Probe head with improved cooling system

Abstract

A probe head (20) for testing a device under test, comprising a plurality of contact probes (10), at least one guide (40, 40 '), and an air delivery system (60) to deliver an air flow (F) to facilitate heat dissipation wherein the probe head (20) comprises a conductive portion (21) formed on the guide (40, 40') to contact and short-circuit a respective set of contact probes, and wherein the probe head (20) further comprises a heat-dissipating electrically conductive portion (65) formed on the guide and arranged to pass the airflow (F) of the air delivery system (60) therethrough simultaneously, said heat-dissipating electrically conductive portion (65) being associated with the electrically conductive portion (21) in order to expand the electrically conductive field and to facilitate the airflow (F) of the air delivery system (60) to dissipate heat exchanged by the electrically conductive portion (65).

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a probe head suitable for testing electronic devices integrated on a semiconductor wafer. A description of this application field will be given below, the sole purpose of which is to simplify the exposition. Background Art

[0002] As is well known, a probe head is essentially a device suitable for electrically connecting a plurality of pads of a micro-structure, in particular an electronic device integrated on a semiconductor wafer, to corresponding channels of a test device for performing functional tests thereof.

[0003] This type of testing of integrated circuits is particularly useful for early detection and isolation of defective devices during the production phase. Therefore, a probe head is generally used to test the circuits integrated on a wafer before it is cut and assembled into a chip package.

[0004] The probe head mainly includes a plurality of movable contact probes, which are held by at least a pair of support members or guides that are generally plate-shaped and parallel to each other. The plate-shaped support members are provided with appropriate guide holes and are arranged at a certain distance from each other to leave a free space or air gap for the movement and possible deformation of the contact probes, which are usually made of special alloy wires with good electrical and mechanical properties.

[0005] The contact probes generally extend between a first end and a second end, the first end being adapted to contact the pads of the device under test, and the second end being adapted to contact a space converter or a printed circuit board (PCB).

[0006] The normal operation of the probe head is basically related to two parameters: the vertical movement (overtravel) of the contact probes, and the horizontal movement (wipe) of the probe tips on the pads when in contact with the device under test. All these characteristics should be evaluated and calibrated during the manufacturing steps of the probe head, and it should always be ensured that the electrical connection between the contact probes and the device under test is correct.

[0007] In addition, in an increasing number of applications, such as in high-frequency applications, the last of the guides has a conductive portion (in particular, metallization) for the purpose of electrically connecting (i.e., short-circuiting) specific groups of contact probes to form a common conductive plane for the said probe groups. In this way, the frequency performance of the probe can be improved, higher-frequency signals can be transmitted with lower noise, and the phenomenon of probe burnout can be avoided.

[0008] In a probe head of the above type, during high-temperature testing, due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion of the different materials used in the components, the thermal expansion of the components can affect their normal performance. It is a common practice to fix the components constituting the probe head with screws. Especially during temperature testing, the screws can generate an adhesive force with multiple plates, causing them to bend, which can lead to malfunctions in the entire probe head. This problem is particularly evident in the case of large-sized probe heads, such as probe heads used for testing memory devices (such as DRAMs) or probe heads used for multi-chip testing. In fact, for such probe heads, if the thermal expansion of the components cannot be controlled, quite significant problems will arise during the testing phase.

[0009] In addition, during the testing operation, the components of the probe head itself generate a large amount of heat. For example, the contact probes heat up due to the transmission of several signals, thus increasing the heat inside the probe head, especially when the probe head is equipped with a large number of contact probes. Similarly, the friction between the contact probes against the pads of the space converter and the walls of the guiding holes also generates unnecessary heat, and this heat accumulates. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the heat generation of the probe head.

