Test socket and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

Disclosed are: a test socket capable of effectively preventing deformation caused by repeated tests while reducing adherence of an element to be tested, damage to a terminal, and repulsive force against the element to be tested; and a manufacturing method thereof. The test socket, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a conductive part array including a plurality of conductive parts arranged apart from each other along a horizontal direction; a first insulation part that is formed between the plurality of conductive parts, insulates between the plurality of conductive parts and supports the conductive part array; a support film having film through-holes formed to vertically pass therethrough at respective positions corresponding to the plurality of terminals of the element to be tested; and a second insulation part disposed between the first insulation part and the support film, and provided to have a hardness lower than that of the support film and higher than that of the first insulation part.

Description

Test socket and method of manufacturing the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a test socket, and more specifically, to a test socket capable of effectively preventing deformation during repeated testing while reducing adhesion of the device under test, terminal damage, and repulsion force against the device under test, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002] As semiconductor devices are manufactured through multiple process steps, semiconductor testing is essential to verify that the manufactured devices operate normally. Test sockets used for testing semiconductor devices are devices that electrically connect the pads of a testing device with the terminals of the semiconductor device, serving as a means to transmit the test signal from the testing device to the semiconductor device during the testing process. Accordingly, test sockets require mechanical contact capability to ensure that the terminals of the semiconductor device make contact at the correct positions, as well as stable electrical contact capability to minimize signal distortion at the contact point during signal transmission.

[0003] The test socket may be provided, for example, as a rubber socket comprising a plurality of conductive parts made of conductive particles and an insulating part made of a cured elastic material such as silicone. If the insulating part of the test socket is formed only of a layer of an elastic material such as silicone, problems may occur during repeated testing of semiconductor devices, such as the deformation of the insulating part of the elastic material, misalignment of the conductive parts, and detachment of the conductive particles. Additionally, due to the adhesive force of the elastic material constituting the insulating part, problems may occur where the device under test does not detach easily or static electricity is generated when it is removed from the rubber socket after testing.

[0004] To improve these problems, placing a film layer of high-hardness film material on top of the elastic insulation of the rubber socket can prevent the rubber socket from deforming or conductive particles from detaching even after repeated testing. In addition, by applying a high-hardness film material with lower adhesive strength than silicone, problems such as sticking or static electricity generation when removing the test device after testing can be prevented, allowing the test device to be easily separated from the test socket.

[0005] However, while a test socket equipped with a film layer on an elastic insulating part like this has advantages in various aspects, it also has problems that need to be improved. One of the problems with a rubber socket equipped with a film layer is that if a high-hardness film is formed with a thick thickness to obtain the effect of the aforementioned film layer, the repulsion force of the rubber socket may increase during testing due to the high-hardness film layer. The increased repulsion force of the rubber socket can be a factor in damaging the terminal of the object being tested.

[0006] This problem is particularly likely to occur when the terminals of the device under test and the conductive portion of the test socket are not aligned at the center of the vertical line and are in a misaligned offset state. In other words, if an offset in a misaligned state occurs between the terminals of the device under test and the conductive portion of the test socket, the terminals of the device under test may be damaged by being struck by the boundary surface of the through-hole in the film layer formed at the location of the conductive portion. The background technology mentioned above is intended to explain the background in which the present invention was derived and does not refer to prior art known prior to the filing of the present invention.

[0007] One objective of the present invention is to provide a test socket capable of effectively preventing deformation during repeated testing while reducing adhesion of the test element, terminal damage, and repulsion force on the test element, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0008] In addition, the present invention has one objective of providing a test socket and a method for manufacturing the same, which prevents deformation or detachment of conductive particles during testing of a test device and allows the test device to be easily separated after testing, while simultaneously reducing the repulsive force on the test device and reducing terminal damage of the test device.

[0009] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0010] A test socket according to an embodiment of the present invention is a test socket disposed between an element to be tested and a test device to conduct current between a plurality of terminals of the element to be tested and a plurality of pads of the test device, and comprises: a conductive part array including a plurality of conductive parts arranged spaced apart along a horizontal direction; a first insulating part formed between the plurality of conductive parts, insulating between the plurality of conductive parts and supporting the conductive part array; a support film having a film through hole formed vertically at each position corresponding to the plurality of terminals of the element to be tested; and a second insulating part interposed between the first insulating part and the support film, provided to have a hardness lower than that of the support film and higher than that of the first insulating part.

[0011] The second insulating part may include a mixed layer in which silicon carbide is mixed with an elastic material including silicone rubber.

[0012] The second insulating portion can be formed to have a thickness of 80 to 120 μm.

[0013] The second insulating portion can be formed to have a layer thickness of 5 to 20 times that of the support film.

