Probe system, probe card, probe head, probe for testing an electronic test device integrated in a semiconductor wafer, and electronic test device testing by the probe card

Abstract

The invention provides a probe system, a probe card, a probe head, a probe and an electronic device tested by the probe card. The probe head comprises a plurality of probes, an upper guide plate and a lower guide plate. The probe penetrates through the upper guide plate and the lower guide plate and comprises a probe head, a probe tail and a probe body. The needle includes a contact region for contacting a contact pad on a device under test during a test. The needle body is located between the needle head and the needle tail and extends according to the longitudinal development axis. The transverse section of the needle body is perpendicular to the longitudinal development axis and is provided with a wide edge and a thick edge. The wide edge represents the width of the pointer body, and the thick edge represents the thickness of the pointer body. The length of each probe is larger than the thickness of the probe body. The needle body is of a multi-layer structure and comprises a plurality of layer pieces and at least one slit. The layer sheets are separated along the wide edge, the at least one slit divides the layer sheets, and the thickness of the needle body is larger than or equal to the width of the needle body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a probe system, a probe card, a probe head, a probe structure, and an electronic device under test tested by the probe card. More specifically, the present invention relates to a probe system, a probe card, a probe head, a probe structure, and an electronic device under test tested by the probe card, which weakens the rigidity of the probe so that the probe meets the requirements of high-frequency / high-speed testing and high-current testing. Background Art

[0002] A probe card is a tool for testing the electrical properties of a semiconductor wafer or a packaged device, which generally includes at least a probe head, a space transformer, and a circuit board. The probe head may include a plurality of probes, each of which may contact a contact pad on an electronic device under test (DUT) integrated on the semiconductor wafer to test the electrical performance of the electronic device under test. The shape of the contact pad varies according to the different types of contact areas on the probe head, for example, a contact pad with a bump shape corresponds to a contact area with a blunt surface shape, and a contact pad with a pad shape corresponds to a contact area with a sharp surface shape. During the test, the probe and the electronic device under test will move relative to each other at a distance on the longitudinal development axis (i.e., the Z axis), which is the vertical movement of the probe (also known as overdrive / overtravel), which is usually carried by a fixture to move the electronic device under test upward from the contact height and closer to the probe, so that the contact area of ​​the probe head contacts and presses the contact pad of the electronic device under test. This approach can ensure sufficient mechanical contact between the probe tip and the contact pad, and ensure good electrical connection between the probe and the electronic device under test. However, when the contact area of ​​the probe needle head presses the contact pad of the electronic device under test in the above-mentioned mode, the difference in rigidity between different probes will affect the magnitude of the force applied by the probe contact area to the contact pad of the electronic device under test when the specific displacement (i.e., vertical movement) is fixed. Specifically, the higher the overall rigidity of the probe, the greater the force applied by the probe on the contact pad when the specific displacement (vertical movement) is the same. The greater the force applied by the probe contact area to the contact pad of the electronic device under test, the higher the degree of wear and tear caused by the probe to the contact pad and / or the probe itself (i.e., the contact area of ​​the needle head). Accordingly, the rigidity of the probe will obviously affect the probability of excessive / inappropriate wear and tear caused by the probe to the contact pad of the electronic device under test and / or the probe itself (i.e., the contact area of ​​the needle head) during testing.

[0003] In recent years, the demand for high-frequency / high-speed testing of electronic devices under test has been increasing day by day. As the data transmission rate in the test increases (for example, from 50 to 60 billion bits per second (Gbps) to more than 100 Gbps), the impedance matching (impedance matching) between the probe head as a whole and the electronic device under test has an increasingly significant impact on high-speed signal transmission. When the impedance of the test path (i.e., the signal transmission path) is not matched, the impact of the reflection loss (return loss) will become significant. In order to meet the high-frequency / high-speed testing requirements, the designers of the probe hope to shorten the length of the probe to facilitate the transmission of high-frequency / high-speed signals. In addition to the needs of high-speed / high-frequency testing, high-current testing is also an increasingly important testing direction in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. In order to meet the needs of high-current testing, the designers of the probe hope to increase the thickness of the probe to facilitate the transmission of high-current. However, whether shortening the probe length or increasing the probe thickness mentioned above, both belong to the practice of improving the overall rigidity of the probe. However, as mentioned above, the stronger the overall rigidity of the probe, the higher the probability of causing excessive / inappropriate wear to the contact pad of the electronic device under test during testing, and even further causing damage to other parts of the electronic device under test. In view of this, the technical field to which the present invention belongs urgently needs a solution that can weaken the rigidity of the probe and make the probe meet the high-frequency / high-speed testing requirements and / or high-current testing requirements. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to at least solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a probe for physically contacting an electronic device under test. The probe may include a needle head, a needle tail, and a needle body. The needle head may include a contact area, and the contact area can be used to contact a corresponding contact pad on the electronic device under test during testing. The needle body is located between the needle head and the needle tail, and can extend according to a longitudinal development axis. A transverse section of the needle body is perpendicular to the longitudinal development axis. The transverse section has a wide side and a thick side, and the wide side can represent a width of the needle body, and the thick side can represent a thickness of the needle body. A length of the probe is greater than the thickness of the needle body. The needle body has a multi-layer structure, and the multi-layer structure can include a plurality of layers and at least one slit. The plurality of layers are separated along the wide side, and the at least one slit separates the plurality of layers, and the thickness of the needle body is greater than or equal to the width of the needle body.

[0005] In order to at least solve the above technical problems, the present invention further provides a probe head of a probe system for testing an electronic device under test integrated in a semiconductor wafer. The probe head may include an upper guide plate unit, a lower guide plate unit, and a plurality of probes. Each probe may include a needle head, a needle tail, and a needle body. The needle head may include a contact area, and the contact area may be used to contact a corresponding contact pad on the electronic device under test during testing. The upper guide plate unit and the lower guide plate unit may each include a plurality of guide holes. A size of each guide hole in the upper guide plate unit is set to accommodate the needle tail of each probe, and a size of each guide hole in the lower guide plate unit is set to accommodate the needle head of each probe. Each probe can simultaneously pass through one of the plurality of guide holes included in the upper guide plate unit and one of the plurality of guide holes included in the lower guide plate unit. The needle body of each probe is located between the needle head and the needle tail of the same probe, and extends according to a longitudinal development axis. A transverse section of the needle body of each probe is perpendicular to a longitudinal development axis. The transverse section has a wide side and a thick side, and the wide side can represent a width of the needle body, and the thick side can represent a thickness of the needle body. The needle body of each probe has a multi-layer structure, and the multi-layer structure includes a plurality of layers and at least one slit. The plurality of layers are separated along the wide side of the transverse section of the same probe, and the at least one slit separates the plurality of layers. A length of each probe is greater than the thickness of the corresponding needle body, and the thickness of the same needle body is greater than or equal to the width of the same needle body.

[0006] In order to at least solve the above technical problems, the present invention further provides a probe card of a probe system for testing an electronic device under test integrated in a semiconductor wafer. The probe card may include a circuit board, a space converter, and a probe head as described above. The space converter may be arranged on the circuit board. The probe head may be arranged on the other side of the space converter relative to the circuit board, and a needle tail of each probe in a probe pair in the probe head may be configured to be electrically connected to the space converter.