[0010] The technical problem of the present invention is to provide a probe head whose structural and functional characteristics can overcome the limitations and drawbacks still existing in the known solutions, especially being able to effectively dissipate heat during its operation. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The solution idea of the present invention is to use the extension of the conductive domain formed on the guiding member as a heat dissipation element, which can even dissipate heat from the innermost probes that are relatively less affected by the cooling air flow. Specifically, a system is provided that is configured to deliver air into the probe head (especially its housing) and form a conductive part on the guiding member for heat dissipation, which is electrically connected to the above-mentioned conductive domain and is used to bring heat into a determined area of the guiding member so as to be directly impacted by the air flow and promote the dissipation of the exchanged heat.

[0012] Based on this solution idea, the above technical problem is solved by a probe head for testing a device under test, the probe head comprising: a plurality of contact probes, the contact probes including a body extending between a first end and a second end along a longitudinal axis, the ends being adapted to contact respective pads; at least one guide member having guide holes for (slidingly) receiving the contact probes; and an air delivery system configured to deliver an air flow (e.g., an air flow from an external source) to the probe head to facilitate heat dissipation, wherein the probe head includes a conductive portion formed on the guide member, the conductive portion including at least one set of holes in the guide holes and being adapted to contact and short-circuit a corresponding group of contact probes, the group of contact probes being received in the set of holes and being used to transmit signals of a determined type, thereby defining at least one conductive domain on the guide member, and wherein the probe head further includes a heat-dissipating conductive portion formed on the guide member and arranged such that the air flow of the air delivery system passes through the portion, the heat-dissipating conductive portion being (electrically) connected to the conductive portion to expand the conductive domain, so that the air flow of the air delivery system is conducive to the dissipation of the heat exchanged by the heat-dissipating conductive portion.

[0013] More specifically, the present invention includes the following additional and optional features, which can be used alone or in combination as needed.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the probe head may include a plurality of conductive portions corresponding to different conductive domains, each of the conductive domains being configured to short-circuit probes adapted to transmit corresponding different signals, wherein at least one of the domains (e.g., the innermost domain) is connected to a corresponding heat-dissipating conductive portion.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present invention, the conductive domains may be different power domains and / or ground domains, and / or domains adapted to transmit operating signals, particularly power domains.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, at least one conductive domain may be divided into different sub-conductive domains separated from each other, wherein each of the sub-conductive domains is configured to independently distribute signals of the same determined type between the contact elements short-circuited by it, and wherein at least one of the sub-conductive domains (e.g., an internal sub-domain surrounded by other outermost domains) is connected to a corresponding heat-dissipating conductive portion.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present invention, the guide member may be a lower guide member.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, the guide member may be an intermediate guide member of the probe head, wherein the lower guide member is arranged between the intermediate guide member and the device under test.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, the probe head may further include an upper guide member that is separated from the lower guide member and has a corresponding guide hole, and the lower guide member is the guide member closest to the device under test.

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, the contact probe may be included in at least one first region or active region of the guide member, and the active region is adjacent to a second region of the guide member that does not include the contact probe. In particular, the air delivery system may be configured to deliver an air flow in at least a part of the second region of the guide member, and a heat dissipation conductive part may be formed in the second region so as to extend the conductive domain beyond the active region.

[0021] According to one aspect of the present invention, the conductive part and the heat dissipation conductive part may be arranged on one surface of the guide member.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present invention, the probe head may further include a heat dissipation layer that is in contact with at least a part of the surface of the guide member.

[0023] According to one aspect of the present invention, the heat dissipation layer may be made of a high thermal conductivity material selected from diamond, silicon carbide, and silver-diamond compounds, where the proportion of diamond is between 50% and 99%, and preferably diamond.

[0024] According to one aspect of the present invention, the probe head may further include a housing that is configured to accommodate the contact probe, and the air delivery system is configured to deliver an air flow into the housing.

[0025] According to one aspect of the present invention, the housing is shaped such that at least a part of the air delivery system is formed in the housing, and the shape of the housing is designed to allow an air flow to be delivered into it through an input pipe and the air flow to flow out through an output pipe.

[0026] According to one aspect of the present invention, the pipes of the housing may be configured such that the direction of the input air flow lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the guide member (e.g., tangential flow), and the output air flow is divided into at least two flow parts, and the input air flow is split according to the number of chips to be tested by the probe head.