[0014] The above support film can be formed into an ultra-thin film layer with a thickness of 5 to 12.5 μm.

[0015] A test socket according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a film layer interposed between the second insulating part and the first insulating part.

[0016] The above film layer may include a polyimide film layer with a thickness of 5 to 12.5 μm.

[0017] The second insulating portion may include a plurality of insulating layers sequentially laminated between the first insulating portion and the support film. The hardness of the plurality of insulating layers may sequentially increase along the lamination direction from the first insulating portion toward the support film.

[0018] The plurality of insulating layers may include: a first insulating layer disposed on the first insulating portion and having a first hardness higher than that of the first insulating portion; and a second insulating layer disposed on the first insulating layer and having a second hardness higher than that of the first hardness and lower than that of the supporting film.

[0019] The first insulating layer and the second insulating layer may include a mixed layer in which silicon carbide is mixed with an elastic material including silicone rubber.

[0020] The first insulating layer and the second insulating layer may be provided with different mixing ratios of the silicone rubber and the silicon carbide.

[0021] The weight ratio of the silicon carbide in the second insulating layer may be higher than that of the first insulating layer.

[0022] The total thickness of the plurality of insulating layers can be formed to be 80 to 120 μm.

[0023] The second insulating part may be formed to have a hardness of 1.1 to 3 times based on the hardness of the first insulating part, and may be formed to have a hardness of 0.2 to 0.9 times based on the hardness of the support film.

[0024] A test socket according to an embodiment of the present invention further comprises a socket frame having a frame through hole formed vertically at each position corresponding to the plurality of pads of the inspection device, and the second insulating part may be formed to have a lower hardness than the socket frame.

[0025] A method for manufacturing a test socket according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a test socket that conducts current between a plurality of terminals of a test element and a plurality of pads of a test device between a test element and a test device, comprising the step of forming an insulating support between a plurality of conductive parts of a conductive part array arranged spaced apart along a horizontal direction to insulate between the plurality of conductive parts and to support the conductive part array.

[0026] The step of forming the insulating support may include: forming a first insulating portion between the plurality of conductive portions; forming a support film in which film through holes are formed vertically at each position corresponding to the plurality of terminals of the element under test; and placing a second insulating portion between the first insulating portion and the support film, the second insulating portion having a hardness lower than that of the support film and higher than that of the first insulating portion.

[0027] The step of forming the insulating support may include: forming a support film base material on the upper part of the second insulating base material and forming a film layer base material on the lower part of the second insulating base material; forming a through hole by irradiating a laser into the second insulating base material, the support film base material, and the film layer base material in an area corresponding to the conductive array; and forming the first insulating part on the lower part of the second insulating part, the support film, and the film layer where the through hole is formed.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a test socket and a method for manufacturing the same are provided, which can effectively prevent deformation during repeated testing while reducing adhesion of the test element, terminal damage, and repulsion force against the test element.

[0029] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, deformation or detachment of conductive particles is prevented during testing of the device under test, and the device under test can be easily separated after testing, while simultaneously reducing the repulsive force on the device under test and reducing damage to the terminals of the device under test.

[0030] The effects that the present invention aims to achieve are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a test socket according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a test socket according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a test socket according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a test socket according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIGS. 5 to 8 are conceptual diagrams schematically illustrating the process of forming an insulating part through hole in a second insulating part to explain the operation and effect of a test socket according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a test socket according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a test socket according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] The terms used in this specification will be briefly explained, and the present invention will be described in detail. The terms used in this detailed description have been selected to be as widely used as possible, taking into account their functions in the present invention; however, these terms may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Additionally, in specific cases, terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant part of the description of the invention. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention should be defined not merely by their names, but based on the meanings they possess and the content throughout the present invention.

[0039] The following describes embodiments with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted, and similar parts throughout the specification are denoted by similar reference numerals.

[0040] Throughout the specification, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. In this specification, terms such as "first ~" and "second ~" are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing components from other components and are not limited to meaning the order of arrangement of components. In this specification, the meaning that another component is placed, stacked, or formed "on" a component should be understood to encompass not only a state in which the component and the other component are in direct contact, but also a state in which the component is placed, stacked, or formed with another component interposed therein.

[0041] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a test socket according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a test socket according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A test socket according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. A test socket (100) according to a first embodiment of the present invention is disposed between a test element (20) and a test device (10) and serves to conduct current between the terminals (21) of the test element (20) and the pad (11) of the test device (10). A test socket (100) according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes an insulating support member (200) and a conductive member array (300). The insulating support member (200) serves to insulate between a plurality of conductive members (310) constituting the conductive member array (300) and to support the plurality of conductive members (310).

