Probe tube for semiconductor chip detection and preparation method and application thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection and a preparation method and application thereof. Compared with the prior art, the probe tube is combined with secondary zinc deposition treatment and double-layer nickel electroforming of a neutral nickel layer and a nickel sulfamate layer, high-strength combination of an aluminum mold surface and the nickel layer is realized, the smooth inner wall and size precision of the nickel tube structure are ensured, the probe tube has excellent mechanical performance, electrical performance and size consistency, while high performance is ensured, material and processing costs are greatly reduced, a reliable and economical probe tube solution is provided for high-precision electrical testing of semiconductor chips, and the purpose of the application is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a device for detecting semiconductor chips, and more particularly to a probe tube for detecting semiconductor chips, its preparation method, and its application. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of high-precision electrical testing of semiconductor chips, probes, as key interconnect components, directly affect the accuracy and reliability of the tests. The probe tube is one of the key components of the probe; its inner wall smoothness and dimensional uniformity directly impact the probe's lifespan and performance.

[0003] In existing technologies, probe tubes are mostly manufactured using machining, micro-welding, or splicing processes. However, with the increase in chip testing frequency and the miniaturization of test point spacing, the above-mentioned traditional processes face the following limitations:

[0004] (1) Surface morphology defects: During the drawing process, the intense friction between the metal material and the die will inevitably leave longitudinal scratches on the inner wall of the tube. The roughness Ra is usually between 0.1-0.8μm, which leads to high resistance of spring movement and easy generation of metal chips, causing the pin to get stuck.

[0005] (2) Stress and deformation: Tension is a strong plastic deformation process, and the residual stress inside the pipe is large. When it is subsequently cut into 1-5mm short pipes, uneven stress can easily lead to pipe end deformation or pipe body slight bending, which seriously affects the centering accuracy of the test.

[0006] (3) Poor wall thickness consistency: In the range of outer diameter below 0.5mm, the drawing process is difficult to guarantee the absolute uniformity of circumferential wall thickness, resulting in inconsistent impedance during high-frequency signal transmission; micro gaps, burrs or stress concentration points are easily generated on the inner wall, leading to unstable signal transmission, increased contact resistance and shortened service life.

[0007] Meanwhile, existing processes face challenges in achieving sub-millimeter diameter and micron-level tolerance control, often resulting in high costs and difficulty in large-scale production.

[0008] In addition, single electroforming nickel or drawing processes also have obvious drawbacks in the production of miniaturized tubes: the internal stress of a single electroforming nickel layer is large, which can easily lead to deformation or cracking of thin-walled tubes; although the drawing process can obtain a smaller tube diameter, the inner wall is prone to scratches and the dimensional uniformity is poor. For tiny probe tubes with a length of only 1-5mm, the drawing process is difficult to achieve high-precision mass production at low cost.

[0009] Therefore, there is a particular need for a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection, its fabrication method, and its application, in order to solve the aforementioned existing problems. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The purpose of this invention is to provide a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection, its preparation method and application. It effectively solves the problems of weld seams, low dimensional accuracy, high cost and difficulty in large-scale production in the manufacturing of existing probe tubes, which are in addition to the shortcomings of the prior art. It has the characteristics of simple process and low cost, and is suitable for large-scale production.

[0011] The technical problem solved by this invention can be achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0012] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing a probe tube for detecting a semiconductor chip, comprising the following steps:

[0013] Step S1: Use a precision aluminum mold as the forming mandrel and perform pretreatment on the surface of the aluminum mold, including degreasing, pickling, pure water cleaning and secondary zinc plating.

[0014] Step S2: After zinc plating, a neutral nickel layer is electroformed onto the surface of the aluminum mold sequentially through a neutral nickel electroforming solution, and a nickel sulfamate layer is electroformed through a nickel sulfamate electroforming solution to form an aluminum mold nickel rod.

[0015] Step S3: Tightly wrap the aluminum mold nickel rods with a high-temperature heat-shrinkable film to form a regular rod bundle, and cut the rod bundle into small segments with a length of 1-5mm in one go; after cutting, remove the high-temperature heat-shrinkable film, and grind and micro-polish the small segments of aluminum mold nickel rods.

[0016] Step S4: Perform melting and soaking. Immerse the cut aluminum mold nickel rod segments in a strong alkaline solution and ultrasonically soak at 60-80℃ for 30 minutes. After the aluminum mold is completely dissolved and removed, pure nickel tubes are obtained and then washed with water.

[0017] Step S5: After cleaning, acid-washing activation, and pure water rinsing of the pure nickel tube, a high-precision gold-plated probe tube with an ultra-smooth end face, characterized by a burr height ≤0.5μm, an end face roughness Ra ≤0.05μm, and a tube opening roundness accuracy ≤1μm, is prepared using a self-catalytic reduction chemical gold plating process.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the precision aluminum mold is a high-purity aluminum mold (aluminum content ≥99.9%, surface roughness ≤0.01um, free of pits and scratches) formed by precision drawing with a single crystal diamond mold.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, step S1 includes a first zinc immersion treatment, a nitric acid zinc stripping treatment, and a second zinc immersion treatment.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S2, the neutral nickel electroforming solution comprises the following components: nickel chloride 10-15 g / L, sodium citrate 160-200 g / L and boric acid 20-30 g / L; the neutral nickel electroforming solution has a pH value of 6.8-7.2, an electroforming temperature of 50-60°C, and a current density of 6-8 ASD.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S2, the nickel aminosulfonate electroforming solution comprises the following components: nickel aminosulfonate tetrahydrate 400-600 g / L, nickel chloride hexahydrate 20-30 g / L, boric acid 35-45 g / L, sodium dodecyl sulfate 0.05-0.1 g / L, and sodium 1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonate 3-5 g / L; the pH value of the nickel aminosulfonate electroforming solution is 3.5-4.2, the electroforming temperature is 50-60℃, and the current density is 8-10 ASD.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S2, the electroforming thickness of the neutral nickel layer is 2-5 μm, the electroforming thickness of the nickel aminosulfonate layer is 28-45 μm, and the electroforming thickness of the electroformed neutral nickel layer and the nickel aminosulfonate layer is 30-50 μm.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S4, the strong alkaline solution is a 40% (w / w) sodium hydroxide solution.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S5, the electroless gold plating solution of the autocatalytic reduction electroless gold plating process comprises the following components: potassium gold cyanide 1-2 g / L, potassium cyanide 10-15 g / L, potassium hydroxide 9-13 g / L, potassium borohydride 8-12 g / L, EDTA 3-7 g / L, and ethanolamine 40-60 mL / L; the plating temperature of the electroless gold plating solution is 68-75℃, and the pH value is 12-14.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S5, the gold plating thickness of the gold-plated probe tube is 0.1-2 μm.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the outer diameter of the gold-plated probe tube is 0.1-0.5 mm, the inner diameter tolerance is ±1 μm, and the inner wall surface roughness Ra < 0.05 μm.

