Probe head with a movable contact bump array and probe card applying the same

Abstract

This invention discloses a probe probe with a movable contact bump array and a probe card applicable to the probe probe. According to the present invention, the probe probe with a movable contact bump array, used for inspecting electronic components, includes: a movable contact bump array comprising a plurality of movable contact bump modules electrically contacting a measured portion of the electronic component, the plurality of movable contact bump modules being arranged in a predetermined arrangement; each movable contact bump module comprising: a contact bump electrically contacting the measured portion; a movable plate, coupled to the contact bump in a combined or integral manner, movable vertically by an external force applied when electrically contacting the measured portion; one or more suspension springs elastically supporting the movable plate on one side; and one or more support columns fixedly supporting the other side of the suspension spring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Project Number] D2409013

[0002] [Department Name] Gyeonggi Province

[0003] [Research Management Specialized Agency] Gyeonggi Provincial Institute for Economic and Scientific Promotion Foundation

[0004] [Research Project Title] Gyeonggi Province Technology Development Project, 2024

[0005] [Research Topic Title] Design and Fabrication Process Development of Wafer-Level Tethering Pins for Mass Production and Inspection of Vertical Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Probes

[0006] [Supervisory Authority] Withmems Co., Ltd.

[0007] [Research Period] August 1, 2024 ~ July 31, 2025

[0008] This invention relates to a probe probe with a movable contact bump array, and a probe card suitable for the probe probe, particularly a probe probe with a movable contact bump array that can improve high-frequency response characteristics, and a probe card suitable for the probe probe. Prior Technology

[0009] Generally speaking, semiconductor devices are manufactured through a pre-processing step of forming circuit patterns and contact pads for inspection on a wafer, and a post-processing step of packaging the wafers with circuit patterns and contact pads into individual semiconductor wafers.

[0010] Between the front-end and back-end processes, an inspection process is performed to check the electrical characteristics of the wafer by applying electrical signals to the contact pads formed on the wafer. This inspection process is for removing defective dies by inspecting for defects in the wafer.

[0011] In the inspection process, a test device is needed to load electrical signals onto the wafer and analyze the results after obtaining the output signal from the semiconductor wafer. In this case, the probe card will act as an interface between the wafer and the test device.

[0012] The probe card includes a printed circuit board that receives electrical signals loaded from the tester and multiple probes that contact the power input / output terminal pads formed on the wafer.

[0013] Recently, with the increasing demand for highly integrated semiconductor chips, the circuit patterns formed on the wafer through front-end engineering have become more highly integrated, and therefore the spacing between the adjacent input / output terminal pads, i.e., the pitch, has become very narrow.

[0014] At this point, the probe body used needs to penetrate the oxide film on the wafer pads as described above and achieve electrical contact, therefore it must have sufficient contact force. Thus, in order to form a certain level of scrubbery on the wafer pads, the probe body requires a certain level of external force; therefore, currently, bent-type or cantilevered probes are used.

[0015] Furthermore, the rapid development of 2.5D and 3D advanced packaging technologies has created new technologies for probe cards. Advanced packaging technology is a technique that uses fine wiring to vertically or horizontally connect different types of semiconductors to create a single semiconductor. The core of this technology lies in heterogeneous integration. Heterogeneous integration refers to the technique of efficiently configuring semiconductors with different functions, such as memory and system semiconductors, to function as a single chip. By horizontally or vertically connecting multiple independent semiconductor chips, more transistors can be integrated into a smaller semiconductor (package), thus providing solutions that surpass the performance of their individual components.

[0016] As described above, advanced packaging has various types of input and output terminals due to the integration of multiple chips at the wafer level. However, in addition to pads, there are many terminals such as solder bumps or micropillars used to achieve bonding. Therefore, when using probe pairs on the wafer for pad contact, there may be a problem of damage to the terminals of the object being measured.

[0017] This is an unavoidable phenomenon caused by high-intensity external forces. It is a major constraint on the design of test procedures in semiconductor engineering and a primary cause of defects in inspection processes.

[0018] As mentioned above, given the recent trend towards very narrow pitches, it is difficult to enforce measures to address pitches that cannot guarantee price competitiveness due to limitations such as machining, price, and alignment errors caused by differences in thermal expansion coefficients.