[0042] The insulating support member (200) may include a socket frame (210) provided in a lower region of the test socket (100), a support film (220) provided in an upper region of the test socket (100), a first insulating member (230) provided between the socket frame (210) and the support film (220), and a second insulating member (240) provided between the first insulating member (230) and the support film (220), having a higher hardness than the first insulating member (230) and a lower hardness than the support film (220).

[0043] The socket frame (210) has a frame through hole (211) formed in the vertical direction at each position corresponding to a plurality of pads (11) of the inspection device (10). The socket frame (210) serves to protect the test socket (100) from physical impact or the external environment. Additionally, the socket frame (210) is provided in the lower region of the test socket (100) to support the lower end of a plurality of conductive parts (310) constituting a conductive part array (300), and serves to ensure that one end (bottom surface) of the plurality of conductive parts (310) contacts the plurality of pads (11) of the inspection device (10) in an aligned state. The socket frame (210) may be formed from a composite material made of epoxy resin and glass fiber, such as FR4 (Flame Retardant 4), a metal material such as insulated stainless steel (SUS), an insulating material such as a polyimide (PI) film, but is not limited thereto.

[0044] A support film (220) may be formed by laminating on an insulating portion (230, 240) including a first insulating portion (230) and a second insulating portion (240). A film through hole (221) is formed in the vertical direction at each position corresponding to the terminals (21) of the element to be tested (20). The support film (220) is provided in the upper region of the test socket (100) to support the other end (upper end) of a plurality of conductive portions (310) constituting a conductive portion array (300), and may serve to ensure that the upper surface of the plurality of conductive portions (310) contacts the plurality of terminals (21) of the element to be tested (20) in an aligned state. Additionally, the support film (220) may serve to ensure that the terminals (21) of the element to be tested (20) can be easily detached from the upper surface of the test socket (100) after testing the element to be tested (20).

[0045] The support film (220) may be formed from a material having insulating properties and flexibility, for example, a polyimide film, a polyethylene film, an ethylene propylene copolymer film, an ethylene butene copolymer, an ethylene octene copolymer, a liquid crystal polymer, or a composite material thereof. The support film (220) may be provided as an ultra-thin, high-hardness film layer having a thickness (T1) thinner than the thickness (T2) of the second insulating part (240). As the thickness of the support film (220) increases, the repulsion force increases during testing, and the risk of damaging the terminal (21) of the device under test (20) may increase. In order to maintain the function of preventing adhesion and static electricity of the device under test (20), while mitigating the increase in repulsion force and reducing the risk of damaging the terminal of the device under test (20), it may be preferable for the support film (220) to be formed as an ultra-thin film layer with a thickness (T1) of 5 to 12.5 μm. The support film (220) can be formed with a layer thickness of 1 / 5 or less, more preferably 1 / 10 or less, of the layer thickness of the second insulating part (240).

[0046] The conductive array (300) includes a plurality of conductive parts (310) that are formed in each of the plurality of frame through holes (211) of the socket frame (210) and extend in the vertical direction. The plurality of conductive parts (310) may be arranged in a plurality of rows of conductive parts and a plurality of columns of conductive parts. In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of conductive parts (310) are formed to be arranged in a grid pattern along a first direction (X) and a second direction (Y) perpendicular thereto, extending in a third direction (Z) which is the vertical direction, but the plurality of conductive parts (310) may be formed in any arrangement such as a circle, a hexagon, or a random arrangement.

[0047] A plurality of conductive parts (310) may be exposed to the lower surface and the upper surface of the socket frame (210) through the frame through hole (211) of the socket frame (210) and the film through hole (221) of the support film (220). The lower and upper portions of the plurality of conductive parts (310) exposed to the lower surface of the socket frame (210) and the upper surface of the support film (220) may be electrically connected by contacting the pad (11) of the inspection device (10) and the terminal (21) of the element to be inspected (20), respectively.

[0048] The conductive portion (310) can be formed by densely burying a plurality of conductive particles within an elastic insulating material such as silicone rubber. As the elastic insulating material, a polymer material having a cross-linked structure may be used. Examples of polymer materials may be used, such as conjugated diene rubbers including polybutadiene rubber, natural rubber, polyisoprene rubber, styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber, and their hydrogenated derivatives, block copolymer rubbers including styrene-butadiene-diene block copolymer rubber and styrene-isoprene block copolymer, and their hydrogenated derivatives, chloroprene rubber, urethane rubber, polyester rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, silicone rubber, ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer rubber, etc., and preferably, silicone rubber may be used.