[0027] Secondly, the present invention provides a semiconductor chip detection probe tube prepared by the preparation method of the present invention, comprising a pure nickel substrate and a chemically plated gold layer coated on the pure nickel substrate, wherein the inner wall of the probe tube exhibits a mirror morphology without mechanical tensile scratches; the wall thickness of the probe tube is 30-50 μm, the inner diameter tolerance of the probe tube is ±1 μm, the inner wall roughness Ra < 0.05 μm, and the outer diameter is 0.1-0.5 mm.

[0028] Thirdly, the present invention provides a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection prepared by the preparation method of the present invention, which also includes a spring and a probe head. The spring is loaded inside the probe tube, and the probe head is disposed at one or both ends of the probe tube. The probe tube, the spring and the probe head are fixed together by mechanical pressing to form a complete detection path.

[0029] The semiconductor chip detection probe tube, its preparation method, and its application of the present invention have the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0030] 1. By combining the optimized secondary zinc plating process with electroforming neutral nickel layer and electroforming nickel sulfamate layer, the bonding strength and uniformity between the plating layer and the aluminum mold substrate are significantly improved, effectively avoiding the problem of plating peeling or cracking caused by poor bonding during subsequent processing and use, thereby ensuring the structural integrity and long-term reliability of the probe tube at the microscale.

[0031] 2. Using a precision aluminum mold with excellent surface quality that can be completely dissolved as the forming mandrel, combined with high-precision cutting and chemical casting, the probe tube is formed in one piece, completely eliminating the welds or joints that are difficult to avoid in traditional tube processing; the pure nickel tube body has extremely high inner wall smoothness and excellent dimensional consistency, and the inner diameter tolerance can be strictly controlled at the micron level, providing accuracy assurance for semiconductor chip testing and reducing the risk of signal interference or poor contact caused by uneven tube wall;

[0032] 3. A post-treatment of chemical gold plating is adopted to form an extremely thin and dense gold plating layer on the surface of the pure nickel tube. This gold plating layer not only endows the probe tube with excellent conductivity and extremely low contact resistance, ensuring the fidelity and stability of the test signal, but also, due to the use of a self-catalytic reduction chemical gold plating process, the gold plating thickness is controlled to grow within the range of 0.1-2.0μm. The gold plating layer significantly enhances the wear resistance and chemical inertness of the probe tube in frequent click tests, thereby greatly improving the high-frequency service life of the probe tube and adapting to the challenges of various chemical substances that may exist in the semiconductor testing environment.

[0033] 4. An electroformed neutral nickel layer is selected as the bottom layer. The zinc transition layer formed on the surface of the aluminum mold after a second zinc immersion treatment is extremely thin and has low chemical stability. If it is directly introduced into the acidic nickel sulfamate electroforming solution, a displacement reaction is very likely to occur, leading to the failure of the coating adhesion. The neutral nickel electroforming solution (pH 6.8-7.3) has a mild environment, which can effectively protect the zinc layer from corrosion and form a dense initial nickel layer, playing a dual role of "physical isolation" and "stress buffer". The subsequent electroformed nickel sulfamate layer can ensure that the probe tube still has excellent adhesion and structural integrity even with an extremely small diameter.

[0034] The features of the present invention can be clearly understood by referring to the drawings and the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of the method for fabricating a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection according to the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a comparison diagram of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 in this invention;

[0037] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the probe tube for semiconductor chip detection according to the present invention;

[0038] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the probe structure of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram comparing the inner wall morphology of the probe tube for semiconductor chip testing of the present invention after being cut open with the inner wall morphology of the probe tube after being cut open using the drawing tube manufacturing process in the prior art. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0041] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0042] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. Furthermore, all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, bottom, etc.) in this application are only used to explain the relative positional relationships and movements between components in a specific orientation (as shown in the figures). If the specific orientation changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly. Furthermore, descriptions involving "first," "second," etc., in this application are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated.

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, the method for fabricating a probe tube for semiconductor chip testing according to the present invention uses a precision aluminum mold as a substrate. A uniform nickel layer is formed on the surface of the precision aluminum mold, followed by steps such as cutting, melting, cleaning, and gold plating. This process ultimately yields a gold-plated probe tube with a smooth inner wall, precise dimensions, and no weld seams. This gold-plated probe tube is suitable for high-precision electrical testing of semiconductor chips. The detailed fabrication steps are as follows:

[0044] Step S1, pretreatment of precision aluminum mold, specifically includes:

[0045] S101. Chemical degreasing is performed using a solution containing 40-60 g / L trisodium phosphate dodecahydrate, 30-40 g / L sodium carbonate, and 2-4 g / L sodium hydroxide to remove oil stains from the surface of the precision aluminum mold. The precision aluminum mold is a high-purity aluminum mold (aluminum content ≥99.9%, surface roughness ≤0.01 μm, free of pits and scratches) precision-drawn using a single-crystal diamond mold. The high-purity aluminum mold has a uniform structure and is free of hard impurities. When used with a diamond mold, it can directly achieve a mirror-like outer surface with a roughness Ra <0.01 μm. As an electroforming mandrel, it ensures atomic-level replication of the surface morphology on the inner wall of the probe tube. Simultaneously, the high-purity aluminum mold dissolves stably in strong alkali, ensuring a clean and residue-free inner wall.

[0046] S102. Rinse thoroughly with clean water;

[0047] S103. Perform pickling to remove the surface oxide film;

[0048] S104. Rinse again with clean water to remove any residual acid from the pickling process;

[0049] S105, secondary zinc plating treatment, specifically includes:

[0050] First zinc immersion treatment: Forming an initial zinc layer in the zinc immersion solution for 0.5-1 minute;

[0051] Zinc stripping treatment with nitric acid: Immerse in a 40-60% (v / v) nitric acid solution for 10-30 seconds at room temperature; then rinse with water.

[0052] Second zinc immersion treatment: Zinc is immersed again to form a more uniform and dense zinc layer, so as to improve the adhesion between the subsequent nickel layer and the aluminum mold. The time is 15-30 seconds. The zinc immersion solution includes the following components: zinc oxide 90-140g / L, sodium hydroxide 400-600g / L, potassium sodium tartrate 5-15g / L and ferric chloride 0.5-3g / L.

[0053] S106. After final water washing, it enters the electroforming process;

[0054] Step S2, Electroforming Nickel Layer (Forming Nickel Rod for Aluminum Mold), involves sequentially electroforming a neutral nickel layer and a nickel sulfamate layer onto the surface of the zinc-treated aluminum mold. Specifically, this includes:

[0055] S201, Electroforming neutral nickel layer, the neutral nickel electroforming solution includes the following components: nickel chloride 10-15g / L, sodium citrate 160-200g / L and boric acid 20-30g / L;

[0056] The process conditions are as follows: pH value is 6.8-7.2, electroforming temperature is 50-60℃, and current density is 6-8 ASD.

