Probe card and method for producing probe card

Abstract

A probe card (1) comprises: a wiring board (10) having a plurality of terminal sections (11); a guide member (20) that is fixed to the wiring board (10) and in which a plurality of through holes (20a) are formed at positions facing the plurality of terminal sections (11); and a plurality of probes (30) that are removably inserted into the plurality of through holes (20a) and joined to the plurality of terminal sections (11). The guide member (20) comprises a recessed section (50) surrounding the plurality of joint sections (40) where the plurality of terminal sections (11) and the plurality of probes (30) are joined, and communication sections (51) whereby the inside of the recessed section (50) and the outside of the guide member (20) communicate.

Description

Probe card and method for manufacturing the probe card

[0001] The present invention relates to a probe card and a method for manufacturing the probe card. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-154106, filed on September 6, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a probe card used for testing the electrical characteristics of highly integrated semiconductor devices. This probe card includes a probe, a guide plate, and a wiring board. The probe includes a tip portion that contacts an electrode of a measurement object and a needle base portion for fixing the probe. The guide plate includes a guide hole into which the needle base portion is fitted and in which a conductive member that is electrically connected to the needle base portion is provided. The wiring board includes a terminal on one side. The needle base portion is electrically connected to the terminal via the conductive member.

[0003] JP 2015-72182 A

[0004] In the above-mentioned probe card, the probes are indirectly connected to the terminals of the wiring board via a guide plate, and the probes are not directly connected to the terminals of the wiring board, which can lead to unstable electrical connections between the probes and the wiring board.

[0005] The present invention provides a structure capable of stabilizing the electrical connection between the probe and the wiring board in a probe card, and a method for manufacturing a probe card capable of establishing such a structure.

[0006] A probe card according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a wiring board having a plurality of terminal portions, a guide member fixed to the wiring board and having a plurality of through holes formed at positions opposite the plurality of terminal portions, and a plurality of probes removably inserted into the plurality of through holes and joined to the plurality of terminal portions, wherein the guide member comprises a recess surrounding a plurality of joints at which the plurality of terminal portions and the plurality of probes are joined, and a communication portion connecting the inside of the recess with the outside of the guide member.

[0007] The method for manufacturing the probe card according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a bonding material placement step of placing a plurality of bonding materials on a plurality of terminal portions of a wiring board, a guide member fixing step of, after the bonding material placement step, fixing a guide member having a plurality of through holes formed therein to the wiring board so that the plurality of through holes face the plurality of terminal portions, a probe insertion step of, after the guide member fixing step, inserting a plurality of probes into the plurality of through holes, and a probe joining step of, after the probe insertion step, melting the plurality of bonding materials and joining the plurality of terminal portions and the plurality of probes, wherein the guide member includes a recess surrounding a plurality of joints where the plurality of terminal portions and the plurality of probes are joined, and a communication part that connects the inside of the recess to the outside of the guide member, and in the probe joining step, a reducing gas is introduced into the inside of the recess through the communication part to create a reducing atmosphere around the plurality of joints.

[0008] According to the first and second aspects, it is possible to provide a structure that can stabilize the electrical connection between the probe and the wiring board in the probe card, and a method for manufacturing a probe card that can establish this structure.

[0009] 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state when a probe card according to a first embodiment is used; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of the probe card according to the first embodiment; FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing a method for manufacturing a probe card according to the first embodiment; FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram explaining step S2 shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram explaining step S4 shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing a repair process of a probe card according to the first embodiment; FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram explaining step S12 shown in FIG. 6; FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a probe card according to a second embodiment; FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the opposing surface side of a guide member according to a third embodiment;

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, it should be noted that at least some of the drawings are schematic, and that the thickness ratios of the various parts may differ from those of the actual parts. Furthermore, the drawings may include parts with different dimensional relationships and ratios. Furthermore, the embodiments shown below are merely examples of 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.

[0011] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a probe card 1 according to a first embodiment is in use. The probe card 1 shown in Fig. 1 is attached to an inspection device (not shown), and, for example, probes 30 are brought into contact with pads 201 of a wafer 200 to inspect a semiconductor integrated circuit (not shown) formed on the wafer 200.

[0012] The probe card 1 includes a wiring board 10 (space transformer), a guide member 20, a plurality of probes 30, and a printed circuit board 110 (main board). A plurality of terminal portions 11 (lands) to which the plurality of probes 30 are electrically connected are formed on one surface of the wiring board 10. In addition, a guide member 20 is fixed to one surface of the wiring board 10.

