Flexible wafer probe assembly

Abstract

Aspects of the invention include a wafer inspection device having a conformal stack and rigid probes extending from the stack to form electrical connections with a microcircuit under test. The wafer inspection device also includes a spring plate on a side of the stack opposite the side from which the rigid probes extend. The spring plate includes a conformal inner frame and a rigid outer frame. The stack is attached to the inner frame of the spring plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to wafer inspection, and more specifically to a flexible wafer probe assembly.

Background Art

[0002] A wafer is a semiconductor layer used in the manufacture of integrated circuits. The wafer serves as a substrate for microcircuits of microelectronic devices that are built within and on the wafer to form an integrated circuit. Wafer inspection is performed during manufacturing to identify whether there are any functional defects in the microelectronic devices. A probe device, also called a wafer probe, is used to perform automated inspection. For electrical inspection, the contacts of the probe device or a set of probes are brought into electrical contact with the contacts or solder bumps of the microelectronic devices of each microcircuit.

[0003] The inspection device makes electrical contact with the microcircuit to be inspected through the wafer probe. The inspection device controls the inspection pattern applied to the microcircuit to be inspected, evaluates the resulting behavior of the microcircuit, and determines whether the microcircuit passes the inspection. When the inspection is complete, individual integrated circuits are obtained through a process called dicing. By dicing, each microcircuit is separated as a die, and the die is then packaged as an integrated circuit.

[0004] For accurate inspection of a microcircuit, it is necessary that the electrical contact between each solder bump of the microcircuit and each corresponding probe of the probe device is complete and reliable. This contact can be problematic because the non-planarity of the contour of the solder bump does not match the probe of the probe device.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present invention relate to flexible wafer probe assemblies. A wafer inspection device in a non-limiting example includes a conformal laminate and a rigid probe extending from the laminate to form an electrical connection with a microcircuit under inspection. The wafer inspection device also includes a spring plate on the side of the laminate opposite to the side from which the rigid probe extends. The spring plate includes a conformal inner frame and a rigid outer frame. The laminate is attached to the inner frame of the spring plate.

[0006] The wafer inspection device also includes an interposer on the side of the laminate opposite to the side from which the rigid probe extends. This interposer includes a pin portion within a frame from which floating pins extend.

[0007] The wafer inspection device further includes an elastomer between the laminate and the interposer. The elastomer may be formed as two or more components. The elastomer helps conform the laminate to non-planar regions of solder bumps on the microcircuit under inspection.

[0008] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for assembling a wafer inspection device, comprising assembling a conformal laminate from which a rigid probe extends to form an electrical connection with a microcircuit to be inspected. The method also comprises positioning a spring plate on the side of the laminate opposite to the side from which the rigid probe extends. The spring plate includes a conformal inner frame and a rigid outer frame. The laminate is attached to the inner frame of the spring plate.

[0009] An interposer is located on the side of the laminate opposite to the side from which the rigid probe extends. This interposer includes a pin portion within a frame from which the floating pins extend.

[0010] An elastomer is placed between the laminate and the interposer. The elastomer helps conform the laminate to the non-planar regions of the solder bumps of the microcircuit under inspection.

[0011] Further technical features and benefits are realized through the technology of the present invention. Embodiments and aspects of the present invention are described in detail herein and are considered part of the claimed subject matter. For further understanding, refer to the detailed description and drawings.

[0012] Details of the exclusive rights described herein are specifically pointed out and expressly claimed in the claims at the end of this specification. The above and other features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, to be interpreted in conjunction with the following accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This figure shows a wafer and a corresponding wafer inspection component, including a wafer probe assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an exploded view of an embodiment of a wafer probe assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 3A] This is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a wafer probe assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 3B] This is a cross-sectional view of a wafer probe assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 3C] This is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a wafer probe assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 3D] This is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a wafer probe assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 4A] This figure shows the arrangement of elastomers according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] This figure shows the arrangement of elastomers according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4C] This figure shows the arrangement of elastomers according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5]This figure shows exemplary scenarios for benefiting from a wafer probe assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram of an embodiment of an inspection apparatus used with a wafer probe containing an elastomer according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The figures shown herein are illustrative. Many modifications are possible to the figures or the actions described therein without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, actions may be performed in a different order, or actions may be added, deleted, or modified. Furthermore, the term “combined” and its variations indicate that there is a communication path between two elements, and do not imply a direct connection between elements without an intervening element / connection between them. All such modifications are considered part of this specification.