[0007] In order to at least solve the above technical problems, the present invention further provides a probe system for performing functional testing on an electronic device under test integrated in a semiconductor wafer. The probe system may include a fixture, a test device, and a probe card as described above. The fixture may be used to support the semiconductor wafer. The test device may be electrically connected to the electronic device under test and may be used to establish an electrical test procedure. The probe card may be disposed on the test device.

[0008] In order to at least solve the above technical problems, the present invention further provides an electronic device under test. The electronic device under test utilizes the above probe card to perform a high-frequency test procedure, the high-frequency test procedure utilizes a high-frequency signal to perform the test, and the high-frequency test procedure is a loopback test procedure.

[0009] In summary, the probe system and the probe card and probe head therein provided by the present invention reduce the rigidity of the probe as a whole by virtue of the multi-layer structure in the probe, so that the force exerted by the needle head of the probe on the contact pad when contacting the electronic device under test during testing is reduced, and the possibility of the probe causing damage to the electronic device under test due to contact during testing is effectively reduced. Accordingly, the present invention allows the designer of the probe to increase the thickness (thickness) of the probe and / or shorten the length of the probe in order to improve the electrical performance of the probe, thereby meeting the electrical requirements of high-speed (high-frequency) and / or high-current testing (the signal integrity can be improved). In addition, compared to the traditional probe structure in which the thickness of the needle body is less than the width, the ratio arrangement of the needle body thickness to the width in the probe structure provided by the present invention can also further reduce the rigidity of the probe as a whole. Specifically, when the cross-sectional area of ​​the layer and the cross-sectional area of ​​the slit are in the same ratio (for example, 7 to 3), the smaller the width of the layer in the probe structure provided by the present invention in the bending direction of the probe, the smaller the reaction force can be obtained, which means that under the same vertical movement of the probe (i.e., overdrive / overtravel), the force applied by the probe on the contact pad of the electronic device under test is smaller. At the same time, the smaller the width of the layer in the bending direction, the smaller the maximum stress (Max.Principal Stress) accumulated in the bending area of ​​the needle body of the probe, which means that the probe structure provided by the present invention reduces the maximum stress accumulated in the bending area of ​​the needle body under the same vertical movement of the probe, which means that the probe is less likely to break, and thus the probe can be more durable and have a longer life. Based on this, the present invention can obviously also solve the problem of "when the probe with weakened rigidity is deformed due to pressure during operation, because stress is easily accumulated in the deformed bending area of ​​the needle body, causing the risk of damage to the probe itself to increase". If the above mechanism provided by the present invention is applied to more probes, higher improvement results can be obtained.

[0010] The above content provides a basic description of the present invention, including the technical problems solved by the present invention, the technical means adopted and the technical effects achieved, and the following will further illustrate various embodiments of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 A probe card, a probe head, and a wafer testing system where the probes are located according to one or more embodiments of the present invention are illustrated.

[0012] Figure 2 A side view of a probe according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 3 A portion of a probe structure according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 4 The side view structure and arrangement of the probes according to one or more embodiments of the present invention are illustrated.

[0015] Figure 5A A portion of a probe structure according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 5B Illustrated Figure 5A The geometric center line offset between the needle head and the needle body in the shown part.

[0017] Figures 6 to 8 A transverse cross-section of a needle shaft portion of a probe according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is illustrated.

[0018] Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B Various transverse cross sections of the needle body having the same area but different ratios of width to thickness are exemplified.

[0019] Fig.10 The manner in which the guide plate unit in the probe head misaligns the probes in the probe pair according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is illustrated.

[0020] Fig.11 A double needle arrangement of a probe pair according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is illustrated.

[0021] Figures 1 to 11 The contents shown are only examples for describing the embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following embodiments are not intended to limit the invention to a specific environment, application, structure, process, or context. In the attached drawings, elements that are not directly related to the invention to be protected will be omitted. In the attached drawings, the size of the elements and the size ratio between the elements are only used as illustrative examples and are not intended to be used to limit the invention to be protected. Unless otherwise specified, the same element symbols may refer to the same elements below.

[0023] The terminology described herein is only for the purpose of easily describing the content of the embodiment, and is not intended to be used to limit the invention to be protected. Unless otherwise clearly indicated, the singular "one" or "a" should be deemed to include the plural. "Include", "comprise", "have" and other terms are used to specifically describe the existence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups stated thereafter, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other additional features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups, etc. The term "and / or" is used to represent any one or all combinations of one or more related enumerated items. When the terms "first", "second", "third" and other terms are used to describe elements, the purpose is not to limit these described elements, but only to distinguish the described elements. Therefore, for example, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention to be protected, the first element may also be named as the second element.

[0024] Reference Figure 1 , which shows a probe system 1. The probe system 1 may include at least a probe card 11 and a chuck 12. The probe card 11 may be used to electrically connect and / or mechanically contact an electronic device under test 10, and to test the electrical performance of the electronic device under test 10. The probe card 11 may be configured to test the electronic device under test 10. The electronic device under test 10 may be a semiconductor wafer. The chuck 12 may be used to carry the electronic device under test 10 so that the probe card 11 can detect the electronic device under test 10. The electronic device under test 10 may include one or more contact pads (e.g. Figure 1 The contact pads 101 are shown in the figure, so that the contact area of ​​each probe is configured to contact one of the one or more contact pads ( Figure 1 , which shows a state where the contact area of ​​each probe has not yet contacted the corresponding contact pad).

[0025] The probe card 11 may include a circuit board 111, a space transformer 112, and a probe head 113. The space transformer 112 may be disposed on the circuit board 111, and the probe head 113 may be disposed on the space transformer 112. The probe head 113 may basically include a plurality of probes and at least one guide plate, and one end of each probe may be electrically connected to the circuit board 111 through the space transformer 112, and the other end may contact a contact pad (e.g., a metal pad or a conductor bump) on the electronic device under test 10 during testing. It should be noted that the space transformer 112 described above is disposed on the circuit board 111, which is only described in this way based on the conventional size relationship between the space transformer 112 and the circuit board 111, and does not limit the space transformer 112 to be necessarily located above the circuit board 111 in a physical sense.

[0026] The test equipment 13 can perform various test procedures and / or communicate test information to the electronic device under test through the probe card 11. The test equipment 13 can be, for example, a test head of a tester. Some test methods may include a loopback test procedure, which uses the electronic device under test 10 itself to generate the required high-frequency test signal. After the signal passes through the probe card 11, it is transmitted back to the electronic device under test 10 for detection to determine whether the electronic device under test 10 is operating normally.

[0027] The circuit board 111 may include a wafer side and a test side. The wafer side of the circuit board 111 and the test side of the circuit board 111 are arranged relative to each other, and the test side of the circuit board 111 is provided to connect to the test equipment. In this embodiment, when the probe card 11 is used in the test equipment 13, the wafer side may be the lower side of the circuit board 111, which may face the space transformer 112 and / or the electronic device under test 10, and the test side may be the upper side of the circuit board 111, which may face away from the electronic device under test 10 and / or face the test equipment 13. In this embodiment, the circuit board 111 adopts a general printed circuit board, and the circuit board 111 has a top surface, a bottom surface, and a variety of signal lines located inside it, and contacts (contact pads) electrically connected to the signal lines are formed on the top surface and the bottom surface. The contacts on the top surface of the circuit board 111 are touched by the pogo pins of the test equipment. The test signal of the test equipment can be transmitted to the bottom surface of the circuit board 111 via the aforementioned signal lines.