[0019] Furthermore, for semiconductor wafers, due to the increase in driving frequency, the decrease in driving voltage, and the reduction in size, high quality and correct verification of semiconductor wafers are required. Correspondingly, probe cards are required to have electrical transmission characteristics, that is, efficient transmission characteristics for high frequencies.

[0020] However, existing probe cards include multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs), interposers, space transformers (STFs), and probe tips. Furthermore, discontinuities are created due to multiple signal lines, vias, probe tips, and zero insertion force (ZIF) connectors. These discontinuities, as described above, can cause drastic changes in electromagnetic waves, generating high-order mode (HOM) electromagnetic waves. Consequently, reflected waves are generated from the semiconductor testing equipment to the wafer via the probe card, hindering signal transmission. Moreover, the narrowing of the spacing creates electromagnetic fields between adjacent signal lines, resulting in crosstalk.

[0021] Furthermore, as the number of input / output (I / O) points on the semiconductor wafer being measured increases, the supplied voltage decreases while the current consumption increases, inducing noise on the power plane and ground plane of the probe card. This can lead to voltage fluctuations and weakened signal transmission on the probe card. Therefore, from the perspective of improving probe card performance, designing a probe card with high-frequency response characteristics is an important consideration.

[0022] For the frequency response characteristics of a probe card, the important part is the probe probe that contacts the object being measured. As mentioned above, the probe probe needs to reduce electrical resistance. In addition, when using a bent needle body or a vertical microelectromechanical system (MEMS) spring needle body, the probe probe needs to be overdriven to apply a certain pressure to the electrode pads of the semiconductor wafer. Therefore, it can only have the smallest possible length, which will greatly limit the improvement of frequency response characteristics.

[0023] Therefore, a solution is needed that can address the problems described above.

[0024] [Preliminary Technology Documents]

[0025] [Patent Literature]

[0026] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2024-0055546 (April 29, 2024) Summary of the Invention

[0027] Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the problems described above. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a probe probe with a movable contact bump array that can improve high-frequency response characteristics, and a probe card applicable to the probe probe.

[0028] The present invention is not limited to the purposes mentioned above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand other purposes not mentioned from the following description.

[0029] To achieve the objectives described above, a probe probe with a movable contact bump array according to a first aspect of the present invention, used for inspecting electronic components, comprises: a movable contact bump array including a plurality of movable contact bump modules electrically contacting a measured portion of the electronic component, wherein the plurality of movable contact bump modules are arranged in a predetermined arrangement; the movable contact bump module includes: a contact bump electrically contacting the measured portion; a movable plate coupled to or integrally formed with the contact bump, which moves vertically by an external force when electrically contacting the measured portion; one or more suspension springs elastically supporting the movable plate on one side; and one or more struts fixedly supporting the other side of the suspension spring.

[0030] In addition, it may include: a through electrode pad, which, when the movable plate moves downward, is located in the area that contacts the contact bump that is electrically in contact with the measured part, and is used to establish an electrical connection between the measured part and the through substrate electrode.

[0031] The through electrode pad can be electrically connected to the support.

[0032] The height of the end of the contact bump can be greater than the height of the movable plate.

[0033] The contact bump can be made of one of the following: nickel, nickel alloy, nickel composite material, copper, or copper alloy.

[0034] The contact bump can be coated with one or more of gold, silver, and copper.

[0035] The contact bump may also be coated with one or more of the following: rhodium, rhodium alloy, ruthenium, ruthenium alloy, tungsten, tungsten alloy, palladium, and palladium alloy.

[0036] The suspension spring can be composed of one of the following types corresponding to the movable travel range: coil type, zigzag type, mesh type, and strip beam type.

[0037] In addition, it may include: a movable contact bump array panel, including the movable contact bump array; the movable contact bump array panel can be bonded and fixed or fixed by mechanical connection components in a state in which each contact bump of the movable contact bump array panel is matched with the corresponding through electrode pad.

