Electrical connection device

Abstract

To allow large current capacity, enable the formation of numerous paths for power supply and paths for ground with short lengths, and significantly suppress wiring resistance values.SOLUTION: There is provided an electrical connection device for electrically connecting an inspection device and an inspection object. The electrical connection device comprises a multilayer wiring board having a plurality of contactors that electrically contact electrode terminals of the inspection object and electrically connect board electrodes connected to the inspection device to the electrode terminals. The multilayer wiring board includes a metal core member. The metal core member is disposed at a position where either or both of terminals for power supply and terminals for ground are located in the electrode terminals of the inspection object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connecting device, and can be applied to, for example, an electrical connecting device such as a probe card used in electrical inspections such as electrical tests of semiconductor integrated circuits formed on a semiconductor wafer. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, semiconductors for AI (Artificial Intelligence) processing consume more power as the number of transistors increases, and tests may be conducted in which all transistors are operated simultaneously.

[0003] In addition, since area array type elements have a large number of electrode terminals (PAD), it is expected that the amount of current that flows instantaneously will also be high. For example, there is a demand for an allowable current of more than 1000A, but conventional probe cards are not able to keep up with this.

[0004] A method of providing a busbar on a substrate to efficiently pass a large current to a target location has been known. The busbar has low electrical resistance and is therefore capable of passing a large current.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for reducing wiring resistance by filling through-holes in a PCB substrate with copper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-339349 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the space transformer (ST) board used in the probe card must be thin because of the high wiring density and the requirement for fine circuits. Therefore, the number of layers cannot be limited to the specific power supply path and ground (GND) path alone. In addition, because it generates heat due to Joule heat, if countermeasures are insufficient, the product will be destroyed.

[0008] When using a bus bar, a copper plate can be attached to the top surface of the board. However, attaching the bus bar to the bottom surface of the board will affect the layout of the probes. Furthermore, the ST board needs to be thin, and it is difficult to provide a bus bar on the inner layer of the ST board because it is necessary to wire IO and other power sources.

[0009] Moreover, simply filling a through-hole with copper as in Patent Document 1 makes it difficult to meet customer demands for currents exceeding 1000A.

[0010] Therefore, there is a demand for an electrical connecting device that can tolerate large currents, can form many short power supply paths and short ground paths, and can significantly reduce the wiring resistance value. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve such problems, the present invention provides an electrical connection device that electrically connects an inspection device and an object under test, comprising a multilayer wiring board having a plurality of contacts that electrically contact the electrode terminals of the object under test and electrically connect between the board electrodes connected to the inspection device and the electrode terminals, the multilayer wiring board having a metal core member that is arranged at a position where one or both of the power supply terminals and the ground terminals of the electrode terminals of the object under test are present. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, a large amount of current can be tolerated, many power supply paths and ground paths can be formed to be short, and the wiring resistance value can be significantly suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a probe board according to an embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an electrical connecting device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the positional relationship between electrode terminals and a core member of a test object in an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a probe board according to a modified embodiment (part 1). [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a probe board according to a modified embodiment (part 2). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] (A) Main embodiment DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electrical connecting device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0015] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the electrical connection device of the present invention is applied to a probe card that is attached to a tester in order to inspect the electrical characteristics defined in multiple semiconductor integrated circuits formed on a semiconductor wafer.

[0016] (A-1) Configuration of the electrical connection device Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of an electrical connecting device according to an embodiment Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a probe board according to an embodiment.

[0017] 2, the electrical connecting device 10 according to the embodiment has a probe board 1 and a wiring board 2. The probe board 1 is provided on the lower surface of the wiring board 2.

[0018] Although the main components of the electrical connecting device 10 are shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the electrical connecting device 10 is not limited to the components shown in the drawings, and actually includes components that are not shown.

[0019] The electrical connection device 10 transmits and receives electrical signals between the device under test 83 and a tester (testing device) TE, and has electrical contacts (probes) 6 that electrically contact electrode terminals 84 of the device under test 83. For example, the electrical connection device 10 can be applied to a probe card or the like, and in this case, a vertical probe card will be illustrated as an example.

