manufacturing the probe 10 described below is an example, and it is needless to say that the method can be realized by various manufacturing methods other than the above-described method, including modifications thereof. In fig. 6 to 10, (a) of each drawing is a plan view, and (B) of each drawing is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction B-B of (a) of each drawing. Fig. c is a perspective view of the tip region S of the probe 10 surrounded by a broken line in fig. a.

First, as shown in fig. 6 (a) to 6 (c), a sacrificial layer 110 is formed on the upper surface of the support substrate 100. The sacrificial layer 110 is shaped to follow the shape of the outer edge of the probe 10. As will be described later, a part of the probe 10 is formed in a region surrounded by the sacrifice layer 110. The sacrifice layer 110 is formed by copper plating or the like.

Next, as shown in fig. 7 (a) to 7 (c), a portion 10a having a T-shaped cross section, which is a part of the probe 10, is formed on the upper surface of the sacrifice layer 110 so as to be buried in the region surrounded by the sacrifice layer 110. Then, the remaining portion 10b of the probe 10 is formed on the upper surface of the portion 10a symmetrically to the region surrounded by the sacrifice layer 110. As a result, the probe 10 is formed as shown in fig. 8 (a) to 8 (c).

Thereafter, as shown in fig. 9 (a) to 9 (c), the sacrificial layer 110 is removed from the support substrate 100. Then, as shown in fig. 10 (a) to 10 (c), the probe 10 is peeled off from the support substrate 100, and the probe 10 is completed.

As a material of the probe 10, for example, a nickel (Ni) alloy or the like is used. In addition, although the manufacturing method using the semi-additive method has been described above, the probe 10 may be manufactured by a subtractive method or a composite process thereof. The probe 10 may be produced by a dry process such as thermal electrolysis め っ き (hot electrolysis め っ き) or vapor deposition.

the method of manufacturing the probe 10 having a curved shape in a plan view has been described above. However, it is needless to say that the shape of the probe 10 is not limited to the curved shape, and the probe 10 may have a linear shape as shown in fig. 11, for example.

< modification example >

The shape of the notch formed in the probe 10 can be set arbitrarily. That is, although the notch of the probe 10 has been described as an example in which the corner region is cut into a square shape, the notch may have another shape. For example, as shown in fig. 12, the notch may be a shape obtained by cutting the corner region into a stepped shape in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction. With the notch having the shape shown in fig. 12, the area of the cross section of the probe 10 can be increased as compared with the notch having the shape shown in fig. 2. Therefore, the allowable amount of current flowing through the probe 10 can be increased.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 13, the corner regions of the probe 10 may be chamfered to form notches. This can suppress contact between the probe 10 and the corner portion 200C of the guide hole 200, and can suppress a reduction in the cross-sectional area of the probe 10.

(other embodiments)

As described above, the present invention has been described in terms of the embodiments, but it should not be understood that the description and drawings constituting a part of this disclosure limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure.

For example, the cross section of the probe 10 in a state where no notch is formed in the corner region has a quadrangular shape as described above, but the cross section of the probe 10 may have other polygonal shapes. For example, even when the cross section of the probe 10 or the hole shape of the guide hole 200 is pentagonal or hexagonal, abrasion or breakage of the probe 10 can be suppressed by forming a notch in an angular region along the axial direction.

As described above, the present invention naturally includes various embodiments and the like not described herein.

Industrial applicability

The electrical connection device of the present embodiment can be applied to the field of measuring characteristics of an object to be inspected.