[0049] The conductive part (310) is provided to have an electrical path that conducts in the vertical direction. The conductive particles within the conductive part (310) may be made of a magnetic material. Examples of conductive particles include particles of a magnetic metal such as iron, cobalt, or nickel, particles of an alloy thereof, or particles containing these metals, or particles of these particles used as core particles with a metal with good conductivity such as gold, silver, palladium, or rhodium plated on the surface of the core particles, or non-magnetic particles or inorganic particles such as glass beads or polymer particles used as core particles with a conductive magnetic metal such as nickel or cobalt plated on the surface of the core particles.

[0050] The conductive part (310) may be formed as a conductive column formed in the shape of an up-and-down column. The conductive part (310) may be provided with a structure in which the conductive column is wrapped by an insulator. The insulator wrapping the conductive column of the conductive part (310) may be implemented with a material that has elasticity while having insulating performance, such as an elastic material like silicone rubber. As the semiconductor device becomes finer in pitch, the diameter of the conductive part (310) of the test socket must also be manufactured to be smaller to accommodate this; however, if the diameter of the conductive part becomes smaller, the elasticity of the conductive part itself may be insufficient, resulting in poor operability when pressure is applied. The insulator formed on the outer surface of the conductive part (310) can surround the conductive column to compensate for elasticity and prevent the conductive particles of the conductive part (310) from escaping. In the illustrated embodiment, the conductive part (310) is supported without gap by the insulating part (230, 240), but a fine gap (empty space) may be formed between at least one conductive part (310) and the insulating part (230, 240) to allow horizontal expansion of the conductive part (310) when the test element (20) is pressed into the test socket (100).

[0051] The first insulating part (230) is formed on the socket frame (210) between a plurality of conductive parts (310) constituting the conductive part array (300). The first insulating part (230) insulates the plurality of conductive parts (310) and serves to support the plurality of conductive parts (310) of the conductive part array (300). The first insulating part (230) is preferably made of a material that has insulating performance and elasticity, such as an elastic material like silicone rubber, but it is also possible to implement it with a non-elastic material or an insulated metal housing.

[0052] The second insulating part (240) may be formed on the first insulating part (230). That is, the second insulating part (240) may be interposed between the first insulating part (230) and the support film (220). The second insulating part (240) may be formed between a plurality of conductive parts (310) constituting the conductive part array (300). The second insulating part (240) insulates the plurality of conductive parts (310) and serves to support the plurality of conductive parts (310) of the conductive part array (300).

[0053] The second insulating part (240) may be provided to have a higher hardness than the first insulating part (230), which is made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber, and a lower hardness (rigidity and / or tensile strength) than the support film (220), which is made of a polyimide film, etc. Accordingly, a hardness gradient (hardness of the elastic layer of the first insulating part < hardness of the filler mixed layer of the second insulating part < hardness of the film layer of the support film) is formed in the order of the first insulating part (230), the second insulating part (240), and the support film, which are sequentially stacked from the bottom to the top of the test socket (100).

[0054] The second insulating part (240) may be provided as a filler mixed layer (medium hardness mixed layer) in which silicon carbide (SiC) is mixed with an elastic material such as silicone rubber, for example. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a material with excellent thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability, and by mixing it with silicone to form a mixed layer, a second insulating part (240) with stable characteristics can be formed. In addition, SiC has high thermal conductivity and a low coefficient of thermal expansion, which prevents deformation of the test socket in high-temperature environments during testing, and its hardness is comparable to that of diamond, making it a suitable material to be used as an additive for hardness adjustment in a part of the insulating part of the test socket.

[0055] For example, a second insulating part (240) in the form of a sheet with increased rigidity (tensile strength) can be manufactured by mixing SiC with an elastic material such as silicone rubber and then curing it. Since the second insulating part (240) has lower hardness than the support film (220), the repulsion force is lower than that of the support film (220). Accordingly, the effect of dispersing pressure during testing of the device under test (20) can be increased, and the terminals of the device under test (20) can be effectively prevented from being damaged. In addition, since the second insulating part (240) has higher hardness than the elastic layer of the first insulating part (230), it can also serve to prevent deformation of the test socket (100) by preventing the conductive part (310) of the test socket (100) from becoming twisted.

[0056] The conductive portion (310) and the insulating portion (230, 240) can be formed in various ways. For example, the conductive portion (310) and the insulating portion (230, 240) can be formed by forming an insulating portion through-hole with a laser in a cured elastic material sheet laminated with multiple layers of different hardness, and then injecting a gel mixed with a liquid elastic material for forming the conductive portion and conductive particles into the insulating portion through-hole and curing it. As another example, the conductive portion (310) and the insulating portion (230, 240) can be formed by forming an insulating portion through-hole (231, 241) in the insulating portion (230, 240) and then inserting a conductive portion into the insulating portion through-hole.