[0015] As mentioned above, wafer inspection is performed before dicing, which separates each microcircuit for packaging as an integrated circuit. Wafer inspection utilizes wafer probes, where the probes of the wafer probes are brought into electrical contact with the solder bumps of the microelectronic devices of each microcircuit. Wafer probes may include vertical probes, such as buckling beam needles, or arrays of rigid probes mounted on a rigid substrate. Rigid probes may be made of copper and may be plated (e.g., nickel-plated or gold-plated). Unlike flexible (i.e., individually bendable) vertical probes, rigid probes have no limitations on the power that the probes can deliver to the microelectronic devices of each microcircuit on the wafer. In addition, the manufacturing cost of rigid probe devices is lower than, for example, the manufacturing cost of vertical probe cards. This is because rigid probes, unlike vertical probes, can be manufactured using photolithography.

[0016] While rigid probes are more efficient at transmitting power than flexible vertical probes, their immobility in any embodiment of the probe device can pose a problem for adequate coupling to microcircuits that are not perfectly flat. Conventional methods allow the wafer probe support structure to facilitate tilting of the rigid substrate on which the rigid probe is mounted, based on gimbaring. This makes it easier to match the inclination of the microcircuit to achieve electrical contact between the rigid probe and the solder bumps of the microcircuit. However, if, for example, areas of the solder bumps on a microcircuit that are not edge-mounted are higher or lower than other areas of solder bumps, or if solder bumps occupy only a portion of the microcircuit surface (e.g., the periphery), such inclination may be insufficient for coupling the wafer probe to the microcircuit under inspection.

[0017] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a flexible wafer probe assembly. On one side, the wafer probe assembly includes a flexible laminate that holds a rigid probe that couples to a solder bump of a microcircuit. On the opposite side, the wafer probe assembly couples a printed circuit board (PCB) to an inspection assembly. The wafer probe assembly includes an interposer having floating pins that couple the solder bump of the microcircuit through the PCB to the inspection assembly via the rigid probe. As detailed, a spring plate of the wafer probe assembly facilitates the alignment of the interposer, enabling its coupling from the solder bump to the inspection assembly. Also, as detailed, an elastomer between the laminate and the interposer provides support and promotes local flexibility of the laminate, allowing the rigid probe to couple tightly to the solder bump. According to embodiments of the present invention, a wafer probe including a spring plate and an elastomer has the advantage of facilitating tight coupling between the rigid probe and the solder bump by facilitating the tilt of the microcircuit, as well as facilitating local non-planarity of the solder bump.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a wafer 100 and a corresponding wafer inspection component 130 including a wafer probe assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. The wafer 100 may include a plurality of microcircuits 110 to be inspected. The microcircuit 110 is on the order of, for example, 1 square inch (6.45 square centimeters) and is shown to include a plurality of solder bumps 120 that function as contacts for inspecting the microcircuit 110. The wafer 100 may be supported by a wafer prober (not shown) and moved into place for inspection.

[0019] A cross-sectional view of the wafer probe assembly 200 and a block diagram of the other wafer inspection component 130 are shown as an exploded view. The wafer probe assembly 200 is shown in detail in FIG. 2. The wafer probe assembly 200 of the wafer inspection component 130 functions as an electrical and mechanical interface between the microcircuit 110 to be inspected and an inspection device 150 that controls the inspection. That is, the inspection device 150 determines and controls an inspection pattern applied to the microcircuit 110 to be inspected via the PCB 140 and the wafer probe assembly 200.

