shell structure
The shell structure addresses high needle pressure on electrodes by forming a sealed space between substrates, reducing contact pressure and misalignment, enabling efficient electrical testing.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOKYO ELECTRON LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing inspection technologies apply high needle pressure on the electrodes of inspection substrates, leading to potential damage and misalignment during electrical testing.
A shell structure comprising an inspection substrate with exposed electrodes and a contact substrate bonded via an insulating layer, forming a sealed space to reduce electrode contact pressure and facilitate electrical connection without precise alignment.
Reduces needle pressure on electrodes, minimizing damage and misalignment while maintaining electrical connectivity, allowing for efficient and accurate electrical testing.
Smart Images
Figure 2026083339000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a shell structure.
Background Art
[0002] There is known an inspection apparatus capable of performing an inspection on another substrate in another inspection unit while a shared transfer robot or a moving stage transfers a substrate to one of a plurality of inspection units arranged in an inspection room (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique capable of reducing the needle pressure on the electrodes of an inspection substrate.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0005] A shell structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a first substrate, which is an inspection substrate having a first electrode with an insulating layer removed from its surface, and a second substrate. The second substrate has a second electrode formed on a first main surface and electrically contacting the first electrode, a third electrode formed on a second main surface opposite to the first main surface and electrically connected to the second electrode, and a second insulating layer formed on the first main surface and covering a region of the first main surface where the second electrode is not formed. The second insulating layer is formed at a peripheral portion of the first main surface, protrudes from the surface of the second insulating layer toward the first substrate side, and includes a bonding portion that bonds to the first substrate to form a sealed space between the first substrate and the second substrate. The bonding portion is bonded with an ultraviolet curable resin.
Effects of the Invention
[0006] According to this disclosure, the needle pressure applied to the electrodes of the test substrate can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0007] [Figure 1] Cross-sectional view showing a shell structure according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Flowchart showing the manufacturing method of the shell structure according to the embodiment [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view (1) showing a method for manufacturing a shell structure according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view (2) showing a method for manufacturing a shell structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view (3) showing a manufacturing method for a shell structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view (4) showing a method for manufacturing a shell structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view (5) showing a method for manufacturing a shell structure according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0008] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, not limited to those described herein, will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In all attached drawings, identical or corresponding members or components are denoted by the same or corresponding reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.
[0009] [Shell structure] Referring to Figure 1, a shell structure according to an embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a shell structure 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the shell structure 1 is formed by joining an inspection substrate 10 and a contact substrate 20.
[0010] The test substrate 10 is a semiconductor substrate, such as a silicon substrate or a silicon carbide substrate. Multiple devices under test (DUTs) are formed on the test substrate 10. Each DUT includes an electrode pad 11.
[0011] Multiple electrode pads 11 are formed on the first main surface 10a of the inspection substrate 10. Each electrode pad 11 is made of a metal such as aluminum (Al) or copper (Cu). Each electrode pad 11 has a surface where the insulating layer such as an oxide film is removed by surface treatment, exposing the metal that constitutes the electrode pad 11. Metal bumps may be formed on each electrode pad 11, or metal bumps may be formed instead of electrode pads 11. In this case, the metal bumps have a surface where the insulating layer such as an oxide film is removed by surface treatment, exposing the metal that constitutes the metal bump. The multiple electrode pads 11 are arranged at a first pitch P1. The first pitch P1 is, for example, 10 μm or less.
[0012] The contact substrate 20 is detachably bonded to the inspection substrate 10. Preferably, the contact substrate 20 has a coefficient of thermal expansion equivalent to that of the inspection substrate 10. This suppresses misalignment between each electrode pad 11 and each contact portion 21 (described later) when the temperature of the shell structure 1 changes. Preferably, the contact substrate 20 is made of the same material as the inspection substrate 10, such as a semiconductor substrate like a silicon substrate or a silicon carbide substrate. Alternatively, the contact substrate 20 may be made of a glass substrate having a coefficient of thermal expansion equivalent to that of the inspection substrate 10, or a substrate formed by laminating a semiconductor substrate and a glass substrate. The contact substrate 20 has a plurality of contact portions 21, a plurality of electrode pads 22, a plurality of wirings 23, and an insulating layer 24.
