The probe head of a probe card for testing equipment for electronic devices, the contact probe, the probe card, and the manufacturing method of the contact probe.

Abstract

A contact probe has its width and thickness defined along a first and a second transverse axis, and its cross-sectional area defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The contact probe includes a needle body that is bent at least along the first transverse axis and disposed between upper and lower guide plate units, a needle head that extends downward from the needle body along the longitudinal axis to abut against a contact pad of a device under test, and a needle tail that extends upward from the needle body along the longitudinal axis and includes a contact end. The contact end includes a contact end face for contacting a contact pad of an interface panel. The contact end is at least partially smaller than the needle body in both width and thickness, such that the area of ​​the contact end face is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body, so that it can stably contact the contact pad of the interface panel and avoids exceeding the edge of the contact pad, thereby obtaining a stable contact impedance and making the test results stable and accurate.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to probes of probe cards for testing equipment for electronic devices, and particularly to a contact probe, a probe head including the contact probe and a probe card, and a method for manufacturing the contact probe. [Previous Technology]

[0002] With the trend of miniaturization of electronic components, the contact pads of electronic components are also becoming smaller. The smaller the contact pad, the smaller the contact force it can withstand. Therefore, the probe card used to test electronic components with tiny contact pads needs to use contact probes with low contact force (or low needle pressure) to avoid applying excessive contact force when the contact probe contacts the contact pad of the device under test, which could damage the device under test.

[0003] In addition to contacting the contact pad of the device under test with its tip, the contact probe also needs to contact the contact pad of a dielectric panel (such as a space transducer) with its tail to make the contact probe and the dielectric panel electrically connected to each other. However, when using a contact probe with a low contact force, the force exerted by the tail of the contact probe on the contact pad of the dielectric panel will also be relatively low, which can easily lead to unstable contact impedance. That is, an unstable contact is formed between the tail of the contact probe and the contact pad of the dielectric panel, which will have an adverse effect on the accuracy of the test results.

[0004] In addition, with the trend of miniaturization of electronic components, the center-to-center spacing of their contact pads is becoming smaller and smaller. Therefore, the contact probes of the probe card required for testing also need to have the characteristics of fine spacing. For example, the center-to-center spacing between contact probes is 50 to 80 micrometers, or even less than 50 micrometers. The contact pads of the probe card interface will also shrink in size and center-to-center spacing. This makes it easy for the tip of the contact probe to extend beyond the edge of the contact pad it contacts, which may result in insufficient contact area or the contact probe contacting a non-corresponding contact pad. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] In view of the above deficiencies, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a contact probe for a probe card of a test device for an electronic device, wherein the end of the probe can make stable contact with the contact pad of the interface panel to obtain a stable contact impedance, thereby making the test results stable and accurate, and the end of the probe can be more accurately aligned with its corresponding contact pad to reduce the risk of exceeding the edge of the contact pad.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the contact probe provided by the present invention defines a longitudinal axis, a first transverse axis, and a second transverse axis that are perpendicular to each other. The contact probe defines a width along the first transverse axis, a thickness along the second transverse axis, and a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The contact probe includes a needle body extending in an elongated shape along the longitudinal axis, a needle tip connected to the needle body and extending downward from the needle body along the longitudinal axis, and a needle tail connected to the needle body and extending upward from the needle body along the longitudinal axis. The needle body defines a first central axis extending along the longitudinal axis. The needle body is disposed between an upper guide plate unit and a lower guide plate unit, and the needle tip is used to abut against a contact pad of a test device located below the lower guide plate unit. The needle tail includes a contact end, which includes a contact end face. The contact end face is used to mechanically and electrically contact a contact pad of a panel. The contact end face can define a second central axis extending along the longitudinal axis. The contact end is at least partially smaller than the needle body in both width and thickness, such that the area of ​​the contact end face is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body.

[0007] Consequently, compared to the needle body, the contact end of the needle tail is reduced in both width and thickness, thereby reducing the area of ​​the contact end face. This enhances the contact stability between the contact end face of the needle tail and the contact pad of the interface panel, resulting in stable contact impedance and stable and accurate test results. Moreover, due to its small area, the contact end face of the needle tail can be more accurately aligned with the corresponding contact pad of the interface panel, and sufficient safety distance can be maintained between the contact end face of the needle tail and the edge of the contact pad it contacts, thereby reducing the risk of the contact end face of the needle tail exceeding the edge of the contact pad it contacts.

[0008] Preferably, the contact end of the needle tail of the contact probe is at least partially tapering towards the contact end face along the longitudinal axis in terms of cross-sectional area.

[0009] In other words, the contact end of the needle tail has at least a partially inclined surface, conical surface or similar structure that is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis, so as to achieve the characteristic of gradually reducing the cross-sectional area, thereby avoiding the problem of insufficient structural strength caused by the reduction of the cross-sectional area of ​​the contact end.

[0010] Preferably, the needle tail includes four sides, at least one of which includes an inwardly recessed plane, the inwardly recessed plane being parallel to and facing the same direction as a side of the needle body, and the inwardly recessed plane being offset from the side of the needle body in the opposite direction to the same direction.

[0011] In other words, besides achieving a smaller contact area by having at least a partially tapered contact end, the needle tail can also achieve this by having at least a partially planar (non-tapered) side of the needle tail that is directly recessed relative to the needle body. This allows the needle tail to reduce its cross-sectional area relative to the needle body in a non-tapered manner, thereby reducing the contact force exerted by the needle tail on the contact pad of the interface panel to some extent, while also reducing the area of ​​the contact end face to improve contact resistance and contact stability. The needle tail can also simultaneously possess both the characteristics of tapering reduction of cross-sectional area (i.e., the aforementioned inclined surface, conical surface, or similar structure) and non-tapered reduction of cross-sectional area (i.e., the aforementioned inwardly tapered plane), so that the contact end face has an appropriate area and generates appropriate contact force and contact resistance to meet testing requirements.

[0012] More preferably, two of the sides of the needle tail each include the inner recessed plane, and the inner recessed planes of the two sides face the positive and negative directions of the first transverse axis, respectively.

[0013] After the contact probe passes through the upper and lower guide holes of the upper and lower guide plate units, the upper and lower guide plate units will at least be relatively displaced along the first transverse axis, causing the section of the needle body located between the upper and lower guide plate units to elastically bend and deform along the first transverse axis (the upper and lower guide plate units may also be relatively displaced along both the first and second transverse axes, causing the needle body to elastically bend and deform along both the first and second transverse axes). At this time, the positive or negative side of the needle body facing the first transverse axis will abut against the inner surface of the upper guide hole. That is, the section of the needle body located in the upper guide hole will not be centrally positioned relative to the upper guide hole, but will be eccentric at least along the first transverse axis. By giving the needle tail the inwardly recessed plane facing the positive and negative directions of the first transverse axis, the contact end face of the needle tail can be adjusted to be less eccentric relative to the upper guide hole along the first transverse axis (compared to the needle body), or even centrally positioned relative to the upper guide hole. This allows the contact end face of the needle tail to be more accurately aligned with the contact pad of its corresponding interface panel, and reduces the risk that the contact end face of the needle tail may extend beyond the edge of the contact pad it is contacting.

