Probe

Abstract

To provide a probe that stabilizes the electrical connection between an object to be inspected and a land.SOLUTION: A probe 10 comprises: a columnar body section 11 that extends in an axial direction; a tip section 12 that is connected to one end of the body section 11 and contacts an object to be inspected during inspection; and a base end section 13 that is connected to the other end of the body section 11. The base end section 13 includes a plurality of connection sections 130 each having a linking section 131 that elastically connects to the body section 11, and a contact section 132 of which a first end is connected to the linking section 131.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a probe used for inspecting electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected.

Background Art

[0002] In order to inspect electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected, such as a semiconductor integrated circuit, in a wafer state, an electrical connection device including a probe is used. In an inspection using a probe, one end of the probe contacts an electrode of the object to be inspected, and the other end of the probe contacts a terminal (hereinafter referred to as a "land") disposed on a substrate included in the electrical connection device. The land is electrically connected to an inspection device such as a tester.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to accurately inspect electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected, it is necessary to stably electrically connect the object to be inspected and the land via a probe. An object of the present invention is to provide a probe capable of stably electrically connecting an object to be inspected and a land.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A probe according to an aspect of the present invention includes a columnar main body portion extending in an axial direction, a tip portion connected to one end of the main body portion and contacting an object to be inspected in an inspection, and a base end portion connected to the other end of the main body portion. The base end portion includes a plurality of connection portions each having an elastic connecting portion connected to the main body portion and a contact portion having a first end connected to the connecting portion.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, a probe can be provided that stabilizes the electrical connection between an object to be inspected and a land.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 5

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Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the ratios of the thicknesses of the respective parts are different from the actual ones. Also, it goes without saying that there are parts where the dimensional relationships and ratios are different between the drawings. The embodiments shown below illustrate devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of this invention, and the embodiments of this invention do not specify the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of the components as follows.

[0009] (First Embodiment) The probe 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is used for inspecting the electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected. The probe 10 includes a columnar main body portion 11 extending in the axial direction, a tip portion 12 connected to one end of the main body portion 11 and contacting the object to be inspected in the inspection, and a base end portion 13 connected to the other end of the main body portion 11. Hereinafter, the axial direction of the main body portion 11 is also simply referred to as the "axial direction". As shown in FIG. 1, the main body portion 11 and the tip portion 12 may be integrally formed. The base end portion 13 includes a plurality of connection portions 130. Each of the connection portions 130 has an elastic connecting portion 131 connected to the main body portion 11 and a contact portion 132 connected to the connecting portion 131.

[0010] Hereinafter, the direction in which the base end portion 13 is located when viewed from the tip portion 12 along the axial direction is defined as upward, and the direction in which the tip portion 12 is located when viewed from the base end portion 13 is defined as downward. For example, the contact portion 132 is located above the connecting portion 131. Also, the surface facing upward of each part of the probe 10 is defined as the upper surface, the surface facing downward is defined as the lower surface, and the surface connecting the upper surface and the lower surface is defined as the side surface.

[0011] The probe 10 shown in FIG. 1 has three connection portions 130 at the base end portion 13, but the number of connection portions 130 of the base end portion 13 may be two or four or more. Hereinafter, the case where the base end portion 13 has three connection portions 130 as shown in FIG. 1 will be exemplarily described.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting portion 131 has a beam portion 1311 that is connected to the main body portion 11 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a support portion 1312 that is connected to the beam portion 1311 and extends in the axial direction. The first end 132a of the contact portion 132 is connected to the support portion 1312 of the connecting portion 131. The contact portion 132 extends parallel to the axial direction. When viewed from the axial direction, the main body portion 11 and the contact portion 132 are spaced apart. The second end 132b of the contact portion 132 is included in a plane level perpendicular to the axial direction at a position that extends axially from the position of the other end of the main body portion 11 to which the base end portion 13 is connected. As will be described later, the second end 132b of the contact portion 132 contacts the land in the inspection of the object to be inspected. The thicker the diameter of the contact portion 132, the more stable the contact between the land and the probe 10. Although an example in which the diameter of the contact portion 132 is thicker than the diameter of the connecting portion 131 is shown, the diameters of the contact portion 132 and the connecting portion 131 may be approximately the same. In order to arrange the probes 10 at a narrow pitch, it is preferable that the diameter of the contact portion 132 is thinner. Note that the end face of the second end 132b of the contact portion 132 may be configured to remove the oxide film on the surface of the land. For example, unevenness may be formed on the end face of the second end 132b.

