Device for handling test contacts

Abstract

To provide a device capable of precisely and reliably handling and accommodating test contacts that can be used in a general way, in order to accommodate a plurality of different test contacts.SOLUTION: A device 10 handles a test contact 100 which includes a contact head 12 with test contact storage part 14 provided at its contact end part 16. The test contact storage part 14 has a positioning unit 18 having at least two, preferably three, positioning surfaces for coming into positioning contact with the test contact and for positioning the test contact relative to the contact end of the contact head. At least one positioning faces of the positioning unit is formed as a base contact surface, and at least one more positioning faces of the positioning unit is formed as an edge contact surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for handling a test contact, the test contact having a contact head with a test contact housing at the contact end, wherein the test contact housing has a positioning unit having at least two positioning surfaces for positioning contact with the test contact and for positioning the test contact relative to the contact end of the contact head, at least one positioning surface of the positioning unit is formed as an edge contact surface, and at least another positioning surface of the positioning unit is formed as a base contact surface. Furthermore, the present invention comprises a system having at least one test contact and one embodiment of the device.

[0002] Test contacts are known to be used to manufacture test contact arrays having multiple test contacts on a shared test platform. The test contacts are arranged in a matrix array according to the chips placed in the wafer assembly so that individual chips on the wafer surface can be contacted in a specified manner through the individual test contacts.

[0003] To manufacture a test contact array, individual test contacts are placed on a contact support, which is realized as a test board, according to the intended matrix arrangement of the contact arms or contact tips of the individual test contacts, and soldered onto the contact surfaces formed on the test board. Because the test contacts are concentrated on each test board, resulting in short distances between test contacts, the requirements for electrically reliable and accurate positioning and contact of the test contacts on the test board are particularly high. Accurate positioning and contact of test contacts on the test board requires high precision from the stage in which the test contacts are housed on the contact head of the apparatus for handling test contacts. Different embodiments of apparatus for handling test contacts are known. For example, apparatus for manufacturing test contact arrays is known, whose test contact housing applies negative pressure to the test contacts for mounting and handling. It is known that the upper edge of the test contact is brought into contact with the contact head or the stop portion of the test contact housing in order to align the test contact with the contact head. However, for each test contact design, the known apparatus for handling test contacts requires different apparatus or test contact housings tailored to each test contact. In other words, for each test contact that is geometrically misaligned, the test contact housing also needs to be redesigned and replaced.

[0004] In light of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is to propose an apparatus that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art for housing test contacts. In particular, the object is to propose an apparatus for precisely and reliably handling and housing test contacts that can be used universally, so as to accommodate multiple different test contacts.

[0005] This objective is achieved by proposing an apparatus having the features of independent claim 1. Furthermore, a system having such an apparatus has been proposed.

[0006] Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims. The present invention also relates to all combinations comprising at least two features disclosed in the specification, claims and / or drawings. Naturally, references to apparatus are equivalent to references to systems according to the present invention without being referred to separately in that context. In particular, the use of linguistically common paraphrases and / or similar substitutions of each term within the scope of common language conventions, especially synonyms supported by widely recognized linguistic literature, is naturally comprised of the disclosed content at hand without the need to explicitly mention any variations.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a device for handling a test contact, the test contact having a contact head with a test contact housing at the contact end thereof, wherein the test contact housing has a positioning unit having at least two, preferably three, positioning surfaces for positioning contact with the test contact and positioning the test contact relative to the contact end of the contact head. The device is characterized in that at least one positioning surface of the positioning unit is formed as an edge contact surface, and at least another positioning surface of the positioning unit is formed as a base contact surface. Thus, the device advantageously enables a precise and oriented alignment of the test contact relative to the contact head by positioning the test contact with its bottom surface on the base contact surface and another edge of the test contact on the edge contact surface. Within the scope of the present invention, the edge contact surface is different from the base contact surface, preferably does not coincide with the base contact surface, and more preferably is positioned away from the base contact surface. Even more preferably, the edge contact surface and the base contact surface are positioned at a predetermined angle to each other. For example, the edge contact surface may be perpendicular to the base contact surface, i.e., at an angle of 90°. A design having at least three positioning surfaces preferably allows the test contact to be housed particularly precisely within the test contact housing. Furthermore, the base contact surface and the edge contact surface can be positioned relative to each other such that the edge contact surface is located on the side of the base contact surface, rather than the upper surface of the base contact surface terminating at the edge contact surface. Within the scope of the present invention, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “upper,” “downward,” and “upper surface” and “lower surface” refer to the apparatus for handling the test contact in the use position. Preferably, the aforementioned terms relate to the vertical spatial extension when the apparatus is in the use position. Within the scope of the present invention, the term “surface” preferably refers to a flat surface. The base contact surface is preferably rectangular.

