Probe Card Retention Arrangement With Potted Probes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical testing apparatuses fail to securely hold probes for densely packed contact pads or bumps while providing the necessary mechanical resilience, compliance, and scrub motion to ensure reliable contact and efficient signal delivery.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus featuring probes with a retaining portion potted in a potting agent within a retention arrangement, utilizing laser-machined openings and a lateral enclosure to secure the probes, which includes a tip holder and a plate with precision openings, and a space transformer for establishing dense electrical connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If probes are held in a housing with spacers and ceramic sheets to address densely packed pads, then the probe array can achieve small pitch, but the probes lack secure mechanical retention and compliance properties
Solution Approach 1:
The retention arrangement is pre-configured with cavities and opening patterns before probe insertion. The housing includes pre-formed cavities with bottom surfaces spaced from the back of the substrate, and the front face has pre-defined opening patterns that guide probe placement and ensure proper positioning before the probes are inserted and retained
Solution Approach 2:
The probes are inserted into cavities within the housing structure, with the retaining portions of the probes being received within the housing. The retention arrangement nests the probes securely within the housing cavities, providing both mechanical retention and compliance through the nested configuration
2Productivity
If probes are arranged in a dense array to address tightly spaced contact pads, then testing capability increases, but mechanical resilience and compliance properties deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with localized cavities and retention features at specific positions to provide mechanical support and compliance where needed. Each cavity is positioned to accommodate individual probes in the dense array, providing localized mechanical resilience without compromising the overall dense configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The retention arrangement combines multiple materials including housing material, ceramic sheets, and adhesive materials to achieve both dense probe arrangement and mechanical resilience. The composite structure of housing with embedded cavities and adhesive retention provides both the density needed for high productivity and the mechanical stability for resilience
3Manufacturing precision
If probes are secured in a fixed housing structure to ensure stable contact, then positioning accuracy improves, but scrub motion capability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The retention arrangement allows for controlled movement of the probes within the cavities while maintaining overall positional accuracy. The probes can execute scrubbing motions against the pad surfaces while the retention structure guides and constrains the movement to maintain proper contact geometry and positioning accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
Method and apparatus using a retention arrangement for probes used for electrical testing of a device under test (DUT). The apparatus has a number of probes each of which has a connect end for applying a test signal, a retaining portion, at least one arm portion and a contact tip for making an electrical contact with the DUT. A retention arrangement has a tip holder for holding each of the probes by its contacting tip and a plate with openings for holding each of the probes below the retaining portion. The retaining portion of each of the probes is potted in a potting region defined above the plate with the aid of a potting agent. The apparatus can be used with space transformers, a variety of probes of different geometries and scrub motion characteristics and is well-suited for use in probe card apparatus under tight pitch and small tolerance requirements.