[0013] The cross-section of the main body portion 11 perpendicular to the axial direction (hereinafter simply referred to as "cross-section") may be, for example, circular or polygonal. In the present embodiment, the case where the cross-section of the main body portion 11 is circular will be exemplarily described. In order to electrically connect the electrodes and lands of the object to be inspected, a conductive material such as a metal material is used for the probe 10. For example, nickel (Ni), nickel alloy, gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), palladium alloy, rhodium (Rh), rhodium alloy, and other precious metals may be used as the material of the probe 10.

[0014] Probe 10 is used in, for example, the electrical connection device 100 shown in FIG. 3. When inspecting the object to be inspected 200, the tip 12 of the probe 10 contacts an electrode pad (not shown) of the object to be inspected 200. The connection part 130 of the base end part 13 of the probe 10 is connected to the land 21 of the substrate 20. Specifically, the second end 132b of the contact part 132 is connected to the land 21. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of contact parts 132 included in the same base end part 13 are connected to one land 21. The position of the other end of the main body part 11 is below the position of the second end 132b of the contact part 132, and a space is interposed between the end of the main body part 11 and the substrate 20. The substrate 20 is, for example, a printed circuit board or a space transformer. The land 21 is electrically connected to an inspection device such as an IC tester (not shown).

[0015] The tip of the second end 132b of the contact part 132 may be a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the probe 10. By making the tip of the second end 132b a plane, the contact area between the contact part 132 and the land can be increased. The larger the contact area between the contact part 132 and the land, the larger current can flow through the probe 10.

[0016] The base end part 13 of the probe 10 may be joined to the land 21 to form the electrical connection device 100. The connection method and connection material for joining the probe 10 to the land 21 can be arbitrarily selected. For example, the second end 132b of the contact part 132 of the probe 10 may be joined to the land 21 by soldering.

[0017] Since the connecting portion 131 of the connecting part 130 has elasticity, when the tip 12 of the probe 10 with the base end 13 connected to the land 21 is brought into contact with the inspection object 200, elastic deformation along the axial direction of the probe 10 is possible. In other words, since the main body portion 11 of the probe 10 is linear and does not have elasticity in the axial direction by itself, the probe 10 as a whole has axial elasticity. For this reason, after the probe 10 is brought into contact with the inspection object 200, an over-drive can be applied to press the probe 10 against the inspection object 200. By the over-drive, an electrical connection between the probe 10 and the inspection object 200 can be ensured. Further, since the base end 13 of the probe 10 has a plurality of contact portions 132, the probe 10 can be stably brought into contact with the land 21.

[0018] After the inspection of the inspection object 200 is completed, the probe 10 is separated from the inspection object 200. The connecting portion 131 is formed so as to elastically deform and return to its original state after the probe 10 is separated from the inspection object 200. For example, the connecting portion 131 may be made elastic by making the diameter of the beam portion 1311 of the connecting portion 131 relatively thinner compared to the main body portion 11. Alternatively, the connecting portion 131 may be made elastic by using a material with lower rigidity than the main body portion 11 for the connecting portion 131. Further, as will be described later, a slit may be provided in the connecting portion 131.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, when viewed from the axial direction of the probe 10, the angle θ formed between adjacent connecting portions 131 may be the same between any of the connecting portions 131. For example, when the base end 13 has three connecting portions 130, the angle θ is approximately 120 degrees. By making the angles formed between each other equal and having a plurality of connecting portions 131 extending from the main body portion 11, the probe 10 can be stably brought into contact with the land 21. For example, the posture of the probe 10 can be maintained perpendicular to the surface on which the land 21 of the substrate 20 is arranged. Also, a plurality of connecting portions 130 of the base end 13 contact the land 21 with equal pressing force.

[0020] Incidentally, in a comparative example probe (hereinafter referred to as "comparative probe 10M") in which one end of a columnar main body is used as a tip that contacts an object to be inspected and is connected to a land at a single point on the base end of the other end, the probe itself does not have axial elasticity. Therefore, for example, as in the electrical connection device of the comparative example shown in FIG. 5, an overdrive is applied by bending the main body of the comparative probe 10M.