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of illustrative and non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the features and advantages of the probe head of the present invention will be apparent from the description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In the drawings: - Figure 1 Schematically shows a probe head according to an embodiment of the present invention; - Figure 2 Schematically shows various aspects of a probe head according to another embodiment of the present invention; - Figure 3 Schematically shows a schematic and exemplary top view of a guide according to an embodiment of the present invention; - Figure 4 is a schematic top view of a guide of a probe head according to an embodiment of the present invention; and - Figures 5A - 5C Shows a view of a housing and an air flow conveyed therein according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description

[0029] Referring to these drawings, reference numeral 20 generally schematically represents a probe head manufactured according to the present invention.

[0030] It should be noted that these drawings are schematic diagrams, not drawn to scale, but drawn to emphasize the important features of the present invention. In addition, different elements are depicted schematically in the drawings, and their shapes vary depending on the required application. It is also worth noting that in the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to elements having the same shape or function. Finally, the specific features related to a certain embodiment in the drawings are also applicable to other embodiments in other drawings.

[0031] In addition, it should be noted that unless otherwise specified, the process steps can also be reversed when necessary.

[0032] The probe head 20 is adapted to be connected (directly or indirectly through a space converter and / or a printed circuit board) to a device (not shown in the drawings) for testing electronic devices integrated on a semiconductor wafer 23, such as (but not necessarily) high-frequency devices or large-size storage devices.

[0033] It should be pointed out that in the present invention, the term "probe head" is used to represent a test device, regardless of the presence or absence of specific components defined in the appended claims. Therefore, generally speaking, this term represents a component of an element that can be associated with other elements for testing electronic devices integrated on the above-mentioned semiconductor wafer 23. Therefore, generally speaking, this term represents a measurement system for electronic devices.

[0034] Referring to Figure 1 a cross-sectional view of, the probe head 20 includes a plurality of contact probes 10 for connecting the devices to be tested integrated in the semiconductor wafer 23 to a test device.

[0035] To accommodate the contact probes 10, the probe head 20 includes at least one guide 40, and a guide hole 40h is provided on the guide 40, and the contact probes 10 can slide in the guide hole 40h. Therefore, the guide 40 and its guide hole 40h can slidably accommodate the contact probes 10.

[0036] Each contact probe 10 includes a probe body 10', which extends along a longitudinal axis H-H between a first end 10a and a second end 10b, and the first end and the second end are for contacting respective contact pads. For example, the first end 10a (also referred to as the contact tip) is adapted to contact the pad 22 of the device under test integrated on the semiconductor wafer 23, while the second end 10b (also referred to as the contact head) is adapted to contact the pad 24 of a space converter or a printed circuit board (PCB), and the space converter or the printed circuit board (PCB) is associated with the probe head 20, and this component is generally denoted by the reference numeral 25. Obviously, although the ends 10a and 10b in the drawings end in a tip shape, they are not limited thereto, and they can have any shape suitable for the needs and / or circumstances.

[0037] During the bending process of the contact probe 10 (especially during the vertical movement of the probe head, which is called "overshoot" in the art), there will be a sliding contact between the probe body 10' and the wall of the guiding hole. Therefore, the probe body 10' includes a part of the guiding hole 40h of the guiding member 40 for at least partially inserting into the probe head 20, and during the movement of the contact probe 10, it contacts, especially slides, with the guiding hole 40h.

[0038] The guiding member 40 is preferably the lower guiding member of the probe head 20. Therefore, as is well known in the art, it is close to the first end 10a for contacting the device under test, that is, compared with the upper guiding member or the middle guiding member, it is closer to the device under test during the test. Therefore, in the rest of this description, the guiding member 40 is also referred to as the lower guiding member of the probe head 20.

