Electrical connection device

Abstract

Provided is an electrical connection device used for testing an object to be tested. The electrical connection device comprises: a probe in which a front end part comes into contact with an object to be tested; and a wiring board in which surface electrode wiring to which a base end part of the probe is connected is arranged on a first surface. Internal electrode wiring electrically connected to the surface electrode wiring is arranged inside the wiring board.

Description

Electrical Connection Device

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connecting device used for testing electrical characteristics of an object to be tested.

[0002] In order to measure the electrical characteristics of an object under test, such as an integrated circuit, an electrical connection device is used to electrically connect the object under test to an inspection device. The electrical connection device includes a probe that is brought into contact with the object under test and a wiring board that electrically connects the probe to the inspection device.

[0003] The probe has one end (hereinafter referred to as the "tip end") that contacts the object under test, and the other end (hereinafter referred to as the "base end"). The base end of the probe is electrically connected to the internal wiring of the wiring board. The internal wiring of the wiring board includes signal wiring that transmits electrical signals between the signal terminal of the object under test and the testing device, ground wiring that supplies a ground voltage to the object under test, and power supply wiring that supplies a power supply voltage to the object under test.

[0004] JP 2018-179934 A

[0005] A wiring board including multiple inner layers is used, with ground wiring and power supply wiring being individual wiring layers. However, it is predicted that it will be difficult to measure the electrical characteristics of an object under test with high accuracy due to a lack of wiring layers in the wiring board. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection device including a wiring board that can accurately measure the electrical characteristics of an object under test.

[0006] An electrical connecting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a probe having a tip end that contacts an object to be tested, and a wiring substrate having a surface electrode wiring on a first surface thereof to which a base end of the probe is connected, and an internal electrode wiring electrically connected to the surface electrode wiring is disposed inside the wiring substrate.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical connecting device including a wiring board that can accurately measure the electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an electrical connecting device according to an embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an electrical connecting device according to a modified example of the embodiment.

[0009] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, identical or similar parts are designated by identical or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the thickness ratios of the various parts may differ from those in reality. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the dimensional relationships and ratios of parts included in the drawings may differ from one another. The embodiments shown below exemplify devices and methods for embodying the technical ideas of the present invention, and the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of the components of the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described below.

[0010] The electrical connecting device 1 according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is used to measure the electrical characteristics of an object under test 2. The electrical connecting device 1 includes a probe 10, a probe guide 20 that supports the probe 10, and a wiring substrate 30 stacked on the probe guide 20. Hereinafter, the direction in which the wiring substrate 30 is located as viewed from the probe guide 20 will be referred to as "upward," and the direction in which the probe guide 20 is located as viewed from the wiring substrate 30 will be referred to as "downward." In addition, the surface facing upward will be referred to as "upper surface," and the surface facing downward will be referred to as "lower surface." A first surface 301 of the wiring substrate 30 is the lower surface, and a second surface 302 of the wiring substrate 30 is the upper surface.

[0011] The probe 10 is a non-limiting notation for the signal probe 10S, the ground probe 10G, and the power probe 10V shown in FIG. 1 . The signal probe 10S is a probe that transmits an electrical signal between the DUT 2 and the testing device. The ground probe 10G is a probe that supplies a ground voltage to the DUT 2. The power probe 10V is a probe that supplies a power voltage to the DUT 2. The material of the probe 10 may be, for example, nickel (Ni) or a nickel alloy. The probe 10 has a tip end that contacts a terminal (not shown) of the DUT 2, and a base end that is the other end.

[0012] The probe guide 20 has a guide hole 200 that penetrates from the lower surface facing the test object 2 to the upper surface facing the wiring board 30. The probe guide 20 supports the probe 10 in a state where it has passed through the guide hole 200. The material of the probe guide 20 is, for example, an insulating material such as ceramic.

[0013] Surface ground wiring 31G, surface signal wiring 31S, and surface power supply wiring 31V are arranged on a first surface 301 of the wiring substrate 30. The base ends of the signal probes 10S are connected to the surface signal wiring 31S, the base ends of the ground probes 10G are connected to the surface ground wiring 31G, and the base ends of the power probes 10V are connected to the surface power supply wiring 31V. Hereinafter, when there is no need to specify each of the surface signal wiring 31S, the surface ground wiring 31G, and the surface power supply wiring 31V, they will be referred to as "surface electrode wiring 31." In the electrical connection device 1 shown in FIG. 1 , the surface electrode wiring 31 of the wiring substrate 30 and the probe guide 20 may abut against each other.