[0014] Preferably, the needle tail further includes a stop portion and a base portion, the stop portion being connected to the needle body, and the base portion being connected between the stop portion and the contact end portion; the cross-sectional area of ​​the stop portion is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body, thereby restricting the needle tail above the upper guide plate unit; the cross-sectional area of ​​the base portion is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the stop portion, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the contact end portion is smaller than or equal to the cross-sectional area of ​​the base portion.

[0015] Accordingly, a base portion is provided between the contact end and the stop portion, which can strengthen the structural strength of the needle tail and make the contact end less likely to break due to force. Moreover, when the contact probe is inserted into the upper and lower guide plate units, the contact probe passes through the upper and lower guide holes of the upper and lower guide plate units from top to bottom. When the installer looks from top to bottom, it is usually difficult to identify whether the installation direction of the contact probe is correct by the relative position relationship between the contact end and the stop portion. However, with the base portion, the relative position relationship between the contact end and the base portion can be clearly identified, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of the installation of the contact probe.

[0016] More preferably, the base portion has a top surface, and the contact end portion is biased toward at least one side of the base portion and connected to a portion of the top surface, such that the point where the contact end portion is connected to the base portion is offset by a distance relative to at least one edge of the top surface of the base portion along at least one of the first and second transverse axes.

[0017] Accordingly, the contact end is biased toward one side of the base portion along the first transverse axis and / or biased toward the other side of the base portion along the second transverse axis, so that the contact end and the base portion have a clear and identifiable relative positional relationship, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of installing the contact probe.

[0018] More preferably, the base portion is trapezoidal in a cross section parallel to the longitudinal axis.

[0019] Accordingly, the base portion can be trapezoidal in the cross section along the longitudinal axis and the first transverse axis, or it can be trapezoidal in the cross section along the longitudinal axis and the second transverse axis. In this way, the cross-sectional area is gradually reduced from the base portion upwards, so as to ensure the overall structural strength of the needle tail while making the contact end face have the required small area.

[0020] More preferably, the width of the base portion is less than the width of the stop portion, and the thickness of the base portion is less than or equal to the thickness of the stop portion and greater than or equal to the thickness of the contact end portion.

[0021] Therefore, the base portion only needs to be narrower than the stop portion, and the thickness can be equal to the stop portion, or the thickness of the base portion can be narrower than the thickness of the stop portion, so that the cross-sectional area is reduced from the base portion, and the contact end face has a smaller area.

[0022] Preferably, the base portion and the stop portion are discontinuously connected to each other.

[0023] Thus, the base portion and the stop portion are clearly distinguished in appearance and do not form a continuous shape together. This results in a significant difference in the cross-sectional area of ​​the base portion relative to the cross-sectional area of ​​the stop portion, thereby reducing the cross-sectional area from the base portion and making the contact end face smaller.

[0024] Preferably, the second central axis of the contact end face of the needle tail is offset from the first central axis of the needle body by a distance along the first transverse axis.

[0025] As described above, when the upper and lower guide plate units are displaced relative to each other along the first transverse axis, causing the probe body to bend along the first transverse axis, the section of the probe body located within the upper guide hole will be eccentrically positioned relative to the upper guide hole along the first transverse axis. By offsetting the second central axis from the first central axis along the first transverse axis by a distance, the degree of eccentricity of the contact end face of the probe tail relative to the upper guide hole along the first transverse axis can be reduced (compared to the probe body), and the contact end face of the probe tail can even be centered relative to the upper guide hole. In this way, the contact end face of the probe tail can be more accurately aligned with the contact pad of its corresponding interface panel, and the risk of the contact end face of the probe tail extending beyond the edge of the contact pad it contacts can be further reduced.

[0026] More preferably, the second central axis of the contact end face of the needle tail is offset from the first central axis of the needle body by another distance along the second transverse axis.

[0027] Since the upper and lower guide plate units may shift relative to each other along the first transverse axis and also along the second transverse axis, the section of the needle body located within the upper guide hole may also be eccentrically positioned relative to the upper guide hole along the second transverse axis. By offsetting the second central axis from the first central axis by another distance along the second transverse axis, the degree of eccentricity of the contact end face of the needle tail relative to the upper guide hole along the second transverse axis can be reduced (compared to the needle body), and the contact end face of the needle tail can even be centered relative to the upper guide hole. In this way, the contact end face of the needle tail can be more accurately aligned with the contact pad of its corresponding interface panel, and the risk of the contact end face of the needle tail exceeding the edge of the contact pad it contacts can be further reduced.

[0028] Preferably, the needle body includes at least one slit extending along the longitudinal axis, the slit penetrating the needle body along the second transverse axis, such that the needle body is defined by the at least one slit into at least two arms, the at least two arms being separated from each other along the first transverse axis.

[0029] In this way, the slit weakens the rigidity of the probe body, thereby reducing the contact force exerted by the contact probe on the contact pads of the device under test and the interface panel, thus avoiding damage to the contact pads due to excessive contact force. Especially for high-frequency and high-speed testing requirements, shorter contact probes are usually used to obtain good electrical transmission characteristics. However, shorter contact probes have higher rigidity and contact force. In this case, the slit can reduce the contact force of the contact probe. In addition, the slit also improves the elasticity of the probe body, ensuring the elastic deformation effect of the probe body when bending along the first transverse axis.

[0030] More preferably, the thickness of the needle body is greater than or equal to the width of the needle body.

[0031] Since the needle body is bent along the axis of the defined width (i.e. the first transverse axis), the width of the needle body is not greater than the thickness, or even less than the thickness, which allows the needle body to produce a better elastic deformation effect and allows the needle body to have sufficient thickness so that it is less likely to break.

[0032] More preferably, at least one set of protrusions is provided in the slit, the set of protrusions including two protrusions, the two protrusions being protruding from two adjacent arms facing each other.

[0033] Accordingly, when the probe tip abuts against the contact pad of the device under test and is subjected to a reaction force, the probe body will be compressed and elastically deformed and deflected. At this time, the two protrusions facing each other in the slit will abut against each other, thus preventing adjacent arms from contacting each other and wearing out, thereby increasing the service life of the contact probe. Moreover, by having the two protrusions facing each other abut against each other, the arms can maintain a consistent deflection direction and a certain distance, which is helpful for the electrical performance of high-frequency and high-speed tests.

[0034] The present invention further provides a probe head for a probe card of a test device for an electronic device, comprising an upper guide plate unit, a lower guide plate unit, and a plurality of probes. The upper guide plate unit includes a plurality of upper guide holes, and the lower guide plate unit includes a plurality of lower guide holes. The probes pass through the upper guide holes and the lower guide holes respectively. The plurality of probes includes at least one contact probe as described above. The plurality of probes are all bent along a first transverse axis, and each upper guide hole defines a third central axis. The second central axis of the contact probe is closer to the third central axis of the upper guide hole it passes through than the first central axis.

