Probe Assembly Pin Segregation for Signal Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing test apparatuses for semiconductor devices face challenges in accurately transmitting both low voltage and high voltage signals due to the limited space on probe substrates and the degradation of signal accuracy caused by long cables, which affects the precision of low voltage and high frequency tests, as well as small current measurements.
Innovation Solution
A test apparatus with a probe assembly that separates low voltage and high voltage pins into distinct regions, allowing for efficient arrangement and transmission of signals, where high voltage pins are placed at a greater distance from low voltage pins, and the high voltage module is integrated into the test head to reduce cable interference, ensuring accurate testing without repeating low voltage tests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If high voltage pins are increased in number, then high voltage testing capability is improved, but the space for low voltage pins is limited and sufficient probe pins cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The probe substrate surface is divided into two distinct regions: a first region for low voltage pins and a second region for high voltage pins. This spatial segmentation allows both types of pins to be arranged systematically without interference, enabling the probe substrate to accommodate both low voltage and high voltage testing functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of arranging pins in a single-dimensional linear sequence, the invention utilizes two-dimensional spatial arrangement by creating separate regions on the probe substrate surface. This allows high voltage pins to be grouped in one area while low voltage pins occupy another area, effectively increasing the capacity for both pin types within the same substrate area.
2Ease of operation
If test head and prober are connected by a long cable, then testing flexibility is improved, but signal accuracy is degraded due to resistance and capacitance components
Solution Approach 1:
The high voltage module is extracted from the prober and integrated into the test head, allowing the high voltage signal generation to be separated from the signal transmission path. This enables the use of shorter cables for high voltage signals while maintaining testing flexibility, as the high voltage module can be positioned in the test head closer to the device under test.
Solution Approach 2:
The probe substrate serves as an intermediary component that directly transmits signals between the test head and device under test without requiring long cables. By integrating the high voltage module in the test head and using the probe substrate as the direct transmission medium, the system eliminates the need for long cables that would degrade signal accuracy.
3Area of stationary object
If high voltage pins are arranged close to low voltage pins, then probe substrate space is utilized efficiently, but voltage interference occurs between the two types of pins
Solution Approach 1:
The probe substrate is segmented into distinct regions for low voltage and high voltage pins, with clear spatial separation between the two regions. This segmentation prevents voltage interference by ensuring that high voltage electric fields do not directly affect low voltage signal paths, while still utilizing the overall probe substrate area effectively through organized regional allocation.
Data Source
AI summary
A test apparatus that test a device under test, comprising a test head that is arranged facing the device under test and that includes a test module for testing the device under test, and a probe assembly that transmits a signal and that is arranged between the test head and the device under test. The probe assembly includes a plurality of low voltage pins arranged at prescribed intervals from each other, and a plurality of high voltage pins that are arranged such that distance between each high voltage pin and each low voltage pin is greater than the prescribed interval, and that transmit a signal with a higher voltage than a signal transmitted by the low voltage pins. All of the high voltage pins are arranged in only one of two regions formed by dividing a surface of the probe assembly in half.