[0008] To properly accommodate the test contact, the fixed base of the test contact can be in direct contact with the base contact surface. The base contact surface is designed so that the test contact makes complete contact with it. Preferably, the base contact surface is designed to be complementary to the fixed base. The fixed base is preferably formed in the shape of a rectangular plate. The edge contact surface fixes the test contact to the base contact surface, and the test contact is movable on it until it makes contact with the edge contact surface. After the test contact has made contact with both the base contact surface and the edge contact surface, it is preferable that the movement of the test contact is blocked in at least two directions.

[0009] Within the scope of the present invention, the positioning unit must be designed to be essentially complementary to the test contact, but it has been found that the positioning surfaces can be arranged toward each other so that multiple different test contacts can be accommodated by the apparatus according to the present invention. For this purpose, in particular, the positioning surfaces can be arranged toward each other so that the overall width, overall height and / or material thickness of the test contact to be accommodated is not constrained or limited by the positioning unit.

[0010] On the other hand, the expression "at least one" means that the apparatus according to the present invention may include one or more of the corresponding components or surfaces.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the positioning unit has at least one stop edge that forms an edge contact surface, preferably oriented perpendicular to the base contact surface. Advantageously, by forming a physical stop edge, the test contact comes into contact with the edge contact surface formed by the stop edge, and when the defined stop surface is formed, movement of the test contact is reliably blocked in at least one direction. Preferably, the positioning unit has two stop edges to prevent wedge or inclination, thereby causing incorrect positioning. The stop edges are preferably configured such that the edge contact surfaces are oriented perpendicular to the base contact surface. This allows the base of the test contact to come into contact with the base contact surface, and the side edges of the test contact to come into contact with the stop edges. Preferably, the stop edges, and therefore the edge contact surfaces, are also positioned below the upper surface of the base contact surface, thereby allowing the device to be used more versatility, as the height of the test contact to be accommodated is not limited by the positioning unit.

[0012] The stop edge can have an edge thickness equal to or greater than the material thickness of the test contact. With such a stop edge configuration, the edge of the test contact in contact with the stop edge can be supported across the entire material thickness of the test contact, and therefore can be supported very stably.

[0013] It is conceivable that a stopper protruding from the base contact surface is provided with a stopper edge. In other words, the stopper edge is formed on the stopper protruding from the base contact surface. Within the scope of the present invention, the term “protruding” means that the stopper protrudes parallel to and / or in the direction of the normal to the base contact surface.

[0014] To separate the stop edge and edge contact surface from the base contact surface, the stop body may have at least two legs. Preferably, the stop body has two legs. In other words, the stop body is L-shaped. A first leg adjacent to the base contact surface may protrude laterally from the base contact surface, and a second leg may be oriented perpendicular to the base contact surface. The edge contact surface or stop edge may be formed on the second leg oriented perpendicular to the base contact surface. Preferably, the legs are directly connected to each other. More preferably, the first leg is directly adjacent to the base contact surface.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, the positioning unit has at least one stopper on each side of the base contact surface, enabling accurate and stable positioning of the test contact on the positioning unit. The stoppers may be positioned on each side of the base contact surface such that the positioning unit has at least partially essentially a U-shaped cross-section.