[0035] Accordingly, the contact probe of the probe head of the present invention can stably contact the contact pad of the interface panel due to the small contact end face of the needle tail, resulting in stable and accurate test results. Moreover, compared with the needle body, the contact end face of the needle tail has a lower degree of eccentricity relative to the upper guide hole, which allows the contact end face of the needle tail to be more accurately aligned with the corresponding contact pad of the interface panel, and further ensures that there is a sufficient safety distance between the contact end face of the needle tail and the edge of the contact pad it contacts, thereby further reducing the risk that the contact end face of the needle tail exceeds the edge of the contact pad it contacts.

[0036] Preferably, the second central axis of the contact probe coincides with the third central axis of the upper guide hole.

[0037] In this way, the contact end face of the needle tail is centered relative to the upper guide hole, which allows the contact end face of the needle tail to be more accurately aligned with the contact pad of the corresponding interface panel, and reduces the risk that the contact end face of the needle tail exceeds the edge of the contact pad it contacts.

[0038] Preferably, the first transverse axis can define two opposite directions, the needle body of the contact probe includes a first bearing surface facing one of the directions of the first transverse axis, the first bearing surface abuts against an inner surface of the upper guide hole, and the contact end of the needle tail of the contact probe is at least partially offset from the first bearing surface in the other direction of the first transverse axis.

[0039] For example, when the first bearing surface of the needle body faces the negative direction of the first transverse axis, the contact end of the needle tail is at least partially offset from the first bearing surface in the positive direction of the first transverse axis. Therefore, compared to the needle body, the degree of eccentricity of the contact end face of the needle tail relative to the upper guide hole along the first transverse axis is lower, and the contact end face of the needle tail can even be centrally positioned relative to the upper guide hole. This allows the contact end face of the needle tail to be more accurately aligned with the contact pad of its corresponding interface panel, and further reduces the risk of the contact end face of the needle tail exceeding the edge of the contact pad it contacts.

[0040] Preferably, the second transverse axis can define two opposite directions, the needle body of the contact probe includes a second bearing surface facing one of the directions of the second transverse axis, the second bearing surface abuts against an inner surface of the upper guide hole, and the contact end of the needle tail of the contact probe is at least partially offset from the second bearing surface in the other direction of the second transverse axis.

[0041] For example, when the second bearing surface of the needle body faces the negative direction of the second transverse axis, the contact end of the needle tail is at least partially offset from the second bearing surface in the positive direction of the second transverse axis. Therefore, compared to the needle body, the contact end face of the needle tail is less eccentric relative to the upper guide hole along the second transverse axis, and can even be centrally positioned relative to the upper guide hole. This allows the contact end face of the needle tail to be more accurately aligned with the contact pad of its corresponding interface panel, and further reduces the risk of the contact end face of the needle tail extending beyond the edge of the contact pad it contacts.

[0042] The present invention further provides a probe card for a test apparatus for an electronic device, comprising a probe head as described above, and a dielectric panel. The dielectric panel includes a lower surface facing the probe head, and a plurality of contact pads located on the lower surface. The contact end face of the probe head contacting the probe tip mechanically and electrically contacts the contact pads of the dielectric panel.

[0043] Accordingly, the probe card of the present invention uses the aforementioned probe head, and thus has its advantages and effects, producing accurate, stable and good test results, and avoiding the risk that the contact end face of the needle tail exceeds the edge of the contact pad it contacts.

[0044] The present invention further provides a method for manufacturing the contact probe as described above, characterized in that: the contact probe is made of a substrate, the substrate is made of a conductive material, and a laser treatment is performed on a top surface of the substrate by a laser treatment method (e.g., laser ablation), such that the substrate includes a thicker block that has not been laser treated and a thinner block that has been laser treated to reduce its thickness, the needle body of the contact probe comes from the thicker block, and the contact end of the needle tail of the contact probe comes from the thinner block.

[0045] Accordingly, the contact end of the contact probe is laser-processed to produce a thickness smaller than that of the probe body, thereby giving the contact probe a smaller contact end face. Laser processing ensures good dimensional accuracy of the contact end of the probe tail, making the tolerance of the contact probe meet the requirements, and thus improving the manufacturing yield of the probe card.

[0046] In one embodiment of the present invention, the steps of the method for manufacturing a contact probe include: providing a substrate, the substrate being a plate; performing laser processing on the top surface of the substrate by the laser processing method to make the substrate include the thicker block and the thinner block; and performing a cutting process to cut the substrate into at least one contact probe, such that the contact probe produces a contact end that is narrower than the needle body through the cutting process.

[0047] Accordingly, the contact probe provided by the present invention can be manufactured from a plate through laser treatment (e.g., laser ablation) and a cutting process. The laser treatment on the top surface of the plate reduces the thickness of the needle tail of the subsequently cut contact probe, and the process of cutting the plate into contact probes creates the required width configuration for the contact probes. This manufacturing method not only produces contact probes with the aforementioned advantages and effects, but also allows for the cutting of multiple contact probes from the same plate after laser treatment, making the manufacturing process convenient and fast.

[0048] Preferably, the cutting process is performed by a laser processing method (e.g., laser cutting). This allows for better dimensional accuracy of the contact probes, thereby further improving the manufacturing yield of the probe card.

[0049] In another embodiment of the present invention, the steps of the method for manufacturing a contact probe include: providing a substrate, the substrate being an elongated needle body, and the substrate being the same as the contact probe in width configuration; and performing laser processing on the top surface of the substrate by the laser processing method to make the substrate include the thicker block and the thinner block, such that the thicker block at least partially becomes the needle body of the contact probe and the thinner block at least partially becomes the contact end of the needle tail of the contact probe.

[0050] Accordingly, the contact probe provided by the present invention can be made by laser treatment (e.g., laser ablation) of an elongated needle body. The needle body can be formed by microelectromechanical processes or other methods, which can form the side profile required for the contact probe, so that the needle body has the width configuration of the contact probe to be manufactured. Then, by performing laser treatment on the top surface of the needle body, the thickness of the needle tail is reduced. Such a manufacturing method can also produce a contact probe with the aforementioned advantages and effects.

[0051] The detailed structure, features, assembly, or usage of the contact probe, probe head, probe card, and contact probe manufacturing method provided by the present invention will be described in the following detailed description of the embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that such detailed descriptions and the specific embodiments listed for implementing the present invention are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the patent application.

Implementation Method

[0053] The applicant first clarifies that in the embodiments and drawings described below, the same reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or their structural features. It should be noted that the elements and structures in the drawings are for illustrative purposes and are not drawn according to actual scale and quantity, and features of different embodiments can be used interchangeably if feasible in practice. Secondly, when it is said that an element is disposed on another element, it means that the aforementioned element is directly disposed on the other element, or the aforementioned element is indirectly disposed on the other element, that is, one or more other elements are disposed between the two elements. When it is said that an element is "directly" disposed on another element, it means that no other elements are disposed between the two elements.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 1 first. A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a test apparatus 10 for an electronic device. The test apparatus 10 includes a carrier stage 11 and a probe card 12. In this embodiment, the electronic device (hereinafter also referred to as the device under test) is formed on a wafer 20. The wafer 20 is placed on the carrier stage 11. A plurality of devices under test 21 are formed on the wafer 20, and each device under test 21 includes a plurality of contact pads 211. The probe card 12 includes at least an interface panel 30 and a probe head 40. The probe head 40 includes an upper guide plate unit 41, a lower guide plate unit 42, and a plurality of probes 43 passing through the upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42. The probe card 12 is used to electrically connect to a test machine (not shown in the figure) and to perform a test procedure by mechanically and electrically contacting the contact pads 211 of the device under test 21 with the probes 43.