[0013] A plurality of through holes 20a are formed in the guide member 20 at positions facing the plurality of terminal portions 11. The guide member 20 is made of an insulating material such as ceramic to ensure electrical insulation between the plurality of through holes 20a. Each of the plurality of through holes 20a is formed in a circular or rectangular shape in a plan view. When the through holes 20a are rectangular in a plan view, the orientation of the probe 30 can be identified.

[0014] The plurality of probes 30 are inserted into the plurality of through holes 20a of the guide member 20 and electrically connected to the plurality of terminal portions 11 of the wiring substrate 10. The cross-sectional shape of the probes 30 is the same as the opening shape of the through holes 20a. The probes 30 are so-called vertical probes that extend in a direction perpendicular to the wiring substrate 10.

[0015] The probes 30 have a diameter of, for example, several tens of μm in accordance with the arrangement of the pads 201, and are arranged at a high density with a pitch of, for example, 100 μm or less. Although only four probes 30 are shown in the drawing, in reality, the probe card 1 is provided with, for example, several hundred to several tens of thousands of probes 30.

[0016] Such a probe 30 can be formed from a metal material such as a Ni alloy using MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) technology. The probe 30 may be expandable in the vertical direction to ensure electrical connection with the pad 201. The probe 30 may, for example, have an internal spring to expand and contract the tip, or may have a bent or curved elastically deformable portion on the way to the tip.

[0017] On the other surface of the wiring board 10, a plurality of terminal portions 12 (second terminal portions) are provided at intervals wider than the plurality of terminal portions 11 (first terminal portions) provided on one surface of the wiring board 10. The plurality of terminal portions 11 and the plurality of terminal portions 12 are electrically connected via a plurality of connection conductors 13 provided on the wiring board 10. The connection conductors 13 include a conductor pattern, vias, etc. provided on the wiring board 10.

[0018] The wiring board 10 functions as an intermediate component for converting the arrangement intervals of the probes 30, which differ for each probe card 1 depending on the arrangement of the pads 201, by using the wiring pattern (connection conductors 13) formed therein, and electrically connecting the probes 30 to the printed circuit board 110. In other words, the wiring board 10 enables electrical connection between the multiple probes 30 arranged densely in the probe card 1 and the printed circuit board 110 by expanding the space between the terminals.

[0019] The printed circuit board 110 is electrically connected to an inspection device (such as a tester head of an IC tester) not shown in the figure. The inspection device applies a predetermined voltage or current to the pads 201, and a signal output from the pads 201 in response to the voltage or current is sent to the inspection device, which inspects the characteristics of the semiconductor integrated circuits formed on the wafer 200.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the probe card 1 according to the first embodiment. Note that only the main parts of the probe card 1 are shown in Fig. 2 and subsequent figures, and the printed circuit board 110 is not shown. As shown in Fig. 2, the probe card 1 includes a wiring board 10 having a plurality of terminal portions 11, a guide member 20 fixed to the wiring board 10 and having a plurality of through holes 20a formed in positions facing the plurality of terminal portions 11, and a plurality of probes 30 removably inserted into the plurality of through holes 20a and joined to the plurality of terminal portions 11.

[0021] The guide member 20 includes a guide body 21 that is rectangular in plan view and has a plurality of through holes 20a formed therein, and a plurality (four) of legs 22 provided at positions corresponding to the four corners of the guide body 21. Note that the number of legs 22 is not limited to four. The plurality of legs 22 are arranged around a plurality of joints 40 at which a plurality of terminals 11 and a plurality of probes 30 are joined, so as to surround the joints 40. The bases of the plurality of legs 22 are fixed to the wiring board 10 by joining, fitting, adhesive, or the like. The joints 40 are formed from a joining material 41 such as solder.

[0022] The guide body 21 is supported by a plurality of legs 22 with a gap between them and the wiring board 10. The plurality of through holes 20a penetrate from the opposing surface 21A of the guide body 21 that faces the wiring board 10 to the non-opposing surface 21B that faces the opposite side to the opposing surface 21A. The gap between the guide body 21 and the wiring board 10 forms a recess 50 that surrounds the plurality of joints 40. The recess 50 is surrounded by the plurality of legs 22.

[0023] The recess 50 may be a recess of various shapes, such as a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, a truncated pyramid, a hemisphere, or a dome, as long as it is capable of surrounding the multiple joints 40. Communication portions 51 that connect the inside of the recess 50 to the outside of the guide member 20 are formed in the gaps between the multiple leg portions 22. In this embodiment, the four gaps between the four leg portions 22 each serve as a communication portion 51. Note that the communication portions 51 may be, for example, through holes extending in a direction intersecting the perpendicular direction in which the probe 30 extends, as long as they can connect the inside of the recess 50 to the outside of the guide member 20.