[0021] The electrical connection device of the comparative example shown in FIG. 5 has a probe head 30 having a bottom side guide plate 31 and a top side guide plate 32, and holds the comparative probe 10M. The bottom side guide plate 31 is disposed around the tip of the comparative probe 10M. The top side guide plate 32 is disposed around the base end of the comparative probe 10M. The probe head 30 further has a first guide film 34 and a second guide film 35 that are spaced apart from each other in a space formed by sandwiching a spacer 33 between the top side guide plate 32 and the bottom side guide plate 31. The top side guide plate 32 and the bottom side guide plate 31 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "guide plates") are made of, for example, a ceramic material. The first guide film 34 and the second guide film 35 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "guide films") are made of, for example, a resin film. The comparative probe 10M passes through guide holes (not shown) formed in the guide plates and the guide films.

[0022] In the probe head 30 shown in FIG. 5, for the guide holes through which the same comparative probe 10M passes, the position of the guide hole of the top side guide plate 32 is offset with respect to the guide hole of the bottom side guide plate 31 so as to be parallel to the main surface of the bottom side guide plate 31. Due to the offset arrangement, the main body of the comparative probe 10M is curved inside the probe head 30 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5. That is, in the hollow region between the bottom side guide plate 31 and the top side guide plate 32, the comparative probe 10M is in a curved state due to elastic deformation.

[0023] Since the guide plate is offset, when the tip of the comparison probe 10M contacts the object to be inspected, the comparison probe 10M buckles in the hollow region. That is, in the contact state where the comparison probe 10M contacts the object to be inspected, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 5, the comparison probe 10M further bends due to deflection deformation. As the comparison probe 10M further bends, the comparison probe 10M contacts the object to be inspected 200 with a predetermined pressure.

[0024] However, in the electrical connection device of the comparative example shown in FIG. 5, due to the deformation of the comparison probe 10M, friction occurs between the comparison probe 10M, the guide plate, and the guide film. For this reason, problems such as the comparison probe 10M not being able to sufficiently contact the land 21 or the object to be inspected, and insufficient conduction not being achieved between the object to be inspected and the land 21 occur.

[0025] On the other hand, the probe 10 does not need to be held in a state where the main body portion 11 is bent. That is, there is no friction between the probe 10, the guide plate, and the guide film, and the conduction between the object to be inspected 200 and the land 21 is stabilized.

[0026] As described above, the probe 10 according to the embodiment includes a plurality of connection portions 130 each having a contact portion 132 connected to the main body portion 11 via a connection portion 131. Therefore, according to the probe 10, the electrical connection between the object to be inspected 200 and the land 21 can be stabilized.

[0027] <Modification Example> As shown in FIG. 6, in the probe 10 according to the modification example of the first embodiment, slits 1310 penetrating the connection portion 131 in a direction parallel to the axial direction are formed in the beam portions 1311 of the respective connection portions 130. According to the probe 10 shown in FIG. 6, by providing the slits 1310 penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface in the beam portions 1311 of the respective connection portions 131, the needle pressure (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "needle pressure") at which the probe 10 contacts the object to be inspected 200 can be adjusted.

[0028] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, a slit 1310 penetrating the connecting portion 131 may be formed in the connecting portion 131 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction in the beam portion 1311. By providing the slit 1310 penetrating in the side surface direction in the beam portion 1311, the needle pressure can be adjusted.

[0029] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, the slits 1310 respectively formed in the beam portions 1311 of the plurality of connecting portions 131 may be communicated at the portions where the connecting portions 131 are connected to the main body portion 11. By communicating the slits 1310, the needle pressure can be adjusted for the entire plurality of connecting portions 131.

[0030] (Second Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 9, the probe 10 according to the second embodiment includes a beam portion 1311 in which the connecting portion 131 is connected to the main body portion 11 and is elastically curved, and a support portion 1312 that connects the beam portion 1311 and the contact portion 132. The probe 10 shown in FIG. 9 is different from the probe 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that it includes a portion where the connecting portion 131 is curved. Regarding other configurations, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment.

[0031] Since the probe 10 shown in FIG. 9 includes a portion where the connecting portion 131 is curved, the connecting portion 131 is likely to curve when the probe 10 comes into contact with the inspection object. Therefore, according to the probe 10 shown in FIG. 9, stronger over-drive can be applied. As a result, the probe 10 can be brought into contact with the inspection object more stably. Otherwise, the probe 10 according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0032] <Modification Example> As shown in FIG. 10, a modification of the probe 10 according to the second embodiment includes a connecting portion 131 that includes a first arm 1311a and a second arm 1311b. The first arm 1311a and the second arm 1311b are arranged in parallel and each is connected to the main body portion 11. The first arm 1311a extends linearly at an angle obliquely intersecting the axial direction in a direction away from the main body portion 11. The second arm 1311b has a curved portion having elasticity. A support portion 1312 is connected to the joint portion of the first arm 1311a and the second arm 1311b.