[0057] S202, Electroforming nickel aminosulfonate, wherein the nickel aminosulfonate electroforming solution comprises the following components: nickel aminosulfonate tetrahydrate 400-600 g / L, nickel chloride hexahydrate 20-30 g / L, boric acid 35-45 g / L, sodium dodecyl sulfate 0.05-0.1 g / L and sodium 1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonate 3-5 g / L;

[0058] The process conditions are as follows: pH value is 3.5-4.2, electroforming temperature is 50-60℃, and current density is 8-10 ASD.

[0059] The electroforming thickness of the neutral nickel layer is 2-5 μm, and the electroforming thickness of the nickel aminosulfonate layer is 28-45 μm; the electroforming thickness of the neutral nickel layer and the nickel aminosulfonate layer is 30-50 μm, forming an aluminum mold nickel rod.

[0060] S204, wash with water and dry;

[0061] Step S3: Tightly wrap the aluminum mold nickel rods with a high-temperature heat-shrinkable film to form a regular rod bundle, and cut the rod bundle into small segments with a length of 1-5mm in one go; after cutting, remove the high-temperature heat-shrinkable film, and grind and micro-polish the small segments of aluminum mold nickel rods.

[0062] Step S4, Molding (obtaining pure nickel tube): The cut aluminum mold nickel rod is immersed in a 40% sodium hydroxide solution to dissolve and remove the aluminum mold, obtaining a pure nickel tube, which is then washed with water. Since the reaction between aluminum and sodium hydroxide is an exothermic reaction, the solution temperature must be strictly controlled within the range of 60-80℃ during the dissolution process. By real-time monitoring and heat exchange system to remove the heat of reaction in time, the distortion or dimensional deviation of the thin-walled nickel tube due to excessive local instantaneous temperature rise can be avoided, thereby ensuring that the inner diameter tolerance of the probe tube is stable within ±1μm.

[0063] Step S5, post-treatment and electroless gold plating (forming a nickel-gold probe tube), specifically includes:

[0064] S501. Use 10% sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide solution to remove oil, wash with water, activate with 5-10% sulfuric acid solution, and then clean with ultrasonic pure water to remove residual acid.

[0065] S502, chemical gold plating, wherein the chemical gold plating solution comprises the following components: potassium gold cyanide 1-2 g / L, potassium cyanide 10-15 g / L, potassium hydroxide 9-13 g / L, potassium borohydride 8-12 g / L, EDTA 3-7 g / L and ethanolamine 40-60 mL / L;

[0066] The process conditions are as follows: the plating solution temperature is 68-75℃, and the pH value is 12-14.

[0067] The gold plating thickness of the gold-plated probe tube is 0.1-2.0 μm. The electroless gold plating adopts a self-catalytic reduction electroless gold plating process. By controlling the concentration of the reducing agent and the deposition time in the electroless gold plating solution, gold atoms are continuously deposited on the surface of the nickel layer, thereby achieving a controlled thickness increase of 0.1-2 μm.

[0068] S503, after gold plating, is cleaned twice with ultrasonic pure water, then spun dry in a centrifuge, and finally dried at 100℃ for 1-2 hours. This step also has the function of dehydrogenation, which can eliminate hydrogen atoms that have penetrated into the nickel lattice during electroforming and prevent hydrogen embrittlement and breakage of the probe tube in subsequent use (such as frequent click testing).

[0069] S504. Use CCD automated visual inspection equipment to screen and remove defective products. Qualified products are then transferred to the probe assembly process. Those skilled in the art will understand that the CCD visual inspection is a preferred quality control method and should not be regarded as a limitation on the core preparation steps of this invention.

[0070] The specific process in step S3 above is as follows:

[0071] Solid aluminum nickel rods, after double-layer nickel electroforming, washing, and drying, are tightly wrapped with a high-temperature heat-shrinkable film. This ensures that multiple aluminum nickel rods are axially parallel and radially tightly bonded to form a regular rod bundle. After being heated and shrunk, the heat-shrinkable film provides uniform circumferential coverage and axial restraint to the rod bundle, effectively suppressing vibration, displacement, and end-face chipping of individual rods during cutting. It also prevents direct contact between the cutting tool and the nickel layer, thus avoiding surface scratches. The bundled aluminum nickel rods are then fixed at the workstation of a high-precision cutting equipment. Using an ultra-thin resin grinding wheel, a fixed-length cut is performed along the direction perpendicular to the rod axis, cutting the rod bundle into small segments of 1–5 mm in length in one go.

[0072] Because the aluminum mold nickel rod has a solid base and an outer nickel layer, when cutting, the resin grinding wheel cuts the nickel layer from the outside to the inside and then cuts into the aluminum core. The nickel layer is stressed and has an outward-facing burr shape, which is different from the inward-facing burrs and pipe collapse that are easily produced when cutting hollow pipes. After cutting, the bundled small sections are taken out together with the heat shrink film. The heat shrink film is removed to obtain small sections of aluminum mold nickel rod with outward-facing tiny burrs on the end face.

[0073] The aforementioned burred short sections of aluminum mold nickel rods are placed together with brown fused alumina abrasive grinding media into a centrifugal grinder or vibratory grinder, and a special water-based grinding fluid is added. The grinding speed and grinding time are set, and the outward burrs on the end face are uniformly removed and slightly polished through the controllable mechanical friction and micro-cutting action between the grinding media and the end face of the short nickel rod. During the grinding process, the brown fused alumina particles have high hardness and controllable edges, and only act on the end face burrs and edge protrusions, without damaging the outer diameter of the tube or the original mirror morphology of the inner wall. The grinding fluid plays a role in lubrication, cooling and corrosion prevention, avoiding oxidation of the nickel layer or surface damage.

[0074] After grinding, the grinding media and short nickel rods are separated by sieving, and the surface residual grinding liquid and debris are cleaned to remove them. Then, the process proceeds to the casting step S4, where the short aluminum mold nickel rods are immersed in sodium hydroxide solution to dissolve and remove the aluminum mold mandrel, resulting in a high-precision pure nickel tube with an ultra-smooth end face with a burr height ≤0.5μm, an end face roughness Ra ≤0.05μm, and a tube end roundness accuracy ≤1μm. By using the process sequence of bundling solid rods, directional cutting, controllable grinding of outward burrs, and cutting before casting, the technical problems of easy internal burr generation, tube end deformation, and inner wall scratches during hollow tube cutting are completely solved, realizing the ultra-smooth and high-precision batch production of sub-millimeter-level micro tube end faces.

[0075] like Figure 3 As shown, the semiconductor chip detection probe tube 10 prepared by the method of the present invention includes a pure nickel substrate 11 and a chemically plated gold layer 12 coated on the pure nickel substrate 11. The inner wall of the probe tube 10 has a mirror-like morphology without mechanical stretching scratches. The wall thickness of the probe tube 10 is 30-50 μm, the inner diameter tolerance of the probe tube 10 is ±1 μm, the inner wall roughness Ra < 0.05 μm, and the outer diameter is 0.1-0.5 mm.