[0057] As another example, a test socket may be manufactured by mixing a liquid elastic material (gel-type silicone rubber) and conductive particles, injecting them into a mold, applying a magnetic field to form a conductive area, and curing it to form a first conductive part (310) within a first insulating part (230), and joining them in a manner such as joining them vertically to a second insulating part (240). In the case of such a manufacturing method, the first conductive part (310) can be formed within the first insulating part (230) without forming a first insulating part through hole (231) in the first insulating part (230).

[0058] When the second insulating part (240) is composed of a mixed layer in which silicon carbide is mixed with an elastic material such as silicone rubber, the mixing ratio (weight ratio, mass ratio, or volume ratio) of the silicone rubber and silicon carbide can be set in various ways depending on the material, hardness, and layer thickness of the first insulating part (230), the layer thickness of the second insulating part (240), the material, hardness, and layer thickness of the support film (220), etc. As the mixing ratio of silicon carbide increases, the hardness of the second insulating part (240) may increase.

[0059] For example, the hardness of the second insulating part (240) can be increased by adding at least 1 part by weight of silicon carbide to 100 parts by weight of silicone rubber, and preferably, at least 10 parts by weight of silicon carbide can be added to increase the hardness effectively based on the first insulating part (230). The silicone rubber of the second insulating part (240) may preferably contain at least 50 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of silicon carbide so that it can be compressed with appropriate elasticity during testing, but in the case of a test socket where elastic performance can be secured by the first insulating part (230) or high elastic performance is not required, it may be mixed at a lower weight ratio.

[0060] The second insulating part (240) is not necessarily limited to a mixed layer formed by mixing two or more materials, and may be formed from a single material having a higher hardness than the first insulating part (230). Additionally, the second insulating part (240) may be manufactured by mixing another material other than silicon carbide and silicone rubber, or by mixing other materials other than silicon carbide and / or silicone rubber.

[0061] The second insulating part (240) may be formed to have a layer thickness (T2) within an appropriate range to suppress terminal damage of the device under test and prevent deformation during repeated testing. The second insulating part (240) may be formed to have a layer thickness of 50 to 150 μm, more preferably 80 to 120 μm. If the layer thickness of the second insulating part (240) becomes thinner than the appropriate range, the thickness of the support film (220) must be formed thicker to strengthen the support force on the upper part of the conductive part (310) in order to prevent socket deformation and twisting of the conductive part. Consequently, due to the increased thickness of the high-hardness support film (220), the repulsion force of the test socket increases, and the risk of damage to the terminal of the device under test (20) may increase. Since the second insulating part (240) has a higher hardness than the first insulating part (230), if the layer thickness of the second insulating part (240) becomes thicker than the appropriate range, the hardness of the entire insulating part increases, and if the layer thickness of the first insulating part (230) is reduced, it may be difficult to secure appropriate elastic performance, and the manufacturing cost may increase due to the increase in material costs.

[0062] The second insulating part (240) can be formed to have a layer thickness of 5 to 20 times that of the support film (220). The ratio of the layer thickness of the first insulating part (230) and the second insulating part (240) can be varied according to the test conditions required by the type, size, etc. of the element under test. Depending on the requirements for reducing manufacturing costs and securing elastic conditions during testing, the second insulating part (240) may have a thinner layer thickness than the first insulating part (230), but this is not necessarily the case.

[0063] In order to achieve performance and effect of preventing socket deformation and warping of the conductive part, the second insulating part (240) may be formed to have a hardness (rigidity and / or tensile strength) that is at least 1.1 times, up to 2 times, or more than that of the first insulating part (230). For example, the second insulating part (240) may be formed with a hardness of 1.1 to 3.0 times or more than that of the first insulating part (230) based on Shore Hardness. If the hardness of the second insulating part (240) is excessively large compared to the hardness of the first insulating part (230), the repulsive force during testing of the device under test increases, and the effect of preventing terminal damage of the device under test may be reduced; therefore, it may be desirable for the hardness of the second insulating part (240) to be limited to a range where terminal damage of the device under test can be suppressed. If the thickness of the second insulating part (240) is appropriately adjusted, the hardness of the second insulating part (240) may be designed to be at least three times the hardness of the first insulating part (230).

[0064] Additionally, the second insulating part (240) may be formed to have a low hardness level of 0.2 to 0.9 times the hardness of the support film (220) in order to reduce the repulsive force during testing of the device under test and prevent damage to the terminals of the device under test. Since the performance and effect of preventing deformation of the socket and preventing twisting of the conductive part may be reduced if the hardness of the second insulating part (240) is excessively low compared to the hardness of the support film (220), it may be desirable to design the hardness of the second insulating part (240) within a range where socket deformation and twisting of the conductive part can be suppressed. If the thickness of the second insulating part (240) is appropriately adjusted, the hardness of the second insulating part (240) may have a lower value.

