Probe Card Spacer Adjusts Contact Tip Length
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Solution Overview
Problem
Probe cards for testing electronic devices integrated on wafers face limitations in maintaining consistent contact force and scrub mechanisms throughout their working life, especially after cleaning operations, which can lead to permanent deformations and reduced functionality.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a removable spacer element between the upper guide and the space transformer, allowing for adjustable lengths of contact probe terminal portions without altering the bending zone, thus maintaining consistent contact force and scrub mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cleaning operations are performed on contact probes to remove material accumulation, then contact quality is improved, but the terminal portion length decreases leading to permanent deformations and reduced working life
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer element enables dynamic adjustment of the terminal portion length by being removable or adjustable between the upper guide and space transformer. This allows the system to adapt the probe length after cleaning operations, restoring the optimal length without permanent deformation of the contact probes themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct components: the contact probe, the upper guide, the space transformer, and the removable spacer element. This segmentation allows the spacer to be independently adjusted or removed to compensate for terminal portion length reduction without affecting the probe structure.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the terminal portion length is increased to allow more cleaning operations, then working life is extended, but the contact force and scrub mechanism consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer element provides dynamic adjustability to maintain optimal contact force consistency throughout the working life. By allowing adjustment of the terminal portion length, the system can restore proper force distribution after cleaning operations, preventing both excessive force (when too short) and insufficient force (when too long).
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer element enables changing the geometric parameter (length) of the terminal portion to optimize contact force. This parameter adjustment ensures consistent scrub mechanism and contact quality throughout the extended working life of the probe card.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the spacer element is made removable and adjustable, then adaptability for length adjustment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer element acts as an intermediary component between the upper guide and space transformer. This simple mediator provides the necessary length adjustment capability without requiring complex mechanisms, retaining clips, or sophisticated adjustment devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer element is designed as a simple, potentially disposable or easily replaceable component. This approach trades the complexity of an adjustable mechanism for a simple element that can be removed or replaced to achieve length adjustment, reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A probe card for testing of electronic devices comprises a testing head with plural contact probes inserted into guide holes of an upper guide and a lower guide, and a space transformer, each of the contact probes having a first terminal portion projecting from the lower guide with a first length and ending with a contact tip adapted to abut onto a respective contact pad of a device to be tested, and a second terminal portion projecting from the upper guide with a second length and ending with a contact head adapted to abut onto a contact pad of the space transformer. The probe card comprises a spacer element interposed between the space transformer and the upper guide and removable to adjust the first length of the first terminal portion by changing the second length of the second terminal portion and approaching the upper guide and the space transformer.