[0024] Next, a method for manufacturing the probe card 1 having the above configuration (hereinafter referred to as the present method) will be described. Fig. 3 is a flow diagram showing the method for manufacturing the probe card 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining step S2 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining step S4 shown in Fig. 3.

[0025] In this method, first, a plurality of bonding materials 41 are placed on a plurality of terminal portions 11 of the wiring substrate 10 (step S1: bonding material placement step). Examples of the bonding materials 41 include solder balls as shown in FIG. 4. Next, in this method, the guide member 20 is fixed to the wiring substrate 10 so that the plurality of through holes 20a face the plurality of terminal portions 11 (step S2: guide member fixing step). As a result, the probe card 1 is in the state shown in FIG. 4.

[0026] Next, in this method, the plurality of probes 30 are inserted into the plurality of through holes 20a of the guide member 20 (step S3: probe insertion process). Next, in this method, the plurality of bonding materials 41 are melted to bond the plurality of terminal portions 11 to the plurality of probes 30 (step S4: probe bonding process). In step S4, the probe card 1 may be placed in a vacuum reflow furnace equipped with a heat source 300 for heat treatment, as shown in FIG.

[0027] The inside of the vacuum reflow furnace is a reducing atmosphere (nitrogen atmosphere or formic acid atmosphere) to improve the wettability of the bonding material 41. Here, the guide member 20 is provided with a recess 50 surrounding the multiple bonding portions 40 (bonding materials 41) and a communication portion 51 that connects the inside of the recess 50 to the outside of the guide member 20. Therefore, as shown by symbol F1 in FIG. 5 , reducing gas can be introduced into the inside of the recess 50 through the communication portion 51 to create a reducing atmosphere around the multiple bonding portions 40, improving the wettability of the bonding material 41 and allowing the probe 30 and the terminal portion 11 to be bonded.

[0028] Most of the reducing gas (heating fluid) heated by the heat source 300 flows along the side surface of the guide member 20 as indicated by symbol F2 in Fig. 5, but a portion of it is introduced into the inside of the recess 50 through the communication portion 51 as indicated by symbol F1 in Fig. 5. Therefore, the bonding material 41 can be sufficiently heated not only by heat conduction from the heat source 300 but also by convection heating by the heating fluid, thereby enabling the probe 30 and the terminal portion 11 to be bonded well.

[0029] Next, in this method, the presence or absence of probes 30 with defective shapes or probes 30 with poor bonding (repair probes) is detected (step S5). If no repair probes are detected, the manufacturing flow of the probe card 1 ends. On the other hand, if a repair probe is detected, the process proceeds to a repair process (step S6). The repair process described below can be performed not only during the manufacturing of the probe card 1, but also during maintenance of the probe card 1.

[0030] Fig. 6 is a flow diagram showing the repair process of the probe card 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating step S12 shown in Fig. 6. In the repair process, first, the bonding material 41 (bonding portion 40) of the probe 30 to be replaced is heated and melted (step S11). In step S11, for example, as shown in Fig. 7, the bonding material 41 of the probe 30 to be replaced may be locally heated by laser heating using a laser L1. Note that in step S11, the entire probe card 1 may be heated.

[0031] 7, the probe 30 to be replaced is removed from the through hole 20a of the guide member 20 (step S12). Next, in the repair process, new bonding material 41 is repositioned on the terminal portion 11 of the wiring substrate 10 from which the bonding material 41 has been melted and removed (step S13).

[0032] Next, in the repair process, a new probe 30 is reinserted into the through-hole 20a of the guide member 20 from which the probe 30 to be replaced was extracted (step S14). Next, in the repair process, the relocated bonding material 41 is melted to bond the terminal portion 11 and the new probe 30 (step S15). Note that in step S15, similar to the above-described step S11, the relocated bonding material 41 may be locally heated by laser heating using the laser L1, or the entire probe card 1 may be heated.

[0033] Thereafter, similar to step S5 described above, the presence or absence of repair probes is detected (step S16), and if repair probes are present, the process proceeds to the repair process again (step S17). In other words, steps S11 to S15 described above are repeated. If no repair probes are detected, the manufacturing flow of the probe card 1 ends.

[0034] If the bonding material 41 contains flux, it is necessary to clean the periphery of the bonding portions 40. In this case, a step of cleaning the periphery of the bonding portions 40 (bond cleaning step) may be added. In the cleaning step, similar to the reference symbol F1 shown in FIG. 5 , a cleaning fluid can be introduced into the inside of the recess 50 through the communication portion 51, so that the periphery of the plurality of bonding portions 40 can be cleaned well.