[0020] The electrical connection device 10 is attached to the test head of the tester TE, and during testing, electrically connects the tester TE and the device under test 83 by electrically contacting corresponding electrical contactors 6 with each electrode terminal 84 of the device under test 83.

[0021] That is, during testing, the electrical connection device 10 supplies electrical signals from the tester TE to the electrode terminals 84 of the device under test 83 via the electrical contacts 6, and also supplies electrical signals from the device under test 83 to the tester TE via the electrical contacts 6. In this way, the electrical connection device 10 electrically connects between the device under test 83 and the tester TE, allowing the tester TE to test the electrical characteristics of the device under test 83.

[0022] The object under test 83 is an object whose electrical characteristics are to be inspected by the tester TE. For example, the object under test 83 is a semiconductor integrated circuit formed on a semiconductor wafer before dowsing. In particular, in this embodiment, the object under test 83 is assumed to have a large number of transistors such as an AI processing compatible semiconductor integrated circuit (IC chip device) and the like, and has a high allowable current during inspection. The shape of the object under test 83 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a rectangle, a triangle, etc. when viewed from above.

[0023] The object under test 83 is placed on the upper surface of a chuck 82 connected to a driving unit 81 such as a multi-axis stage, and the position of the object under test 83 on the chuck 82 can be adjusted by driving the driving unit 81. During inspection, the object under test 83 on the chuck 82 and the electrical contacts 6 of the electrical connecting device 10 are brought relatively close to each other so that each electrode terminal 84 of the object under test 83 and the corresponding electrical contacts 6 are in electrical contact with each other.

[0024] [Wiring board 2] The wiring board 2 is a substantially circular, plate-shaped printed circuit board made of a synthetic resin material such as polyimide, etc. The wiring board 2 is an example of a first substrate.

[0025] A printed wiring is formed on one surface (e.g., the top surface) of the wiring board 2, and electronic components such as resistors and capacitors are provided thereon. A plurality of tester connection parts (not shown) are provided on the outer edge of the wiring board 2 to connect to an electric circuit of a tester TE, and each tester connection part is connected to a printed wiring on the wiring board 2.

[0026] For example, a plurality of through holes penetrating in the plate thickness direction (Z-axis direction) are formed in the wiring board 2. Conductive connectors are inserted into the through holes and connected to connection terminals 17 on the probe board 1. This allows electrical connection between the wiring board 2 and the probe board 1 present on the lower surface of the wiring board 2 via the conductive connectors.

[0027] [Probe board 1] The probe substrate 1 is a substrate that supports a plurality of electrical contacts 6. The probe substrate 1 is also called a probe head, and is an example of a second substrate. In this embodiment, the probe substrate 1 supports vertical probes as the electrical contacts 6, but the electrical contacts 6 are not limited to this.

[0028] The probe substrate 1 is a multi-layer substrate made of a synthetic resin material such as polyimide, and wiring paths are formed between the multiple substrates.

[0029] Although the electrical contactor 6 is illustrated as a vertical probe, it may be a cantilever probe. The other end (e.g., the upper end) of the electrical contactor 6 is connected to a connection terminal 18 provided on one surface (e.g., the lower surface) of the probe substrate 1, and during testing, one end (e.g., the lower end) of the electrical contactor 6 is electrically connected to an electrode terminal 84 of the test object 83.

[0030] (A-2) About probe board 1 In FIG. 1, the probe board 1 has, broadly speaking, a first multilayer wiring layer 11 and a second multilayer wiring layer 12. As shown in FIG.

[0031] The shapes of the first multilayer wiring layer 11 and the second multilayer wiring layer 12 are not particularly limited, but may be, for example, formed in a rectangular plate shape when viewed from above.

[0032] In the probe board 1, the first multilayer wiring layer 11 is a board formed of a plurality of layers, and a first signal circuit 13 is formed between the plurality of boards as a wiring path. The first signal circuit 13 can be electrically connected to the wiring board 2 via a connection terminal 17 that connects to the wiring board 2. The boards of the layers that form the first multilayer wiring layer 11 may have the same thickness or different thicknesses, and are joined by a bonding material such as an adhesive.

[0033] In addition, the first multilayer wiring layer 11 formed of multiple substrates has a through hole 150 formed in approximately the center thereof, extending from one surface to the other surface, and a core member 15 made of copper is provided in the through hole 150.