[0055] As shown in Figure 2, the upper guide plate unit 41 includes a plurality of upper guide holes 411, and the lower guide plate unit 42 includes a plurality of lower guide holes 421. The aforementioned plurality of probes 43 pass through the upper guide holes 411 and the lower guide holes 421 respectively. The probes 43 in the probe head 40 may be all or part of the contact probes 50 shown in Figure 2. The contact probes 50 refer to the probes 43 whose needle tails have specific structural features, which will be described in detail below. In this embodiment, the upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 each include only one plate body. However, the upper guide plate unit 41 and / or the lower guide plate unit 42 may also be composed of a plurality of stacked plates. The edges of the upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 may have protruding structures and be directly connected to each other, or a hollow middle guide plate (not shown in the figure) may be connected between the upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42.

[0056] The probe card typically includes a main circuit board for electrical connection to the testing machine. The main circuit board may be directly mounted on the probe head, or a space converter may be provided between the main circuit board and the probe head. The interface panel 30 mentioned in this invention refers to the circuit board directly mounted on the probe head 40 and in direct contact with the probe 43. Therefore, the interface panel 30 can be the aforementioned main circuit board or space converter. As shown in FIG2, the interface panel 30 includes a lower surface 31 facing the probe head 40 and a plurality of contact pads 32 located on the lower surface 31. The contact probes 50 respectively mechanically and electrically contact the contact pads 32 of the interface panel 30.

[0057] During the assembly of the probe head 40, the upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 are initially positioned relative to each other but not yet fixed. At this time, the upper guide hole 411 is coaxially aligned with the lower guide hole 421. The probe 43 is initially straight, passing through the coaxially aligned upper guide hole 411 and lower guide hole 421 from top to bottom. Then, the upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 move relative to each other along a first transverse axis (Y-axis), causing the upper guide hole 411 and lower guide hole 421 to be offset from each other along the Y-axis, thereby causing the probe 43 to bend along the Y-axis, i.e., to bend as shown in Figure 2 when contacting the probe 50. The upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 may also (but are not limited to) move relative to each other along a second transverse axis (X-axis), causing the upper guide hole 411 and lower guide hole 421 to also be offset from each other along the X-axis, thereby causing the probe 43 to also bend along the X-axis. After the upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 have moved relative to each other, they will be fixed to each other, so that the probe 43 inside the probe head 40 remains bent.

[0058] Please refer to Figures 2 and 3. When the contact probe 50 is still in a straight line state, the contact probe 50 includes a needle body 51 extending in an elongated shape along a longitudinal axis (Z-axis), a needle tip 52 integrally connected to the needle body 51 and extending downward from the needle body 51 along the Z-axis, and a needle tail 53 integrally connected to the needle body 51 and extending upward from the needle body 51 along the Z-axis. In this invention, the contact probe 50 defines its width along a first transverse axis (Y-axis), its thickness along a second transverse axis (X-axis), and its cross-sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (Z-axis), that is, it defines its cross-sectional area in the XY plane. When the probe head 40 is assembled, the needle tail 53 is located above the upper guide hole 411 to abut against the contact pad 32 of the interface panel 30, and the needle head 52 is located below the lower guide hole 421 to abut against the contact pad 211 of the test device 21. The needle body 51 is bent along the first transverse axis or along the first and second transverse axes and is disposed between the upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 to be slightly elastically bent when the needle head 52 abuts against the contact pad 211 of the test device 21.

[0059] Please refer to Figures 3 and 4. In this embodiment, the needle tail 53 of the contact probe 50 includes, from bottom to top, a stop portion 531, a base portion 532, and a contact end portion 533. The stop portion 531 is connected to the needle body 51, and the base portion 532 is connected between the stop portion 531 and the contact end portion 533. The stop portion 531 and the needle body 51 have the same thickness, but the width of the stop portion 531 is greater than the width of the needle body 51. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the stop portion 531 is greater than the cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body 51. As shown in Figure 2, the width of the upper guide hole 411 is slightly greater than the width of the needle body 51 but less than the width of the stop portion 531. Therefore, the stop portion 531 can restrict the needle tail 53 above the upper guide plate unit 41. The base portion 532 and the stop portion 531 have the same thickness (or the thickness of the base portion 532 may be less than the thickness of the stop portion 531), but the width of the base portion 532 is less than the width of the stop portion 531. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the base portion 532 is less than the cross-sectional area of ​​the stop portion 531. The width of the contact end portion 533 is less than the width of the base portion 532, the thickness of the base portion 532 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the contact end portion 533, the cross-sectional area of ​​the contact end portion 533 where it connects to the base portion 532 is less than the cross-sectional area of ​​the base portion 532, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the contact end portion 533 gradually decreases upward from that point. The contact end 533 includes a contact end face 534 located at its uppermost end. The contact end face 534 is used to mechanically and electrically contact the contact pad 32 of the interface panel 30. The contact end 533 is generally smaller in width than the needle body 51. Moreover, except for the part connecting to the base portion 532, the thickness of the contact end 533 is also smaller than that of the needle body 51 and gradually tapers upward, so that the area of ​​the contact end face 534 is much smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body 51. It should be understood that the base portion 532 and the stop portion 531 in this invention are discontinuously connected to each other, that is, the base portion 532 and the stop portion 531 can be clearly distinguished in appearance, and they do not form a continuous shape together. For example, the base portion 532 and the stop portion 531 form a difference in appearance, that is, the outer surface (side) has a height difference.

[0060] Accordingly, compared to the needle body 51, the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 is reduced in both width and thickness, thereby reducing the area of ​​the contact end face 534. This enhances the contact stability between the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 and the contact pad 32 of the interface panel 30, thereby obtaining stable contact impedance. This results in stable and accurate test results, ensuring that the tested device has good performance. Moreover, because the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 has a small area, it can be more accurately aligned with the corresponding contact pad 32 of the interface panel 30. It also allows for sufficient safety distance between the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 and the edge of the contact pad 32 it contacts, thereby reducing the risk that the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 may extend beyond the edge of the contact pad 32 it contacts.