[0035] As described above, the probe card 1 according to this embodiment includes a wiring board 10 having a plurality of terminal portions 11, a guide member 20 fixed to the wiring board 10 and having a plurality of through holes 20a formed at positions facing the plurality of terminal portions 11, and a plurality of probes 30 removably inserted into the plurality of through holes 20a and joined to the plurality of terminal portions 11, and the guide member 20 includes a recess 50 surrounding a plurality of joint portions 40 at which the plurality of terminal portions 11 and the plurality of probes 30 are joined, and a communication portion 51 that communicates between the inside of the recess 50 and the outside of the guide member 20. With this configuration, the probes 30 are directly connected to the terminal portions 11 of the wiring board 10, thereby stabilizing the electrical connection between the probes 30 and the wiring board 10.

[0036] In this embodiment, the guide member 20 is disposed around the plurality of joints 40 and includes a plurality of legs 22 fixed to the wiring substrate 10, the recess 50 is surrounded by the plurality of legs 22, and the communication portions 51 are formed in the gaps between the plurality of legs 22. With this configuration, at least two communication portions 51 are formed that communicate with the inside of the recess 50, improving the convection of the reducing gas and cleaning fluid. This makes it easier to create a reducing atmosphere around the joints 40 and to clean the area around the joints 40.

[0037] Furthermore, the manufacturing method of the probe card 1 of this embodiment includes a bonding material placement process of placing a plurality of bonding materials 41 on a plurality of terminal portions 11 of the wiring substrate 10, a guide member fixing process of fixing a guide member 20 having a plurality of through holes 20 a formed therein to the wiring substrate 10 so that the through holes 20 a face the plurality of terminal portions 11, a probe insertion process of inserting a plurality of probes 30 into the plurality of through holes 20 a after the guide member fixing process, and a probe joining process of melting the plurality of bonding materials 41 to join the plurality of terminal portions 11 and the plurality of probes 30 after the probe insertion process. The guide member 20 includes a recess 50 surrounding a plurality of joints 40 at which the plurality of terminal portions 11 and the plurality of probes 30 are joined, and a communication portion 51 connecting the inside of the recess 50 to the outside of the guide member 20. In the probe joining process, a reducing gas is introduced into the inside of the recess 50 through the communication portion 51 to create a reducing atmosphere around the plurality of joints 40. This technique improves the wettability of the bonding material 41, and allows the probes 30 and the wiring board 10 to be connected well.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the probe bonding step, a bonding portion cleaning step is performed in which a cleaning fluid is introduced into the recess 50 through the communication portion 51 to clean the peripheries of the plurality of bonding portions 40. According to this method, even if the bonding material 41 contains flux, the peripheries of the bonding portions 40 can be easily cleaned.

[0039] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same or equivalent components as those in the above-described embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0040] 8 is a cross-sectional view of the probe card 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the guide member 20 according to the second embodiment includes a heat conduction film 60 having a higher thermal conductivity than the base material of the guide member 20.

[0041] For example, if the base material of the guide member 20 is ceramic, the heat conduction film 60 may be formed from a metal material such as copper (Cu), silver (Ag), or aluminum (Al), which has a higher thermal conductivity than ceramic. The heat conduction film 60 can be formed on the guide member 20 by, for example, vapor deposition or thermal spraying of a metal material. Alternatively, the heat conduction film 60 may be formed by attaching a metal film, metal sheet, or metal plate to the guide member 20. Note that the heat conduction film 60 is not limited to a metal material as long as it has a higher thermal conductivity than the base material of the guide member 20.

[0042] The heat conduction film 60 is formed on each of the opposing surface 21A of the guide body 21 that faces the wiring board 10 and the non-opposing surface 21B that faces the opposite side to the opposing surface 21A. Note that the heat conduction film 60 may be formed on either the opposing surface 21A or the non-opposing surface 21B of the guide body 21.

[0043] As described above, in the second embodiment, the guide member 20 has a guide body 21 in which a plurality of through holes 20a are formed and which faces the wiring board 10 with a gap therebetween by a plurality of legs 22, and the guide body 21 is provided with a heat conduction film 60 having a higher thermal conductivity than the base material of the guide member 20 on at least one of the facing surface 21A facing the wiring board 10 and the non-facing surface 21B facing the opposite side to the facing surface 21A. With this configuration, the heat conduction film 60 can efficiently conduct heat to the joint portion 40, thereby enabling good joining of the probe 30 and the terminal portion 11.

