Probe Card Interposer Pitch Transformation Cost Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional probe cards are costly due to the use of a multilayer ceramic space transformer, which requires a long manufacturing period and high costs, especially as the cards become larger scaled.
Innovation Solution
A probe card design that eliminates the space transformer by using interposer/space transformer units to electrically connect modular sub-probe units directly with a printed circuit board, transforming the pitch of pads on the board to match the probe tips, utilizing silicon substrates with micro pins and a ZIF-type coupling mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a multilayer ceramic space transformer is used to electrically connect the printed circuit board to the probe tips, then reliable electrical connectivity and pitch transformation are achieved, but manufacturing costs and manufacturing time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the space transformer component from the probe card structure and replaces it with an interposer that integrates pitch transformation functionality directly into the substrate. This eliminates the need for separate multilayer ceramic space transformer manufacturing, thereby reducing costs while maintaining electrical connectivity through the interposer's conductive pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the pitch transformation function with the interposer substrate, combining what were previously separate functions (pitch transformation and electrical connection) into a single integrated component. This consolidation eliminates the need for a separate space transformer and reduces the overall number of manufacturing steps.
2Manufacturing precision
If a multilayer ceramic space transformer is used for pitch transformation, then accurate pitch transformation is achieved, but the manufacturing period becomes long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the multilayer ceramic space transformer from the manufacturing process and replaces it with an interposer that achieves pitch transformation through its geometric design and conductive pattern layout. This extraction eliminates the time-consuming ceramic layering and firing processes while maintaining pitch transformation accuracy through alternative design approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a simpler, more rapidly manufacturable interposer substrate that can be produced using standard PCB or semiconductor substrate fabrication processes, which are faster and more cost-effective than multilayer ceramic processing. This approach prioritizes manufacturing speed and cost efficiency while achieving the required functional performance.
3Productivity
If the probe card is large-scaled to accommodate more probe tips, then testing capacity increases, but manufacturing costs increase due to the large-scaled space transformer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the probe card into modular components: the interposer with integrated pitch transformation, the printed circuit board, and the probe tip array. This segmentation allows the interposer to be designed and manufactured independently at optimal scales, and enables modular assembly that can accommodate different probe card sizes without requiring proportionally larger and more expensive space transformers.
Solution Approach 2:
The interposer is designed as a universal component that can serve multiple functions: electrical connection, pitch transformation, and mechanical support. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate space transformer components, allowing the probe card to be scaled for different testing capacities without incurring proportional increases in transformer manufacturing costs.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a probe card in contact with pads formed on a plurality of semiconductor dies on a wafer to test the semiconductor dies. The probe card includes a printed circuit board on which a plurality of pads are formed; a block plate having a plurality of grooves and attached to the printed circuit board; a plurality of sub-probe units equipped with a plurality of probe tips in contact with the pads of the semiconductor dies and detachably coupled to the plurality of grooves; and a plurality of interposer/space transformer units interposed between the sub-probe units and the printed circuit board and configured to electrically connect the probe tips to the pads of the printed circuit board and transform a pitch of the pads formed on the printed circuit to a pitch of the plurality of probe tips.