[0065] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a test socket according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a test socket according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In describing the second embodiment of the present invention, redundant descriptions of components identical or corresponding to those described in the first embodiment may be omitted as much as possible. The test socket (100) according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 differs from the first embodiment described above in that an ultra-thin film layer (250) is additionally formed between the second insulating part (240) and the first insulating part (230).

[0066] FIGS. 5 to 8 are conceptual diagrams schematically illustrating the process of forming an insulating part through hole in the second insulating part to explain the operation and effect of the test socket according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5 and 6 show the process of forming a film through hole (221) and an insulating part through hole (241) by irradiating a laser (LS) onto a supporting film base material (222) and a second insulating part base material (242) in a state where there is no film layer (250) between the second insulating part (240) and the first insulating part (230) in an area corresponding to the conductive part.

[0067] In order to laminate a second insulating part (240), such as a support film (220) and a SiC-silicon rubber mixed layer, onto a first insulating part (230), a through hole must first be formed in the support film base material (222) and the second insulating part base material (242). However, if the mixed layer material of the second insulating part base material (242) includes an elastic material of the silicone rubber type, a problem may occur in which foreign matter (30) remains around the lower surface of the second insulating part (240) during the process of forming a conductive part in the support film (220) and the second insulating part (240) by a laser (LS).

[0068] FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a process of forming a film penetration hole (221), an insulating penetration hole (241), and a lower film penetration hole (251) by irradiating a laser (LS) onto a supporting film base material (222), a second insulating base material (242), and a film layer base material (252) in a state where a film layer base material (252) is provided on the lower part of a second insulating base material (242). As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 7, and 8, by bonding a thin film layer base material (252) to the lower part of the second insulating base material (240) and wrapping the upper and lower parts of the second insulating base material (242) with a film, the problem of foreign substances being generated and remaining on the upper and lower parts around the penetration hole during the process of forming the penetration hole for the conductive part with a laser (LS) can be prevented. Accordingly, a through hole can be formed in the second insulating part (240) while having a clean cross-section in which no foreign substances are generated by laser irradiation.

[0069] The film layer (250) may be formed from a material having insulating properties and flexibility, for example, a polyimide film, a polyethylene film, an ethylene propylene copolymer film, an ethylene butene copolymer, an ethylene octene copolymer, a liquid crystal polymer, or a composite material thereof. The film layer (250) may be provided as an ultra-thin film layer having a thin thickness (T3). The film layer (250) may be formed with an appropriate thickness so that no foreign matter remains when processing through holes by a laser (LS). It may be preferable for the film layer (250) to be formed with a layer thickness of 5 to 12.5 μm, more preferably 5 to 7.5 μm.

[0070] The film layer (250) only needs to serve the function of preventing foreign substances from being generated when a laser is irradiated to form a through hole in the second insulating part (240), and since it does not need to perform the function of preventing adhesion for the separation of the semiconductor device (20), it may be formed with a thickness thinner than that of the support film (220). Therefore, by forming the film layer (250) as an ultra-thin film thinner than the support film (220), a through hole can be formed in the second insulating part (240) without foreign substances, without reducing the elasticity of the first insulating part (230) and the second insulating part (240).

[0071] The following describes the experimental details and results for verifying the performance and effects of the test socket according to an embodiment of the present invention. As the first experiment, an experiment was performed to compare the degree of damage to the semiconductor package terminals according to the layer thickness of the support film (220) of the test socket. At this time, the center of the semiconductor package terminal and the conductive part of the test socket were aligned, and then 2,000 tests were performed. As a result of the experiment, when the support film (220) was formed as an ultra-thin film layer of 5 to 12.5 μm, no damage occurred to the terminals of the semiconductor package. When the layer thickness (25 μm, 50 μm, 75 μm) of the support film (220) exceeded 12.5 μm, damage occurred to the terminals of the semiconductor package. When the layer thickness of the support film (220) was less than 5 μm, there is a risk that the support film (220) may tear or break.

[0072] Next, terminal damage of the semiconductor package was evaluated by performing a test on the semiconductor package in an offset state where the terminals of the semiconductor package were not aligned with the conductive part of the test socket. Tests were performed 1,000 times on a device to be tested for each comparative example of a test socket having a thick support film and a test socket according to an embodiment of the present invention having an ultra-thin support film and a medium-hardness insulating part. At this time, the total thickness of the test sockets corresponding to the comparative example and the inventive example was kept the same, and the experiment was performed under conditions where the thickness of the upper film of the test socket corresponding to the comparative example and the thickness of the ultra-thin film and the mixed layer according to the embodiment of the present invention were kept the same at approximately 120 μm. As a result of the experiment, it was measured that the test socket according to the comparative example had severe terminal damage of the semiconductor package and significant damage to the conductive part of the test socket after the test.