[0038] Furthermore, to achieve the aforementioned objective, according to a second aspect of the present invention, a probe card with a movable contact bump array, used for inspecting electronic components, includes a probe probe and a stacked structure. The probe probe includes: a movable contact bump array comprising a plurality of movable contact bump modules electrically contacting a measured portion of the electronic component, wherein the plurality of movable contact bump modules are arranged in a predetermined configuration; and a through-electrode pad, which establishes an electrical connection between the measured portion and a through-substrate electrode through contact with the movable contact bump modules. The stacked structure extends to a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate of an inspection device for inspecting electronic components, which transmits electrical signals obtained from the measured area to the inspection device via connection with the probe. The movable contact bump module includes: a contact bump that makes electrical contact with the measured area; a movable plate that is coupled to or integrally fitted with the contact bump and moves vertically by an external force when in electrical contact with the measured area; one or more suspension springs that elastically support the movable plate on one side; and one or more support columns that fix the suspension springs on the other side.

[0039] The through-electrode pad can be directly mounted on one of the stacked structures, namely the Space Transformer (STF), which is used to compensate for the spacing difference between the contact bump and the terminals on the printed circuit board (PCB) substrate.

[0040] The probe can be stacked on top of one of the stacked structures, namely the Space Transformer (STF).

[0041] In the case where an interposer is provided as one of the stacked structures to support the electrical connection between the electronic component and the printed circuit board (PCB) substrate, in order to distribute the overdrive caused by the external force, part or all of the through electrodes of the interposer can be formed using POGO pins.

[0042] Therefore, the present invention can flexibly address the height differences of solder bumps or micropillars on the object being measured, and can also significantly shorten the transmission path of electrical signals. Furthermore, by eliminating the guide plate used in the prior art, the dielectric loss generated when using the guide plate can be reduced, thereby improving the high-frequency response characteristics of the probe and probe card.

[0043] Furthermore, when the present invention comes into contact with the object being measured by external force, the contact force can be reduced by means of the elastic action of the suspension spring, thereby minimizing the damage to the solder bumps or micropillars of the object being measured.

[0044] Furthermore, the present invention is a structure that does not require a guide plate to support the probe body, thus eliminating the need for the process of forming the guide plate, thereby enabling the production of low-cost probes and probe cards.

[0045] Furthermore, the present invention can provide a probe probe and a probe card with high yield strength that can handle situations where the pitch between adjacent contact pads in electronic components is narrow.

[0046] Furthermore, the present invention can provide probes and probe cards that can improve current carrying capacity (CCC) based on high conductivity and reduce detection signal noise caused by resistance.

[0047] The effects of this invention are not limited to those mentioned above; those skilled in the art will clearly understand other effects not mentioned from the description in the claims of this invention. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a movable contact bump module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the first action of a probe probe including the movable contact bump module in Figure 1.

[0050] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the second action of a probe probe including the movable contact bump module in Figure 1.

[0051] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating different types of suspension springs of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe probe according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe probe according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe card according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe card according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe card according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Figure 10 is a graph illustrating the test results of the S-parameters of the probe probe and probe card of the present invention.

[0058] In addition, Figure 11 is a graph illustrating the crosstalk test results of the probe probe and probe card of the present invention. Implementation

[0059] The embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the patent application is not limited or restricted by the embodiments described above. The same reference numerals in the various drawings represent the same parts.

[0060] The embodiments described below can be modified in various ways. The embodiments described below are not intended to limit the implementation, but should be understood to include all related modifications, equivalents, and even substitutions.

[0061] In describing multiple constituent elements, terms such as "first" or "second" may be used. These terms should only be understood as being used to distinguish one constituent element from the others. For example, a first constituent element can be named a second constituent element, and similarly, a second constituent element can be named a first constituent element.

[0062] The terminology used in the embodiments is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the embodiments. Singular statements also have plural meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, phrases such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B or C," "at least one of A, B and C," and "at least one of A, B or C" can respectively include one or all possible combinations of the items listed simultaneously in the corresponding statement. In this specification, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are used only to indicate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but should not be construed as excluding the possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof being present or added.

[0063] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments pertain. Terms that are commonly used and are defined in dictionaries shall be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and shall not be interpreted as having an idealized or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0064] Furthermore, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same constituent elements regardless of the drawing numbers, and redundant descriptions related to them are omitted. In the description of embodiments, when it is determined that a detailed description of relevant prior art may obscure the essence of the embodiments, related detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0065] The probe probe with a movable contact bump array and the probe card applicable to the probe probe of the present invention can improve high-frequency response characteristics.