[0039] In one embodiment, the probe head 20 may further include an intermediate guiding member 40', which is equipped with a corresponding guiding hole 40'h (as shown in Figure 2, for the sake of simplicity, some elements of the probe head are not shown in the figure), and the lower guiding member 40 is arranged between the intermediate guiding member 40' and the device under test during use.

[0040] Still referring to Figure 1, in one embodiment, the probe head 20 further includes an upper guiding member 45 separated from the lower guiding member 40 and equipped with a corresponding guiding hole 45h. If there is also an intermediate guiding member 40', then the intermediate guiding member is located between the lower guiding member 40 and the upper guiding member 45, and the lower guiding member 40 is still the guiding member closest to the device under test.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the probe head 20 further includes a housing or a receiving element 50, which is configured to receive the contact probe 10 and provide a support and connection structure between the guiding members.

[0042] InFigure 1 In an embodiment, the housing 50 is placed between the lower guide member 40 and the upper guide member 45 and is suitably shaped to receive the contact probe 10 therein.

[0043] Suitably, the probe head 20 further includes an air delivery system 60 configured to deliver an air flow (generated externally, e.g., by an external source, indicated by arrow F in the figure) into the probe head 20, particularly into the housing 50, so as to facilitate the dissipation of the generated heat. Details of the air delivery system 60 will be described below.

[0044] Furthermore, it is known in the art that due to the fixed positions of the power and ground signals (affected by the pad layout of the device under test) and the shape of the probes, the control of the signal impedance inside the probe head is limited, and the control of the noise caused by other nearby signals to the signal probe is also limited, thereby limiting the frequency performance of the probe head.

[0045] For this reason, especially in high-frequency applications (more particularly in radio-frequency applications), the ground probes (and power probes) are short-circuited through the metallization on the guide members, short-circuiting the probes in the same domain and making the ground contacts inside the probe head available for connecting a possible shield. Moreover, if there are different ground / supply domains on the device and they are then connected on the printed circuit board, this metallization can reduce the loop inductance between the power supply and the associated ground.

[0046] Even in the case of the power supply domain, these metallizations are very useful. For example, they help reduce the probe burning phenomenon.

[0047] For example, we can consider a situation where a certain power supply of the device under test is contacted by a single probe of the probe head, and this probe is short-circuited with other probes carrying the power supply sharing the same power. Then, when the current of this power supply encounters the metallization short-circuiting all the probes in this domain, it will be shunted among all the short-circuited probes, thereby reducing the inductance and equivalent resistance compared to the case where the current is still confined to a single probe until the printed circuit board.

[0048] It can be seen that the presence of the metallization layer on the guide member can short-circuit the probe group and form a common conductive plane (short-circuiting a specific domain forming a conductive domain), which can both reduce noise and improve the performance of the probe head 20.

[0049] To this end, according to the present invention, the guide member 40 includes at least one conductive portion 21 (also denoted as a conductive plate), which includes and is electrically connected to at least one set (denoted by reference numeral 40h') of the guide holes 40h, and is adapted to contact a corresponding set of contact probes so as to be short-circuited. These corresponding sets of contact probes are used to transmit the same type of signals, in particular for transmitting specific ground or power supply or operating signals. In other words, the conductive domains can be different power domains and / or ground domains, and / or domains for transmitting operating signals.

[0050] Therefore, there is at least one conductive domain on the guide member 40, thereby improving the performance of the probe head. For example, the contact probes 10 short-circuited to each other through the conductive portion 21 can be either contact probes for transmitting ground signals or contact probes for transmitting power supplies.

[0051] In addition, as described above, the short-circuit probes can also be contact probes for transmitting input / output operating signals between the device under test and the test device interfaced with the probe head 20, such as in the case of the loopback technique.

[0052] Obviously, the probe head 20 can include any number of conductive portions 21, and there is no limit to the arrangement manner. For example, the conductive portions can be arranged on the upper end face F1 of the guide member 40 (as shown in the non-limiting example in FIG. 1), or can be arranged on its lower end face F2, or can be arranged in any other suitable manner.