[0034] The method of inserting the core member 15 into the through hole 150 is not particularly limited, but for example, a method can be used in which after the through hole 150 is formed in the first multilayer wiring layer 11, the core member 15 is inserted into the through hole 150, and a wall surface 151 of the through hole 150 and an outer peripheral surface of the core member 15 are bonded with an adhesive or the like. When inserted into the through hole 150, the core member 15 is made flush with both surfaces of the first multilayer wiring layer 11. In other words, the core member 15 is provided so that no steps are generated.

[0035] The core member 15 is a member made of a conductive metal such as copper or a copper alloy. The shape of the core member 15 may be a polygonal prism such as a circular cylinder, an elliptical cylinder, a triangular prism, or a square prism. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the core member 15 is a cylindrical member made of copper.

[0036] Note that the material of the core member 15 is not limited to copper and may be other metals as long as the resistance value is small and a large current can be tolerated. In addition, the surface of the core member 15 may be covered with a metal film (for example, a gold film) to prevent oxidation.

[0037] In the probe substrate 1, the second multilayer wiring layer 12 is a substrate formed of a plurality of layers, and is provided on the other surface (e.g., the lower surface) of the first multilayer wiring layer 11 on which the core member 15 is provided. The thicknesses of the substrates of the layers constituting the second multilayer wiring layer 12 may be the same or different.

[0038] On the other surface (eg, the lower surface) of the second multilayer wiring layer 12, a plurality of electrical contacts 6 are provided.

[0039] Here, as shown in FIG. 3, when the object to be inspected 83 is an AreaArray type IC chip device, a large number of electrode terminals 84 of the object to be inspected 83 are formed in a lattice pattern.

[0040] 3, the device under test 83 has, as electrode terminals 84, a signal terminal 841 for a signal signal, and a power supply terminal (VDD-PAD) or a ground terminal (GND-PAD) 842. For ease of explanation, the latter electrode terminal will be referred to as the power supply or ground electrode terminal 842.

[0041] Thus, the test subject 83 has two types of electrode terminals 84, and to match these types, the electrical contacts 6 include a signal contact 61 that makes electrical contact with a signal terminal 841, and a power or ground contact 62 that makes electrical contact with a power or ground electrode terminal 842.

[0042] In the second multilayer wiring layer 12, a second signal circuit 14 is formed as a wiring path between a plurality of substrates, and the second signal circuit 14 is connected to a signal contact 61 among the electrical contacts 6, and is also connected to a first signal circuit 13 in the first multilayer wiring layer 11. In other words, the first signal circuit 13 is electrically connected to the signal contact 61 via the second signal circuit 14.

[0043] In other words, during testing, the signal contactor 61 is in electrical contact with the signal terminal 841 of the test subject 83, and an electrical signal to the signal terminal 841 of the test subject 83 is transmitted between the first signal circuit 13 and the second signal circuit 14 via the signal contactor 61.

[0044] In addition, in the second multilayer wiring layer 12, vias 16 are formed as through-connection paths connecting between a core member 15 provided in the first multilayer wiring layer 11 and a contact 62 for power or ground.

[0045] Since the core member 15 has a low resistance value and is a conductor that allows a large amount of current to be passed, by connecting the core member 15 to the power supply or ground contact 62 through the via 16, a large amount of current can be supplied to the device under test 83. In other words, the device under test 83 can be made to follow even a momentary large amount of current that flows during testing.

[0046] Furthermore, the positional relationship between the core member 15, the power or ground contact 62, and the power or ground electrode terminal 842 of the device under test 83 corresponds to each other in the Z-axis direction, as shown in FIG.

[0047] In other words, since the power or ground contact 62 and the core member 15 are located directly above the power or ground electrode terminal 842, it is possible to minimize the conduction path through the via 16. In this way, it is possible to significantly reduce the wiring resistance including the via 16, and a large amount of current can be passed.

[0048] In other words, the power or ground electrode terminal 842 present in the region (existence region) R directly below the core member 15 is electrically connected to the power or ground contact 62 through the via 16 in the shortest path.