[0028] The space transformer 112 may also include a wafer side and a test side. It should be noted that the space transformer 112 may be composed of a multilayer circuit board. The test side of the space transformer 112 may be connected to the wafer side of the circuit board 111. In this embodiment, when the probe card 11 is used in the test equipment 13, the wafer side of the space transformer 12 may be the lower side of the space transformer 112, which may face the probe head 113 and / or the electronic device under test 10, and the test side of the space transformer 12 may be the upper side of the space transformer 112, which may face away from the electronic device under test 10, may face the circuit board 111, and / or may face the test equipment 13. In this embodiment, the space transformer 112 may include a multilayer organic (MLO) substrate or a multilayer ceramic (MLC) substrate, and the material may be adjusted according to actual needs, and the present invention is not limited to this. The space transformer 112 has a plurality of signal circuits inside, and contacts electrically connected to the signal circuits inside the space transformer 112 are formed on the top and bottom surfaces thereof, and the spacing between the contacts on the top surface is greater than the spacing between the contacts on the bottom surface. The space transformer 112 is mechanically and electrically connected to the wafer side of the circuit board 111, that is, the bottom surface of the circuit board 111, and is located below the circuit board 111, so that the contacts on the top surface of the space transformer 112 can be electrically connected to the contacts on the bottom surface of the circuit board 111, so that the signal circuits inside the space transformer 112 are electrically connected to the signal circuits of the circuit board 111. It should be noted that another carrier (e.g., a spacer board) can be used between the space transformer 112 and the circuit board 111, so that the space transformer 112 can be indirectly mechanically and / or electrically connected to the wafer side of the circuit board 111.

[0029] The probe head 113 may be disposed on the wafer side of the space transformer 112 in a mechanical and / or electrical connection manner. Figure 1 As shown, the probe head 113 may include an upper guide plate unit 114, a lower guide plate unit 115 and a plurality of probes (for example: Figure 1 The probes 116 shown in FIG. 1 ). Each probe can physically contact the electronic device under test 10. The upper guide plate unit 114 can include at least one upper guide plate, and each of the at least one upper guide plate can be provided with a plurality of upper guide holes. The lower guide plate unit 115 can include at least one lower guide plate, and each of the at least one lower guide plate can be provided with a plurality of lower guide holes. The upper guide plate unit 114 and the lower guide plate unit 115 can be arranged along a longitudinal development axis (e.g., substantially along the longitudinal development axis). Figure 1 Each probe can pass through a corresponding one of the plurality of upper guide holes and a corresponding one of the plurality of lower guide holes.

[0030] The probe is usually made of a special metal with good electrical and mechanical properties. By pressing the probe head 113 against the electronic device under test 10, a good connection between the probe and the contact pad of the electronic device under test 10 can be ensured. During the pressurized contact, the probe can slide in the corresponding guide holes on the upper and lower guide plate units, and the probe can bend in the air gap 120 between the upper and lower guide plate units.

[0031] According to some embodiments of the present invention, each probe included in the probe head 113 may be a probe known in the art as a "buckling beam" probe, i.e., the probe body may have a constant transverse cross-section (e.g., substantially rectangular, preferably square or rectangular) throughout its entire length, wherein the probe body is adapted to bend and / or flex at a substantially central position, thereby deforming during the testing of the electronic device under test 10. However, in some other embodiments, each probe does not necessarily have a constant transverse cross-section throughout its entire length.

[0032] The "substantially rectangular" mentioned herein refers to a rectangle and other actual results that may be produced in order to produce a rectangular transverse cross-section of the needle body, such as a trapezoid. More specifically, a person skilled in the art of the present invention should understand that even if the equipment for manufacturing the probe is designated to produce a probe with a rectangular transverse cross-section, the transverse cross-section of the probe actually produced may still have a certain tolerance or manufacturing error, so that the shape of the transverse cross-section of the needle body of the probe is not a geometrically perfect rectangle in some embodiments.

[0033] The probe applicable to the present invention may at least include a straight probe, such as a forming wire (FW), a micro-electromechanical probe (MEMS wire, MW) or a pogo pin.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, each probe may include a needle head (e.g., needle head 117 included in probe 116), a needle tail (e.g., needle tail 118 included in probe 116), and a needle body portion located between the needle head and the needle tail (e.g., needle body portion 119 included in probe 116). The needle head may end at a contact region and may be configured to be adjacent to a corresponding contact pad (e.g., Figure 1The needle head 117 shown in the figure is configured to be adjacent to the contact pad 101 of the electronic device under test 10). The needle tail of each probe can pass through the guide hole on the upper guide plate unit 114 to be electrically connected to the space transformer 112. The needle tail can end at the contact tail and can be configured to be adjacent to the contact pad (not shown in the figure) of the space transformer 112. The needle body can extend between the needle head and the needle tail basically along the longitudinal development axis. The needle head of each probe can be used to electrically contact the electronic device under test 10. The needle head of each probe can be configured to perform electrical communication and / or contact communication with the corresponding contact pad of the electronic device under test 10. The communication means that the probe can be configured to transmit the test signal of the probe card 11 to the electronic device under test 10, and / or be configured to receive a signal from the electronic device under test 10.

[0035] Many embodiments of the present invention at least relate to different implementations of the probe head 113, the probe structure in the probe head 113, and the probe card 11 including the probe head 113. However, it should be noted that although the probe structures in the various embodiments of the present invention may be slightly different, the plurality of probes included in the probe head in each embodiment may include at least one probe pair as a whole. In some embodiments, each probe pair can be used to transmit a set of differential signals, so such a probe pair can also be referred to as a differential pair. The differential pair described in the preferred embodiment of the present invention can use two single-ended signal lines (for example: P line and N line) to connect TX+ and RX+, and TX- and RX- respectively, to transmit signals simultaneously, and these two signals have the same signal voltage amplitude but opposite signal phases.

[0036] Figure 2 The probe 2 is taken as an example to illustrate an example of the structure that each probe in the probe head 113 may have. A person skilled in the art of the present invention can understand the structure that each probe in the probe head 113 may have based on the description of the probe 2. Figure 2 , which is close to Figure 1 The side view structure of the probe 2 is illustrated in FIG. The probe 2 may have a long side L1 (corresponding to Figure 2 Z axis / longitudinal development axis direction), wide side (corresponding to Figure 2 The direction of the coordinate axis X (hereinafter referred to as "X axis") of the local reference system in the figure, but the wide side is not marked), and the thick side (corresponding to Figure 2 The direction of the coordinate axis Y (hereinafter referred to as "Y axis") of the local reference system in the figure, but the thick edge is not marked in the figure). For the convenience of subsequent explanation, unless otherwise specified, it is defined as Figures 1 to 11 The long side direction of each probe shown in is the Z-axis direction, the wide side direction of each probe is the X-axis direction, and the thick side direction of each probe is the Y-axis direction.