[0016] To increase the contact surface area of ​​the test contact on the positioning unit, the positioning unit may be provided with contact bodies projecting laterally from the base contact surface. Preferably, the edges of the contact bodies form additional contact surfaces located in the same plane as the base contact surface. Thus, the contact surface area of ​​the test contact can be advantageously enlarged, thereby stabilizing the test contact on the positioning unit. Preferably, the positioning unit has two contact bodies projecting laterally from the base contact surface. More preferably, the two contact bodies are positioned on both sides of the base contact surface.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the base contact surface may have a base contact surface height, the stopper may have a stopper height, and the contactor may have a contactor height, with the base contact surface height being greater than the stopper height and / or greater than the sum of the stopper height and the contactor height. To provide a clearer explanation, the following is preferably applied.

[0018] h BA > h AK and / or h BA > h AK +h ANL Here, h BA : Base contact surface height, h AK : Stopping height, h ANL : Contact body height And, more preferably, both conditions are met.

[0019] In another embodiment of the present invention, the positioning unit may have a full width, the base contact surface may have a base contact surface width, and the base contact surface width may be less than the full width. Within the scope of the present invention, it has been found that in order for the test contact to be reliably accommodated, the base contact surface width must be adjusted to the full width of the positioning unit. According to the present invention, the test contact makes full contact with the base contact surface. In particular, in order to design the device to be universally usable with respect to different test contacts, further elements of the positioning unit, such as stoppers or contactors that increase the full width of the positioning unit, may be formed on both sides of the base contact surface. In particular, when stoppers are provided on both sides of the base contact surface, it is possible to easily position the test contact relative to the test contact housing by bringing the base of the test contact into contact with the base contact surface and sliding the base of the test contact at least partially between the stoppers until the edge of the test contact contacts the edge contact surface of the stoppers. Preferably, the full width consists of the width of the stoppers and / or contactors and the base contact surface width. The stoppers and contactors may have the same width. The terms “base contact width” and “total width” both refer to the spatial extension parallel to the lower edge of the test contact housing or contact head. Preferably, the aforementioned terms refer to the horizontal spatial extension when the device is in use.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the positioning unit may be formed integrally to eliminate connection points and / or assembly steps. Preferably, the positioning unit is formed integrally with the test contact housing and / or the contact head. In other words, this means that the contact head, test contact housing, and positioning unit are preferably formed integrally. However, the contact head, test contact housing, and positioning unit may also be realized by multiple parts, which are more preferably detachably connected to allow for easy replacement of the positioning unit.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the contact head has at least one transmission channel for transferring thermal energy and / or negative pressure, and the contact end of the contact head is provided with a test contact housing in the region of the channel opening of the transmission channel. When the contact head has a transmission channel for transferring thermal energy, given that the test contact is positioned relative to the channel opening in a specified manner, it is possible to position the test contact on the contact support in a secure and distortion-free manner, thereby allowing thermal energy to be locally advantageously introduced into a desired absorption region of the test contact. When the contact head has at least one transmission channel for transferring negative pressure, the test contact can be easily and securely mounted by negative pressure relative to the contact head after being positioned relative to the contact head by a positioning unit. Preferably, the contact head has at least one transmission channel for transferring thermal energy and / or negative pressure. Within the scope of the present invention, it has been found that a single transmission channel may be advantageously used for transferring thermal energy and / or negative pressure. The channel opening is preferably formed by an outlet funnel of the transmission channel and has an opening cross section sized according to the absorption cross section of the absorption region of the test contact. By designing the channel opening to match the corresponding shape, it becomes possible to provide an absorption area for the test contact on the defined surface of the test contact with relatively little technical effort.