[0076] The probe tube 10 uses a high-purity aluminum mold (Ra < 0.01 μm) precision-drawn from single-crystal diamond as the electroforming mandrel. A neutral nickel layer and a nickel sulfamate layer are sequentially electroformed onto the dense zinc transition layer formed by the secondary zinc immersion treatment, forming a double-layer nickel tube. The neutral nickel layer (pH 6.8-7.3) acts as a chemical barrier and stress buffer layer, avoiding corrosion of the thin zinc layer by the acidic nickel sulfamate plating solution, while significantly reducing the internal stress of electroforming. The subsequent nickel sulfamate layer provides high strength and low stress support. After the aluminum mold is dissolved by strong alkali, the inner wall of the pure nickel tube perfectly inherits the mirror morphology of the aluminum mold, completely eliminating the longitudinal scratches and microcracks that cannot be avoided by traditional stretching processes. The probe tube obtained thus has an inner wall roughness Ra < 0.05 μm, an inner diameter tolerance of ±1 μm, a wall thickness uniformly controlled at 30-50 μm, and an outer diameter accurate to 0.1-0.5 mm, breaking through the bottleneck of difficulty in balancing precision and smoothness in the machining of micro-tubes.

[0077] The electroless gold plating layer 12 of the probe tube 10 also embodies a fundamental innovation. It adopts a self-catalytic reduction deposition process to deposit a dense gold layer of 0.1-2μm on the surface of a pure nickel substrate. The reducing agent (ascorbic acid) and the stabilizer (thiourea, polyethylene glycol, etc.) in the plating solution work synergistically to make gold atoms continuously and uniformly accumulate on the nickel surface, forming a non-porous and highly adhesive plating layer. This not only gives the probe tube extremely low contact resistance (≤15mΩ) and excellent corrosion resistance, but also ensures that the controllable thickness of the gold layer will not change the precision dimensions of the tube body. Compared with traditional electroformed gold or physical deposition, the electroless gold plating layer of the probe tube has lower skin effect loss in high-frequency test signal transmission, and the thick gold layer (up to 2μm) still shows no peeling or wear after millions of click tests, which significantly improves the long-term reliability of the probe in high-frequency wear scenarios such as semiconductor wafer testing and packaging inspection.

[0078] like Figure 4 As shown, the probe for semiconductor chip detection prepared by the method of the present invention consists of a probe tube 10, a spring 20 and a probe head 30. The spring 20 is installed inside the probe tube 10, and the probe head 30 is disposed at one or both ends of the probe tube 10. The probe tube 10, the spring 20 and the probe head 30 are fixed together by mechanical pressing to form a complete detection path.

[0079] The mirror-like smoothness (Ra < 0.05 μm) of the inner wall of the probe tube 10 is the physical basis for the stable operation of this assembly structure. When the spring 20 moves on the inner wall, the extremely low coefficient of friction (the coefficient of friction of traditional drawing tubes is about 0.2-0.5, while the coefficient of friction of the probe tube 10 of this invention is below 0.05) avoids spring jamming or metal debris caused by scratches on the inner wall. At the same time, the strict inner diameter tolerance (±1 μm) of the probe tube 10 ensures that the gap between the spring and the tube wall is uniform and there will be no lateral wobble. During mechanical pressing, the probe head 30 and the tube opening of the probe tube 10 form a tight interference fit with the high ductility of the nickel-gold layer, which eliminates the need for welding or gluing. This avoids damage to the tube body precision by the heat-affected zone and simplifies the assembly process.

[0080] The overall performance of the probe of this invention has achieved a leapfrog improvement compared with the traditional structure. Its implementation principle can be summarized as "low resistance - high precision - long life". During the repeated compression and rebound process of the spring in the smooth probe tube, the dynamic contact resistance fluctuation is controlled within 15mΩ (traditional probes usually exceed 50mΩ), which ensures the fidelity of high-frequency test signals. The chemical gold plating layer forms a continuous conductive path in the probe tip pressing area, and the contact resistance is stabilized below 15mΩ, which is far below the 50mΩ upper limit required for semiconductor testing.

[0081] Furthermore, since the inner wall of the probe tube has no residual stress and no weld seams, it will not experience fatigue cracking or port deformation under frequent clicking conditions (such as more than 1 million times), which greatly extends the overall life of the probe. It is especially suitable for wafer-level testing of advanced process chips (such as 5nm and 3nm nodes), as well as high-density probe arrays of miniaturized BGA and CSP packages, providing the semiconductor testing industry with a highly reliable, low-cost, and easily scalable probe solution.

[0082] Example 1

[0083] The method for preparing a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection according to the present invention is described above. In step S2, the neutral nickel electroforming solution comprises the following components: 10 g / L nickel chloride, 160 g / L sodium citrate, and 20 g / L boric acid; the process conditions are: pH value 6.8, electroforming temperature 50°C, and current density 6 ASD.

[0084] The nickel aminosulfonate electroforming solution comprises the following components: nickel aminosulfonate tetrahydrate 400 g / L, nickel chloride hexahydrate 20 g / L, boric acid 35 g / L, sodium dodecyl sulfate 0.05 g / L and sodium 1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonate 3 g / L; process conditions: pH value 3.5, electroforming temperature 50℃, current density 8 ASD;

[0085] The gold plating solution comprises the following components: 2 g / L potassium gold cyanide, 15 g / L potassium cyanide, 13 g / L potassium hydroxide, 12 g / L potassium borohydride, 7 g / L EDTA and 60 mL / L ethanolamine; the plating temperature of the electroless gold plating solution is 75°C and the pH value is 14.

[0086] In step S5, the gold plating thickness of the gold-plated probe tube is controlled at 0.5 μm.

[0087] The gold-plated probe tube prepared by the above method was tested as follows: the measured inner wall surface roughness Ra was 0.02; the surface resistivity of the gold plating layer was 2.8 μΩ·cm and the contact resistance was ≤15 mΩ, as measured by the four-probe method; the inner diameter tolerance of the gold-plated probe tube was ±0.8 μm, the outer diameter was 0.3 mm, and the length was 3 mm.

[0088] The results show that the gold-plated probe tube prepared in this embodiment has excellent surface finish and electrical conductivity.

[0089] Example 2

[0090] Using the above-described method for preparing a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection according to the present invention, the electroforming solution formulation and process conditions of the electroforming neutral nickel layer and nickel sulfamate layer in step S2 are consistent with those in Example 1; in step S5, during the chemical gold plating process, the concentration of the chemical gold plating solution is maintained by continuously replenishing gold salt, and the deposition time is adjusted to 120 minutes, so that the thickness of the gold plating layer inside and outside the probe tube reaches 2.0 μm.