[0020] The inspection device 150 refers to a processor, a memory, and other components that control the inspection patterns to be implemented on each microcircuit 110 to be inspected. For example, the inspection device 150 can include an automatic test pattern generator (ATPG) that applies a series of signals to the microcircuit 110 to be inspected via the wafer probe assembly 200. The inspection device 150 distinguishes the proper circuit behavior caused by a series of signals from the defective circuit behavior indicating defects in the microcircuit 110 to be inspected. As described above, the inspection device 150 may be connected to the PCB 140 that is coupled to the wafer probe assembly 200. The inspection device 150 may control the signals applied to the microcircuit 110 to be inspected through the wafer probe assembly 200, more specifically, each rigid probe 205. Each solder bump 120 of the microcircuit 110 contacts and is deformed by the rigid probe 205. On the opposite side of the wafer probe assembly 200, the floating pins 235 couple the wafer probe assembly 200 to the PCB 140.

[0021] Generally, to perform wafer inspection, the wafer 100 is moved to establish contact between the solder bumps 120 of the microcircuits 110 and the rigid probes 205 of the wafer probe assembly 200. To perform the inspection with high precision, an electrical contact must be established between each solder bump 120 of the microcircuit 110 and each corresponding rigid probe 205 of the wafer probe assembly 200. Specifically, each rigid probe 205 must contact and deform the corresponding solder bump 120. The problem of establishing sufficient contact is that the solder bumps 120 may not be completely flat and instead may exhibit some unevenness.

[0022] As mentioned above, conventional methods include using a support structure that matches the tilt of the inspection component with the tilt of the microcircuit 110. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the wafer probe assembly 200 facilitates not only tilt but also local deformation of solder bumps 120 on the microcircuit 110.

[0023] Figure 2 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the wafer probe assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. The orientation of the wafer probe assembly 200 is upside down in Figure 2 compared to the orientation shown in Figure 1. The relative positions of the microcircuit 110 on one side of the wafer probe assembly 200 and the PCB 140 and inspection device 150 on the opposite side, which is the other side of the wafer probe assembly 200, are shown.

[0024] The rigid probe 205 (shown in Figure 1) extends from the laminate 210, specifically from the inner portion 215, and couples with the solder bumps 120 of the microcircuit 110 under inspection. The land grid array (LGA) of the contact pad, not visible in Figure 2, is located on the side of the laminate 210 opposite to the side where the rigid probe 205 is located, specifically in the inner portion 215. The thickness of the laminate 210 is selected to balance the flexibility that increases with decreasing thickness with the strength that increases with increasing thickness. That is, the laminate 210 is selected to be sufficiently flexible so that the laminate and therefore the rigid probe 205 can adapt to the non-planar characteristics of the solder bumps 120. At the same time, the laminate 210 is selected to be strong enough to support the probing load (i.e., when the wafer probe assembly 200 is pressed against the microcircuit 110), as well as to provide support for the preload during the formation of the wafer probe assembly 200 (i.e., when the laminate 210 is bonded with the interposer 230 and elastomer 220).

[0025] The floating pin 235 (shown in Figure 1) is part of the interposer 230. The interposer 230 includes a pin portion 245 within a frame 240 through which the floating pin 235 extends. The floating pin 235 is coupled to the PCB 140 on one side of the pin portion 245. On the opposite side of the pin portion 245, on the side of the laminate 210 opposite to the side through which the rigid probe 205 extends, the floating pin 235 is coupled to the laminate 210. The floating pin 235 penetrates the elastomer 220 to reach the laminate 210. Each floating pin 235 contacts a corresponding contact pad on the side of the laminate 210 opposite to the side through which the rigid probe 205 extends, establishing electrical contact from the rigid probe 205, which is coupled to the solder bump 120 of the microcircuit 110, to the PCB 140 through the floating pin 235.

[0026] Additionally, a spring plate 250 and a shim 270 are shown in Figure 2 as part of a wafer probe assembly 200. The spring plate 250 includes a rigid outer frame 255 and a conformal inner frame 260. The laminate 210 is attached to the spring plate 250 with the interposer 230 and elastomer 220 held between the laminate 210 and the spring plate 250, and floating pins 235 of the interposer 230 extend through openings 261 shown in the spring plate 250 and shim 270 to connect to the PCB 140. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 2, the holes 211 in the laminate 210 coincide with the holes 251 in the inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250. The spring plate 250 facilitates the alignment of the laminate 210 and the interposer 230, specifically between the floating pins 235 of the interposer 230 and the corresponding contact pads (not shown) on the laminate 210. The spring plate 250 may be attached to the reinforcing member 305 (Figure 3B) by screws 360 (Figure 3D) or other fasteners.