[0073] This is because if the thickness of the high-hardness film is excessive, the terminals of the semiconductor package are pressed against the boundary of the high-hardness film and damaged during testing in an offset state. Furthermore, in the test socket corresponding to the comparative example, the upper part of the conductive portion cannot expand horizontally when pressure is applied because the support film provides thick support; consequently, when testing is performed in an offset state, the stress on the socket due to the applied pressure is concentrated at the upper edge of the conductive portion, leading to severe damage to the upper part of the conductive portion of the socket. In contrast, the test socket according to the embodiment of the present invention was measured to have significantly reduced damage to the terminals of the device under test or damage to the test socket, even when testing was performed with an offset induced between the terminals of the semiconductor package and the conductive portion of the test socket, as the repulsive force of the support film against the applied pressure was not significant.

[0074] As the next experiment, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the appropriate range of ultra-thin thickness that can maintain the anti-adhesion function of the support film. The experiment was performed using a test socket with a silicon layer on the contact surface that contacts the semiconductor package as a comparative example, and a test socket equipped with an ultra-thin support film as an inventive example. After repeatedly applying pressure to the semiconductor package 20 times, the test socket was removed from the test substrate, and the test socket was flipped over to compare how much time it took for the semiconductor package to free-fall.

[0075] As a result of the experiment, in the case of the inventive example with an ultra-thin support film, the semiconductor package detached in a shorter time (less than 1 second to detach) compared to the comparative example with a silicon layer applied to the upper surface (more than 10 seconds to detach the semiconductor package). It was confirmed that even when the thickness of the support film was reduced to an ultra-thin level, the anti-adhesion function of the support film itself was maintained, and there was no significant difference in anti-adhesion performance compared to when a thick film of 50 to 100 μm was used. Accordingly, it was confirmed that if the thickness of the ultra-thin support film is set to 5 to 12.5 μm, damage to the semiconductor package terminals can be prevented while maintaining low adhesive properties.

[0076] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a test socket according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a test socket according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, in describing the third embodiment of the present invention, redundant descriptions of components identical or corresponding to those described in the first and second embodiments may be omitted as much as possible. The test socket (100) according to the third embodiment of the present invention differs from the embodiments described above in that the second insulating part (240) is formed by stacking a plurality of insulating layers including a first insulating layer (240a) and a second insulating layer (240b).

[0077] A first insulating layer (240a) laminated on a first insulating part (230) may be provided to have a first hardness higher than that of the first insulating part (230). A second insulating layer (240b) laminated on the first insulating layer (240a) and interposed between the first insulating layer (240a) and the second supporting film (220) may be provided to have a second hardness higher than that of the first insulating part (230) and lower than that of the supporting film (220).

[0078] In the test socket (100) according to the embodiment of FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, a hardness gradient is formed in which the hardness gradually increases (hardness of the elastic layer of the first insulating part < hardness of the filler mixed layer of the second insulating part < hardness of the film layer of the support film) in the order of the first insulating part (230), the first insulating layer (240a), the second insulating layer (240b), and the support film (220) which are sequentially stacked from the bottom to the top of the test socket (100).

[0079] The first insulating layer (240a) and the second insulating layer (240b) may be provided as filler mixed layers, for example, by mixing silicon carbide (SiC) with an elastic material such as silicone rubber. The second insulating layer (240b) may contain silicon carbide in a higher content (weight ratio, weight parts) than the first insulating layer (240a) to ensure higher hardness than the first insulating layer (240a). The thickness (T21) of the first insulating layer (240a) and the thickness (T22) of the second insulating layer (240b) may be formed with appropriate layer thicknesses that suppress terminal damage of the device under test and prevent deformation during repeated testing.

[0080] In the illustrated embodiment, the second insulating portion (240) is formed by stacking two insulating layers, a first insulating layer (240a) and a second insulating layer (240b), but it may also be formed by stacking three or more insulating layers. The total thickness of the plurality of insulating layers including the first insulating layer (240a) and the second insulating layer (240b) may be formed to be 50 to 150 μm, more preferably 80 to 120 μm.

[0081] According to the embodiments of FIGS. 9 and 10, the second insulating part (240) is formed with a plurality of insulating layers including a first insulating layer (240a) and a second insulating layer (240b) having different hardness. Accordingly, a layer of sudden hardness change is not formed between the first insulating part (230) of the test socket and the support film (220), and the hardness change is made to change gradually, thereby increasing the thickness of the region that elastically supports the conductive part (310) among the total layer thickness of the test socket, and at the same time, the supporting force of the support film formed with an ultra-thin thickness to prevent terminal damage of the device under test is reinforced, thereby effectively preventing deformation in the upper region of the test socket.