[0037] In some embodiments, the probe length of each probe in the probe head 113 according to the longitudinal development axis can be between 3 mm and 7 mm. In some embodiments, it can be no more than 6 mm, and even preferably no more than 4 mm. The wide side and thick side of the probe 2 can be defined by a transverse section cut from the reference plane 25 perpendicular to the long side direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction) to the needle body 24. More specific similar examples of the transverse section can be described in the following FIG. 5B to FIG. 9B shown.

[0038] When the probe 2 is disposed on the probe head 113, the needle head 21 of the probe 2 can pass through the guide hole on the lower guide plate unit 115, and the needle head 21 can include a contact area 22. The needle head 21 is configured to contact the electronic device under test 10 through the contact area 22 during the test process. Figure 2 The contact tip is illustrated as being blunt (i.e., the portion in contact with the electronic device under test 10 is substantially flat), and the corresponding contact pad on the electronic device under test may be a bump-shaped one. The contact area 22 will contact and flatten the contact pad during the test to ensure complete contact between the contact area 22 and the contact pad. However, this is not an absolute limitation on the form of the contact area and the corresponding contact pad. In addition, in some embodiments, the transverse cross-section of the needle head of each probe may be substantially rectangular (for example: in an embodiment where the corresponding probe is a micro-electromechanical probe (also known as a MW needle)).

[0039] The needle tail portion 23 of the probe 2 can pass through the guide hole on the upper guide plate unit 114 to be electrically connected to the space transformer 112. The needle body portion 24 of the probe 2 can extend substantially along the longitudinal development axis between the needle head portion 21 and the needle tail portion 23. The needle body portion 24 can have a multi-layer structure, and the multi-layer structure can include a plurality of layers and at least one slit. Specific examples of the multi-layer structure can be described in detail below. Figure 3 shown.

[0040] In some embodiments, the probe 2 may have a probe structure of a single-piece probe body, that is, the two end regions of the probe 2 (ie, Figure 2 The needle head 21 and the needle tail 23 in the middle region including the plurality of layers (ie, Figure 2 The needle body portion 24) in the embodiment can be assembled as a single piece.

[0041] Next refer to Figure 3 , which takes a part of the probe 3 as an example, shows a state of the multi-layer structure that the needle body of each probe in the probe head 113 may have. A person skilled in the art of the present invention can understand the possible structure of each probe in the probe head 113 based on the description of the probe 3. The long side of the probe 3 may be similar to Figure 2The long side L1 in the image extends along the direction corresponding to the Z axis (i.e., the longitudinal development axis). Figure 3 The content shown is a part of the probe 3 near the needle head area, so Figure 3 The long side of the probe 3 is not indicated. The needle body 31 of the probe 3 may include a wide side W1 and a thick side T1. The length corresponding to the long side of the probe 3 may be greater than the thickness corresponding to the thick side T1, and the thickness may be greater than or equal to the width corresponding to the wide side W1. When the cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body remains the same, the multi-layer structure probe with a needle body thickness greater than or equal to the width provided by the present invention will have a significantly better weakening effect on the needle body rigidity than the multi-layer structure probe with a width greater than the thickness, and when the bending direction of the probe is the width direction, the weakening effect will be more significant, and the relevant details will be described in detail later.

[0042] The needle body 31 of the probe 3 may have a multi-layer structure, which may include a plurality of layers 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, and these layers may be separated along the wide side W1 of the needle body 31, for example, the layers 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d may be separated by slits 32a, 32b, 32c. It should be understood that Figure 3 The number of layers and slits shown in the figure (i.e., four layers and three slits) is only an example, and is not an absolute limitation on the number of layers and slits in the present invention. For example, the needle body of other probes may also include two layers and one slit, or three layers and two slits, and so on.

[0043] In certain embodiments, the length of each layer (e.g., the length of layers 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d) is Figure 3 The lengths of the layers 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d measured along the Z-axis direction in FIG. 31 may be greater than the thickness of the same layer (e.g., the lengths of the layers 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d measured along the Z-axis direction in FIG. 31). Figure 3 The thickness of the same layer may be greater than the width of the same layer (e.g., the thickness of the layers 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d along the Y-axis direction). Figure 3 The width is measured in the X-axis direction.

[0044] In certain embodiments, the plurality of layers in the needle body portion of each probe are oriented along the longitudinal development axis (e.g. Figure 3 The transverse cross section is taken at a point on the Z axis of the probe 3 (for example, the layers 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d of the needle body 31 of the probe 3 are taken at Figure 3 A cross section of a position on the Z axis in the XY plane) can be substantially rectangular. In addition, in some embodiments, a plurality of layers on each probe are arranged along the longitudinal development axis (e.g.: Figure 3The areas and shapes of the plurality of transverse cross sections taken from the same location on the Z axis in the image may not be completely the same. In other words, the plurality of layers may be located on the longitudinal development axis (e.g.: Figure 3 In the same location on the Z axis in the image, one or more layers may have a rectangular transverse cross section, one or more layers may have a trapezoidal transverse cross section, or even one or more layers may have an irregular transverse cross section, and the areas of these transverse cross sections may not be completely the same. On the other hand, in some embodiments, each layer has a longitudinal development axis (for example: Figure 3 The areas and shapes of the plurality of transverse cross sections taken at different positions on the Z-axis in the longitudinal development axis may not be exactly the same, that is, the layers may have different sizes and / or shapes at different locations on the longitudinal development axis.

[0045] The multi-layer structure of the probe body 31 of the probe 3 can reduce the overall rigidity of the probe 3, thereby reducing the pressure applied by the contact area 34 of the probe head 33 of the probe 3 to the corresponding contact pad on the electronic device under test 10. Figure 3 The contact tip is shown as a relatively sharp contact tip, while the corresponding contact pad on the electronic device under test 10 may be a flat contact pad. The contact area 34 will contact and pierce the contact pad during the test to ensure complete contact between the contact area 34 and the corresponding contact pad, but this is not an absolute limitation on the contact area.

[0046] In some embodiments, the layers 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d may be bent into an arch or arc shape when the contact area 34 of the needle head 33 is pressed against the corresponding contact pad of the electronic device under test 10. In other words, each layer may be elastic. In these embodiments, the bending direction of each layer (i.e., the concave part of the arch or arc) may be the same as the bending direction of the probe 3 as a whole, that is, both are the wide side direction of the probe 3 (e.g. Figure 3 Since the buckling direction of the probe 3 is the wide side direction, and the thickness of the needle body 31 of the probe 3 (the transverse cross section) is greater than the width, this structural arrangement is better than the buckling direction of the probe in the thick side direction (for example Figure 3 The arrangement of the probe in the Y-axis direction can make the weakening effect of the overall rigidity of the probe more significant. The above-mentioned bending direction is the wide side direction, which means that the probe uses the thick side of the transverse cross section of the probe body (such as the probe body 31 of the probe 3) and the long side of the probe as the bending surface.

[0047] In some embodiments, even if the contact area 34 of the needle head 33 is not pressed against the corresponding contact pad of the electronic device under test 10, the layers 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d can still be arched or arc-shaped, that is, the needle body 31 of the probe 3 in these embodiments can have a pre-deformed shape, which can have a curved configuration when the probe 3 is in a static state without being pressed against the contact pad of the electronic device under test 10.