[0022] According to an advantageous embodiment, the base contact surface of the positioning unit at least partially surrounds the opening cross-section of the channel mouth. Thus, during the manufacture of the test contact array, energy injection into the base necessary for contact can be carried out and / or it can be ensured that the base of the test contact is securely fixed in the test contact receptacle. Preferably, the base contact surface of the positioning unit completely surrounds the opening cross-section of the channel mouth, whereby the absorption area of the test contact is arranged within the outlet funnel of the channel mouth and thus thermal energy can be easily applied to a relatively large part of the test contact surface and / or the fact that the test contact completely covers the opening cross-section enables the test contact to be attached by applying a negative pressure.

[0023] In a second aspect, the invention relates to a manufacturing system for manufacturing a test contact array for testing and / or manufacturing semiconductor components using a device according to any embodiment of the invention, the device having at least one test contact formed in the form of a cantilever, the test contact having a fixed base capable of establishing contact with a base contact surface and a contact arm connected to the fixed base. Preferably, the contact tip is arranged at the free end of the contact arm. In addition to manufacturing the test contact array, the manufacturing system can also be used to repair the test contact array, and those skilled in the art recognize that the test contacts can be accommodated and handled with the necessary alignment even for the purpose of repairing the test contact array.

[0024] According to an advantageous embodiment of the manufacturing system, the test contact and the device for handling the test contact interact such that the fixed base of the test contact covers the channel mouth of the transmission channel when the test contact establishes contact with the base contact surface. Preferably, the test contact completely closes the channel mouth when the test contact comes into contact with the base contact surface of the positioning unit. Thus, by applying a negative pressure to the test contact via the transmission channel, the test contact can be easily attached to the positioning unit.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment of the manufacturing system, the test contact has a protrusion disposed below the contact arm, the protrusion can establish contact with the edge contact surface, and / or the protrusion can establish contact with the contact body. The protrusion of the contact arm can contact the stop edge of the stop body on which the edge contact surface is formed. The test contact can be easily oriented on the positioning unit by the stop portion of the stop edge. By contacting the protrusion of the test contact with the contact body, the contact surface of the test contact on the positioning unit can be enlarged. Preferably, the protrusions are disposed on both sides of the base of the test contact. More preferably, the protrusions can contact both the edge contact surface and the contact body. Most preferably, the test contact has two protrusions disposed on both sides of the base of the test contact, the positioning unit also has two stop bodies and two contact bodies respectively disposed on both sides of the base contact surface of the positioning unit, and each protrusion of the test contact contacts one contact body and one stop body of each positioning unit to enable particularly precise alignment of the test contact. The test contact is essentially formed in a cross shape with a cantilever protruding from the upper edge, and since the upper edge does not need to contact the stop portion, the protrusion of the test contact can contact the stop edge of the positioning unit, so the positioning unit can be used flexibly and versatilely especially because the height of the test contact to be positioned is not limited.

[0026] It is clear that the embodiments and examples described above, as well as the embodiments and examples described below, can be implemented individually without departing from the present invention, as well as in any combination thereof. It is also clear that the embodiments and examples described above, as well as the embodiments and examples described below, also relate to a manufacturing system and / or apparatus according to the present invention in an equivalent or at least similar manner, without needing to be mentioned separately.

[0027] Embodiments of the present invention are schematically shown in the drawings and are described below illustratively. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0028] [Figure 1] This is an isometric view of a schematic example of the apparatus according to the present invention, which houses a test contact. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a detailed front view of the apparatus according to the present invention, which does not have test contacts. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a detailed front view of the apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a detailed isometric view of the apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a detailed side view of the apparatus according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0029] Figure 1 shows an apparatus 10 according to the present invention for handling a test contact 100 having a test contact 100 according to the present invention, thereby forming a manufacturing system 50. To house the test contact 100, a test contact housing 14 having a positioning unit 18 is positioned at the contact end 16 of the contact head 12. To attach the test contact 100 to the positioning unit 18, the test contact 100 can receive negative pressure through a transmission channel 34.