[0091] The gold-plated probe tube prepared by the above method was tested as follows: the measured value of the inner wall surface roughness Ra was 0.03 μm; the life simulation was carried out by an automated probe contact tester. After 1 million consecutive clicks, the gold plating layer on the end face of the gold-plated probe tube did not peel off or show obvious wear, and the contact resistance fluctuation range was less than 10 mΩ.

[0092] The results show that the gold-plated probe tube prepared in this embodiment has extremely strong structural stability and wear resistance.

[0093] Example 3

[0094] In this embodiment, the method for preparing the probe tube for semiconductor chip detection includes the following steps:

[0095] Step S1: Pre-treatment of precision aluminum mold

[0096] S101. Electrolytic degreasing: Chemical degreasing is performed using a solution containing 50g / L trisodium phosphate and 35g / L sodium carbonate to remove oil stains from the surface of the precision aluminum mold; wherein, the precision aluminum mold is a high-purity aluminum mold (aluminum content ≥99.9%) formed by precision drawing with a single crystal diamond mold, and its outer diameter (wire diameter) is 0.3mm.

[0097] S102. Wash with water: Rinse thoroughly with clean water;

[0098] S103, Pickling: Pickling is performed using a 40% (by volume) mixed acid solution to remove the oxide film from the surface of the aluminum mold.

[0099] S104. Wash with water: Rinse thoroughly with clean water again.

[0100] S105, Secondary zinc plating treatment:

[0101] First zinc immersion treatment: The aluminum mold is immersed in the zinc immersion solution to form an initial zinc layer. The zinc immersion solution includes the following components: zinc oxide 90g / L, sodium hydroxide 400g / L, potassium sodium tartrate 5g / L and ferric chloride 0.5g / L, at a temperature of 25℃.

[0102] Zinc stripping treatment with nitric acid: After washing with water, soak in a 40% (by volume) nitric acid solution at room temperature for 45 seconds to remove the initial zinc layer;

[0103] Second zinc immersion treatment: Immerse again in the above zinc immersion solution for a second zinc immersion to form a uniform and dense zinc transition layer;

[0104] S106, Final water wash: After washing, proceed directly to the electroforming process;

[0105] Step S2: Electroforming a nickel layer (forming an aluminum mold nickel rod)

[0106] S201, Electroforming Neutral Nickel Layer: The pretreated aluminum mold is placed in a neutral nickel electroforming solution, which includes the following components: nickel chloride 15g / L, sodium citrate 200g / L and boric acid 30g / L; the process conditions are: pH value 7.2, electroforming temperature 60℃, and current density 8ASD.

[0107] S202, Electroforming Nickel Sulphate Layer: The aluminum mold is then transferred into the nickel sulfamate electroforming solution, which comprises the following components: nickel sulfamate tetrahydrate 600 g / L, nickel chloride hexahydrate 30 g / L, boric acid 45 g / L, sodium dodecyl sulfate 0.1 g / L, and sodium 1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonate 5 g / L. The process conditions are: pH 4.2, electroforming temperature 60℃, and current density 10 ASD.

[0108] S203, Thickness Control: By precisely shortening the electroforming time, the total thickness (wall thickness) of the electroformed neutral nickel layer and nickel sulfamate layer is controlled to be 15μm, forming a thin-walled solid aluminum mold nickel rod with an outer diameter of 0.33mm;

[0109] S204. Cleaning and drying: Dry the solid aluminum mold nickel rods that have been completed by double-layer nickel electroforming and washed with water, and set them aside for later use.

[0110] Step S3: Bundling, precision cutting, and deburring of the ends.

[0111] S301, Bundling and wrapping: The above-mentioned multiple solid aluminum mold nickel bars after drying are arranged in parallel axial direction and tightly attached radially, and tightly wrapped with high temperature resistant polyester heat shrink film to form a regular bar bundle. After heating and shrinking, the heat shrink film forms a uniform circumferential wrapping and axial restraint on the bar bundle.

[0112] S302, Precision Cutting: The bundled aluminum mold nickel bars are fixed at the high-precision cutting equipment station. A resin grinding wheel with a thickness of 0.15mm is used to cut the bars at a fixed length along the direction perpendicular to the axis of the bar body. The bundle of bars is cut into small segments of 1.5mm in length in one go. The heat shrink film is removed to obtain small segments of aluminum mold nickel bars with outward micro-flanged burrs on the end face due to the cutting force.

[0113] S303, Deburring the end face: The above-mentioned burred small segments of aluminum mold nickel rods are put into a centrifugal grinder together with micro brown corundum grinding media with a particle size of 0.5–1.0 mm, and a special water-based grinding fluid is added; the grinding speed is set to 300 r / min and the grinding time is 20 minutes. The outward burrs on the end face are removed by the controllable mechanical friction and micro-cutting action between the grinding media and the end face of the small segments of aluminum mold nickel rods, without damaging the outer diameter of the nickel layer; after grinding, the rods are sieved, washed with pure water, and dried.

[0114] Step S4: Melting the mold with a strong alkali (deburr first, then melt the mold).

[0115] After deburring, the small section of aluminum mold nickel rod is immersed in a 40% sodium hydroxide solution. The solution temperature is strictly controlled at 65℃ through a heat exchange system, and the immersion is carried out continuously for 1.5 hours. After the inner core aluminum mold is completely dissolved and removed, a high-precision pure nickel tube with an ultra-smooth end face is obtained with a burr height of ≤0.5μm, an end face roughness Ra≤0.04μm, a tube opening roundness accuracy of ≤0.6μm, and no scratches on the inner wall. Then, it is washed with water in a conventional manner.

[0116] Step S5, Post-treatment and Chemical Gold Plating

[0117] S501 Cleaning and Activation: Use 10% sodium hydroxide solution to remove oil, wash with water, activate with 8% sulfuric acid solution, and finally clean with ultrasonic pure water to thoroughly remove residual acid.

[0118] S502, Self-catalytic electroless gold plating: Immerse a pure nickel tube in an electroless gold plating solution, which includes the following components: potassium gold cyanide 1.0 g / L, potassium cyanide 10 g / L, potassium hydroxide 9 g / L, potassium borohydride 8 g / L, EDTA 3 g / L and ethanolamine 40 mL / L.

[0119] The plating bath temperature was controlled at 68℃ and the pH value at 12. Through autocatalytic reduction reaction, the thickness of the gold plating layer on the inner surface of the pure nickel tube was controlled to be 0.2μm.

[0120] S503, Dehydrogenation and Drying: After gold plating, the product undergoes two ultrasonic pure water cleanings, centrifugal drying, and finally drying at 100℃ for 2.0 hours.

[0121] S504, CCD screening: Defective products are removed through automated CCD visual inspection to obtain qualified ultra-thin-walled gold-plated probe tubes.

[0122] The measured parameters of the gold-plated probe tube prepared in this embodiment are as follows: outer diameter is 0.33 mm, wall thickness is 15 μm, inner wall surface roughness Ra is 0.02 μm, and inner diameter tolerance is controlled within ±0.5 μm. After 1 million consecutive clicks, the gold plating layer on the end face of the gold-plated probe tube showed no peeling or significant wear, and the contact resistance fluctuation range was less than 40 mΩ.