[0048] In some embodiments, the length of each layer (i.e., the length measured on the layer along a direction parallel to or substantially parallel to the long side of the probe) may be greater than the width of each layer (i.e., the width measured on the layer along a direction parallel to or substantially parallel to the wide side of the probe) and / or the thickness (i.e., the thickness measured on the layer along a direction parallel to or substantially parallel to the thick side of the probe). In addition, in some embodiments, the thickness of each layer may be greater than or equal to the width of the same layer, as in the case of a needle body.

[0049] In some embodiments, the geometric centerline of the needle body 31 of the probe 3 can be aligned without deviating from the geometric centerline of the needle head 33, but in some other embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the needle body 31 of the probe 3 may have a geometric center line C1, and the contact area 34 (i.e., the needle tip) of the needle head 33 may have a geometric center line C2, and the geometric center line C2 is in the direction of the wide side W1 (i.e., Figure 3 In other words, the geometric center line C1 and the geometric center line C2 may be spaced apart in the direction of the wide side W1.

[0050] When the probe 3 and another probe together form a probe pair (i.e., a differential pair) for transmitting a set of differential signals, the geometric center line C2 may deviate from the geometric center line C1 in the direction away from the other probe on the X-axis, so that the distance between the needle bodies of the two probes may be smaller than the center distance between the needle head contact areas of the two probes. In detail, for a set of probe pairs, since the center distance (pitch) of the needle head contact areas of the two probes in principle needs to be the same as the contact pad distance on the electronic device under test 10, and considering that the contact pad distance (or the distance between two positions on the electronic device under test where the probe contact area contacts during other tests) may not be a specification that can be determined by the probe manufacturer, the structural arrangement of the geometric center line offset allows the two probes in a probe pair to further shorten the distance between the two needle bodies when the center distance between the two contact areas remains unchanged, thereby improving the electrical performance of the probe pair as a differential pair.

[0051] For more specific examples of the above-mentioned method of shortening the distance between the probe shafts of the probe pair, please refer to Figure 4, which takes the probe pair 4 as a differential pair on the probe head 113 as an example, and shows a double-needle arrangement of each probe pair on the probe head 113. By arranging the geometric center line of the needle body part to deviate from the geometric center line of the needle head part in the width direction, the needle body distance D1 of the two probes in the probe pair 4 can be smaller than the needle head distance D2 and the contact area center distance D3 of the two probes.

[0052] In addition, despite Figure 4 This aspect is not shown, but in some embodiments, the contact area spacing D3 of the two probes may be smaller than the needle head spacing D2, and the needle body spacing D1 may be smaller than the needle head spacing D2 and even further smaller than the contact area center spacing D3.

[0053] In some embodiments, the tip of each probe needle head may be thickened (not shown). Specifically, the contact area (i.e., the contact tip, e.g., Figure 2 The thickness of the contact area 22 of the probe 2 in the probe pair to which it belongs can be greater than the thickness of the rest of the needle head (i.e., the other parts except the contact area) in the direction of the probe center line of the two probes of the probe pair to which it belongs, and can even be further greater than the thickness of the needle body of the probe to which it belongs in the direction of the probe center line. In other words, in these embodiments, the area of ​​the transverse cross-section of the probe needle head can be greater than the area of ​​the transverse cross-section of the needle body, and the area of ​​the transverse cross-section of the contact area can be greater than the area of ​​the transverse cross-section of the needle head. To achieve this result, the contact area of ​​the needle head of the probe can be thickened during the production process (for example: thickened as a whole in the form of covering the entire contact tip, or only thickened in the direction of the probe center line), but the method of thickening the contact area is not limited to electroplating. For example, for a micro-electromechanical probe (MEMS Wire), the thickness of the contact area can be increased by a micro-electromechanical process. When the contact area of ​​each probe is thickened, the area of ​​the contact pad of the electronic device under test 10 is also increased, thereby providing a more stable contact method. In particular, when the manufacturer reduces the center distance between each probe pair in order to reduce the reflection loss between the probe head 113 and the electronic device under test 10, the thickened contact area will still be able to normally contact the corresponding contact pad. The thickness increase of the thickened contact area can be between 1 and 5 microns, and preferably between 1 and 2 microns. For example, when the contact area of ​​a cobra probe is thickened (i.e., the diameter is increased) by electroplating, when the thickness of the needle head of the probe is 50 microns, a thickness of 1 to 2 microns can be formed in the corresponding contact area, and the thickness of the thickened contact area is 52 to 54 microns.

[0054] Next refer to Figure 5A, which takes a part of the probe 5 as an example, shows another state of the multi-layer structure that the needle body of each probe in the probe head 113 may have. A person skilled in the art of the present invention can understand the possible structure of each probe in the probe head 113 based on the description of the probe 5. Figure 5A The structure shown in Figure 3 The difference between the two is that the geometric center line C3 of the needle body 51 of the probe 5 can be in the direction corresponding to the wide side W2 of the needle body 51 (i.e. parallel to Figure 5A In the direction of the X-axis in the needle body 51 and in the direction corresponding to the thick side T2 of the needle body 51 (i.e. parallel to Figure 5A In the direction of the Y axis in the probe 5, the needle head 52 is deviated from the geometric center line C4 and each has a gap. This allows the thick side T3 of the needle head 52 to be shorter than the thick side T2 of the needle body 51.

[0055] Reference Figure 5B , which further illustrates the Figure 5A The offset method of the geometric center line C3 and the geometric center line C4. Figure 5B The figure shows a transverse section 511 of the needle body 51 cut along an XY plane formed by the X-axis and the Y-axis, and a transverse section 521 of the needle head 52 cut along another XY plane at a different height. The geometric center line C4 may deviate from the geometric center line C3 by a distance D4 in the positive direction of the X-axis, and deviate from the geometric center line C3 by a distance D5 in the negative direction of the Y-axis. This structural arrangement is not only effective for the two probes of the probe pair as a differential pair, but also for the Figure 3 In addition to the advantages described above (i.e., the possibility of further increasing the proximity of the needle bodies to each other, i.e., shortening the distance between the needle bodies, when the distance between the needle head contact areas may remain constant), the thickness of the thick side T2 corresponding to the needle body portion 51 may be significantly greater than the width of the wide side W2 corresponding to the needle body portion 51. In addition, the thickness of the thick side T2 of the needle body portion 51 may be the same as the thickness of at least one of the layers, for example Figure 5B As shown in FIG, when the thicknesses of the layers are the same, the thickness of the thick side T2 of the needle body portion 51 may be the same as the thickness of each layer.

[0056] Figures 6 to 8 Several top-view results of the transverse cross-section of the needle body of each probe on the probe head 113 are illustrated. It should be noted that, Figures 6 to 8 The transverse cross-sections shown in the figures are all examples of probe patterns that may be applicable in the probe system, probe card, and probe head of the present invention. The applicable scope of their shapes, aspect ratios, and even properties such as the size, position, and number of layers and / or slits may not be limited to the probe patterns in the diagrams to which they belong, but may be adapted to each other without causing any contradiction in implementation.