[0014] The surface ground wiring 31G and the surface power supply wiring 31V are arranged on the first surface 301 of the wiring substrate 30 while being insulated from each other. Furthermore, the surface signal wiring 31S is arranged on the first surface 301 while being insulated from the surface ground wiring 31G and the surface power supply wiring 31V. As shown in FIG. 1 , the base ends of multiple ground probes 10G may be connected to the same surface ground wiring 31G, and the base ends of multiple power supply probes 10V may be connected to the same surface power supply wiring 31V. In this way, the base ends of multiple probes that are set to the same potential when measuring the test object 2 may be connected to the same surface electrode wiring 31. On the other hand, the surface electrode wirings 31 that are set to different potentials are arranged spaced apart from each other on the first surface 301.

[0015] The wiring substrate 30 has a structure in which wiring electrically connected to the surface electrode wiring 31 is arranged inside. Specifically, the surface ground wiring 31G is electrically connected to the internal ground wiring 33G through a ground via 34G arranged inside the wiring substrate 30. The surface power supply wiring 31V is electrically connected to the internal power supply wiring 33V through a power supply via 34V arranged inside the wiring substrate 30. The internal power supply wiring 33V and the internal ground wiring 33G are insulated from each other. Hereinafter, when the internal power supply wiring 33V and the internal ground wiring 33G are not limited, they will be referred to as "internal electrode wiring 33." In this way, a plurality of internal electrode wirings 33 electrically connected to each of the plurality of surface electrode wirings 31 are arranged inside the wiring substrate 30.

[0016] The wiring substrate 30 may have a structure in which a plurality of internal electrode wirings 33 are stacked in the thickness direction of the wiring substrate 30. In the wiring substrate 30 shown in Fig. 1, the internal ground wiring 33G and the internal power supply wiring 33V are arranged in different wiring layers. Specifically, the internal ground wiring 33G is arranged in the first wiring layer L1, and the internal power supply wiring 33V is arranged in the second wiring layer L2. Although Fig. 1 exemplifies a case in which the number of layers of the internal electrode wirings 33 in the wiring substrate 30 is two, the number of layers of the internal electrode wirings 33 can be set as desired.

[0017] The wiring substrate 30 includes electrode terminals 32 arranged on a second surface 302 facing in the opposite direction to the first surface 301. The internal electrode wiring 33 is electrically connected to one of the electrode terminals 32 via internal wiring or contact vias (not shown). The surface signal wiring 31S is electrically connected to the electrode terminal 32 via internal wiring or contact vias (not shown).

[0018] The wiring substrate 30 may be, for example, a space transformer that widens the spacing between the electrode terminals 32 electrically connected to adjacent probes 10 compared to the spacing between the base ends of the adjacent probes 10. The electrode terminals 32 are electrically connected to an inspection device such as a tester. The wiring substrate 30 may be, for example, a ceramic substrate or an MLO (Multi-Layer Organic) substrate.

[0019] A printed circuit board may be placed on the upper surface of the wiring board 30. For example, the electrode terminals 32 of the wiring board 30 may be connected to the electrode terminals of the printed circuit board via pogo pins or the like. In the electrical connection device 1 in which a printed circuit board is stacked on the wiring board 30, the probes 10 and the inspection device are electrically connected via the wiring of the printed circuit board that is connected to the electrode terminals 32 of the wiring board 30.

[0020] In the electrical connection device 1, a ground voltage is supplied to the ground probe 10G via the electrode terminal 32, the internal ground wiring 33G, and the surface ground wiring 31G. In other words, the internal ground wiring 33G and the surface ground wiring 31G are ground wirings that supply the ground voltage to the DUT 2. In addition, in the electrical connection device 1, a power supply voltage is supplied to the power supply probe 10V via the electrode terminal 32, the internal power supply wiring 33V, and the surface power supply wiring 31V. In other words, the internal power supply wiring 33V and the surface power supply wiring 31V are power supply wirings that supply the power supply voltage to the DUT 2.

[0021] As described above, in the electrical connecting device 1, different voltages may be applied to the plurality of surface electrode wirings 31. For example, the surface ground wiring 31G is a ground wiring that supplies a ground voltage to the inspection object 2. The surface power supply wiring 31V is a power supply wiring that supplies a power supply voltage to the inspection object 2. The voltage set by the inspection device is supplied to the inspection object 2 via the wiring board 30 and the probe 10.