[0061] Furthermore, a base portion 532 is provided between the contact end 533 and the stop portion 531. This reduces the area of ​​the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53, thereby reducing the length or height of the contact end 533 in the Z-axis direction, which strengthens the structural strength of the needle tail 53 and makes the contact end 533 less prone to breakage under stress. Moreover, the base portion 532 can be designed to have a clearly identifiable relative positional relationship with the contact end 533. For example, as shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, the right side of the base portion 532 is flush with the right side of the contact end 533, while the left side of the base portion 532 protrudes significantly from the left side of the contact end 533. This asymmetrical design has a very obvious identification effect. When the installer inserts the contact probe 50 from top to bottom into the upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42, the relative positional relationship between the base portion 532 and the contact end 533 can easily identify whether the installation direction of the contact probe 50 is correct, thus improving the efficiency and accuracy of installing the contact probe 50. The base portion 532 and the contact end portion 533 are eccentrically configured. Specifically, the contact end portion 533 is offset from the base portion 532 by a predetermined distance in the width direction (i.e., the direction of needle bending). Alternatively, the contact end portion 533 is offset from the base portion 532 by a predetermined distance in the Y-axis direction. More specifically, the base portion 532 has a top surface 532a, and the contact end portion 533 is biased toward at least one side of the base portion 532 (in this embodiment, biased to the right side, or also biased to the front or rear side) and / or formed in a portion of the top surface 532a, such that the point where the contact end portion 533 is connected to the base portion 532 is offset by a distance D3 relative to at least one edge 532b of the top surface 532a of the base portion 532 along at least one of the X-axis and Y-axis (in this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG3, it is offset by a distance D3 relative to the left edge of the top surface 532a along the Y-axis, or it may also be offset by another distance relative to the front or rear edge of the top surface 532a along the X-axis).

[0062] As shown in Figure 3, the needle body 51 defines a first central axis A1 extending along the Z-axis, and the contact end face 534 defines a second central axis A2 extending along the Z-axis. The second central axis A2 is offset from the first central axis A1 along the Y-axis by a distance D1. As shown in Figure 2, each upper guide hole 411 defines a third central axis A3. When the probe head 40 is assembled, the relative movement of the aforementioned upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 along the Y-axis will cause the first central axis A1 of the needle body 51 to deviate from the third central axis A3 of the upper guide hole 411 in the negative Y-axis direction, as shown in Figure 5. Furthermore, the second central axis A2 of the contact end face 534 can be offset from the first central axis A1 of the needle body 51 by another distance D2 along the X-axis. When the probe head 40 is assembled, the relative movement of the aforementioned upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 along the X-axis will cause the first central axis A1 of the needle body 51 to deviate from the third central axis A3 of the upper guide hole 411 in the positive X-axis direction. It should be understood that when the probe head 40 is assembled, the middle section of the needle body 51 of the contact probe 50 is curved. Therefore, the first central axis A1 of the needle body 51 will also be curved in the middle section. The aforementioned deviation of the first central axis A1 from the third central axis A3 of the upper guide hole 411 refers to the relationship between the section of the first central axis A1 located in the upper guide hole 411 and the third central axis A3 of the upper guide hole 411. In this embodiment, the design of the contact end 533 is such that the second central axis A2 of the contact end face 534 is closer to the third central axis A3 of the upper guide hole 411 it passes through than the first central axis A1 of the needle body 51, as shown in Figure 5 (the contact end face 534 is shown as a dashed line in Figure 5). In other words, compared to the needle body 51, the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 is less eccentric to the upper guide hole 411. This allows the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 to be more accurately aligned with the contact pad 32 of the corresponding interface panel 30, and further ensures that there is a sufficient safety distance between the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 and the edge of the contact pad 32 it contacts, thereby reducing the risk that the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 will extend beyond the edge of the contact pad 32 it contacts.

[0063] More ideally, the contact end 533 can be designed such that the second central axis A2 of its contact end face 534 coincides with the third central axis A3 of the upper guide hole 411, that is, the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 is centered relative to the upper guide hole 411. This allows the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 to be more accurately aligned with the contact pad 32 of its corresponding interface panel 30, and further reduces the risk that the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 will extend beyond the edge of the contact pad 32 it contacts.

[0064] Furthermore, in the configurations shown in Figures 2 to 5, the needle body 51 of the contact probe 50 includes a first bearing surface 511 facing the negative Y-axis. The relative movement of the aforementioned upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 along the Y-axis causes the first bearing surface 511 of the needle body 51 to abut against an inner surface 411a of the upper guide hole 411, while the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 is offset from the first bearing surface 511 in the positive Y-axis direction. That is, as shown in Figure 3, the overall position of the contact end 533 on the Y-axis is offset to the right from the first bearing surface 511. With this structural design, the degree of eccentricity of the contact end face 534 of the needle tail 53 relative to the upper guide hole 411 along the Y-axis can be reduced, or even centrally located.

[0065] On the other hand, the needle body 51 of the contact probe 50 also includes a second bearing surface 512 facing the positive X-axis. The relative movement of the aforementioned upper and lower guide plate units 41 and 42 along the X-axis causes the second bearing surface 512 to abut against another inner surface 411b of the upper guide hole 411. The contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 is offset from the second bearing surface 512 in the negative X-axis direction. That is, as shown in FIG4, the position of a front inclined surface 535 of the contact end 533 on the X-axis gradually deviates from the position of the second bearing surface 512 on the X-axis from bottom to top. With this structural design, the degree of eccentricity of the contact end surface 534 of the needle tail 53 relative to the upper guide hole 411 along the X-axis can be reduced, or even centrally located.

[0066] The needle tail 53 of the contact probe 50 can also be as shown in Figure 6. The difference between it and the needle tail 53 shown in Figure 4 is that the contact end 533 in Figure 4 only has a front inclined surface 535 on its front side, which makes its cross-sectional area gradually decrease upward, while the contact end 533 in Figure 6 has a front inclined surface 535 and a rear inclined surface 536 on its front and rear sides, respectively, which makes its cross-sectional area gradually decrease upward. This makes the area of ​​the contact end face 534 smaller, as shown in Figure 7 (the contact end face 534 is shown as a dashed line in Figure 7). This allows the contact end face 534 to be more accurately aligned with the contact pad 32 of the interface panel 30, and further reduces the risk of the contact end face 534 exceeding the edge of the contact pad 32. The contact end 533 has an isosceles trapezoidal shape that is larger at the bottom and smaller at the top. This geometric shape makes the upper contact end face 534 maintain a small contact area, while ensuring the connection strength between the lower part and the base part 532, further improving the reliability and performance of the overall design.

[0067] In the configurations shown in Figures 4 and 6, the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 gradually tapers from its lowest point to its highest contact end face 534, meaning that the overall cross-sectional area gradually tapers along the Z-axis towards the contact end face 534. However, the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 may also only partially taper along the Z-axis towards the contact end face 534. For example, the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 shown in Figures 8 and 9 includes a tapered section 533a with a gradually tapering cross-sectional area and a non-tapered section 533b with a uniform cross-sectional area. By ensuring that the cross-sectional area of ​​the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 is gradually reduced, rather than directly and significantly reduced, the problem of insufficient structural strength caused by the reduction in the cross-sectional area of ​​the contact end 533 can be avoided. In other words, the contact end 533 adopts an upwardly tapering manner, which can further ensure the strength of the contact end 533 while maintaining a small area of ​​the contact end face 534. That is to say, the connection between the contact end 533 and the base part 532 can withstand greater pressure or stress, thereby improving the stability and durability of the overall structure of the contact end 533 and reducing damage or deformation that may be caused by uneven force.