[0057] First refer to Figure 6 , which illustrates Figure 3 The transverse cross section 6 of the needle body 31 of the probe 3 in the reference plane. The reference plane is parallel to the XY plane formed by the X-axis and the Y-axis, and its example can be as follows Figure 2 The reference plane 25 shown in FIG. 6 can be rectangular, that is, square (the wide side W1 and the thick side T1 of the needle body portion 31 are of equal length) or rectangular (the wide side W1 and the thick side T1 of the needle body portion 31 are of unequal length).

[0058] In certain embodiments, the layers 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d may be as follows Figure 6 The slits 32a, 32b, 32c shown have the same width, for example but not limited to 0.016 microns. In addition to the layers having the same width, in some embodiments, the slits 32a, 32b, 32c may also be as Figure 6 They are shown as having the same width, such as but not limited to 0.014 microns.

[0059] Next refer to Figure 7 , which takes the transverse cross section 7 of another probe as an example, and shows the possible transverse cross section patterns of the needle body of each probe on the probe head 113 on the reference plane. The transverse cross section 7 is the needle body of another probe on the reference plane (i.e. Figure 7 The XY plane shown, and Figure 2 and Figure 6 The cross section is similar to the reference plane shown in Figure 1. Figure 7 As shown, the transverse section 7 may be a rectangle, that is, the wide side W3 of the needle body shown on the transverse section 7 may not be the same length as the thick side T4 of the same needle body, and the thickness corresponding to the thick side T4 may be greater than or equal to the width corresponding to the wide side W3.

[0060] The needle body portion of the probe corresponding to the transverse section 7 may also include a plurality of layers 71a, 71b, 71c, 71d and a plurality of slits 72a, 72b, 72c. In some embodiments, the plurality of widths and / or the plurality of thicknesses corresponding to the slits on the needle body portion may be different from each other or even completely different, for example, Figure 7 On the other hand, in some embodiments, the widths and / or thicknesses of the plurality of layers on the needle body of the probe may be different from each other, or even completely different. Figure 7 In the embodiment, the widths of the layers 71a, 71b, 71c, and 71d are not exactly the same.

[0061] In addition, in some embodiments, the plurality of slits on the needle body of the probe may penetrate the needle body along the thick side direction, for example Figure 6The slits 32a, 32b, and 32c shown in the figure penetrate the needle body 31 along the Y-axis direction. However, in some other embodiments, at least one of the plurality of slits on the needle body of the probe may not penetrate the needle body in the thick side direction, for example Figure 7 The slits 72a, 72b, and 72c shown in the figure meet the definition that at least one of them does not penetrate the needle body in the Y-axis direction, and even all the slits do not penetrate the needle body. When all the slits do not penetrate the needle body, the needle body will present a comb-like structure. In some other embodiments, the situation that the slits do not penetrate the needle body may only appear in a part of the cross section, that is, on different reference planes on the needle body, some slits appear to penetrate the needle body, and some slits do not penetrate. In addition, the state that the slits do not penetrate the needle body is not limited to Figure 7 The non-penetrating portion is not limited to (a single side in the thick side direction), for example, the non-penetrating portion may also be at a central position in the thick side direction.

[0062] Next refer to Figure 8 , which takes the transverse cross section 8 of another probe as an example, and shows the possible transverse cross section patterns of the needle body of each probe on the probe head 113 on the reference plane. The transverse cross section 8 is the needle body of another probe on the reference plane (i.e. Figure 8 The XY plane shown, and Figure 2 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 The cross section is similar to the reference plane shown in Figure 1. Figure 8 As shown, the transverse cross section 8 may be a rectangular transverse cross section that may actually be presented in practice (ie, substantially rectangular). In other words, the actual manufacturing result of the rectangular probe may have some angles that are not perfect right angles, and Figure 8 It is illustrated in a form that is approximately a trapezoid. In such embodiments, the thick side T5 of the needle body portion shown in the transverse section 8 can be represented by the height of the trapezoid, and the wide side W4 of the same needle body portion can be represented by the lower base of the trapezoid (i.e., the longer of the upper and lower bases). The thickness corresponding to the thick side T5 can be greater than or equal to the width corresponding to the wide side W4, that is, the height of the trapezoid can be greater than or equal to the lower base. However, in certain other embodiments, the wide side of the needle body portion can also be represented by the upper base of the trapezoid (i.e., the shorter of the upper and lower bases) (but Figure 8 This state is not shown in the figure), in this case, the height of the trapezoid can be greater than or equal to the lower base, and greater than the upper base.

[0063] In addition, if Figure 8 As shown, the needle body portion of the probe corresponding to the transverse section 8 may also include a plurality of layers 81a, 81b, 81c, 81d and a plurality of slits 82a, 82b, 82c, and the layers 81a, 81b, 81c, 81d may be arranged along the width direction (ie, Figure 8The slits 82a, 82b, 82c are used to separate the layers 81a, 81b, 81c, 81d. The slits 82a, 82b, 82c can also be separated along the thick side direction (i.e., Figure 8 The direction of the Y-axis shown in FIG) runs through the needle body.

[0064] As previously addressed Figure 3 As mentioned above, when the cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body remains the same, the multi-layer structure probe provided by the present invention, whose needle body thickness is greater than or equal to the width, has a significantly better weakening effect on the needle body rigidity than the multi-layer structure probe whose needle body width is greater than the thickness, and when the buckling direction of the probe is the width direction, the weakening effect will be more significant. Specific examples can be as follows Fig. 9A As shown, three types of needle body transverse cross-sections 91, 92, and 93 having the same area but different ratios of thickness to width are illustrated.

[0065] Reference Fig. 9A For the sake of convenience, the transverse sections 91, 92, and 93 are all presented in the form of two layers separated by a slit. In addition, the cross-sectional area ratio of the layer and the slit in the transverse sections 91, 92, and 93 is maintained at 7 to 3, and the buckling direction of each probe (i.e., the direction in which the layer is bent during testing) is the direction corresponding to the wide side, that is, the X-axis direction in FIG. 9 .

[0066] The thickness (corresponding to the Y-axis direction in FIG. 9 ), width (corresponding to Fig. 9A The relationship between the slit widths between the layers and the reaction forces corresponding to the three overtravels measured at one end of the probe in the three transverse cross sections are shown in Table 1 below:

[0067]

[0068]

[0069]

[0070] It can be seen from Table 1 that among the three transverse sections with different needle shaft thickness and width ratios, the transverse section 91 with a needle shaft thickness less than the width has the largest relative reaction force regardless of the overtravel of 100 microns, 125 microns, or 150 microns, i.e., it exerts the largest force on the contact pad of the electronic device under test, while the transverse section 92 with a needle shaft thickness equal to the width has the second largest reaction force, and the transverse section 93 with a needle shaft thickness greater than the width has the lowest reaction force. It can be seen from this that, when the area ratio of the layer and the slit in the transverse section remains unchanged (for example, Fig. 9AThe ratio of the layers to the slits is 7 to 3). The smaller the layer width in the buckling direction is, the smaller the reaction force can be obtained. That is, under the same overtravel, the force on the contact pad of the electronic device under test due to the test is smaller.