[0027] In addition to alignment, the spring plate 250 also promotes flexibility. As shown in Figure 2, the flexible inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250 is connected to the rigid outer frame 255 only at its corners (connection 310 (Figure 3A)). Therefore, the inner frame 260 can tilt relative to the outer frame 255. This tilt is facilitated by the shim 270. The shim 270 is located between the outer frame 255 of the spring plate 250 and the PCB 140, but not between the inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250 and the PCB 140. Therefore, the shim 270 creates a gap g (see, for example, Figure 3D) between the inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250 and the PCB 140, which facilitates the movement of the inner frame 260 relative to the outer frame 255 based on the flexibility at the connection 310. The gap g allows the inner frame 260 to tilt, thereby allowing the mounted laminate to tilt.

[0028] The elastomer 220 may be sized to match the size of the inner portion 215 of the laminate 210. Other exemplary embodiments of the elastomer 220 are described with reference to Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C. The wafer probe assembly 200 is assembled before coupling with the microcircuit 110 in a process called preloading. In the first stage, the spring plate 250 is attached to the shim 270, the interposer 230 is attached to the PCB 140, the elastomer 220 is placed on the interposer 230, and the laminate 210 is attached to the spring plate 250. The elastomer 220 may be selected at this stage using a compression-load curve so that it is compressed to a point beyond which the load required for further compression increases exponentially. Alternatively, the elastomer 220 may be selected so that further compression can be performed in later stages. In a later stage, when the wafer probe assembly 200 is pushed into the microcircuit 110 (i.e., the rigid probe 205 of the wafer probe assembly 200 contacts the solder bump 120 of the microcircuit 110), the elastomer 220 can provide rigid support or promote flexibility, depending on the selected elastomer 220. Rather than the flexibility of the laminate 210 being transmitted to the interposer 230, the floating pins 235 can absorb some of the flexibility of the laminate 210.

[0029] Exceptional properties of the elastomer 220 that may be considered are thickness, modulus of elasticity, and size. In addition, the elastomer 220 may be formed as several components rather than as a single component, as further illustrated with reference to Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C. In this case, the position of each component may be determined based on the area of ​​the laminate 210 that requires the most support. For example, the microcircuit 110 may contain solder bumps 120 in only certain areas. In this case, during the step in which the wafer probe assembly 200 is coupled to the microcircuit 110, the laminate 210 will experience more load in the corresponding areas (i.e., the portion of the laminate 210 containing the rigid probes 205 that contact the present solder bumps 120). The elastomer 220 and the laminate 210 are designed to cooperate so that all rigid probes 205 make sure contact with the corresponding solder bumps 120 while preventing deformation of the laminate 210.

[0030] Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D are cross-sectional views of various embodiments of the wafer inspection component 130. Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view of a wafer probe assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3A shows two of the connection portions 310 between the inner frame 260 and the outer frame 255 of the spring plate 250. The number and location of the connection portions 310 between the inner frame 260 and the outer frame 255 control the possible tilt angle of the inner frame 260 (i.e., the degrees of freedom of movement of the inner frame 260 relative to the outer frame 255). In the exemplary wafer probe assembly 200 shown in Figures 2 and 3A, the inner frame 260 has four connection portions 310 with the outer frame 255 at its four corners. As a result, the inner frame 260 and, by extension, the laminate 210 attached to the inner frame 260 can tilt based on compression at one or more of these connection portions 310. The flattening screws 350 used to achieve the inclination will be described with reference to Figure 3C. The holes 211 in the laminate 210 and the holes 251 in the inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250 are shown aligned. The screws 320 that join the laminate to the spring plate 250 through these holes 211, 251 are shown in Figure 3B.

[0031] Figure 3B is a cross-sectional view of a wafer probe assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3B shows a reinforcing member 305 below the PCB 140. Additional reinforcing members may be placed between the reinforcing member 305 and the inspection device 150. Two of the screws 320 that join the laminate 210 to the spring plate 250 are shown in Figure 3B. Two of the dowels 330 that join the outer frame 255 of the spring plate 250 to the PCB 140 are also shown.