[0053] In addition, a plurality of metallization layers electrically isolated from each other can be provided, configured to form a plurality of corresponding conductive planes for the sets of contact probes. For example, a first conductive portion for short-circuiting the ground probes and a second conductive portion for short-circuiting the power probes can be provided, or different metallization layers can be provided for different power supplies. Many other configurations can also be provided, such as those described in the patent application with international patent application number PCT / EP2017 / 082180. Even the method for manufacturing the conductive portions is not limited to one type. For example, the conductive portions can be formed by depositing a conductive material on a ceramic guide member.

[0054] In other words, the present invention is not limited by the number and arrangement manner of the conductive portions, and can be determined according to needs and / or circumstances.

[0055] As described above, the guide member 40 is preferably a lower guide member because this is conducive to short-circuiting the probes closest to the device under test; the guide member can also be an intermediate guide member, or the metallization can be formed on the lower guide member and the intermediate guide member simultaneously. In this regard, it should be noted that the present invention is described based on a non-limiting example, in which the guide member 40 is a lower guide member equipped with a conductive plate (as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, although different configurations may be provided, and the inventive concepts described herein are also applicable to other possible guides of the probe head 20 (such as the intermediate guide 40').

[0056] It should be noted that in a probe head of the above type, especially in the case of having many contact probes 10, only the air delivery system 60 may not be sufficient to ensure effective heat dissipation, because the innermost probes (i.e., the probes surrounded by many other contact probes, and relative to them, the other probes are the outermost probes) will not be affected by the air flow F, and the air flow F mainly impacts only the outermost tips.

[0057] Advantageously, according to the present invention, there is also provided a heat-dissipating conductive part (denoted by reference numeral 65) formed on the guide 40, and its arrangement is such that the air flow F of the air delivery system 60 flows through this part simultaneously. Therefore, the heat-dissipating conductive part 65 can be impacted by the air flow F, or in any case can be arranged on the guide 40 so as to feel the beneficial effect of the air flow F. In particular, the heat-dissipating conductive part 65 is electrically connected to the conductive part 21, so as to expand the conductive domain in another area of the guide 40 (where there is no conductive part 21), so that the air flow F of the air delivery system 60 is beneficial to dissipate the heat collected by the heat-dissipating conductive part 65, thus ensuring the best heat dissipation effect and high performance of the entire probe 20. The connection between the parts 21 and 65 can be achieved through appropriate tracks, and the shape of the tracks can pass between the remaining probes and the remaining domains.

[0058] In other words, the heat-dissipating conductive part 65 is a heat-conducting pad (or exchange surface), which is used to collect the generated heat and is impacted by the air flow F.

[0059] In this way, the heat generated by the contact probes 10 is first transferred to the conductive part 21, and then advantageously transferred to the heat-dissipating conductive part 65, where the air flow F acts. Therefore, with this configuration, the air delivery system 60 can promote heat dissipation inside the probe head 20.

[0060] Regarding the conductive part 21, the heat-dissipating conductive part 65 can also be arranged on one surface of the guide 40, such as the upper end surface FA shown in the non-limiting example in the figure.

[0061] The heat-dissipating conductive part 65 can be made of an appropriate conductive material (such as the same material as the part 21), but is not limited by the material used or its surface extension.

[0062] As described above, a plurality of conductive portions corresponding to different conductive domains can be provided, each of the conductive domains being configured to short-circuit different signal probes for transmission, wherein at least one of the domains (e.g., the innermost one, and thus the domain not directly affected by the air flow F) is connected to a corresponding heat-dissipating conductive portion 65, and the heat-dissipating conductive portion 65 is located in the outermost region of the guide member.

[0063] With particular reference Figure 3 to the schematic diagram of, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the contact probe 10 is generally included in at least one first region or active region (denoted by reference numeral A1) of the guide member 40, and metallization is also formed in the active region; then a second region of the guide member (denoted by reference numeral A2) can also be defined, which region does not include the contact probe 10. Obviously, the above regions are not limited by a specific shape; for example, the second region A2 can be the surrounding region of the active region A1, and there can also be multiple active regions on the guide member.