[0071] In addition, the relationship between the thickness, width and slit width between the layers of the transverse sections 91, 92, 93, and the maximum principal stress corresponding to the three overtravels measured in the bending area of ​​the needle body are shown in Table 2 below:

[0072]

[0073]

[0074] It can be seen from Table 2 that among the three transverse sections with different ratios of needle shaft thickness to width, the transverse section 91 with a needle shaft thickness less than width measured the largest maximum stress regardless of the overtravel of 100 microns, 125 microns, or 150 microns, that is, the stress accumulated in the bending area of ​​the needle shaft during the test was the largest, while the transverse section 92 with a needle shaft thickness equal to the width was the second, and the transverse section 93 with a needle shaft thickness greater than the width was the lowest. This means that the probe corresponding to the transverse section 93 is less likely to break during the test than the other two, is relatively durable, and has a relatively longer lifespan. The probe corresponding to the transverse section 92 is the second best, and the probe corresponding to the transverse section 91 is the least ideal.

[0075] Therefore, the multi-layer structure probe with a needle body thickness greater than or equal to the width provided by the present invention has a significantly better weakening effect on the needle body rigidity than the multi-layer structure probe with a needle body width greater than the thickness.

[0076] Next refer to Fig. 9B , which shows that Fig. 9A The number of layers of transverse section 91 and transverse section 92 is changed from two to three, resulting in transverse section 94 and transverse section 95. Table 3 below shows the change in the results of transverse section 94 and transverse section 95 compared with transverse section 91 and transverse section 92 when measuring the reaction force. Table 4 shows the change in the results of transverse section 94 and transverse section 95 compared with transverse section 91 and transverse section 92 when measuring the maximum stress.

[0077]

[0078]

[0079]

[0080]

[0081]

[0082] As can be seen from Tables 3 and 4 above, after the number of layers is changed from two in transverse section 91 and transverse section 92 to three in transverse section 94 and transverse section 95, the reaction force corresponding to the three overtravels measured at one end (e.g., the needle tail) is reduced by about 50-55%, and the maximum stress corresponding to the three overtravels measured in the bending area of ​​the needle body is reduced by about 28%-30%. It can be seen that when the area ratio of the layers and the slits in the transverse section remains unchanged (e.g. Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B The ratio of the layers to the slits is 7 to 3). Increasing the number of layers can further reduce the reaction force, that is, under the same overtravel, the force applied to the contact pad of the electronic device under test can be reduced. In addition, increasing the number of layers can further reduce the maximum stress, that is, under the same overtravel, the maximum stress in the bending area of ​​the probe body can be reduced, making it less likely for the probe to break during the test, thereby improving the durability of the probe.

[0083] Fig. 9B Although only transverse sections 94 and 95 corresponding to the original transverse sections 91 and 92 are shown, ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can directly understand from the above description of transverse sections 94 and 95 that increasing the number of layers of transverse section 93 also has the above-mentioned advantages of reducing reaction force and maximum stress, and combined with the advantage that the thickness of transverse section 93 itself is greater than the width, the effect of reducing reaction force and maximum stress after increasing the number of layers should be the best among the three (i.e., transverse sections 91, 92, 93).

[0084] In some embodiments, two ends of each probe in each probe pair of the probe head 113 may be offset by the upper guide plate unit 114 and the lower guide plate unit 115 , thereby assisting each probe to bend in the air gap 120 . Fig.10 Illustrated Figure 1 The upper guide plate unit 114 and the lower guide plate unit 115 in the probe head 113 are shown as a way to offset a probe pair. Fig.10, the upper guide plate unit 114 and the lower guide plate unit 115 respectively include a pair of upper guide holes 1001, 1002 and a pair of lower guide holes 1003, 1004 with rectangular (i.e., rectangular or square) transverse cross-sections. The upper guide hole 1001 and the lower guide hole 1003 can be used to accommodate one probe of a probe pair as a differential pair, and the upper guide hole 1002 and the lower guide hole 1004 can be used to accommodate the other probe of the same probe pair. Each guide hole includes four guide hole walls, a first guide hole wall and a second guide hole wall of the four guide hole walls are adjacent and perpendicular to each other, and when not pressed against the electronic device under test, each probe is held in the corresponding guide hole, so that a longitudinal side surface of the thick side of each probe abuts against the first guide hole wall, and the other longitudinal side surface of the wide side of the same probe abuts against the second guide hole wall.

[0085] The upper guide plate unit 114 and the lower guide plate unit 115 may be arranged in a direction corresponding to the thick sides of the two probes (ie, Fig.10 In addition, in some embodiments, in addition to the staggered position in the thick side direction, the upper guide plate unit 114 and the lower guide plate unit 115 may be further staggered in a direction corresponding to the wide sides of the two probes (i.e., Fig.10 The two ends of each probe are offset by a distance D7 in the direction of the X-axis in the image, that is, the probe pair is offset obliquely, and the distance D7 may be greater than the distance D6.

[0086] Reference Fig.11 , which takes the top view of a probe pair as a differential pair on the probe head 113 as an example, and shows an arrangement of the probe pairs on the probe head 113. The two probes 1101 and 1102 in the probe pair are arranged to pass through two through holes on the lower guide plate unit 115 respectively (the corresponding upper guide plate unit is not shown in the figure), and the two probes are opposite to each other with their respective wide sides 1103 and 1104 (or the side where the wide sides 1103 and 1104 are located in the long side direction of the probe). The two probes 1101 and 1102 correspond to the same bending direction R1, and the bending direction R1 is perpendicular to a connecting line direction of the two probes (for example: a connecting line direction of the two needle heads, i.e. Fig.11 More specifically, the buckling direction R1 is perpendicular to an axis formed by a geometric center 1105, 1106 of the cross section of each probe 1101, 1102. Compared with the arrangement of the probes 1101, 1102 having the same buckling direction but both being in the X-axis direction, this arrangement corresponds to Fig.11The above arrangement does not need to worry about the possibility of the two probes colliding due to bending during the test process, so the minimum allowable spacing between the needle bodies of the two probes can be shortened. Shortening the spacing between the two needles is beneficial to improving the electrical performance of the probes, specifically improving the impedance matching when the pair of probes detects the electronic device under test, so as to reduce a reflection loss between the probe head and the electronic device under test. For example, this method can shorten the spacing between the needle bodies of the two probes from the original allowable 150 microns to 126 microns.

[0087] In summary, the multi-layer structure of the probe provided by the present disclosure can effectively reduce the rigidity of the probe as a whole during actual testing, thereby reducing the pressure exerted by the probe's needle head contact area on the contact pad of the electronic device under test, which not only reduces the probability of damage to the electronic device under test due to testing, but also allows the designer to increase the thickness (thickness) of the probe and / or shorten the length of the probe in order to improve the electrical performance of the probe, thereby meeting the electrical requirements of high-speed (high-frequency) testing (whose signal integrity can be improved) and / or the requirements of high-current testing. If the above mechanism provided by the present invention is applied to more sets of differential signal probe pairs, higher improvement results can be obtained.

[0088] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate some embodiments of the present invention and to explain the technical features of the present invention, and are not used to limit the protection category and scope of the present invention. Any changes or equivalent arrangements that can be easily completed by ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs to the scope claimed by the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the claims.