[0066] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0067] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a movable contact bump module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] As shown in Figure 1, the movable contact bump module 110 makes electrical contact with a measured part of an electronic component (e.g., electrode pads, solder bumps, and micropillars), including: a contact bump 114 that makes electrical contact with the measured part; a movable plate 113 that is coupled to or integrated with the contact bump 114 and moves vertically by external force when it makes electrical contact with the measured part; one or more suspension springs 112 that provide elastic support to the movable plate on one side; and one or more support columns 111 that provide fixed support to the other side of the suspension springs 112.

[0069] The contact bump 114 is a probe tip that connects an electrical signal to an external device (e.g., an inspection device) by contacting the measured part of the object being measured. The movable plate 113 is a structure that can move in the up-down direction (i.e., vertical direction) by connecting to the suspension spring 112. It can be integrated with the contact bump 114 or combined with the contact bump 114 separately from each other.

[0070] The contact bump 114 can be made of one of nickel, nickel alloy, nickel composite material, copper, and copper alloy. In order to further improve electrical characteristics, metals with better conductivity, such as gold and silver, can also be used.

[0071] At this time, the contact bump 114 can be made of the metal described above, or it can be plated with gold using the metal described above. As an example, the contact bump 114 can be made of one of nickel, nickel alloy, nickel composite material, copper and copper alloy, and coated with one of gold, silver and copper.

[0072] Furthermore, when the movable plate 113 and the contact bump 114 are provided as a single unit, a material having the electrical properties described above can also be used.

[0073] The tip of the contact bump 114 is responsible for the physical contact with the measured area. To prevent or reduce mechanical wear and contamination caused by byproducts, it may be further coated with one or more of rhodium, rhodium alloys, ruthenium, ruthenium alloys, tungsten, tungsten alloys, palladium, and palladium alloys. However, the material used to improve the durability of the contact bump tip is not limited to one or more of rhodium, rhodium alloys, ruthenium, ruthenium alloys, tungsten, tungsten alloys, palladium, and palladium alloys; other metals may also be used.

[0074] In addition to the case where it is formed by a contact bump 114 and a movable plate 113, a structure in which multiple contact bumps 114 are formed on a movable plate 113 can also be adopted.

[0075] The support column 111, serving as a structure for supporting the contact bump 114 and the movable plate 113 onto the through electrode substrate, is electrically connected to the through electrode substrate. To improve the electrical characteristics of the support column 111 as described above, it can be gold-plated with a metal with excellent conductivity as described above.

[0076] The suspension spring 112 is a spring designed to allow the movable plate 113 to move in the vertical direction by means of an external force, and more than one can be equipped. In addition, the suspension spring 112 is designed to have a thickness and width that do not undergo plastic deformation when it moves to the air gap and contacts the through plate electrode, and a material with high yield stress (e.g., nickel or nickel alloy) that can be used can be used.

[0077] In addition, the suspension spring 112 may also be gold-plated using a material with excellent electrical conductivity as described above in order to improve its electrical characteristics.

[0078] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the first action of the probe probe including the movable contact bump module in Figure 1, while Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the second action of the movable contact bump module in Figure 1.

[0079] As shown in Figure 2, the height of the end of the contact protrusion 114 is greater than the height of the movable plate 113, and the sum of the height of the contact protrusion 114 and the height of the movable plate 113 is greater than the air gap.

[0080] Furthermore, the first action of the probe 100 shown in Figure 2 is a state in which the contact bump 114 of the probe 100 is not in contact with the measured part of the structure being measured, i.e., the electronic component, and there is no external force acting on the probe 100 to move towards the corresponding measured part in order to measure the corresponding electronic component.

[0081] Conversely, the second action of the probe 100 shown in Figure 3 is the state in which the contact bump 114 of the probe 100 contacts the measured part of the structure being measured, i.e., the electronic component being measured. It is also the state in which an external force acts to move the probe 100 toward the corresponding measured part in order to measure the corresponding electronic component.

[0082] In the second action of the probe 100 as described above, the movable plate 113 will move downward, and contact will be achieved between the through electrode pad 120 and the contact bump 114 in the area where it is in contact with the contact bump 114 that is in electrical contact with the measured part.

[0083] Specifically, the contact bump 114 and the through electrode pad 120 being connected and electrically connected means that the contact bump 114 is formed with a structure that passes through the movable plate 113, thereby directly connecting with the through electrode pad 120, or all or part of the movable plate 113 is made of the same conductive material as the contact bump 114, thereby enabling an electrical connection between the contact bump 114 and the through electrode pad 120, which are electrically connected to the measured component of the electrical component.