[0032] Figure 3C is a cross-sectional view of a wafer probe assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. The diagram in Figure 3C shows two of the dowels 340 that pass through the interposer 230 to the PCB 140. The dowels 340 pass through the spring plate 250 and the opening 261 in the shim 270, rather than interacting with the spring plate 250. Figure 3C also shows a planar setting screw 350 that passes through the inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250 to the surface of the PCB 140. The planar setting screw 350 may be controlled to cause a tilt in the inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250. Specifically, when a given planar setting screw 350 is moved downward (i.e., pressed against the surface of the PCB 140), the corresponding portion of the inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250 moves upward. As mentioned above, this movement of the inner frame 260 is facilitated by the gap g between the inner frame 260 and the PCB 140, which will be further explained with reference to Figure 3D.

[0033] Figure 3D is a cross-sectional view of a wafer probe assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3D shows a gap g between the inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250 and the PCB 140. This gap g is due to the shim 270 being located only below the outer frame 255 of the spring plate 250. The gap g facilitates the inner frame 260 to tilt slightly as needed, so that the laminate 210 can adapt to the corresponding inclination on the surface of the microcircuit 110 to accommodate the non-planarity of the outline of the solder bump 120.

[0034] Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C show various arrangements of the elastomer 220 according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4A, the elastomer 220 may be arranged around the floating pins 145 of the interposer 147, rather than on the floating pins 235 as shown in Figure 3. This example includes the elastomer 220 around the entire perimeter of the floating pins 235, but according to alternative embodiments of the present invention, only a portion of the frame 240 around the floating pins 235 may be covered with the elastomer 220.

[0035] Figure 4B shows the elastomer 220 on the floating pin 235, which is elliptical rather than rectangular, and is off-center rather than in the center of the floating pin 235. The specific location, shape, and size of the elastomer 220 may be based on the fact that one part or one side of the microcircuit 110 has more solder bumps 120 than another part or side. That is, areas of the rigid probe 205 that require a higher load because they correspond to higher density solder bumps 120 may require the elastomer 220 to be positioned on the side of the floating pin 235 corresponding to the side with high density solder bumps 120.

[0036] Figure 4C shows the elastomer 220 arranged as three components. The components of the elastomer 220 may have the same thickness, but may have different moduli based on their respective positions. As shown, each of the different components of the elastomer 220 may have different shapes and sizes.

[0037] Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary scenario of benefiting from a wafer probe assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. A set of solder bumps 120 on a microcircuit 110 and corresponding hard probes 205 mounted on a laminate 210 are shown. Each hard probe 205 is shown to have a cylindrical shape and include a blade 510. As the microcircuit 110 is moved and brought into contact with the wafer probe assembly 200, the blade 510 of each hard probe 205 comes into contact with the corresponding solder bump 120 and deforms it to establish electrical contact.

[0038] As shown in Figure 5, the solder bumps on the microcircuit 110 have a non-planar shape. If the solder bumps 120 are uniformly distributed on the surface of the microcircuit 110 and the microcircuit 110 is tilted, the corresponding tilt facilitated by the inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250 will be sufficient to ensure a tight coupling between the rigid probe 205 and the solder bumps 120. In the exemplary scenario shown in Figure 5, the non-planar microcircuit 110 exhibits a downward slope at the solder bumps 120y. Therefore, the tilt facilitated by the inner frame 260 of the spring plate 250 is insufficient to allow the rigid probe 205 extending from the laminate 210 to conform to the solder bumps 120. In this case, the flexibility of the laminate 210 may allow for sufficient conformability of the laminate 210 to the shape of the microcircuit 110. In this exemplary scenario, the elastomer 220 supports the laminate 210, preventing the edges of the laminate 210 containing the rigid probes 205x and 205z from deforming away from the microcircuit 110. Similarly, in the absence of the solder bumps 120y, the elastomer 220 ensures that the load compressing the solder bumps 120x and 120z does not cause sagging in the center of the laminate 210 as shown in Figure 5.