[0068] The contact end 53 of the contact probe 50 can achieve the characteristic of having a smaller contact end face 534 by having at least a partially tapered contact end 533. This characteristic can also be achieved by having at least one side of the needle tail 53 that is at least partially directly planar (non-tapered) and inwardly tapered relative to the needle body 51. In detail, as shown in FIG4, the needle tail 53 includes four sides 53a, 53b, 53c, and 53d, namely front, back, left, and right sides, and the needle body 51 also has corresponding four sides 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d. In the configurations shown in Figures 4, 6, 8, and 9, the side 53d (right side) of the needle tail 53 includes an inward-curving plane 537. This inward-curving plane 537 is parallel to the side 51d (right side) of the needle body 51 and faces the positive Y-axis. Furthermore, the inward-curving plane 537 is offset towards the negative Y-axis (i.e., to the left) from the side 51d of the needle body 51. Additionally, the side 53c (left side) of the needle tail 53 includes another inward-curving plane 538. This inward-curving plane 538 is parallel to the side 51c (left side) of the needle body 51 and faces the negative Y-axis. Furthermore, the inward-curving plane 538 is offset towards the positive Y-axis (i.e., to the right) from the side 51c of the needle body 51. In other words, the left and right sides of the needle tail 53 each have inward-curving planes 538 and 537, facing the negative and positive Y-axis directions respectively. Alternatively, the needle tail 53 may have an inwardly tapered plane on only one side, as shown in Figures 10 and 11. The needle tail 53 shown in Figure 10 differs from that shown in Figure 4 in that only the side 53c (i.e., the left side) has an inwardly tapered plane 538, while the right side does not have an inward tapering. Therefore, the base portion 532 and the needle body 51 have the same width. The needle tail 53 shown in Figure 11 differs from that shown in Figure 10 in that, in addition to the front bevel 535, the contact end 533 also has a right bevel 539 that causes its cross-sectional area to gradually decrease upward.

[0069] In this way, the needle tail 53 reduces its cross-sectional area relative to the needle body 51 in a non-gradual manner, which can still reduce the contact force exerted by the needle tail 53 on the contact pad 32 of the interface panel 30 to a certain extent. At the same time, it can also reduce the area of ​​the contact end face 534 to improve the contact resistance and contact stability. Moreover, in the aforementioned states, the needle tail 53 has both the characteristics of gradually reducing the cross-sectional area (e.g., front slope 535, rear slope 536, right slope 539) and non-gradually reducing the cross-sectional area (e.g., inwardly narrowed planes 537, 538), so that the contact end face 534 has an appropriate area and generates appropriate contact force and contact resistance to meet the test requirements. Alternatively, the aforementioned inwardly narrowed plane 538 can also be replaced by a left slope 540, as shown in Figure 12, which can also achieve the same effect.

[0070] In summary, at least one of the four sides of the needle tail 53 may be wholly or partially an inwardly recessed plane, and / or at least one of the four sides of the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 may be wholly or partially a sloped surface, which can be configured as needed, for example, in the following forms. The contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 shown in Figure 13 is provided with a front slope 535, a rear slope 536, a right slope 539, and a left slope 540. The needle tail 53 shown in Figure 14 is provided with inwardly recessed planes 537 and 538, a front slope 535, and a right slope 539. The needle tail 53 shown in Figure 15 is provided with an inwardly recessed plane 537, a front slope 535, a right slope 539, and a left slope 540. Figure 16 is similar to Figure 14, except that the right slope 539 only occupies a portion of the right side of the contact end 533. Figure 17 is similar to Figure 15, except that the right bevel 539 and left bevel 540 only occupy a portion of the right and left sides of the contact end 533, respectively. Figures 18 and 19 are similar to Figures 16 and 17, respectively, except that the needle tail 53 does not have an inward-sloping plane 537, making the base portion 532 the same width as the needle body 51. The needle tail 53 shown in Figure 20 does not have an inward-sloping plane; the area of ​​the contact end face 534 is reduced only by the front bevel 535 and right bevel 539. The needle tail 53 shown in Figure 21 does not have an inward-sloping plane; the area of ​​the contact end face 534 is reduced only by the front bevel 535 and left bevel 540. Figure 22 is similar to Figure 20, except that the right bevel 539 is located at both the base portion 532 and the contact end 533. Figure 23 is similar to Figure 21, except that the left bevel 540 is located at both the base portion 532 and the contact end 533. In Figures 2 to 21, the base portion 532 is rectangular in both longitudinal sections along the X and Z axes and along the Y and Z axes, thus the front, rear, left, and right sides of the base portion 532 are all rectangular. In Figures 22 and 23, the base portion 532 is trapezoidal in longitudinal sections along the Y and Z axes. Alternatively, the base portion 532 can also be trapezoidal in longitudinal sections along the X and Z axes. In other words, the base portion 532 can be trapezoidal in sections parallel to the longitudinal axis, thus gradually reducing the cross-sectional area from the base portion 532 upwards. This ensures the overall structural strength of the needle tail 53 while maintaining the required small area for the contact end face 534. Furthermore, the front bevel 535 in the aforementioned various forms can also be replaced by another concave plane. For example, the needle tail 53 shown in Figure 24 is similar to that shown in Figure 4, except that the front side of the contact end 533 does not have a front bevel 535, but has a concave plane 541. The concave plane 541 is parallel to the side 51a (i.e. the front side) of the needle body 51 and faces the positive X-axis, and the concave plane 541 is offset from the side 51a of the needle body 51 in the negative X-axis direction.

[0071] The present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a contact probe 50, mainly for forming a contact end 533 of a needle tail 53 that is reduced in width and thickness compared to the needle body 51. Please refer to Figures 25 to 28, which are illustrated using the formation of the needle tail 53 as shown in Figures 3 and 4 as an example. The method for manufacturing the contact probe 50 includes the following steps S11 to S13.

[0072] Step S11 involves providing a substrate 60A (as shown in Figure 26). The substrate 60A is a plate made of a conductive material, and has a top surface 61 and a bottom surface 62 facing in the opposite direction to the top surface 61. For example, alloy sheet or electroplated sheet can be used for the substrate 60A, and a long profile can be used. For example, the sheet can be microelectromechanically formed or metal hot-rolled.

[0073] Step S12 involves performing a laser treatment (e.g., laser ablation) on the top surface 61 of the substrate 60A, resulting in the substrate 60A comprising a thicker region 63 that has not undergone laser treatment and a thinner region 64 that has been laser-treated to reduce its thickness, as shown in FIG27. To correspond to the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 shown in FIG4, the thinner region 64 in FIG27 has an inclined structure with gradually decreasing thickness. The aforementioned laser treatment (e.g., laser ablation) refers to using a laser to directly strike the substrate 60A, thereby ablating the substrate 60A with the energy of the laser to thin the substrate 60A.