[0049] On the other hand, for the electrode terminals 842 for power supply or ground that exist outside the area (existence area) R directly below the core member 15, the second signal circuit 14 of the second multilayer wiring layer 12 is connected to the power supply or ground contact 62, and is conductive via the second signal circuit 14 and the power supply or ground contact 62.

[0050] (A-3) Effects of the embodiment As described above, according to this embodiment, the probe board 1 is formed by bonding the first multilayer wiring layer 11 provided with the core member 15 to the second multilayer wiring layer 12 on its lower surface, and a large current can be efficiently conducted to the power supply or ground contact 62 in the presence region R of the core member 15 by shortening the conduction path through the via 16. As a result, even if the allowable current value is large, it becomes possible to perform the inspection.

[0051] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a core member is provided in the first multilayer wiring layer 11 of the probe board, and a second multilayer wiring layer 12 is further provided on the underside thereof. Therefore, even in a probe board that requires high wiring density and thin film, a core member equivalent to a bus bar can be provided.

[0052] (B) Other embodiments Although various modified embodiments have been mentioned in the above-described embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to the following modified embodiments.

[0053] (B-1) FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a probe board according to a modified embodiment.

[0054] The above-mentioned probe board 1 in FIG. 1 illustrates a case where one core member 15 is provided, but the probe board 1A illustrated in FIG. 4 illustrates a case where a power core member 15A and a ground core member 15B are provided.

[0055] In this way, when two core members (power core member 15A, ground core member 15B) are provided, power via 16A connecting power contact 61A and power core member 15A, and ground via 16B connecting ground contact 61B and ground core member 15B are provided, so that current can flow separately for power and ground. This makes it possible to handle different potentials for power and ground.

[0056] (B-2) FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a probe board according to a modified embodiment.

[0057] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the wiring board 2 and the probe board 1 are electrically connected and a large amount of current is supplied from the wiring board 2 to the core member 15 has been exemplified.

[0058] 5, a new connection terminal 5 is provided on the core member 15, and a current is supplied from a newly provided power source 51 to the connection terminal 5. This makes it possible to newly form a power supply and ground circuit including the power source 51.

[0059] For example, by screwing the core member 15 from above and using the screw as the connection terminal 5 and connecting it to the power source 51 with a thick wire, it becomes possible to handle a large current. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10...electrical connection device, 2...wiring board, 5...connection terminal, 1, 1A and 1B... probe substrate, 11... first multilayer wiring layer, 12... second multilayer wiring layer, 13... first signal circuit, 14... second signal circuit, 15... core member, 15A... power supply core member, 15B... ground core member, 16... vias, 16A... power supply vias, 16B... ground vias, 17... connection terminals, 18... connection terminals, 6...electrical contact, 61...signal contact, 61A...power contact, 61B...ground contact, 62...ground contact, 51...power supply, 81...drive unit, 82...chuck, 83...object to be inspected, 84...electrode terminal, 150...through hole, 151...wall surface, 841...signal terminal, 842...electrode terminal.

Claims

1. An electrical connection device that electrically connects an inspection device and an object to be inspected, a multilayer wiring board having a plurality of contacts that are in electrical contact with the electrode terminals of the device under test and electrically connect between board electrodes connected to the testing device and the electrode terminals, the multilayer wiring board has a metal core member, 2. An electrical connecting device according to claim 1, wherein the metal core member is disposed at a position where one or both of a power supply terminal and a ground terminal are present among the electrode terminals of the device under test.

2. The multilayer wiring board is a first multilayer wiring layer having a first signal circuit between a plurality of substrate layers and the metal core member provided in a through hole; a second multilayer wiring layer having a second signal circuit between a plurality of substrate layers on one surface side of the first multilayer wiring layer; Equipped with The second multilayer wiring layer is The power supply terminal and the ground terminal within the region where the metal core member is present each have a through connection path that electrically connects the metal core member to a power contact that contacts the power supply terminal and a ground contact that contacts the ground terminal.

2. The electrical connecting device according to claim 1.

3. The second multilayer wiring layer is The power supply terminals and the ground terminals outside the region where the metal core member is present are connected to the power supply contacts and the ground contacts through the first signal circuit and the second signal circuit, respectively.

3. The electrical connecting device according to claim 2.

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