Planarizing Probe Card with Adjustable Tips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing probe card technologies face challenges in achieving precise planarization, particularly due to manufacturing variances and operational wear, leading to inefficiencies in semiconductor device testing, as they often require complex and costly adjustments that can impart undesirable stresses on substrates and interposers, and are not easily adaptable to maintain parallelism with the wafer chuck.
Innovation Solution
A novel probe card design featuring a printed circuit board affixed to a stiffener with planarizing adjusters that can be actuated to adjust the position of the probe contactor tips to achieve parallelism with the wafer chuck, using resilient and thermally stable materials to ensure accurate and efficient planarization without compromising the substrate or interposer, allowing for adjustments within ±100 micrometers and less than 10 micrometers from parallel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional probe card mounting methods are used to set planarity by discrete points, then assembly is simplified, but manufacturing precision of probe tip alignment deteriorates due to substrate warping and thickness variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces adjustable planarizing elements that allow the probe card assembly to dynamically adapt its planarity after assembly, transforming a static mounting process into a dynamic adjustment process. This enables operators to compensate for substrate warping and thickness variations by adjusting individual probe contactor heights, thereby achieving high manufacturing precision without compromising assembly simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the probe card assembly by introducing adjustable height mechanisms for probe contactors. These mechanisms allow modification of the z-height parameter of each probe tip independently, enabling the system to achieve co-planarity despite variations in substrate thickness and warping, thus resolving the contradiction between easy assembly and precise alignment
2Device complexity
If probe contactor substrate thickness variations are accommodated by discrete point mounting, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision of probe tip alignment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the probe card assembly into independently adjustable modules, where each probe contactor can be adjusted separately for height and angle. This segmentation allows the system to maintain overall structural simplicity while achieving precise co-planarity of probe tips by adjusting individual units rather than requiring the entire substrate to be perfectly uniform
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary adjustment mechanisms between the probe contactor substrate and the probe tips. These intermediaries (such as adjustable mounts or height-adjustable fixtures) act as mediators that compensate for substrate thickness variations and warping, allowing the simple substrate structure to achieve precise probe tip alignment without adding complex mounting structures
3Ease of operation
If older probe card mounting methods are used to achieve planarization, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability to modern high precision probing applications deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static mounting operation of traditional probe cards into a dynamic adjustment process. The adjustable planarizing elements allow operators to easily modify probe tip heights and angles after assembly, making the system adaptable to different precision requirements and application scenarios while maintaining operational simplicity through intuitive adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal probe card assembly system that can adapt to various precision requirements through its adjustable planarizing elements. The same basic mounting structure can be adjusted to suit different application needs, from standard probing to high-precision diagnostic testing, thereby enhancing versatility without complicating the basic operation
4Manufacturing precision
If complex adjustment mechanisms are used to achieve precise planarization, then manufacturing precision of probe tip alignment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing adjustment capabilities only where needed - at the probe contactor level - rather than requiring complex global adjustment mechanisms. Each probe contactor has simple local adjustment features that enable precise alignment, avoiding the need for complicated overall system adjustments while achieving high manufacturing precision
Data Source
AI summary
A novel planarizing probe card for testing a semiconductor device is presented. The probe card is adapted to come into contact with a probe card mount that is in adjustable contact with the prober. The probe card includes a printed circuit board affixed to a stiffener and a probe head that is in electrical contact with the printed circuit board. The probe head also includes a plurality of probe contactor tips that define a first plane. The stiffener further contains at least two planarizing adjusters that comes into contact with the probe card mount. The adjusters may be actuated to alter the position of first plane. A surface of the semiconductor device under test may define a second plane, and the adjusters may be adjusted to position the first plane to be substantially parallel to the second plane.