[0064] Therefore, the active region A1 is connected to the second region A2, (as Figure 4 shown) the heat-dissipating conductive portion 65 is formed in the second region A2, so as to extend the conductive domain outside the active region A1. Appropriately, as shown in the above figure, the air delivery system 60 is configured to deliver the air flow F in at least a part of the second region A2 to promote the dissipation of the heat exchanged by the heat-dissipating conductive portion 65 present in the second region A2.

[0065] It should be noted that, as Figure 4 shown, although a rectangular contour is formed around the active region A1 to highlight the second region A2, the second region A2 is obviously not limited to the prominent rectangular region, but can extend beyond the rectangular region (therefore, the arrangement of the portion 65 is also not limited to the rectangular region). As described above, there can also be multiple active regions A1 on the guide member 40. For example, when testing multiple chips (multi-chip devices) in parallel, the layout on the guide member is consistent with the layout of the device to be tested.

[0066] Still referring to Figure 3 , the conductive domain can be divided into separate independent sub-conductive domains 21p from each other, wherein each sub-conductive domain 21p is configured to independently distribute the same type of signal among the contact elements 10 short-circuited by it, independent of other sub-conductive domains. Such a configuration gives greater flexibility to the design of the probe head, especially when it is necessary to test devices corresponding to multiple domains (especially power domains). As shown in the figure, the sub-domains 21p are separated by the non-conductive region 31 of the guide member 40.

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the sub-conductive domains 21p is connected to a corresponding heat-dissipating conductive portion 65. InFigure 3 In a schematic example, four conductive domains (three power domains and one power supply domain) are shown, where three domains are each divided into respective sub-domains; one of these sub-domains is connected to the heat-dissipating conductive part 65 arranged in the second region A2, thereby facilitating the dissipation of the heat generated by the corresponding probe.

[0068] Obviously, the domains do not need to be divided into multiple sub-domains. What is important is that at least one domain of the guiding member 40 (such as Figure 4 the internal domain in the example) is connected to the heat-dissipating conductive part 65. In particular, as described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, one or more conductive domains that do not directly face the second region A2 are electrically connected to the corresponding heat-dissipating conductive part 65 extending to the second region A2 to facilitate the dissipation of the generated heat.

[0069] In addition, still referring to Figure 1 , in one embodiment, the probe head 20 includes a heat-dissipating layer (denoted by reference numeral 70), and this heat-dissipating layer is in contact with at least a part of the surface of the guiding member ( Figure 1 the lower end surface FB in the example, but not limited thereto) to obtain more effective heat dissipation.

[0070] In particular, the heat-dissipating layer 70 can be made of a material selected from diamond, silicon carbide, and silver-diamond compounds (where the proportion of diamond is between 50% and 99%), preferably diamond. Therefore, the heat-dissipating layer 70 is made of a high thermal conductivity material λ, for example, greater than 500 W / (m·K). The high thermal conductivity coefficient λ can especially enable the heat generated by the probe head 20 during the test to be optimally collected and subsequently dissipated.

[0071] The heat-dissipating layer 70 can extend beyond the active area A1, be located on the entire surface of the guiding member 40, or even only on a part of its surface; in some embodiments, it can also include a lateral part to wrap (entirely or partially) the guiding member 40. In any case, its extension is beneficial for heat exchange with air, and thus also beneficial for heat exchange with the air flow F conveyed by the system 60. In this way, the combination of the air flow F and the layer 70 can ensure more effective heat dissipation, thanks to the high thermal conductivity of the layer 70.

[0072] Finally, in Figures 5A - 5C a shown embodiment, the shape of the housing 50 enables the air delivery system 60 to be exactly formed in the housing 50, that is, the air delivery system 60 is a part of the housing 50 itself (so it can be regarded as the main body of the system 60, and its shape allows the air to be properly delivered into the probe head 20).