[0123] Example 4

[0124] In this embodiment, the method for preparing the probe tube for semiconductor chip detection includes the following steps:

[0125] Step S1: Pre-treatment of precision aluminum mold

[0126] S101, Electrolytic degreasing: Electrolytic degreasing is performed using a solution containing 50g / L trisodium phosphate, 30g / L sodium carbonate and 2g / L sodium hydroxide; wherein, the precision aluminum mold is a high-purity aluminum mold (aluminum content ≥99.9%) formed by precision drawing with a single crystal diamond mold, and its outer diameter (wire diameter) is 0.5 mm.

[0127] S102 to S104: The rinsing, pickling, and rerinsing steps are the same as in Example 1.

[0128] S105, Secondary zinc plating treatment:

[0129] First zinc precipitation: The zinc precipitation solution consists of the following components: zinc oxide 140g / L, sodium hydroxide 600g / L, potassium sodium tartrate 15g / L, and ferric chloride 3g / L.

[0130] Zinc stripping with nitric acid: Immerse in a 60% (v / v) nitric acid solution at room temperature for 30 seconds;

[0131] Second zinc plating: A second zinc plating is performed to form a dense zinc layer with high adhesion;

[0132] S106: After washing with water, it enters the electroforming process;

[0133] Step S2: Electroforming a nickel layer (forming an aluminum mold nickel rod)

[0134] S201, Electroforming Neutral Nickel Layer: The neutral nickel electroforming solution includes the following components: nickel chloride 12g / L, sodium citrate 180g / L and boric acid 25g / L; the process conditions are: pH value 7.0, electroforming temperature 55℃, and current density 7.5ASD.

[0135] S202, Electroforming Nickel Sulphate Layer: The nickel sulfamate electroforming solution comprises the following components: nickel sulfamate tetrahydrate 550 g / L, nickel chloride hexahydrate 25 g / L, boric acid 40 g / L, sodium dodecyl sulfate 0.08 g / L, sodium 1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonate 4 g / L; the process conditions are: pH 3.8, electroforming temperature 55℃, and current density 9 ASD;

[0136] S203, Thickness control: By extending the electroforming deposition time, the total thickness (wall thickness) of the electroformed neutral nickel layer and nickel sulfamate layer is controlled to be 50μm, forming a thick-walled solid aluminum mold nickel rod with an outer diameter of 0.6mm;

[0137] S204: Wash and dry with water, set aside;

[0138] Step S3: Bundling, precision cutting, and deburring of the ends.

[0139] S301, Bundling and wrapping: After drying, multiple solid aluminum mold nickel bars are axially parallel and tightly wrapped with high-temperature heat-shrinkable film. The film is heated by hot air circulation channel to shrink, and the bar bundle is uniformly circumferentially clamped and axially positioned.

[0140] S302, Precision Cutting: The wrapped rod bundle is firmly clamped in the high-precision cutting machine station. A resin grinding wheel with a thickness of 0.20mm is used for ultra-thin cutting. The rod is cut continuously and at a fixed length perpendicular to the axis, and the aluminum mold nickel rod is cut into small segments with a length of 5mm in one go. The heat shrink film is peeled off and the small segments with outward burrs on the end face are collected.

[0141] S303, End face deburring: The above-mentioned aluminum mold nickel rod with burr segments and angular brown corundum abrasive media with a particle size of 1.0–1.5 mm are put into a three-dimensional vibratory grinding machine, and a special water-based grinding fluid is injected. The vibration frequency is set to 50 Hz and the grinding and polishing time is 35 minutes. The high-frequency vibration causes the grinding media and the burrs on the end face of the nickel rod to produce shearing micro-grinding, completely eliminating the outward burrs and keeping the outer wall of the tube intact. After grinding, it is automatically screened and cleaned.

[0142] Step S4: Melting the mold with a strong alkali (deburr first, then melt the mold).

[0143] The deburred section of the aluminum mold nickel rod is immersed in a 40% sodium hydroxide solution, with the solution temperature controlled at 78℃, for 2.5 hours. Since the end face burrs have been completely smoothed by micro-cutting in a solid state, after the inner core aluminum mold is completely dissolved, an ultra-smooth, high-precision pure nickel tube with a burr height ≤0.5μm, end face roughness Ra≤0.05μm, tube end roundness accuracy ≤0.8μm, and no tube end inward collapse or deformation is obtained. Then, it is washed with water as usual.

[0144] Step S5, Post-treatment and Chemical Gold Plating

[0145] S501 Cleaning and Activation: After degreasing with 10% sodium hydroxide, washing with water and activation with 5% sulfuric acid solution, the product is thoroughly cleaned with ultrasonic pure water.

[0146] S502, Self-catalytic electroless gold plating: The electroless gold plating solution comprises the following components: potassium gold cyanide 1.5 g / L, potassium cyanide 12 g / L, potassium hydroxide 10 g / L, potassium borohydride 10 g / L, EDTA 5 g / L, and ethanolamine 50 mL / L; the plating temperature of the electroless gold plating solution is 72℃, and the pH value is 13; by controlling the concentration of the reducing agent and shortening the deposition time, the thickness of the electroless gold plating layer on the inner wall of the pure nickel tube is precisely controlled at 0.1 μm;

[0147] S503, Dehydrogenation and Drying: After gold plating, the product undergoes two ultrasonic pure water cleanings and spin drying, followed by drying at 100℃ for 1.5 hours to eliminate hydrogen atoms in the crystal lattice.

[0148] S504: Qualified products selected through CCD automated visual inspection.

[0149] The measured parameters of the gold-plated probe tube prepared in this embodiment are as follows: outer diameter is 0.6 mm, wall thickness is 50 μm, inner wall surface roughness Ra is 0.01 μm, and inner diameter tolerance is controlled within ±0.9 μm. After 1 million consecutive clicks, the gold plating layer on the end face of the gold-plated probe tube does not peel off or show obvious wear, and the contact resistance fluctuation range is less than 50 mΩ.

[0150] Comparative Example 1

[0151] This comparative example provides a probe tube preparation method for reference and comparison. Its overall process is basically the same as that of Example 1. The main difference lies in the adjustment of the pretreatment method of the mandrel and the sequence of cutting and casting processes, as follows:

[0152] Mandrel pretreatment: In step S1, the precision aluminum mold (outer diameter of 0.3mm) is subjected to only one zinc plating treatment, that is, the nitric acid zinc stripping and second zinc plating steps are omitted. After the zinc plating treatment is performed on the surface of the aluminum mold to form a zinc plating layer, it directly enters the electroforming process.

[0153] Electroforming and cutting process: In step S2, the same double-layer nickel (neutral nickel layer + nickel aminosulfonate layer) process as in Example 1 is used for electroforming, and the total thickness (wall thickness) of the electroformed neutral nickel layer and nickel aminosulfonate layer is controlled to be 40 μm to form a solid aluminum mold nickel rod.