[0084] As described above, the through electrode pad 120 is also electrically connected to the structure, namely the support 111, which is electrically connected to the through substrate electrode, thereby making the transmission path of electrical signals between the measured part of the electrical component and the inspection device more diverse.

[0085] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating different types of suspension springs of the present invention.

[0086] As shown in Figures 4a) to f), the suspension spring type can be constructed using one of the following types: coil type, zigzag type, grid type, and strip beam type, depending on the contact force between the contact bump 114 and the movable plate 113 and the through electrode pad 120, and the maximum movable range (i.e., movable stroke range) of the movable plate 113 in order to contact the through electrode pad 120. However, it is not limited to these types.

[0087] Furthermore, the thickness and width of the suspension spring can be designed with consideration of the condition that no plastic deformation occurs when the movable plate is moved to the air gap until it contacts the through-plate electrode, and to prevent damage to the measured part when subjected to the overdrive of the external force used to contact the probe probe with the measured part of the electronic component, as well as the resistance condition of the tip of the contact bump.

[0088] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe probe according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0089] As shown in Figure 5, the probe probe 100 with a movable contact bump array is used as a probe probe 100 for inspecting electronic components. It includes: a movable contact bump array, including a plurality of movable contact bump modules 110 that are electrically in contact with a measured part of the electronic component, and the plurality of movable contact bump modules are arranged in a predetermined manner.

[0090] The movable contact bump module 110, as described above, includes: a contact bump 114 that makes electrical contact with a measured part of the measured structure, i.e., an electronic component; a movable plate 113 that is coupled to or integrated with the contact bump 114 and moves along the vertical direction by external force when it makes electrical contact with the measured part; one or more suspension springs 112 that provide elastic support to the movable plate 113 on one side; and one or more support columns 111 that provide fixed support to the other side of the suspension spring.

[0091] In addition, the probe 100 may also include: a through electrode pad 120, which, when the movable plate 113 of the movable contact bump module 110 moves downward, is located in the area that contacts a contact bump 114 that is electrically in contact with a measured part of the structure being measured, i.e., the electronic component; a through substrate electrode 130, which establishes an electrical connection between the measured part of the electronic component and an external device, i.e., an inspection device, connected to the probe 100 through the electrical contact between the contact bump 114 and the through electrode pad 120; and an insulating substrate 140, which is stacked around the through substrate electrode 130.

[0092] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe probe according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] The probe 200 further includes: a movable contact bump array panel 250, which includes a movable contact bump array; the movable contact bump array includes a plurality of movable contact bump modules 210 that are electrically in contact with a measured part of an electronic component, and the plurality of movable contact bump modules are arranged in a predetermined manner; the movable contact bump array panel 250 can be bonded and fixed or fixed by mechanical connection components in a state where each contact bump of the movable contact bump array panel 250 is matched with the corresponding through electrode pad 220.

[0094] Similarly, as shown in Figure 6, the probe 200 includes a movable contact bump module 210, and may also include a through electrode pad 220, a through substrate electrode 230, and an insulating substrate 240.

[0095] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the state in which the movable contact bump array panel 250 is separated from the probe probe 200.

[0096] As an example of the size of the contact bumps, the diameter is between 50μm and 200μm and the height is between 100μm and 500μm. The movable contact bump array corresponds to the measured part of the structure being measured, i.e. the electronic component. Dozens to hundreds of contact bumps (for example, 20 to 100 contact bumps are needed for small electronic components, while 200 to 500 contact bumps are needed for large electronic components) are arranged in a predetermined manner as described above.

[0097] Furthermore, the contact bumps are consumables that need to be replaced according to the inspection contact cycle, and have a service life of approximately 10,000 to 100,000 inspection contacts. Therefore, the probe 200 requires an engineering and manufacturing process that allows for easy replacement of dozens to hundreds of contact bumps.

[0098] As described above, the movable contact bump array panel 250 can bond and fix the movable contact bump array with contact bumps arranged inside the panel in the form of a panel or fix it to the probe probe 200 by means of a mechanical connection assembly.

[0099] That is, the movable contact bump array panel 250 can be manufactured separately, thereby easily creating a structure with dozens to hundreds of contact bumps arranged in a row.