[0039] Figure 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the inspection device 150. As described above, the inspection device 150 generates inspection patterns used to inspect the microcircuits 110 to which the inspection device 150 is coupled via the inspection interconnect 200. The inspection device 150 includes one or more central processing units (processors) 21a, 21b, 21c, etc. (collectively or commonly referred to as processor 21 or processing unit or both). According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, each processor 21 may include a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) microprocessor. The processor 21 is coupled via a system bus 33 to system memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) 24) and various other components. Read-only memory (ROM) 22 may be coupled to the system bus 33 and may include a basic input / output system (BIOS) that controls certain basic functions of the inspection device 150.

[0040] Further illustrated are an input / output (I / O) adapter 27 and a communication adapter 26 coupled to the system bus 33. The I / O adapter 27 may be a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) adapter that communicates with a hard disk 23 or a tape storage drive 25 or both, or any other similar component. The I / O adapter 27, the hard disk 23, and the tape storage device 25 are collectively referred to herein as mass storage 34. An operating system 40 for running on the test device 150 may be stored in the mass storage 34. RAM 22, ROM 24, and mass storage 34 are examples of the memory 19 of the test device 150. A network adapter 26 interconnects the system bus 33 with an external network 36, enabling the test device 150 to communicate with other similar systems.

[0041] A display (e.g., a display monitor) 35 is connected to the system bus 33 by a display adapter 32, which may include a graphics adapter and video controller to improve the performance of graphics-intensive applications. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, adapters 26, 27, or 32, or a combination thereof, may be connected to one or more I / O buses connected to the system bus 33 via an intermediate bus bridge (not shown). Suitable I / O buses for connecting peripheral devices such as hard disk controllers, network adapters, and graphics adapters typically include common protocols such as Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI). Further input / output devices are shown to be connected to the system bus 33 via a user interface adapter 28 and the display adapter 32. A keyboard 29, mouse 30, and speaker 31 can be interconnected to the system bus 33 via the user interface adapter 28, which may include, for example, a super I / O chip that incorporates multiple device adapters into a single integrated circuit.

[0042] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the inspection apparatus 150 includes a graphics processing unit 37. The graphics processing unit 37 is a specialized electronic circuit designed to manipulate and modify memory to speed up the creation of images in a frame buffer for output to a display. Generally, the graphics processing unit 37 is highly efficient for computer graphics manipulation and image processing and has a highly parallel structure that makes it more effective than a general-purpose CPU for algorithms where processing of large blocks of data is done in parallel.

[0043] Therefore, as configured herein, the test apparatus 150 has processing capabilities in the form of memory capabilities including a processor 21, system memory (e.g., RAM 22), and mass storage 34, input means such as a keyboard 29 and a mouse 30, and output capabilities including a speaker 31 and a display 35. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a portion of the system memory (e.g., RAM 24) and the mass storage 34 jointly store an operating system, such as IBM Corporation's AIX(R) operating system, for coordinating the functions of the various components shown in the test apparatus 150.

[0044] Various embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the relevant drawings. Alternative embodiments of the present invention can be devised without departing from the scope of the present invention. Various connections and positional relationships (e.g., above, below, adjacent, etc.) are described between the elements in the following description and drawings. Such connections or positional relationships, or both, may be direct or indirect unless otherwise specified, and the present invention is not intended to be limiting in this regard. Thus, the connection of entities may refer to either a direct or indirect connection, and the positional relationship between entities may be direct or indirect. Furthermore, the various tasks and process steps described herein may be integrated into more comprehensive procedures or processes having additional steps or functions not described in detail herein.

[0045] One or more of the methods described herein may be implemented using any or a combination of the following technologies, each well known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for performing logic functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having appropriate combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0046] For the sake of brevity, prior art relating to the creation and use of aspects of the present invention may or may not be described in detail herein. In particular, various aspects of computing systems and specific computer programs for implementing the various technical features described herein are well known. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, details of many prior implementations are either briefly mentioned herein or omitted entirely without providing details of the well known systems or processes or both.

[0047] In some embodiments, various functions or operations may occur at a given location, in relation to the operation of one or more devices or systems, or both. In some embodiments, a portion of a given function or operation may be performed at a first device or location, and the remainder of the function or operation may be performed at one or more additional devices or locations.