[0022] 1 , the ground voltage and power supply voltage are supplied to the DUT 2 from the surface electrode wiring 31, which is located closer to the probe 10 than the internal electrode wiring 33, which is located inside the wiring board 30. This reduces the electrical resistance of the power supply current path of the electrical connecting device 1. According to the electrical connecting device 1, by arranging the ground wiring and power supply wiring near the probe 10, the electrical characteristics of the DUT 2 can be accurately measured.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the electrical connecting device 1, the flat surface electrode wiring 31 is disposed in the vicinity of the probe 10, thereby making the device 2 more resistant to noise applied from the outside to the test object 2. In other words, according to the electrical connecting device 1, it is possible to obtain an even greater effect in terms of measures against electromagnetic susceptibility (EMS).

[0024] In the electrical connecting device 1, the base ends of the probes 10 may be fixed to the surface electrode wiring 31. This allows the electrical characteristics of the test object 2 to be measured stably.

[0025] Furthermore, in the electrical connecting device 1, multiple probes 10 that are set to the same potential when measuring the test object 2 can be connected to the same surface electrode wiring 31 arranged on the wiring board 30. Therefore, when the electrical resistance between the terminal of the test object 2 and the probe 10 is high, the current can be branched even at a position close to the probe 10. This prevents the current from concentrating on one probe 10, and prevents the probe 10 from burning out due to an excessive current flowing.

[0026] Furthermore, the electrical connecting device 1 can supply the power supply voltage and the ground voltage at a position close to the probe 10, thereby reducing the electrical resistance of the current path and allowing a large current to flow through the probe 10 and improving the high-frequency characteristics. In this way, the electrical connecting device 1 can improve the electrical characteristics of the test object 2 during measurement.

[0027] 2, the surface electrode wiring 31 is embedded in the first surface 301 of the wiring substrate 30 with the surface exposed. For example, when the wiring substrate 30 is manufactured by forming a recess in the first surface 301 of the wiring substrate 30 and pouring the material for the surface electrode wiring 31 into this recess, the electrical connection device 1 has the structure shown in Fig. 2. On the other hand, when the wiring substrate 30 is manufactured by attaching a conductive sheet or the like to the first surface 301 as the surface electrode wiring 31, the electrical connection device 1 has the structure shown in Fig. 1.

[0028] Although the present invention has been described above by way of the embodiments, the descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0029] For example, although the above description exemplifies a case in which the wiring substrate 30 includes the surface ground wiring 31G and the surface power supply wiring 31V, the types of surface electrode wiring 31 included in the wiring substrate 30 are not limited to two. For example, the surface electrode wiring 31 included in the wiring substrate 30 may be only either ground wiring or power supply wiring. Alternatively, the wiring substrate 30 may include two or more types of power supply wiring that are set to different power supply voltages.

[0030] As such, the present invention naturally includes various embodiments not described above. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the invention-specifying matters according to the scope of the claims that are appropriate from the above description.

[0031] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electrical connection device 2 Test object 10G Ground probe 10S Signal probe 10V Power supply probe 20 Probe guide 30 Wiring board 31G Surface ground wiring 31S Surface signal wiring 31V Surface power supply wiring 32 Electrode terminal 33G Internal ground wiring 33V Internal power supply wiring 200 Guide hole 301 First surface 302 Second surface L1 First wiring layer L2 Second wiring layer

Claims

1. An electrical connection device used for testing an object to be tested, comprising: a probe whose tip end contacts the object to be tested; and a wiring board having surface electrode wiring connected to the base end of the probe disposed on a first surface thereof, and having internal electrode wiring disposed therein and electrically connected to the surface electrode wiring.

2. The electrical connecting device according to claim 1, wherein the base ends of a plurality of said probes, which are set to the same potential when measuring said object to be inspected, are connected to the same surface electrode wiring.

3. An electrical connection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the surface electrode wirings are arranged spaced apart from one another on the first surface of the wiring board, and a plurality of the internal electrode wirings electrically connected to each of the plurality of surface electrode wirings are arranged inside the wiring board while being insulated from one another.

4. The electrical connecting device according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of said internal electrode wirings are stacked in the thickness direction of said wiring board.

5. The electrical connecting device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein different voltages are applied to the plurality of surface electrode wirings.

6. The electrical connecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the surface electrode wiring includes a ground wiring for supplying a ground voltage to the object under test.

7. The electrical connecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the surface electrode wiring includes a power supply wiring for supplying a power supply voltage to the inspection object.

8. An electrical connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein electrode terminals electrically connected to the internal electrode wiring are arranged on a second surface of the wiring board facing in the opposite direction to the first surface, and the wiring board is a space transformer that widens the spacing between the electrode terminals electrically connected to each of the adjacent probes to be greater than the spacing between the base ends of the adjacent probes.

9. The electrical connecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the surface electrode wiring is embedded in the first surface with the surface exposed.

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