[0073] As described above, air is generated by an external air source (not shown) associated with the probe head 20 and is then delivered to the probe head 20 through a delivery system 60, in particular through appropriately formed ducts (and channels of the housing).

[0074] In particular, the housing 50 is shaped to allow the flow of air F from an external source to be delivered therein through an input duct 60in and to allow the flow of air F to exit the probe head 20 through an output duct 60out.

[0075] As Figures 5A - 5C shown, the input duct 60in is configured to direct air from an external source (in particular, air from the side of the test device and thus from the side opposite the semiconductor wafer 23) to the guide 40 and may be branched, for example, through a bifurcation of the input duct 60in. The number of input ducts 60in (and the number of bifurcations of each duct) may vary according to the number of wafers (or chips) to be tested by the probe head 20 (e.g., as shown, four wafers are tested in parallel).

[0076] Then an opening 60op is provided in the housing for the contact probes 10 for testing the respective chips to pass through.

[0077] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Both the vertical and horizontal portions shown can be considered as different portions of the same input duct 60in, which can be appropriately connected (e.g., at the opening of its vertical portion) to an external source device (such as a duct or a similar external source device) from the side of the test device.

[0078] A single input duct 60in, in particular the horizontal portion parallel to the guide, is configured to ensure that the air flow F impinges in a direction substantially within a plane parallel (e.g., tangential) to the guide 40 and thus parallel to the metallization layer. As described above, the number of said channels, as well as the number of regions hit by the tangential air flow, may vary according to the number of chips to be tested.

[0079] Therefore, such a solution can appropriately deliver forced air and is also advantageous even for devices equipped with multiple chips tested in parallel (as in Figure 4 the example).

[0080] In addition, the output duct 60out ensures that there are at least two air output paths (also called output ducts) for each chip, since they extend parallel to the guide 40. In other words, for each chip, there are at least two output ducts 60out to ensure that the above-mentioned air flow is parallel to the guide. In the embodiment shown in the figure, the output ducts are substantially orthogonal to the input ducts with respect to the plane in which the guide is located.

[0081] As Figure 5C shown, the above structure can ensure a uniform air flow over a larger range, thus achieving an optimal heat dissipation effect.

[0082] However, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the specific shape and operation mode of the air delivery system 60. It may also have other structures and may include conventional devices such as pipes, but in order to avoid making this specification too cumbersome, they are not described herein; importantly, the air flow F passes through the heat dissipation conductive part 65.

[0083] In summary, the present invention excellently overcomes the technical problems, provides the above probe head, and solves all the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0084] Advantageously, according to the present invention, a heat dissipation structure capable of collecting and dissipating the heat generated by the probe head during testing is manufactured; this structure collects the generated heat, such as the heat generated by the sliding friction of the contact probe in the guiding hole, or the heat generated by the signal passing through the contact probe, which may cause the temperature of the probe head to rise (such as a power signal), and facilitates the dissipation of this heat to the environment, especially through forced air flow for heat dissipation.

[0085] The air delivery system combined with the heat dissipation conductive part formed outside the movable area of the guiding member appropriately restricts the rise of the operating temperature of the probe head, thus simply avoiding the occurrence of failures.

[0086] The above air delivery system delivers air into the probe head through its pipeline, especially into the heat dissipation conductive part (it may also be delivered to the high thermal conductivity coating used in combination with the solution), to improve the dissipation of the heat generated by the probe head inside the probe head and collected by the heat dissipation conductive part. In fact, the forced air flow is delivered to the heat dissipation conductive part, thus also dispersing the heat of the innermost probes (especially the internal power probes), which would be less affected by the air flow without the above part.