[0033] In the probe 10 shown in FIG. 10, since the second arm 1311b has a curved portion having elasticity, the elasticity of the connecting portion 131 that curves when the probe 10 comes into contact with the object to be inspected becomes stronger. As a result, a stronger overdrive can be applied. Although an example in which the connecting portion 131 includes the first arm 1311a and the second arm 1311b is shown in FIG. 10, the connecting portion 131 may be configured by three or more arms including at least one arm having a curved portion having elasticity.

[0034] (Other Embodiments) As described above, the present invention has been described by way of embodiments, but it should not be understood that the descriptions and drawings forming part of this disclosure limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operation techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0035] For example, in the above, the case where the number of connection portions 130 constituting the base end portion 13 is 3 has been exemplarily described, but the number of connection portions 130 constituting the base end portion 13 may be 2. The fewer the number of connection portions 130, the closer the probes 10 can be arranged. Also, the number of connection portions 130 constituting the base end portion 13 may be 3 or more. The larger the number of connection portions 130, the higher the allowable value of the current flowing through the probe 10 can be made.

[0036] In the above description, the electrical connection device 100 in which the contact portion 132 of the probe 10 is joined to the land 21 has been shown. However, the electrical connection device may be configured such that the contact and separation between the contact portion 132 and the land 21 can be freely controlled. For example, as in the electrical connection device 101 shown in FIG. 11, the probe 10 may be held by the probe head 30. The probe head 30 may include a guide plate in which a plurality of guide holes through which the probes 10 respectively penetrate are formed. The probe head 30 holds the probes 10 in a state where each of the plurality of probes 10 penetrates through a different guide hole. Therefore, it is possible to suppress contact between adjacent probes 10. Further, by holding the probe 10 by the probe head 30, it is not necessary to join the contact portion 132 of the probe 10 to the land 21. Since the contact portion 132 is not joined to the land 21, for example, when a defect occurs in the probe 10, the probe 10 can be easily replaced. Further, a stopper having an outer diameter thicker than the inner diameter of the guide hole may be formed on the probe 10. By the stopper being caught around the opening of the guide hole of the probe head 30, it is possible to prevent the probe 10 from falling out of the probe head 30.

[0037] Thus, the present invention naturally includes various embodiments and the like not described above.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0038] 10 Probe 11 Body portion 12 Tip portion 13 Base end portion 20 Substrate 21 Land 30 Probe head 100, 101 Electrical connection device 130 Connection portion 131 Link portion 132 Contact portion 132a First end 132b Second end 200 Object to be inspected 1310 Slit 1311 Beam portion 1311a First Arm 1311b Second Arm 1312 Support Section

Claims

1. A probe used for inspecting the electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected, comprising: a columnar main body portion extending in the axial direction; a tip portion connected to one end of the main body portion and contacting the object to be inspected in the inspection; a base end portion connected to the other end of the main body portion; and the base end portion includes a plurality of connecting portions each having an elastic connecting portion connecting to the main body portion and a contact portion having a first end connected to the connecting portion.

2. The probe according to claim 1, wherein the second end of the contact portion is included in a plane level perpendicular to the axial direction at a position extending in the axial direction from the position of the other end of the main body portion.

3. The probe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a slit penetrating the connecting portion in a direction parallel to the axial direction is formed in the connecting portion.

4. The probe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a slit penetrating the connecting portion in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction is formed in the connecting portion.

5. The probe according to claim 4, wherein the slits of the plurality of connecting portions communicate with each other at a portion where the connecting portion is connected to the main body portion.

6. The connecting portion has a portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and the contact portion extends parallel to the axial direction. The probe according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The probe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting portion includes an elastically curved portion.

8. The probe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting portion includes a first arm and a second arm arranged in parallel with the first arm.

9. The first arm linearly extends at an angle obliquely intersecting the axial direction in a direction away from the main body portion, and the second arm includes an elastically curved portion. The probe according to claim 8.

10. The probe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when viewed from the axial direction, the angle formed between adjacent connecting portions is the same between any of the connecting portions.

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