[0044] Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same or equivalent components as those in the above-described embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0045] 9 is a bottom view of the opposing surface 21A of the guide member 20 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the guide member 20 of the third embodiment has grating grooves 70 formed in a grid pattern on the opposing surface 21A facing the wiring substrate 10.

[0046] The lattice groove 70 includes a plurality of intersections 71 that intersect at the positions where the plurality of through holes 20a are formed, and a plurality of groove end portions 72 that open to the outer surface of the guide member 20. In this case, the recess 50 is configured to include at least the intersections 71. Furthermore, the communication portion 51 is configured to include at least the groove end portions 72.

[0047] As described above, in the third embodiment, the guide member 20 includes lattice grooves 70 formed in a lattice pattern on the surface 21A facing the wiring substrate 10, the recess 50 includes intersections 71 of the lattice grooves 70 that intersect at least the positions where the plurality of through holes 20a are formed, and the communication portions 51 include groove ends 72 of the lattice grooves 70 that open to the outer surface of the guide member 20. With this configuration, a reducing gas or cleaning fluid can be introduced from the groove ends 72 toward the intersections 71 (bonding portions 40), thereby achieving good bonding between the probes 30 and the terminal portions 11. Furthermore, since the lattice grooves 70 require fewer processing portions of the guide member 20 than in the above-described embodiments, the load on the guide member 20 during processing can be reduced, and the number of steps required for the guide member can be reduced.

[0048] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, it should be understood that they are illustrative of the present invention and should not be considered as limiting. Additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention should not be deemed limited by the foregoing description, but rather by the scope of the claims.

[0049] Furthermore, within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, it is possible to replace the components in the above-described embodiments with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate.

[0050] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 probe card 10 wiring substrate 11 terminal portion 12 terminal portion 13 connecting conductor 20 guide member 20a through hole 21 guide body 21A facing surface 21B non-facing surface 22 leg portion 30 probe 40 bonding portion 41 bonding material 50 recess 51 communicating portion 60 heat conduction film 70 lattice groove 71 intersection portion 72 groove end portion 110 printed circuit board 200 wafer 201 pad 300 heat source

Claims

1. A probe card comprising: a wiring board having a plurality of terminal portions; a guide member fixed to the wiring board and having a plurality of through holes formed at positions facing the plurality of terminal portions; and a plurality of probes removably inserted into the plurality of through holes and joined to the plurality of terminal portions, wherein the guide member comprises: a recess portion surrounding a plurality of joint portions at which the plurality of terminal portions and the plurality of probes are joined; and a communication portion connecting the inside of the recess portion to the outside of the guide member.

2. The probe card according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is arranged around the plurality of joints and comprises a plurality of legs fixed to the wiring board, the recess is surrounded by the plurality of legs, and the communication portion is formed in a gap between the plurality of legs.

3. The probe card according to claim 2, wherein the guide member has a guide body in which the plurality of through holes are formed and which faces the wiring board with a gap provided by the plurality of legs, and the guide body is provided with a heat conductive film having a higher thermal conductivity than the base material of the guide member on at least one of an opposing surface facing the wiring board and a non-opposing surface facing the opposite side to the opposing surface.

4. The probe card according to claim 1, wherein the guide member has grating grooves formed in a grating pattern on the surface facing the wiring board, the recesses include intersections of the grating grooves that intersect at least at positions where the plurality of through holes are formed, and the communication portions include groove ends of the grating grooves that open to at least the outer surface of the guide member.

5. A method for manufacturing a probe card, comprising: a bonding material placing step of placing a plurality of bonding materials on a plurality of terminal portions of a wiring board; a guide member fixing step of, after the bonding material placing step, fixing a guide member having a plurality of through holes formed therein to the wiring board so that the plurality of through holes face the plurality of terminal portions; a probe inserting step of, after the guide member fixing step, inserting a plurality of probes into the plurality of through holes; and a probe joining step of, after the probe inserting step, melting the plurality of bonding materials and joining the plurality of terminal portions to the plurality of probes, wherein the guide member has recesses surrounding a plurality of joints at which the plurality of terminal portions and the plurality of probes are joined, and communication parts that communicate between the inside of the recesses and the outside of the guide member, and wherein, in the probe joining step, a reducing gas is introduced into the inside of the recesses through the communication parts to create a reducing atmosphere around the plurality of joints.

6. The method for manufacturing a probe card according to claim 5, further comprising a bond cleaning step of introducing a cleaning fluid into the inside of the recess through the communicating portion after the probe bonding step, and cleaning the peripheries of the plurality of bonded portions.

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