[0154] In step S3, the solid aluminum mold nickel rod is fixed and directly cut vertically into small segments with a length of 3.0mm using a resin grinding wheel cutting disc. No end face grinding or deburring is performed after cutting.

[0155] The casting and post-processing steps are as follows: The solid small segment with cut burrs is directly immersed in a 40% sodium hydroxide solution for strong alkaline casting. After the internal aluminum mold is completely dissolved, a hollow pure nickel tube is obtained. After the casting is completed, the loose thin-walled hollow pure nickel tube is put into a grinding machine to remove burrs. Finally, according to the autocatalytic reduction chemical gold plating process in step S5, a gold plating layer with a thickness of 0.5 μm is deposited on the inner wall.

[0156] The measured parameters of the gold-plated probe tube prepared in this comparative example are as follows:

[0157] 1. Geometric accuracy of tube opening and end face: Since the end face was not deburred and ground in the solid state in this comparative example, after strong alkali melting and molding, the rigidity of the micro-thin-walled hollow pure nickel tube is extremely low, and it can no longer withstand the high-intensity brown corundum mechanical grinding and deburring process (which can easily lead to tube deformation and flattening). This results in poor end face quality of the finished probe tube. The measured burr height of the cut is as high as 8.5μm, the end face roughness Ra deteriorates to 0.42μm, and the tube opening roundness accuracy is only 1.8μm. The tube opening has obvious uneven residual burrs.

[0158] 2. Adhesion and Electrical Reliability: Due to the use of a single zinc plating process, the zinc transition layer underwent microscopic intergranular corrosion in the electroless gold plating solution and subsequent tests, resulting in a significant decrease in the adhesion between the nickel substrate and the autocatalytic gold plating layer. In the 3M tape peel test, approximately 15% of the plating layer peeled off. In the 1 million continuous dynamic click reliability test, the detached gold plating fragments became stuck inside the tube, causing the internal spring movement to be obstructed. The dynamic contact resistance fluctuated drastically in the later stages of the test, accompanied by local open circuit faults.

[0159] Comparative Example 2

[0160] This comparative example uses the traditional precision multi-pass drawing process commonly used in the industry. This process does not use aluminum mold mandrels, but directly performs multi-pass mechanical cold drawing to reduce the diameter of conventional hollow nickel alloy tubes until the final geometric dimensions reach: outer diameter 0.3mm, wall thickness 40μm (i.e. inner diameter 0.22mm), and total length of the finished product 3.0mm.

[0161] After multiple mechanical drawing processes, the hollow tube is vertically mechanically cut to a fixed length using a resin abrasive wheel. After cutting, the end face is not ground, and conventional electroplating gold process is directly performed on the inner wall to control the gold plating layer thickness to 0.5μm.

[0162] The measured parameters of the gold-plated probe tube prepared in this comparative example are as follows:

[0163] 1. Microscopic morphology and dimensional accuracy of the inner wall: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the inner wall of the stretched tube in this comparative example has dense longitudinal mechanical grooves formed by strong tensile friction of the mold. The measured surface roughness Ra is as high as 0.520 μm (far higher than the nanoscale mirror morphology of the embodiment of the present invention). In addition, due to cold work hardening and the release of mechanical stress during cutting, the tube exhibits severe springback, resulting in an expansion of the inner diameter tolerance fluctuation range to ±4.5 μm and extremely poor dimensional consistency.

[0164] 2. Tube end deformation and burr defects: Since this comparative example involves directly mechanically cutting hollow tubes, the tube end completely loses the rigid support of the internal matrix under the strong shearing force of the abrasive wheel cutting disc, resulting in severe "inward burrs" and "tube end collapse deformation" during cutting. The measured burr height of the cut is as high as 12.5μm, the end surface roughness Ra is 0.85μm, and the roundness deviation of the port section is as high as 3.8μm. These sharp burrs that curl inward and the collapsed tube end can cause the internal spring and needle to be directly jammed or scratched during subsequent probe assembly.

[0165] 3. Electrical and Reliability: In the 1 million automated simulated click test, due to the roughness of the inner wall Ra of 0.520μm and the presence of inward burrs, the internal spring has extremely high resistance to movement within the cavity, resulting in a very high "pin jamming" failure rate during high-frequency clicks. In the middle and later stages of the test, its dynamic contact resistance rises sharply to ≥120mΩ, which completely fails to meet the stringent requirements of high-precision and long-life electrical testing of semiconductor chips.

[0166] The specific comparison between the embodiments of the present invention and the comparative examples is shown in the table below.

[0167] Comparison Dimensions Testing and performance items Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Comparative Example 1 Comparative Example 2 mandrel features Mandrel Material and Specifications High-purity aluminum mold outer diameter 0.3mm High-purity aluminum mold outer diameter 0.3mm High-purity aluminum mold outer diameter 0.3mm High-purity aluminum mold outer diameter 0.5mm High-purity aluminum mold outer diameter 0.3mm Mandrelless drawing (hollow tube drawing) mandrel surface pretreatment Secondary zinc precipitation Secondary zinc precipitation Secondary zinc precipitation Secondary zinc precipitation Single zinc plating — Processing technology Electroforming / drawing process Neutral nickel + nickel aminosulfonate Neutral nickel + nickel aminosulfonate Neutral nickel + nickel aminosulfonate Neutral nickel + nickel aminosulfonate Neutral nickel + nickel aminosulfonate Multi-pass mechanical drawing Cutting and deburring processes Solid bundled wrapping + brown corundum grinding Solid bundled wrapping + brown corundum grinding Solid bundled wrapping + brown corundum grinding Solid bundled wrapping + brown corundum grinding Solid, direct cut (unground) Hollow tubes were cut directly (without grinding). Investment casting and cutting sequence First cut and grind, then use strong alkali to melt the mold. First cut and grind, then use strong alkali to melt the mold. First cut and grind, then use strong alkali to melt the mold. First cut and grind, then use strong alkali to melt the mold. First cut, then use strong alkali to melt the mold, and then grind. —(No investment molding process) Gold plating process on the inner wall of the tube Self-catalytic reduction electroless gold plating Self-catalytic reduction electroless gold plating Self-catalytic reduction electroless gold plating Self-catalytic reduction electroless gold plating Self-catalytic reduction electroless gold plating Conventional electroformed gold Basic geometric parameters Total thickness of electroformed nickel layer (wall thickness) / μm 40 40 15 50 40 — (drawn wall thickness 40) Chemical gold plating thickness / μm 0.5 2 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.5 Total length of finished probe tube / mm 3 3 1.5 5 3 3 Pipeline geometric accuracy Cutting burr height / μm ≤0.5 ≤0.5 ≤0.5 ≤0.5 8.5 (Residue after melting mold) 12.5 (Severe inversion) End face roughness Ra / μm ≤0.05 ≤0.05 ≤0.04 ≤0.05 0.42 0.85 Orifice roundness accuracy / μm ≤1.0 ≤1.0 ≤0.6 ≤0.8 1.8 3.8 (Pipe Collapse) Inner wall and dimensional accuracy Inner wall surface roughness Ra / μm 0.02 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.15 0.520 (Dense grooving) Inner diameter tolerance fluctuation range / μm ±0.8 ±0.8 ±0.5 ±0.9 ±2.0 ±4.5 (stress rebound) Electrical reliability 3M tape peel test (adhesion) No peeling No peeling No peeling No peeling 15% area stripping Localized peeling 1 million dynamic contact resistance fluctuations ≤15mΩ ≤10mΩ ≤40mΩ ≤50mΩ Partial circuit break (detachment) ≥120mΩ (SIM card pin malfunction)