[0013] Multiple contact portions 21 are formed on the first main surface 20a. The first main surface 20a is the surface facing the first main surface 10a of the inspection substrate 10. The multiple contact portions 21 are arranged at the same pitch as the multiple electrode pads 11. As a result, each contact portion 21 makes electrical contact with the corresponding electrode pad 11. The contact portions 21 are formed from a conductive material such as Cu or carbon (C).
[0014] Multiple electrode pads 22 are formed on the second main surface 20b. The second main surface 20b is the surface opposite to the first main surface 20a. The multiple electrode pads 22 are arranged at a second pitch P2. The second pitch P2 is greater than or equal to the first pitch P1, for example, 50 μm to 500 μm. In Figure 1, for the sake of explanation, the second pitch P2 is shown to be the same pitch as the first pitch P1. The electrode pads 22 are electrically connected to the contact portion 21 via wiring 23. The electrode pads 22 are formed from a metal such as Al or Cu. The electrode pads 22 may also be formed by plating the metal with gold (Au) or the like.
[0015] Multiple wirings 23 electrically connect multiple contact portions 21 and multiple electrode pads 22. Each wiring 23 is provided penetrating the contact substrate 20 in the thickness direction. Each wiring 23 is made of a metal such as Cu. Multiple wirings 23 may include, for example, through-silicon vias (TSV), redistribution layers (RDL), and through-glass vias (TGV). This allows the multiple contact portions 21 to be redistributed by TSV and RDL and electrically connected to the multiple electrode pads 22, thereby increasing the pitch of the multiple electrode pads 22.
[0016] The insulating layer 24 is formed on the first main surface 20a. The insulating layer 24 is formed to cover the area of the first main surface 20a where the contact portion 21 is not formed. The insulating layer 24 is made of an insulating material such as silicon oxide (SiO2) or polyimide (PI). The insulating layer 24 includes a joint portion 24a. The joint portion 24a is formed on the peripheral edge of the first main surface 20a. The joint portion 24a protrudes from the surface of the insulating layer 24 toward the inspection substrate 10. The joint portion 24a is joined to the first main surface 10a of the inspection substrate 10 to form a sealed space A between the inspection substrate 10 and the contact substrate 20. The areas where each electrode pad 11 and each contact portion 21 come into contact are surrounded by the sealed space A. It is preferable that the sealed space A be maintained in a reduced pressure atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere. This prevents the multiple electrode pads 11 from being exposed to the atmosphere. As a result, oxidation of the surfaces of the multiple electrode pads 11 can be suppressed. In other words, the formation of a native oxide film on the surface of the multiple electrode pads 11 can be suppressed. The joint portion 24a may be separate from the insulating layer 24, and may be formed from a different material than the insulating layer 24.
[0017] The shell structure 1 is transported to an inspection device (not shown), and the electrical characteristics of a plurality of DUTs formed on the inspection substrate 10 are inspected. Specifically, first, the inspection device electrically contacts a probe (not shown) with the electrode pads 22 of the contact substrate 20. Next, the inspection device applies an electrical signal to a plurality of DUTs formed on the inspection substrate 10 through the probe, the electrode pads 22, the wiring 23, the contact portion 21, and the electrode pads 11, and inspects the electrical characteristics of the plurality of DUTs. At this time, the electrode pads 22 of the contact substrate 20 are formed with a larger pitch than the electrode pads 11 of the inspection substrate 10. Thereby, alignment between the probe of the inspection device and the electrode pads 22 can be performed by rough alignment. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide an alignment mechanism for performing highly accurate alignment in the inspection device. After the inspection is completed, the contact substrate 20 is peeled off from the inspection substrate 10, and the inspection substrate 10 and the contact substrate 20 are separated. The inspection substrate 10 after separation is sent to the next process. The contact substrate 20 after separation is reused when the contact portion 21 is cleaned and another inspection substrate 10 is inspected.
[0018] 〔Manufacturing Method of Shell Structure〕 Referring to FIGS. 2 to 7, the manufacturing method of the shell structure 1 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing method of the shell structure 1 according to the embodiment. FIGS. 3 to 7 are cross-sectional views showing the manufacturing method of the shell structure 1 according to the embodiment.
[0019] First, as shown in FIG. 3, an inspection substrate 1 having a plurality of electrode pads 11 on the first main surface 10a is prepared (step S1). An insulating layer 31 such as an oxide film may exist on the surface of each electrode pad 11. The insulating layer 31 includes, for example, a natural oxide film generated when the electrode pad 11 is exposed to the atmosphere.