[0030] Figure 2 shows the apparatus 10 according to the invention for handling the test contact 100. In order to accommodate the test contact 100, a test contact accommodating part 14 is arranged at the contact end 16 of the contact head 12. The test contact accommodating part 14 comprises a positioning unit 18 having a base contact surface 20, an edge contact surface 22, and an additional contact surface 24. The test contact 100 can contact the positioning unit 18 such that the test contact 100 is in complete contact with the base contact surface 20 and the additional contact surfaces 24 on both sides of the base contact surface 20. In the present exemplary embodiment, in order to prevent a vertical displacement of the test contact 100, which in this case corresponds to the longitudinal extension of the transmission channel 34, the positioning unit 18 has, in addition to the contact bodies 36 protruding on both sides, two stop bodies 28 arranged on both sides of the base contact surface 20, and each stop body 28 forms an edge contact surface 22 that can contact the edge of the test contact 100. According to the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the edge contact surface 22 is oriented perpendicular to the base contact surface 20 and faces downward in the illustrated use position. The stop bodies 28 forming the edge contact surface 22 are essentially L-shaped in the present embodiment and have legs 30, 32, the first leg 30 protruding laterally from the base contact surface 20, and the second leg 32 protruding from the plane of the base contact surface 20. Thus, the test contact 100 can be easily positioned on the positioning unit 18 by applying the test contact 100 to the base contact surface 20 and sliding it until it reaches the stop bodies 28. In order to attach the test contact 100 to the positioning unit 18, a negative pressure can be applied to the test contact 100 via the transmission channel 34. As can be seen in the combined view of FIGS. 2 and 3, since the base contact surface 20 completely surrounds the opening cross-section 38 of the channel opening 36, when the test contact 100 is in correct contact with the positioning unit 18, the test contact 100 completely closes the channel opening 36 of the transmission channel 34. Thus, the test contact 100 can be easily attached to the positioning unit 18 by the negative pressure. Also, FIG. 2 shows that the height h BA of the base contact surface 20 is the height h AKand the height h of the contact body 40 ANL This indicates that it is greater than the sum of the above. Furthermore, it can be seen that both the stop body 28 and the contact body 40 are positioned below the upper surface 42 of the base contact surface 20, and the contact body 40 is also positioned below the stop body 28. In this embodiment, the total width b of the positioning unit 18 ges The width of the contact body 40 and the width b of the base contact surface 20 are... BA In this example, the contact body 40 and the stopping body 28 have the same width.

[0031] Figures 3 to 5 show an apparatus 10 according to the present invention for handling a test contact 100 having the test contact 100 according to the present invention, thereby forming a manufacturing system 50. The test contact 100 has a fixed base 102 and two protrusions 106 positioned on both sides of the fixed base 102. A protruding contact arm 104 is positioned in the upper region of the fixed base 102, and the upper edge of the contact arm 104 extends laterally from the upper edge of the fixed base 102, forming the upper edge 112 of the test contact. The fixed base 102 having the protrusions 106 of the test contact 100 is essentially formed in a cross shape with the contact arm 104 protruding from the upper edge 112 of the test contact. A contact tip 108 that can be used for contact is positioned on the contact arm 104. When viewed together with Figure 2, it can be seen in Figures 3 to 5 that the fixed base 102 of the test contact 100 is in contact with the base contact surface 20 of the positioning unit 18. Furthermore, the projection 106 is in full contact with the additional contact surface 24 of the contact body 40. Each projection stop edge 108 of the projection 106 is in contact with the stop edge 26 of the stop body 28. The upper edge 112 of the test contact does not need to be in contact with the stop part, as the upper edge 110 of the projection 106 of the test contact 100 can be brought into contact with the stop edge 26 of the stop body 28 in order to position the test contact 100 relative to the contact head 12 by the positioning unit 18. Therefore, the apparatus 10, and in particular the positioning unit 18, can be used flexibly and versatility because the height of the test contact 100 to be positioned is not particularly limited. In particular, as can be seen from Figures 4 and 5, the stop edge 26 has an edge thickness greater than the material thickness of the test contact 100 in order to ensure that the test contact 100 is securely placed on the stop body 28.Furthermore, as can be seen by looking at Figures 3 to 5 and Figure 2 together, when negative pressure is applied through the transmission channel 34, the test contact 100 is attached to the positioning unit 18 and, as a result, can be moved to the intended position for contact. If the test contact 100 is in proper contact with the positioning unit 18, the channel opening 36 of the transmission channel 34 inserted into the contact head 12 is closed by the test contact 100.

