Microelectromechanical Probe Head With Concave Layer Bonding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional micro-electromechanical probe heads with multi-layer planar structures face challenges in maintaining structural strength and assembly firmness due to limited attachment areas, leading to potential separation and increased processing difficulty as probe sizes are miniaturized.
Innovation Solution
A micro-electromechanical probe head design featuring inward concave structural elements with larger attachment areas between stacked body portions, enhanced by a micro-electromechanical process, ensuring better bonding strength and assembly stability through a protruding portion catching mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the probe size is reduced to accommodate smaller gaps between adjacent dies, then the probe can be used for testing smaller features, but the attachment area between planar structures is reduced, leading to weaker bonding strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional planar stacked structures to three-dimensional structures with inward concave portions. This dimensional change allows the probe head to maintain larger attachment areas between layers even as the overall probe size is reduced, thereby preserving bonding strength while enabling miniaturization for testing smaller features with reduced die gaps.
Solution Approach 2:
The inward concave portions create nested structural features where one structure is partially embedded within another. This nesting approach increases the effective attachment area between stacked planar structures without increasing the external dimensions of the probe head, thus maintaining bonding strength while enabling probe size reduction.
2Ease of manufacture
If the probe head is designed with multi-layer planar stacked structure, then assembly with metal housing and spring is facilitated, but the structural strength is insufficient due to limited attachment area, causing potential separation during repeated electrical contact and separation
Solution Approach 1:
By introducing three-dimensional inward concave portions into the multi-layer planar stacked structure, the patent enhances the attachment area between layers. This dimensional enhancement provides greater structural strength and stability to resist separation forces during repeated electrical contact and separation, while preserving the modular stacked architecture that facilitates assembly with metal housing and spring components.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional micro-electromechanical process with vertical stacking is used, then each layer can be fabricated using standard semiconductor processes, but the attachment area between layers is limited, requiring increased height to maintain bonding strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the conventional vertical stacking approach by incorporating inward concave portions that create three-dimensional attachment features. This allows standard semiconductor fabrication processes to be used while significantly increasing the effective attachment area between layers, thereby maintaining bonding strength without requiring increased probe head height.
Solution Approach 2:
The inward concave portions create localized regions of enhanced attachment area at specific interfaces between stacked layers. This local quality enhancement concentrates the bonding strength improvement at critical interfaces without requiring overall increases in probe head dimensions, allowing standard fabrication processes to produce stronger bonds in key locations.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a probe head, a probe assembly and a spring probe including the same. The probe head comprises a contact portion and first, second and third body portions stacked in sequence; the contact portion has a size decreasing in a direction away from the first body portion, the contact portion is for contacting an object to be tested; the first body portion has a radial size greater than the second and third body portions; the second body portion is surrounded by a second concave wall and a second boundary wall; the third body portion has a radial size not greater than the second boundary wall and larger than a smallest radial size of the second concave wall; the probe assembly includes the probe head and a pipe having a portion protruding into the second concave wall, thereby achieving easy assembly and good firmness of the pipe and the probe head.