[0074] Step S13 involves a cutting process to cut the substrate 60A into at least one contact probe 50. For example, the contact probe 50 shown in Figure 3 is cut along the two cutting paths 65 and 66 shown in Figure 28, such that the stop portion 531 and base portion 532 of the needle body 51 and needle tail 53 of the contact probe 50 originate from the thicker area 63 of the substrate 60A, while the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 originates from the thinner area 64 of the substrate 60A. This makes the thickness of the contact end 533 less than the thickness of the needle body 51. Furthermore, cutting path 65 forms the side surface 51d of the needle body 51 and the side surface 53d of the needle tail 53, and cutting path 66 forms the side surface 51c of the needle body 51 and the side surface 53c of the needle tail 53. The contact probe 50 undergoes the required width change through this cutting process, making the width of the contact end 533 less than the width of the needle body 51. This cutting process can be performed by a laser processing method, such as laser cutting.

[0075] Accordingly, the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 of the contact probe 50 is made thinner than the needle body 51 by laser processing the substrate thickness, and the required width configuration of the contact probe 50 is formed by cutting the plate into contact probes 50. This manufacturing method makes the needle tail 53 of the contact probe 50 have a small contact end face 534, thereby having the advantages and functions of the contact probe 50 as described above. The laser processing method can make the dimensional accuracy of the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 good, so that the tolerance of the contact probe 50 meets the requirements, thereby improving the manufacturing yield of the probe card 12. Moreover, multiple contact probes 50 can be cut from the same plate after laser processing, making the manufacturing process convenient and fast.

[0076] Please refer to Figures 29 to 31. The contact probe 50 of the present invention can also be manufactured by another manufacturing method. The following description takes the formation of the needle tail 53 as shown in Figures 3 and 4 as an example. The manufacturing method of the contact probe 50 includes the following steps S21 to S22.

[0077] Step S21 involves providing a substrate 60B (as shown in Figure 30). The substrate 60B is an elongated needle formed of a conductive material, and the width configuration of the substrate 60B is the same as that of the contact probe 50. Specifically, the substrate 60B has a top surface 61, a bottom surface 62 facing the opposite direction to the top surface 61, and two side surfaces 67 and 68 facing the opposite direction. For example, the needle can be formed by a microelectromechanical process. Typically, multiple needles are formed simultaneously on a substrate (not shown in the figure), and subsequent steps are performed on the multiple needles simultaneously to manufacture multiple contact probes 50. Figure 30 only schematically shows one needle. At this point, the required side profile of the contact probe 50 can be formed. Therefore, side 67 of the substrate 60B already includes side 51d of the needle body 51 and side 53d of the needle tail 53 of the contact probe 50, and side 68 already includes side 51c of the needle body 51 and side 53c of the needle tail 53 of the contact probe 50. In other embodiments, the needle body can be formed by laser processing (e.g., laser cutting). Typically, multiple needle bodies are formed simultaneously on a substrate (not shown) to form the required side profile of the contact probe 50.

[0078] Step S22 involves performing a laser treatment (e.g., laser ablation) on the top surface 61 of the substrate 60B, such that the substrate 60B includes a thicker block 63 that has not undergone laser treatment and a thinner block 64 that has been laser-treated to reduce its thickness, as shown in FIG31. The thicker block 63 at least partially becomes the needle body 51 of the contact probe 50, and the thinner block 64 at least partially becomes the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 of the contact probe 50. To correspond to the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53 shown in FIG4, the thinner block 64 in FIG31 has an inclined structure with a gradually decreasing thickness.

[0079] Accordingly, the contact probe 50 can be manufactured by laser processing to reduce the thickness of the needle tail 53 from an elongated needle body that already has the required side profile, thereby producing a contact end 533 with a thickness smaller than the needle body 51. This manufacturing method can also produce a contact probe 50 with the aforementioned advantages and effects. Laser processing ensures good dimensional accuracy of the contact end 533 of the needle tail 53, making the tolerance of the contact probe 50 meet the requirements, thereby improving the manufacturing yield of the probe card 12.

[0080] Referring to Figures 32 and 33, the needle body 51 of the contact probe 50 of the present invention may include at least one slit 513. The slit 513 extends in an elongated shape along the longitudinal direction of the needle body 51, that is, before the needle body 51 is bent or deformed, the slit 513 extends along the Z-axis. The slit 513 penetrates the needle body 51 along the X-axis, so that the needle body 51 is defined by the at least one slit 513 into at least two thin-sheet-shaped arms 514, which are separated from each other along the Y-axis. Such a slit 513 can weaken the rigidity of the needle body 51, thereby reducing the contact force applied by the contact probe 50 to the contact pad 211 of the tested device 21 and the contact pad 32 of the interface panel 30, so as to avoid damage to the contact pads 211 and 32 due to excessive contact force. Especially for high-frequency and high-speed testing requirements, shorter contact probes 50 are typically used to achieve good electrical transmission characteristics. Shorter contact probes 50 have higher rigidity and contact force. In this case, the contact force of the contact probe 50 can be reduced by the slit 513. Furthermore, the slit 513 also enhances the elasticity of the needle body 51, ensuring the elastic deformation effect of the needle body 51 when bending along the Y-axis. Further, since the needle body 51 bends along the Y-axis, and the Y-axis is the axis defining the width, the thickness T of the needle body 51 can be greater than or equal to the width W of the needle body 51. This allows the needle body 51 to produce a better elastic deformation effect and provides sufficient thickness T to reduce the likelihood of breakage.

[0081] Furthermore, at least one set of protrusions 515 may be provided within the slit 513. The set of protrusions 515 includes two protrusions 516, which protrude from adjacent two arms 514 facing each other. Thus, when the tip 52 of the contact probe 50 abuts against the contact pad 211 of the device under test 21 and is subjected to a reaction force, the needle body 51 will be compressed, elastically deformed, and deflected. At this time, the two protrusions 516 facing each other within the slit 513 will abut against each other, thereby preventing adjacent arms 514 from contacting each other and causing wear, thus improving the service life of the contact probe 50. Moreover, by having the two protrusions 516 facing each other abut against each other, the arms 514 can maintain a consistent deflection direction and a certain distance between each other, which is beneficial for high-frequency and high-speed electrical performance testing.

[0082] Finally, it must be stated again that the constituent elements disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Substitutions or variations of other equivalent elements should also be covered by the scope of the patent application of this application. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0052] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the test equipment and the device under test provided in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the probe card used in the test equipment. Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the contact probes of the probe card. Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of the contact probe. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 2 along section line 5-5. Figures 6 and 7 are similar to Figures 4 and 5, respectively, but show different types of needle tails. Figures 8 to 13 are partial perspective views of other different types of contact probes. Figures 14 to 23 are partial plan view views of other different types of contact probes. Figure 24 is a partial perspective view of another different type of contact probe. Figure 25 is a flowchart of the manufacturing method of the contact probe provided by the present invention. Figures 26 to 28 are schematic diagrams of the manufacturing process shown in Figure 25. Figure 29 is a flowchart of another manufacturing method of the contact probe provided by the present invention. Figures 30 to 31 are schematic diagrams of the manufacturing process shown in Figure 29. Figure 32 is a plan view of another different type of contact probe. Figure 33 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 32 along section line 33-33.