[0100] When the movable contact bump array panel 250 is bonded and fixed to the probe probe 200, the process of applying dozens to hundreds of contact bumps can be easily performed on the probe probe 200. Moreover, when replacing, it is only necessary to physically remove the fixedly bonded movable contact bump array panel 250 and then re-bond and fix the new movable contact bump array panel 250, so that the replacement can be easily performed.

[0101] Furthermore, when the movable contact bump array panel 250 is fixed to the probe probe 200 by a mechanical connection assembly, it is easier to perform a process on the probe probe 200 with dozens to hundreds of contact bumps compared to the adhesive method described above. Moreover, since it is a detachable method, it is easier to perform the replacement compared to the adhesive method.

[0102] Each contact bump is a very small structure, making it difficult to glue them together or disassemble them mechanically. However, by using the movable contact bump array panel structure described above, the panel is used as the object rather than the contact bumps, so they can be easily glued or mechanically connected and fixed.

[0103] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe card according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0104] The probe card 300 with a movable contact bump array includes a probe probe and a stacked structure. The probe probe includes: a movable contact bump array including a plurality of movable contact bump modules 310 that are electrically in contact with a measured part of an electronic component, the plurality of movable contact bump modules being arranged in a predetermined arrangement; and a through electrode pad that establishes an electrical connection between the measured part and the through substrate electrode through contact with the movable contact bump modules 310. The stacked structure extends to a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 340 that transmits electrical signals obtained from the measured part to an inspection device for inspecting electronic components through connection with the probe probe.

[0105] As shown in Figure 7, the probe card 300 can be fabricated as a structure that directly mounts through electrode pads onto one of the stacked structures, namely the space transformer (STF) 320, for compensating for the spacing difference between the contact bumps and the terminals on the printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 340.

[0106] The stacked structure described above may further include an interposer 330 for supporting the electrical connection between the object being measured, i.e., the electronic component, and the printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 340.

[0107] At this point, the printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 340 is a structure used to support the interposer 330 onto the electrode substrate, and is a structure electrically connected to the through-substrate electrodes. Furthermore, the PCB substrate 340 can be gold-plated using a metal with excellent conductivity, and if necessary, a specific stiffener can be added to the back side of the PCB substrate to correct warpage caused by the multilayer PCB substrate.

[0108] Furthermore, the interposer 330 can form a multilayer space transformer (STF) on the through electrode to electrically extend the connection between the movable contact bump array and the printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 340. The via 331 can be filled with a metal material with excellent electrical conductivity, such as copper, and the substrate can be composed of a high-resistivity silicon wafer, a glass wafer, or a plastic substrate (or ceramic substrate) including polyimide.

[0109] That is, as shown in FIG7, the interposer 330 may include a via 331 for signal routing and a support structure 332 for supporting it.

[0110] The Space Transformer (STF) 320 consists of a narrow-pitch wiring configuration for electrical connection between movable contact bumps and an interposer, and a conductive insulating film stack, which can be made of polyimide, silicon nitride, or silicon dioxide.

[0111] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe card according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0112] As shown in Figure 8, when the probe card 400 is one of the stacked structures and is equipped with an interposer 430 for supporting the electrical connection between electronic components and the printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 440, in order to distribute the overdrive caused by external force, part or all of the through electrodes of the interposer 430 can be formed using a POGO pin 431.

[0113] As shown in Figure 8, the probe card 400 includes a movable contact bump array 410 and can also be configured to include a space transformer (STF) 420, an interposer 430, and a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 340.

[0114] The interposer 430 block with the POGO pin 431 can also electrically connect the POGO pin 431 to the through electrode after the through hole is formed, and distribute the overdrive caused by the external force applied to measure the measured part of the electronic component through the action of the POGO pin 431.

[0115] That is, as shown in FIG8, the interposer 430 can be configured with a spring pin 431 in the through-hole portion used for signal routing, and includes a support structure 432 for supporting it.

[0116] Although the overdrive caused by the external force described above can be mitigated by the contact bumps and suspension springs, the overdrive caused by the external force described above can also be distributed by the POGO pin 431. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to focus the structure of the contact bumps and suspension springs on overdrive, but can be designed with other characteristics in mind.

[0117] As shown in Figure 8, the interposer 430 may also include an elastic layer 433 for maintaining the original unpressed state of the POGO pin 431 under normal conditions.