[0048] The terminology used herein is intended solely to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to be restrictive. Where used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to also encompass the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, where used herein, the words “equipped with” or “equipped with” or both indicate the presence of a feature, integer, step, action, element, or component, or combination thereof, but it will be understood that they do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, actions, elemental components, or groups thereof, or combination thereof.

[0049] In all means or steps within the claims below, the corresponding structures, materials, actions, and equivalents of the functional elements are intended to encompass any structures, materials, or actions to perform a function in combination with other explicitly claimed elements. This disclosure is presented for illustrative and explanatory purposes only and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit oneself to the forms disclosed. Many changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The embodiments have been selected and described to best illustrate the principles and practical applications of this disclosure and to enable those skilled in the art to understand this disclosure with respect to various embodiments, along with various modifications suitable for the particular intended use.

[0050] The figures shown herein are illustrative. Many variations of the figures or steps (or actions) described herein may occur without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, actions may be performed in a different order, or actions may be added, deleted, or modified. Furthermore, the term “combined” means that there is a signal path between two elements, and does not imply a direct connection between elements without an intervening element / connection. All such variations are considered part of this disclosure.

[0051] The following definitions and abbreviations shall be used for interpretation of the claims and specification. Where used herein, the terms “comprises, comprising,” “includes, including,” “has, having,” or “contains or containing,” or variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a formulation, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus including an enumeration of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements and may include other elements not expressly enumerated or that are inherently associated with such formulation, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0052] In addition, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, illustration, or representation.” Embodiments or designs described herein as “exemplary” should not necessarily be construed as being preferable or advantageous to other embodiments or designs. The terms “at least one” and “one or more” are understood to include one or more arbitrary integers, i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. The term “multiple” is understood to include two or more arbitrary integers, i.e., 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. The term “connection” may include both indirect and direct “connections.”

[0053] The terms “about,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and their variations are intended to include the degree of error associated with measuring a particular quantity based on the equipment available at the time of filing this application. For example, “about” may include a range of ±8%, 5%, or 2% of a given value.

[0054] The present invention may be a system, method, or computer program product, or a combination thereof, at any possible level of integration of technical details. The computer program product may include (one or more) computer-readable storage media having computer-readable program instructions for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

[0055] A computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible device capable of holding and storing instructions for use by an instruction execution device. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, electronic storage devices, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, electromagnetic storage devices, semiconductor storage devices, or any preferred combination thereof. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer-readable storage media includes portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), static random-access memory (SRAM), portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVDs), memory sticks, floppy(R) disks, punch cards, and mechanically encoded devices such as grooved raised structures on which instructions are recorded, or any preferred combination thereof. The computer-readable storage medium used in this invention should not be interpreted as a transient signal itself, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides or other transmission media (e.g., optical pulses through optical fiber cables), or electrical signals transmitted through electric wires.

[0056] The computer-readable program instructions described herein may be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to each computing / processing device, or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a wireless network, or a combination thereof. The network may include copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, or edge servers, or a combination thereof. A network adapter card or network interface within each computing / processing device receives computer-readable program instructions from the network and transfers those computer-readable program instructions for storage in a computer-readable storage medium within each computing / processing device.

[0057] The computer-readable program instructions for performing the operation of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, integrated circuit configuration data, or source code or object code, written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk(R) and C++, and procedural programming languages ​​such as the C programming language or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may be executed as a standalone software package, entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, for example, an electronic circuit including a programmable logic circuit, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable logic array (PLA) may execute a computer-readable program instruction by individually configuring the electronic circuit using state information of the computer-readable program instruction in order to carry out an aspect of the present invention.

[0058] Aspects of the present invention are described herein by reference to flowcharts or block diagrams, or both, of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It will be understood that each block in a flowchart or block diagram, or both, and combinations of blocks in a flowchart or block diagram, or combination thereof, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0059] These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or another programmable data processing device in order to create a machine in which instructions executed via the processor of a computer or other programmable data processing device create means for performing functions / operations specified in one or more blocks of a flowchart or block diagram, or both. These computer-readable program instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium in which the computer-readable storage medium on which the instructions are stored can be instructed to function in a particular manner to a computer, a programmable data processing device, or other device, or a combination thereof, in order to constitute a product containing instructions that perform modes of functions / operations specified in one or more blocks of a flowchart or block diagram, or both.