Claims

1. A contact probe for a probe card of a test device for an electronic device, comprising a longitudinal axis, a first transverse axis, and a second transverse axis that are perpendicular to each other; the contact probe having a width defined along the first transverse axis, a thickness defined along the second transverse axis, and a cross-sectional area defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; the contact probe comprising: a needle body extending elongated along the longitudinal axis, the needle body defining a first central axis extending along the longitudinal axis, the needle body being bent at least along the first transverse axis between an upper guide plate unit and a lower guide plate unit; a needle head connected to the needle body and extending downward from the needle body along the longitudinal axis for abutting against a contact pad of a test device located below the lower guide plate unit; and a needle tail connected to the needle body and extending upward from the needle body along the longitudinal axis; wherein... The needle tail includes a contact end portion, which includes a contact end face for mechanically and electrically contacting a contact pad on a panel. The contact end face defines a second central axis extending along the longitudinal axis. The contact end portion is at least partially smaller than the needle body in both width and thickness, such that the area of ​​the contact end face is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body. Furthermore, the second central axis of the contact end face of the needle tail is offset from the first central axis of the needle body by a distance along the first transverse axis.

2. The contact probe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact end of the probe tail is at least partially tapering toward the contact end face along the longitudinal axis in terms of cross-sectional area.

3. The contact probe as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the probe tail includes four sides, at least one of which includes a recessed plane that is parallel to and faces the same direction as a side of the probe body, and the recessed plane is offset from the side of the probe body in the opposite direction to the same direction.

4. The contact probe as described in claim 3, wherein two of the sides of the probe tail each include an inwardly recessed plane, the two inwardly recessed planes facing a positive direction and a negative direction of the first transverse axis, respectively.

5. The contact probe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the needle tail further includes a stop portion and a base portion, the stop portion being connected to the needle body, and the base portion being connected between the stop portion and the contact end portion; the cross-sectional area of ​​the stop portion is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body, thereby restricting the needle tail above the upper guide plate unit; the cross-sectional area of ​​the base portion is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the stop portion, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the contact end portion is smaller than or equal to the cross-sectional area of ​​the base portion.

6. The contact probe as claimed in claim 5, wherein the base portion has a top surface, and the contact end portion is biased toward at least one side of the base portion and connected to a portion of the top surface, such that the point where the contact end portion is connected to the base portion is offset by a distance relative to at least one edge of the top surface of the base portion along at least one of the first transverse axis and the second transverse axis.

7. The contact probe as claimed in claim 5, wherein the base portion is trapezoidal in a cross-section parallel to the longitudinal axis.

8. The contact probe as claimed in claim 5, wherein the width of the base portion is less than the width of the stop portion, and the thickness of the base portion is less than or equal to the thickness of the stop portion and greater than or equal to the thickness of the contact end portion.

9. The contact probe as claimed in claim 5, wherein the base portion and the stop portion are discontinuously connected to each other.

10. The contact probe as claimed in claim 2, wherein the contact end of the probe tail has at least partially a bevel or a cone that is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis.

11. The contact probe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second central axis of the contact end face of the needle tail is further offset from the first central axis of the needle body by another distance along the second transverse axis.

12. The contact probe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the probe body includes at least one slit extending along the longitudinal axis, the slit penetrating the probe body along the second transverse axis such that the probe body is defined by the at least one slit into at least two arms, the at least two arms being separated from each other along the first transverse axis.

13. The contact probe as described in claim 12, wherein the thickness of the probe body is greater than or equal to the width of the probe body.

14. The contact probe as claimed in claim 12, wherein the slit is provided with at least one bump set, the bump set comprising two bumps that protrude from two adjacent arms facing each other.

15. A probe head for a probe card of a test apparatus for an electronic device, comprising: an upper guide plate unit including a plurality of upper guide holes; a lower guide plate unit including a plurality of lower guide holes; and a plurality of probes, each passing through the upper guide holes and the lower guide holes, wherein the probes include at least one contact probe as described in claim 1; wherein, The probes are all bent along the first transverse axis, and each of the upper guide holes defines a third central axis. The second central axis of the contact probe is closer to the third central axis of the upper guide hole it passes through than the first central axis.

16. The probe head as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second central axis of the contact probe coincides with the third central axis of the upper guide hole.

17. The probe head as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first transverse axis can define two opposite directions, the body of the contact probe includes a first abutment surface facing one of the directions of the first transverse axis, the first abutment surface abutting against an inner surface of the upper guide hole, and the contact end of the probe tail is at least partially offset from the first abutment surface in the other direction of the first transverse axis.

18. The probe head as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second transverse axis can define two opposite directions, the body of the contact probe includes a second bearing surface facing one of the directions of the second transverse axis, the second bearing surface abutting against an inner surface of the upper guide hole, and the contact end of the probe tail is at least partially offset from the second bearing surface in the other direction of the second transverse axis.

19. A probe card for a test apparatus for an electronic device, comprising: a probe head as described in claim 15; and a panel including a lower surface facing the probe head and a plurality of contact pads located on the lower surface; wherein, The contact end face of the probe tip is in mechanical and electrical contact with the contact pad of the interface panel.

20. A method for manufacturing a contact probe, used to manufacture the contact probe as described in claim 1; the method is characterized in that: the contact probe is made of a substrate, the substrate is made of a conductive material, and a top surface of the substrate is laser-treated by a laser treatment method, such that the substrate includes a thicker block that has not been laser-treated by the laser treatment method, and a thinner block whose thickness has been reduced by laser treatment, the body of the contact probe originating from the thicker block, and the contact end of the needle tail of the contact probe originating from the thinner block.

21. A method of manufacturing a contact probe as claimed in claim 20, wherein the steps of the method include: providing a substrate, the substrate being a plate; performing laser processing on the top surface of the substrate by means of the laser processing method to make the substrate include the thicker block and the thinner block; and performing a cutting process to cut the substrate into at least one contact probe, such that the contact probe is produced by the cutting process to have a contact end that is narrower than the needle body.

22. The method of manufacturing a contact probe as described in claim 21, wherein the cutting process is performed by a laser process.

23. A method of manufacturing a contact probe as claimed in claim 20, wherein the steps of the method include: providing a substrate, the substrate being an elongated needle body, and the substrate being the same as the contact probe in width configuration; and performing laser processing on the top surface of the substrate by means of the laser processing method to make the substrate include the thicker block and the thinner block, such that the thicker block at least partially forms the needle body of the contact probe and the thinner block at least partially forms the contact end of the needle tail of the contact probe.

24. A method for manufacturing a contact probe, comprising the steps of: providing a substrate made of a conductive material; and manufacturing at least one contact probe from the substrate, comprising performing a laser treatment on a top surface of the substrate, such that the substrate includes a thicker region not treated by the laser treatment and a thinner region whose thickness is reduced by the laser treatment; defining a needle body of the contact probe in the thicker region, and defining a contact end of a needle tail of the contact probe in the thinner region; wherein... The needle body defines a first central axis extending along a longitudinal axis. The contact end includes a contact end face, which defines a second central axis extending along the longitudinal axis. The contact end is at least partially smaller than the needle body in both width and thickness, such that the area of ​​the contact end face is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body. The second central axis of the contact end face of the needle tail is offset from the first central axis of the needle body by a distance along the first transverse axis.

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