[0118] Furthermore, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe card according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

[0119] As shown in Figure 9, the probe card 500 can also be made into a structure that uses the spring pin 531 to replace the interposer 530 and the probe probe in Figure 5.

[0120] As shown in Figure 9, the probe card 500 includes a movable contact bump array 510 and can also be configured to include a through substrate electrode 520, an insulating substrate 550, and a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 540.

[0121] At this time, the probe can be overlapped on the upper side of the interposer 530, so that it can move up and down by means of the spring pin 531 of the interposer 530.

[0122] As shown in Figure 9, the interposer 530 can be configured with a POGO pin 531 in the through-hole portion used for signal routing, and can also include a support structure 532 for supporting it and an elastic layer 533 for maintaining the original unpressed state of the POGO pin 531 under normal conditions.

[0123] Figure 10 is a graph illustrating the S-parameter test results of the probe probe and probe card of the present invention, while Figure 11 is a graph illustrating the crosstalk test results of the probe probe and probe card of the present invention.

[0124] As shown in Figure 10, the results of the S-parameter test on the probe probe and probe card of the present invention are shown in Table 1 below. In order to show that the probe probe and probe card of the present invention have significantly better performance, the results were compared with the test results of the probe body of the prior art being of the POGO type.

[0125] [Table 1] MPB POGO Return Loss (@-20dB) >100GHz 1.56GHz Insertion Loss (@-20dB) >100GHz 6.52GHz Phase (@100GHz) 25.632deg 408.1258deg

[0126] In this context, "MPB" refers to the fact that the return loss (@-20dB) performance of the probe and probe card of this invention is maintained in the high-frequency region above 100GHz. This is significantly superior to the return loss (@-20dB) performance of the prior art POGO type, which is 1.56GHz. Furthermore, since the return loss (@-20dB) performance of the prior art including the POGO type is maintained in the high-frequency region from 1GHz to 10GHz, the return loss (@-20dB) performance of the probe and probe card of this invention provides a significant advantage over the prior art.

[0127] Furthermore, the insertion loss (@-20dB) performance of the probe probe and probe card of the present invention is maintained in the high-frequency region above 100GHz, while the return loss (@-20dB) performance of the prior art POGO type is only 6.52GHz. Therefore, the insertion loss (@-20dB) performance of the probe probe and probe card of the present invention provides significant advantages compared with the prior art.

[0128] Furthermore, the experimental results of the "phase (@100GHz)" performance of the probe probe and probe card of the present invention are 25.632 degrees, which indicates that there is almost no phase delay. This is because the loss and phase change of the electrical signal transmitted through the probe probe and probe card of the present invention are small, which also shows that the probe probe and probe card of the present invention have excellent performance.

[0129] In contrast, the "phase (@100GHz)" performance of the existing POGO type is 408.1258 degrees. Since 408.1258 degrees represents a phase change of more than 360 degrees, it can be confirmed that its performance is significantly lower when compared with the "phase (@100GHz)" performance of the probe and probe card of the present invention.

[0130] As shown in Figure 11, the results of the crosstalk test on the probe probe and probe card of the present invention are shown in Table 2 below. Similarly, in order to show that the probe probe and probe card of the present invention have significantly better performance, they were compared with the test results of the probe body of the prior art being of the POGO type.

[0131] [Table 2] MPB POGO Remote crosstalk (NEXT, @-20dB) >100GHz 2.62GHz Near-end crosstalk (FEXT, @-20dB) >100GHz 4.99GHz

[0132] The probe and probe card of this invention maintain near-end crosstalk (NEXT, @-20dB) performance in the high-frequency region above 100GHz. This is significantly better than the NEXT performance of 2.62GHz in the prior art POGO type.

[0133] Furthermore, the far-end crosstalk (FEXT, @-20dB) performance of the probe probe and probe card of the present invention is maintained in the high-frequency region above 100GHz, while the far-end crosstalk (FEXT, @-20dB) performance of the prior art POGO type is only 6.52GHz. Therefore, the far-end crosstalk (FEXT, @-20dB) performance of the probe probe and probe card of the present invention provides significant advantages compared with the prior art.

[0134] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains should understand that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without altering its technical concept or essential features. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as exemplary rather than limiting.