[0082] The foregoing description is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will understand that other specific forms can be easily modified without altering the technical spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single unit may be implemented by being divided into multiple elements, and likewise, components described as multiple elements may be implemented as a single unit. The components of various embodiments may be combined and implemented together, provided they do not conflict with one another. Accordingly, it should be understood that new embodiments combining the various embodiments described above are also included in this disclosure. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims set forth below rather than by the detailed description above, and all modifications or variations derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A test socket disposed between an element to be tested and a test device and configured to conduct current between a plurality of terminals of the element to be tested and a plurality of pads of the test device, A conductive array comprising a plurality of conductive parts spaced apart along a horizontal direction; A first insulating member formed between the plurality of conductive members, insulating between the plurality of conductive members and supporting the array of conductive members; A support film having film penetration holes formed vertically through each position corresponding to the plurality of terminals of the above-mentioned test element; and A second insulating part interposed between the first insulating part and the support film, provided to have a hardness lower than that of the support film and higher than that of the first insulating part; A test socket including 2. In Claim 1, The above second insulating part is, A mixed layer comprising silicon carbide mixed into an elastic material including silicone rubber, Test socket.

3. In Claim 1, The second insulating portion is formed to have a thickness of 80 to 120 μm. Test socket.

4. In Claim 1, The second insulating portion is formed to have a thickness of 5 to 20 times that of the support film. Test socket.

5. In Claim 4, The above support film is formed as an ultra-thin film layer with a thickness of 5 to 12.5 μm, Test socket.

6. In Claim 1, A film layer interposed between the second insulating part and the first insulating part; A test socket including more.

7. In Claim 6, The above film layer is, Comprising a polyimide film layer with a thickness of 5 to 12.5 μm, Test socket.

8. In Claim 1, The above second insulating part is, It includes a plurality of insulating layers sequentially laminated between the first insulating part and the support film, and Along the lamination direction from the first insulating part toward the support film, the hardness of the plurality of insulating layers increases sequentially. Test socket.

9. In Claim 8, The above plurality of insulating layers are, A first insulating layer disposed on the first insulating portion and having a first hardness higher than that of the first insulating portion; and A second insulating layer disposed on the first insulating layer and having a second hardness higher than the first hardness and lower than the hardness of the support film; A test socket including 10. In Claim 9, The first insulating layer and the second insulating layer are It comprises a mixed layer in which silicon carbide is mixed with an elastic material including silicone rubber, and The first insulating layer and the second insulating layer are The mixing ratio of the above silicone rubber and the above silicon carbide is different, Test socket.

11. In Claim 10, The above second insulating layer is a test socket with a higher weight ratio of silicon carbide than the above first insulating layer.

12. In claim 8, The total thickness of the plurality of insulating layers is formed to be 80 to 120 μm, Test socket.

13. In Claim 1, The above second insulating part is, It is formed to have a hardness of 1.1 to 3 times based on the hardness of the first insulating part, and Formed to have a hardness of 0.2 to 0.9 times based on the hardness of the support film above, Test socket.

14. In Claim 1, The above inspection device further includes a socket frame in which a frame through hole is formed vertically through each position corresponding to the plurality of pads. The second insulating part is formed to have a lower hardness than the socket frame. Test socket.

15. A method for manufacturing a test socket that conducts current between a plurality of terminals of a test element and a plurality of pads of a test device between a test element and a test device, wherein The method includes the step of forming insulating support members between a plurality of conductive members of a conductive member array spaced apart along a horizontal direction to insulate between the plurality of conductive members and to support the conductive member array. The step of forming the above-mentioned insulating support is, A step of forming a first insulating portion between the plurality of conductive portions; A step of forming a support film in which film through holes are formed vertically at each position corresponding to the plurality of terminals of the above-mentioned test element; and A step of placing a second insulating part having a hardness lower than that of the support film and higher than that of the first insulating part between the first insulating part and the support film; A method for manufacturing a test socket including 16. In Claim 15, The step of forming the above-mentioned insulating support is, A step of forming a support film base material on the upper part of a second insulating base material and forming a film layer base material on the lower part of the second insulating base material; A step of forming a through hole by irradiating a laser into the second insulating base material, the supporting film base material, and the film layer base material in an area corresponding to the conductive array; and A step of forming the first insulating part on the lower portion of the second insulating part having the through hole formed therein, the support film, and the film layer; A method for manufacturing a test socket including

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