Claims

1. A probe for physically contacting an electronic device under test, characterized in that: It includes a needle head, a needle tail, and a needle body, wherein: The needle head includes a contact area, and the contact area is used to contact the corresponding contact pad on the electronic device under test during testing; The needle body is located between the needle head and the needle tail and extends along a longitudinal development axis; The transverse section of the needle body is perpendicular to the longitudinal development axis, wherein the transverse section has a wide side and a thick side, the wide side represents the width of the needle body, and the thick side represents the thickness of the needle body; The length of the probe is greater than the thickness of the needle body; and The needle body has a multi-layer structure, which includes a plurality of layers and at least one slit, wherein the plurality of layers are separated along the wide side, the at least one slit separates the plurality of layers, and the thickness of the needle body is greater than or equal to the width of the needle body.

2. The probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of each layer in the plurality of layers is greater than the thickness of the same layer; The thickness of the same layer is greater than the width of the same layer; and The thickness of the needle body portion is equal to the thickness of at least one of the plurality of layers.

3. The probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of layers are bent into an arch shape when the contact area of ​​the needle head is pressed against the electronic device under test; and The bending direction of the plurality of layers corresponds to the direction of the wide side.

4. The probe according to claim 3, characterized in that: The plurality of layers are also arched when the contact area of ​​the needle head is not pressed against the electronic device under test.

5. The probe according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The transverse cross section of the needle body is substantially rectangular or substantially trapezoidal.

6. The probe according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The transverse cross-section of at least one of the plurality of layers is substantially rectangular or substantially trapezoidal.

7. The probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The probe comprises a plurality of slits, and a plurality of widths corresponding to the plurality of slits are not completely the same.

8. The probe according to claim 1, characterized in that The widths corresponding to the plurality of layers are not completely the same.

9. The probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the areas and cross-sectional shapes of the plurality of transverse cross-sections of at least one of the plurality of layers along the longitudinal development axis is not completely the same.

10. The probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the areas and cross-sectional shapes of the corresponding transverse cross-sections of the plurality of layers on the longitudinal development axis is not completely the same.

11. The probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The geometric center line of the needle body portion and the geometric center line of the needle head portion have a first interval in the direction corresponding to the wide side of the needle body portion, and the geometric center line of the needle body portion and the geometric center line of the needle head portion have a second interval in the direction corresponding to the thick side of the needle body portion.

12. The probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The needle head has a substantially rectangular cross-section.

13. A probe head of a probe system for testing an electronic device under test integrated in a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that: It includes: an upper guide plate unit, a lower guide plate unit, and a plurality of probes, wherein: Each probe comprises a needle head, a needle tail, and a needle body, wherein the needle head comprises a contact area, and the contact area is used to contact a corresponding contact pad on the electronic device under test during testing; The upper guide plate unit and the lower guide plate unit both include a plurality of guide holes, the size of each guide hole in the upper guide plate unit is set to accommodate the needle tail of each probe, the size of each guide hole in the lower guide plate unit is set to accommodate the needle head of each probe, and each probe simultaneously passes through one of the plurality of guide holes included in the upper guide plate unit and one of the plurality of guide holes included in the lower guide plate unit; The needle body of each probe is located between the needle head and the needle tail of the same probe and extends according to the longitudinal development axis; The transverse section of the needle body of each probe is perpendicular to the longitudinal development axis, wherein the transverse section has a wide side and a thick side, the wide side represents the width of the needle body, and the thick side represents the thickness of the needle body; The needle body of each probe has a multi-layer structure, the multi-layer structure includes a plurality of layers and at least one slit, wherein the plurality of layers are separated along the wide side of the transverse cross section of the same probe, and the at least one slit separates the plurality of layers; and The length of each probe is greater than the thickness of the needle body of the same probe, and the thickness of the same needle body is greater than or equal to the width of the same needle body.

14. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that: Both ends of each probe are offset by a first distance in a direction of a thick side of the needle body portion corresponding to the same probe by the upper guide plate unit and the lower guide plate unit.

15. The probe head according to claim 14, characterized in that: The two ends of each probe are also offset by the upper guide plate unit and the lower guide plate unit in the width direction of the needle body portion corresponding to the same probe by a second distance; and The second distance is greater than the first distance.

16. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that: The plurality of probes include at least one probe pair, and the distance between the probe bodies of each probe pair is smaller than the distance between the probe heads of the same probe pair.

17. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that: The plurality of probes include at least one probe pair, and the distance between the probe bodies of each probe pair is smaller than the center distance between two contact areas of two probe heads of the same probe pair.

18. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that: The geometric center line of the needle body and the geometric center line of the needle head on each probe have a first interval in the width direction of the needle body corresponding to the same probe, and have a second interval in the thickness direction of the needle body corresponding to the same probe.

19. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that: The transverse cross section of each guide hole is substantially rectangular.

20. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that: Among the multiple layers included in each probe, the length of each layer is greater than the thickness of the same layer, the thickness of the same layer is greater than the width of the same layer, and the thickness of the needle body includes multiple corresponding thicknesses of the multiple layers.

21. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that: The plurality of layers included in each probe are bent into an arch shape when the contact area of ​​the needle head of the same probe is pressed against the electronic device under test; and The bending direction of the plurality of layers included in each probe corresponds to the wide side direction of the needle body of the same probe.

22. The probe head according to claim 21, characterized in that The multiple layers included in each probe are also arched when the contact area of ​​the needle head of the same probe is not pressed against the electronic device under test.

23. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that: The transverse cross section of the needle body of each probe is substantially rectangular or substantially trapezoidal.

24. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that The number of the at least one slit included in each probe is multiple, and the multiple widths corresponding to the multiple slits included in each probe are not completely the same.

25. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that The widths of the layers included in each probe are not completely the same.

26. The probe head according to claim 13, characterized in that: Each probe has a curved surface formed by the thick side of the transverse cross section of the needle body and the long side of the probe; The plurality of probes include at least one probe pair, and two probes in each probe pair have the same buckling direction; and The two probes in each probe pair are opposite to each other in a plane formed by the wide side of the transverse cross-section of their respective needle bodies and the long side of the same probe, and the bending directions of the two probes are perpendicular to the connecting direction of the two needle heads of the two probes, thereby shortening the minimum allowable spacing between the needle bodies of the two probes.

27. A probe card of a probe system for testing an electronic device under test integrated in a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that: Include: Circuit boards; a space transformer disposed on the circuit board; and The probe head according to any one of claims 13 to 26 is arranged on the other side of the space transformer relative to the circuit board, and the needle tail of each probe of the plurality of probes in the probe head is configured to be electrically connected to the space transformer.

28. A probe system for performing functional testing on an electronic device under test integrated in a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that: Include: A fixture for supporting the semiconductor wafer; A test device configured to be electrically connected to the electronic device under test to establish an electrical test procedure; and The probe card according to claim 27 is arranged in the testing equipment.

29. An electronic device under test, characterized in that: The electronic device under test uses the probe card according to claim 27 to perform a high-frequency test procedure, wherein the high-frequency test procedure uses a high-frequency signal to perform the test, and the high-frequency test procedure is a loopback test procedure.

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