[0168] The method for fabricating a probe tube for semiconductor chip testing of the present invention combines a secondary zinc plating process with a double-layer nickel electroforming process consisting of a neutral nickel layer and a nickel sulfamate layer. This achieves a high-strength bond between the aluminum mold surface and the nickel layer, ensuring a smooth inner wall and precise dimensions for the nickel tube structure. The secondary zinc plating process, through a "zinc plating-re-zinc plating" step, forms a uniform and dense zinc transition layer on the aluminum mold surface, significantly improving the adhesion and uniformity of the subsequent nickel layer. Subsequently, a neutral nickel layer and a nickel sulfamate layer are electroformed sequentially. The neutral nickel layer provides good underlayer coverage and stress buffering, while the nickel sulfamate layer imparts high mechanical strength and low internal stress. Together, they ensure the stability and crack-free structure of the electroformed layer. After removing the aluminum mold, the resulting weld-free pure nickel tube undergoes chemical gold plating to form an extremely thin and highly conductive gold plating layer. Ultimately, this results in a probe tube with excellent mechanical properties, electrical properties, and dimensional consistency.

[0169] The key advantages of the semiconductor chip testing probe tube fabrication method of this invention are its high process integration, controllable cost, and suitability for mass production. By using a soluble aluminum mold as the mandrel, the problems of seams and stress concentration caused by traditional welding or splicing methods are avoided, resulting in extremely high smoothness of the probe tube's inner wall (Ra < 0.05 μm) and strict dimensional tolerance control (±1 μm). The chemical gold plating layer not only improves conductivity and corrosion resistance but also maintains a very small thickness (0.1-2 μm), without affecting the accuracy of the tube structure. The overall process significantly reduces material and processing costs while ensuring high performance, providing a reliable and economical probe tube solution for high-precision electrical testing of semiconductor chips.

[0170] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step S1: Use a precision aluminum mold as the forming mandrel and perform pretreatment on the surface of the aluminum mold, including degreasing, pickling, pure water cleaning and secondary zinc plating. Step S2: After zinc plating, a neutral nickel layer is electroformed onto the surface of the aluminum mold sequentially through a neutral nickel electroforming solution, and a nickel sulfamate layer is electroformed through a nickel sulfamate electroforming solution to form an aluminum mold nickel rod. Step S3: Tightly wrap the aluminum mold nickel rods with a high-temperature heat-shrinkable film to form a regular rod bundle, and cut the rod bundle into small segments with a length of 1-5mm in one go; after cutting, remove the high-temperature heat-shrinkable film, and grind and micro-polish the small segments of aluminum mold nickel rods. Step S4: Perform melting and soaking. Immerse the cut aluminum mold nickel rod segments in a strong alkaline solution and ultrasonically soak at 60-80℃ for 30 minutes. After the aluminum mold is completely dissolved and removed, pure nickel tubes are obtained and then washed with water. Step S5: After cleaning, acid-washing activation, and pure water rinsing of the pure nickel tube, a high-precision gold-plated probe tube with an ultra-smooth end face, characterized by a burr height ≤0.5μm, an end face roughness Ra ≤0.05μm, and a tube opening roundness accuracy ≤1μm, is prepared using a self-catalytic reduction chemical gold plating process.

2. The method for fabricating a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The precision aluminum mold is a high-purity aluminum mold with an aluminum content of ≥99.9%, a surface roughness of ≤0.03μm, and free of pits and scratches, formed by precision drawing with a single crystal diamond mold.

3. The method for fabricating a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S1, the secondary zinc immersion treatment includes a first zinc immersion treatment, a nitric acid zinc stripping treatment, and a second zinc immersion treatment.

4. The method for preparing a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, the neutral nickel electroforming solution comprises the following components: nickel chloride 10-15 g / L, sodium citrate 160-200 g / L and boric acid 20-30 g / L; the pH value of the neutral nickel electroforming solution is 6.8-7.2, the electroforming temperature is 50-60℃, and the current density is 6-8 ASD.

5. The method for fabricating a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, the nickel aminosulfonate electroforming solution comprises the following components: nickel aminosulfonate tetrahydrate 400-600 g / L, nickel chloride hexahydrate 20-30 g / L, boric acid 35-45 g / L, sodium dodecyl sulfate 0.05-0.1 g / L, and sodium 1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonate 3-5 g / L; the pH value of the nickel aminosulfonate electroforming solution is 3.5-4.2, the electroforming temperature is 50-60℃, and the current density is 8-10 ASD.

6. The method for fabricating a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, the electroforming thickness of the neutral nickel layer is 2-5 μm, and the electroforming thickness of the nickel aminosulfonate layer is 28-45 μm; the electroforming thickness of the neutral nickel layer and the nickel aminosulfonate layer is 30-50 μm.

7. The method for fabricating a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S5, the electroless gold plating solution of the autocatalytic reduction electroless gold plating process comprises the following components: potassium gold cyanide 1-2 g / L, potassium cyanide 10-15 g / L, potassium hydroxide 9-13 g / L, potassium borohydride 8-12 g / L, EDTA 3-7 g / L, and ethanolamine 40-60 mL / L; the plating temperature of the electroless gold plating solution is 68-75℃, and the pH value is 12-14.

8. The method for fabricating a probe tube for semiconductor chip detection as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S5, the gold plating thickness of the gold-plated probe tube is 0.1-2 μm.

9. A semiconductor chip detection probe tube prepared by the method for preparing a semiconductor chip detection probe tube according to claim 1, characterized in that, The probe tube comprises a pure nickel substrate and a chemically plated gold layer coated on the pure nickel substrate. The inner wall of the probe tube has a mirror-like morphology without mechanical stretching scratches. The wall thickness of the probe tube is 30-50 μm, the inner diameter tolerance is ±1 μm, the inner wall roughness Ra < 0.05 μm, and the outer diameter is 0.1-0.5 mm.

10. A probe composed of a semiconductor chip detection probe tube prepared by the method for preparing a semiconductor chip detection probe tube according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a spring and a probe head. The spring is loaded inside the probe tube, and the probe head is located at one or both ends of the probe tube. The probe tube, spring and probe head are fixed together by mechanical pressing to form a complete detection path.

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