Claims

1. An apparatus (10) for handling a test contact (100), wherein the test contact (100) has a contact head (12) with a test contact housing portion (14) provided at its contact end (16), and the test contact housing portion (14) has a positioning unit (18) having at least two positioning surfaces (20, 22, 24) for positioning contact with the test contact (100) and for positioning the test contact (100) relative to the contact end (16) of the contact head (12), in the apparatus (10), At least one positioning surface (20, 22, 24) of the positioning unit (18) is formed as a base contact surface (20), and at least another positioning surface of the positioning unit (18) is formed as an edge contact surface (22), The positioning unit (18) has at least one stop edge (26) that forms the edge contact surface (22), The first and second stop bodies (28) protruding from the base contact surface (20) have the stop edges (26), The positioning unit (18) has a first stop body (28) facing one edge of the test contact (100) and a second stop body (28) facing the other edge of the test contact (100). Apparatus (10) characterized by the following.

2. The stop edge (26) has an edge thickness that is equal to or greater than the material thickness of the test contact (100). Characterized by, Apparatus for handling the test contact described in claim 1.

3. The stopper (28) has at least two legs (30, 32) Characterized by, Apparatus for handling the test contact described in claim 1.

4. The edge contact surface (22) is oriented perpendicular to the base contact surface (20). Characterized by, Apparatus for handling the test contact described in claim 1.

5. The positioning unit (18) includes a contact body (40) that protrudes laterally from the base contact surface (20). Characterized by, An apparatus for handling a test contact as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The base contact surface (20) is at the base contact surface height (h BA ) has, and the stopping body (28) has a stopping body height (h AK ) and the contact body (40) has a contact body height (h ANL ) has the base contact surface height (h BA ) is the height of the stopper (h AK ) greater than and / or the height of the stop body (h AK ) and the height of the contact body (h ANL ) is greater than the sum of Characterized by, Apparatus for handling the test contact described in claim 5.

7. The positioning unit (18) has a full width (b ges ), and the base contact surface (20) has a base contact surface width (b BA ), the base contact surface width (b BA ) is less than the full width (b ges ) Characterized by, An apparatus for handling a test contact as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

8. The positioning unit (18) is integrally formed Characterized by, An apparatus for handling a test contact as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

9. The contact head (12) has at least one transmission channel (34) for transferring thermal energy and / or negative pressure, and the contact end (16) of the contact head (12) has a test contact housing (14) within the region of the channel opening (36) of the transmission channel (34). Characterized by, An apparatus for handling a test contact as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. The base contact surface (20) of the positioning unit (14) at least partially surrounds the opening cross section (38) of the channel opening (36). Characterized by, Apparatus for handling the test contact described in claim 9.

11. A manufacturing system (50) for manufacturing a test contact array for testing semiconductor components, using the apparatus (10) according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus (10) has at least one test contact (100) formed in the form of a cantilever, the manufacturing system (50) having a fixed base (102) on which contact with the base contact surface (20) can be established, and a contact arm (104) connected to the fixed base (102).

12. The fixed base (102) of the test contact (100) covers the channel opening (36) when contact with the base contact surface (20) is established. Characterized by, The manufacturing system according to claim 11.

13. The positioning unit (18) comprises a contact body (40) that protrudes laterally from the base contact surface (20), The test contact (100) has a projection (106) positioned below the contact arm (104), and the projection (106) can establish contact with the edge contact surface (22) and / or the projection (106) can establish contact with the contact body (40). Characterized by, The manufacturing system according to claim 11.

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