[0020] Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the first main surface 10a of the inspection substrate 10 is surface-treated to remove the insulating layer 31 on the surface of each electrode pad 11 (step S2). Examples of the surface treatment include plasma treatment using a reducing gas such as hydrogen (H2). However, the method of surface treatment is not limited to this.
[0021] Next, as shown in Figure 5, a contact substrate 20 is prepared in which a contact portion 21 and a bonding portion 24a are formed on the first main surface 20a, and an electrode pad 22 electrically connected to the contact portion 21 via wiring 23 is formed on the second main surface 20b (step S3).
[0022] Next, as shown in Figure 6, the first main surface 10a of the inspection substrate 10 and the first main surface 20a of the contact substrate 20 are placed facing each other, and as shown in Figure 7, the inspection substrate 10 and the contact substrate 20 are joined with the joint portion 24a in between (step S4). This manufactures a shell structure 1 in which the electrode pad 11 and the contact portion 21 are electrically in contact, and a sealed space A is formed between the inspection substrate 10 and the contact substrate 20, surrounding the area where the electrode pad 11 and the contact portion 21 make contact. Examples of methods for joining the inspection substrate 10 and the contact substrate 20 include vacuum bonding and methods using adhesives such as ultraviolet (UV) curing resins.
[0023] It is preferable that step S4 is carried out immediately after step S2 in a reduced-pressure atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere without exposing the inspection substrate 10 to the atmosphere. This ensures that the sealed space A is in a reduced-pressure atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere, thereby suppressing oxidation of the surface of the electrode pad 11 after the inspection substrate 10 and the contact substrate 20 are joined.
[0024] According to the embodiment described above, the insulating layer 31 on the surface of the electrode pad 11 is removed, and the test substrate 10 and the contact substrate 20 are joined together, bringing the contact portion 21 into electrical contact with the electrode pad 11. Therefore, by lightly bringing the contact portion 21 into contact with the electrode pad 11, the electrode pad 11 and the contact portion 21 can be electrically connected. In other words, the tracking force applied by the contact portion 21 to the electrode pad 11 can be reduced. In contrast, if the insulating layer 31 is present on the surface of the electrode pad 11, the insulating layer 31 on the surface of the electrode pad 11 is rubbed with the contact portion 21 to expose the surface of the metal constituting the electrode pad 11, thereby electrically connecting the electrode pad 11 and the contact portion 21. Therefore, the tracking force applied by the contact portion 21 to the electrode pad 11 becomes higher.
[0025] In the above embodiment, the inspection substrate 10 is an example of a first substrate, and the electrode pad 11 is an example of a first electrode. Also, the contact substrate 20 is an example of a second substrate, the contact portion 21 is an example of a second electrode, and the electrode pad 22 is an example of a third electrode.
[0026] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0027] 1. Shell structure 10 Inspection boards 11 electrode pads 20 Contact boards 20a First main surface 20b 2nd principal surface 21 Contact section 22 electrode pads 24a Joint
Claims
1. A first substrate is an inspection substrate having a first electrode from which the insulating layer on the surface has been removed, The second circuit board and It has, The aforementioned second substrate is A second electrode is formed on the first main surface and is in electrical contact with the first electrode, A third electrode is formed on the second main surface opposite to the first main surface and is electrically connected to the second electrode, A second insulating layer formed on the first main surface and covering the region of the first main surface where the second electrode is not formed, It has, The second insulating layer is formed on the periphery of the first main surface, protrudes from the surface of the second insulating layer toward the first substrate, and includes a joint portion that joins with the first substrate to form a sealed space between the first substrate and the second substrate. The aforementioned joint is a shell structure joined with ultraviolet-curing resin.
2. The sealed space is in a reduced-pressure atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere. The shell structure according to claim 1.
3. The second substrate has a thermal expansion coefficient equivalent to that of the first substrate. The shell structure according to claim 1 or 2.
4. The second substrate is formed from the same material as the first substrate. The shell structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
5. The Configure 2 substrate is a substrate made by stacking multiple substrates. The shell structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
6. The second substrate is detachably bonded to the first substrate. The shell structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
7. Multiple first electrodes and third electrodes are formed, The pitch of the third electrode is greater than or equal to the pitch of the first electrode. The shell structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
8. The second substrate has at least one wiring that penetrates the second substrate in the thickness direction and electrically connects the second electrode and the third electrode. The shell structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7.