[0135] [Industry Availability]

[0136] Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a probe probe with a movable contact bump array that can improve high-frequency response characteristics, and a probe card applicable to the probe probe. It not only has sufficient commercial and business potential, but is also clearly implementable in practice, and is therefore an invention with industrial applicability.

[0137] 100, 200: Probe probe 110, 210, 310, 410, 510: Movable contact bump module 111: Pillar 112: Suspension Springs 113: Movable plate 114: Contact bump 120: Through-substrate pad 130: Through-substrate electrode 140: Insulating substrate 300, 400, 500: Probe Card 320, 420: Spatial Transformer (STF) 330, 430, 530: Interposer 340, 440, 540: Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Substrate 331, 431: Spring pin (POGO pin)

Claims

1. A probe probe having a movable contact bump array, used as a probe probe for inspecting electronic components, comprising: A movable contact bump array includes multiple movable contact bump modules that are electrically in contact with a measured part of the electronic component, and the multiple movable contact bump modules are arranged in a predetermined manner. The movable contact bump module includes: a contact bump that makes electrical contact with the part being measured; A movable plate, which is coupled to or integrally formed with the contact bump, moves vertically by means of an external force when it makes electrical contact with the part being measured; one or more suspension springs provide elastic support to the movable plate on one side; one or more struts provide fixed support to the other side of the suspension springs; and a through electrode pad, which is located in the area where it contacts the contact bump that makes electrical contact with the part being measured when the movable plate moves downward, and is used to establish an electrical connection between the part being measured and the through substrate electrode.

2. The probe probe with a movable contact bump array as described in claim 1, wherein the through electrode pad is electrically connected to the support.

3. The probe probe with a movable contact bump array as described in claim 1, wherein the height of the end portion of the contact bump is greater than the height of the movable plate.

4. The probe probe having a movable contact bump array as described in claim 1, wherein the contact bumps are made of one of nickel, nickel alloy, nickel composite material, copper, and copper alloy.

5. The probe probe with a movable contact bump array as described in claim 4, wherein the contact bumps are coated with one or more of gold, silver and copper.

6. The probe probe with a movable contact bump array as described in claim 5, wherein the contact bumps are further coated with one or more of rhodium, rhodium alloy, ruthenium, ruthenium alloy, tungsten, tungsten alloy, palladium, and palladium alloy.

7. The probe probe with a movable contact bump array as described in claim 1, wherein the suspension spring is composed of one of the coil type, zigzag type, mesh type and strip beam type corresponding to the movable stroke range.

8. The probe probe with a movable contact bump array as described in claim 1, further comprising: A movable contact bump array panel, including the movable contact bump array; With each contact bump of the movable contact bump array panel matched with its corresponding through electrode pad, the movable contact bump array panel is bonded and fixed or fixed by mechanical connection components.

9. A probe card with a movable contact bump array, used for inspecting electronic components, comprising a probe probe and a stacked structure, the probe probe comprising: A movable contact bump array includes multiple movable contact bump modules that are electrically in contact with a measured portion of the electronic component, and the multiple movable contact bump modules are arranged in a predetermined manner; and a through electrode pad that establishes an electrical connection between the measured portion and a through substrate electrode through contact with the movable contact bump modules; the stacked structure extends to a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate that transmits electrical signals obtained from the measured portion to an inspection device for inspecting the electronic component through connection with the probe probe; The movable contact bump module includes: a contact bump that makes electrical contact with the part being measured; A movable plate, which is coupled or integrally fitted with the contact protrusion, moves vertically by means of an external force when it makes electrical contact with the part being measured; one or more suspension springs provide elastic support to the movable plate on one side; and one or more struts provide fixed support to the other side of the suspension springs.

10. The probe card with a movable contact bump array as described in claim 9, wherein the through electrode pad is directly mounted on one of the stacked structures, namely a space transformer (STF), for compensating for the spacing difference between the contact bumps and the terminals on the printed circuit board (PCB) substrate.

11. A probe card with a movable contact bump array as described in claim 9, wherein the probe probe is stacked on top of one of the stacked structures, namely a Space Transformer (STF).

12. In the probe card with a movable contact bump array as described in claim 9, when it is equipped with an interposer as part of the stacked structure for supporting the electrical connection between the electronic component and the printed circuit board (PCB) substrate, in order to distribute overdrive caused by the external force, a portion or all of the through electrodes of the interposer are formed using POGO pins.

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