[0087] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make many modifications and variations to the above probe head to meet special and specific requirements, and all these modifications and variations are included within the protection scope of the present invention defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A probe head (20) for testing a device under test, comprising: - a plurality of contact probes (10), which include a body (10') extending between a first end (10a) and a second end (10b) along a longitudinal axis (H-H), and the ends are adapted to contact corresponding pads (22, 24); - at least one guide member (40, 40') provided with guide holes (40h, 40h') for accommodating the contact probes (10); and - an air delivery system (60) configured to deliver an air flow (F) to the probe head (20) to promote heat dissipation, wherein the probe head (20) includes a conductive portion (21) formed on the guide member (40, 40'), the conductive portion (21) includes at least one set of holes in the guide holes (40h, 40h'), and is adapted to contact and short-circuit with a corresponding group of contact probes accommodated in the set of holes, and the contact probes are used to transmit a signal of a determined type, thereby defining at least one conductive domain on the guide member (40, 40'), and wherein the probe head (20) further includes a heat dissipation conductive portion (65), which is formed on the guide member (40, 40') and arranged such that the air flow (F) of the air delivery system (60) passes through it, and the heat dissipation conductive portion (65) is connected to the conductive portion (21) to expand the conductive domain, so that the air flow (F) of the air delivery system (60) facilitates the dissipation of the heat exchanged by the heat dissipation conductive portion (65).

2. The probe head (20) according to claim 1, including a plurality of conductive portions (21) corresponding to different conductive domains, each of the conductive domains being configured to short-circuit the probes adapted to carry corresponding different signals, wherein at least one of the conductive domains is connected to a corresponding heat dissipation conductive portion (65).

3. The probe head (20) according to claim 2, wherein the conductive domains are different power domains and / or ground domains and / or domains adapted to transmit operating signals, in particular power domains.

4. The probe head (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one conductive domain is divided into different sub-conductive domains (21p) separated from each other, and each of the sub-conductive domains (21p) is configured to independently distribute the same type of determined signal between the contact elements (10) short-circuited by it, and at least one of the sub-conductive domains (30p) is connected to a corresponding heat dissipation conductive portion (65).

5. The probe head (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: - the guide member (40) is a lower guide member, and / or - the guide member (40') is an intermediate guide member of the probe head (20), and the lower guide member (40) is located between the intermediate guide member and the device under test.

6. The probe head (20) according to claim 5 further includes an upper guide member (45), the upper guide member (45) is separated from the lower guide member (40) and is provided with corresponding guide holes (45h), and the lower guide member (40) is the guide member closest to the device under test.

7. The probe head (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The contact probe (10) is included in at least one first region or active region (A1) of the guide member (40, 40'), the active region (A1) is adjacent to the second region (A2) of the guide member (40, 40'), wherein the second region does not include the contact probe (10), the air delivery system (60) is configured to deliver the air flow (F) in at least a part of the second region (A2), and wherein the heat-dissipating conductive part (65) is formed in the second region (A2), so as to extend the conductive domain out of the active region (A1).

8. The probe head (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conductive part (21) and the heat-dissipating conductive part (65) are arranged on one surface (F1, F2) of the guide member (40, 40').

9. The probe head (20) according to claim 8 further includes a heat-dissipating layer (70), the heat-dissipating layer is in contact with at least a part of the surface (F1, F2) of the guide member (40, 40'), wherein the heat-dissipating layer (70) is made of a high thermal conductivity material, and the high thermal conductivity material is selected from diamond, silicon carbide, and a silver-diamond compound with a diamond content between 50% and 99%, preferably diamond.

10. The probe head (20) according to any one of the preceding claims includes a housing (50), the housing is configured to accommodate the contact probe (10), wherein the air delivery system (60) is configured to deliver the air flow (F) into the housing (50).

11. The probe head (20) according to claim 10, wherein the housing (50) is configured such that at least a part of the air delivery system (60) is formed in the housing (50), and the housing is shaped to allow the air flow (F) to be delivered into it through the input duct (60in). And the air flow (F) flows out through an output pipe (60out), wherein the configuration of the pipe is such that the direction of the input air flow (F) is in a plane parallel to the guide member (40, 40'), and the output air flow (F) is divided into at least two flow parts, and the input air flow (F) is shunted according to the number of chips to be tested by the probe head (20).

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