Probe Card Parallelism Adjustment via Inclination Screws
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional probe cards fail to maintain uniform contact with wafers due to loss of parallelism between the mounting reference surface and the wafer, leading to inefficiencies in electric characteristic testing.
Innovation Solution
A parallelism adjusting mechanism is introduced, which includes a prober with an inclination changing unit comprising adjusting screws that adjust the degree of inclination of the probe card relative to the mounting reference surface, ensuring uniform contact between the probes and the wafer even if parallelism is lost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the probe card is mounted on the prober without parallelism adjustment, then the mounting process is simple and quick, but the probes cannot be brought into uniform contact with the wafer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the mounting mechanism adjustable rather than fixed. The probe card holder is equipped with adjustment screws that allow the probe card to be tilted at different angles relative to the wafer surface. This enables the system to adapt to different parallelism requirements while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. The adjustment capability is built into the mounting mechanism itself, allowing operators to optimize probe-wafer contact uniformity without requiring complex external alignment systems.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the probe card is made rigid to maintain parallelism, then the parallelism is maintained, but the complexity of the mounting and adjustment process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the probe card assembly into multiple independent components: the probe card itself, the probe card holder, and the adjustment mechanism. This segmentation allows the probe card to remain rigid for maintaining parallelism while the holder provides the adjustment capability. The adjustment screws are positioned at specific locations on the holder, enabling independent adjustment of different sections of the probe card assembly. This modular approach simplifies operation by allowing localized adjustments without affecting the entire system.
3Manufacturing precision
If adjustment screws are positioned without centering, then the adjustment is simple, but the probe card cannot be accurately positioned
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the self-service principle through the centering mechanism that automatically positions the probe card during the adjustment process. The adjustment screws are positioned at specific locations that, when tightened, naturally guide the probe card into the correct centered position. This self-centering capability is achieved through the geometric arrangement of the adjustment points and the probe card mounting features, eliminating the need for separate complex centering devices while ensuring accurate positioning.
Data Source
AI summary
A parallelism adjusting mechanism of a probe card is provided. The parallelism adjusting mechanism can bring probes held by a probe card into uniform contact with a wafer even if a parallelism between a mounting reference surface for the probe card and the wafer as a test object is lost. To achieve this purpose, specifically, to adjust a parallelism of a probe card (101) that holds a plurality of probes (1) for electrically connecting a wafer (31) as a test object and a circuitry for generating a signal for a test with respect to the wafer (31), adjusting screws (22) as at least part of an inclination changing unit are provided. The inclination changing unit changes a degree of inclination of the probe card (101) with respect to a mounting reference surface (S1) of a prober (202) for mounting the probe card (101) thereon.