[0060] Computer-readable program instructions may be loaded into a computer, another programmable device, or another device such that instructions executed by the computer, another programmable device, or another device perform functions / operations specified in one or more blocks of a flowchart or block diagram, or both, causing a series of operational steps on the computer, another programmable device, or another device to generate a process executed by the computer.

[0061] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or part of an instruction, which contains one or more executable instructions for performing a specified logical function. In some alternative implementations, the functions described in a block may be performed in a different order than shown in the diagram. For example, two consecutively shown blocks may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or they may sometimes be executed in reverse order depending on the functions involved. It will also be noted that each block in the block diagram or flowchart diagram, or both, and combinations of blocks in the block diagram or flowchart diagram, or both, may be implemented by a special-purpose hardware-based system that performs a specified function or operates or implements a combination of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0062] The descriptions of various embodiments of the present invention are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit oneself to the disclosed embodiments. Many changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the embodiments described. The terms used herein have been selected to best describe the principles, practical applications, or technological advancements of the embodiments or the art found in the market, or to enable those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments described herein.

Claims

1. A wafer inspection device, Conformal laminates and, A rigid probe extending from the laminate and configured to form an electrical connection with the microcircuit to be inspected, A spring plate located on the side of the laminate opposite to the side from which the rigid probe extends, the laminate is attached to the spring plate, and the spring plate and A wafer inspection device further comprising an interposer on the side of the laminate opposite to the side from which the rigid probe extends, wherein the interposer comprises a pin portion within a frame.

2. The spring plate comprises a conformal inner frame and a rigid outer frame, The device according to claim 1, wherein the inner frame has four connection points with the outer frame at the four corners of the inner frame.

3. The device according to claim 2, further comprising a floating pin extending from the pin portion of the interposer.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the floating pin contacts the laminate on the side of the laminate opposite to the side from which the rigid probe extends.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein the floating pin is configured to extend through an opening in the inner frame of the spring plate and to contact a printed circuit board (PCB).

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the floating pin is configured to transmit an electrical signal from an inspection device coupled to the PCB to the laminate and, through the rigid probe, to the microcircuit under inspection.

7. The device according to claim 5, further comprising a shim configured to create a gap between the inner frame of the spring plate and the PCB, between the outer frame of the spring plate and the PCB.

8. The device according to claim 3, further comprising an elastomer disposed between the laminate and the interposer.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the floating pin extends through the elastomer to the laminate.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the elastomer is composed of two or more components.

11. A method for assembling wafer inspection devices, Assembling a conformal laminate, wherein a rigid probe for forming an electrical connection with a microcircuit to be inspected extends from the laminate, The spring plate is positioned on the side of the laminate opposite to the side from which the rigid probe extends, and the laminate is attached to the spring plate. This includes arranging the interposer on the side of the laminate opposite to the side from which the rigid probe extends, A method wherein the interposer includes a pin portion within the frame.

12. The spring plate comprises a conformal inner frame and a rigid outer frame, The method according to claim 11, wherein the inner frame has four connection points with the outer frame at the four corners of the inner frame.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising arranging floating pins so as to extend from the pin portion of the interposer.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the arrangement of the floating pins includes the floating pins contacting the laminate on the side of the laminate opposite to the side from which the rigid probe extends.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the arrangement of the floating pins includes the floating pins extending through an opening in the inner frame of the spring plate and contacting a printed circuit board (PCB).

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the arrangement of the floating pins includes configuring the floating pins to transmit electrical signals from an inspection device coupled to the PCB to the laminate and, through the rigid probe, to the microcircuit under inspection.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising placing a shim between the outer frame of the spring plate and the PCB in order to create a gap between the inner frame of the spring plate and the PCB.

18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising arranging an elastomer between the laminate and the interposer.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the arrangement of the floating pins includes the floating pins penetrating the elastomer and extending to the laminate.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the arrangement of the elastomer means arranging the elastomer as two or more components.

21. A computer program comprising program code adapted to perform the method described in any one of claims 11 to 20 when executed on a computer.

Images