Probe Head Load Pusher with Elastic Structures
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing probe heads for semiconductor wafers have limited movement and are prone to damage when testing edge portions or performing reliability tests at extreme temperatures due to their design, which can lead to stress and damage on both the wafer and the probe head.
Innovation Solution
A probe head design featuring a load pusher with a frame, meander-shaped elastic structures, and a loader blade that can rotate to evenly distribute force, supported by a tensioner with spring pins, allowing for stable contact and extended testing duration without epoxy bonding, enabling reliable testing at high or low temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a probe head with two leaf spring structures is used, then the probe head structure is simple, but the movement distance is limited causing damage to the wafer or probe head
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid leaf spring structures with a flexible membrane structure. The membrane probe card uses a thin flexible substrate that can bend and deform elastically, allowing the probe tips to follow the wafer surface contours and accommodate edge portions without causing damage. This flexible membrane design eliminates the limited travel distance problem of rigid springs while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical parameters of the probe head by transitioning from rigid spring elements to a flexible membrane with different compliance characteristics. The membrane's flexibility allows for larger deformation ranges and better adaptation to wafer variations, improving reliability without significantly increasing structural complexity.
2Ease of manufacture
If epoxy is used in the probe head, then the manufacturing is simplified, but the testing cannot be performed for long time at high or extremely low temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure consisting of a flexible polymer membrane substrate combined with metal or conductive trace patterns. This composite material approach eliminates the need for epoxy bonding while maintaining structural integrity across extreme temperature ranges. The polymer-metal composite provides both flexibility for probing and thermal stability for reliable long-term testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material composition parameters by replacing epoxy-based adhesives with temperature-resistant polymer membranes. This material substitution enables the probe head to withstand high and extremely low temperatures during testing while maintaining ease of manufacture through integrated membrane fabrication processes.
3Length of moving object
If the probe head has limited travel distance, then the structure is compact, but stress is applied on the semiconductor wafer or probe head causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible membrane structure allows the probe tips to naturally conform to the wafer surface topology, including edge portions and non-planar regions. This flexibility distributes contact stress across multiple probe tips and prevents concentrated loading that would cause damage, while the membrane's elasticity enables recovery after each contact cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic compliance to the probe head through the flexible membrane, allowing real-time adaptation to wafer surface variations. The membrane can dynamically deform to accommodate wafer thickness variations, edge curvature, and local topography, maintaining optimal contact force distribution and preventing excessive stress concentration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design prevents damage to semiconductor wafers and probe heads by stabilizing force distribution and allowing for longer, reliable testing across a range of temperatures, reducing stress and improving the reliability of semiconductor substrate inspections.
Implementation Method 1
the plurality of elastic structures extending from an inner surface of the frame within the penetration region and spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction
Implementation Method 2
a support tensioner configured to support the load pusher
Data Source
AI summary
A probe head includes a test board configured to test a reliability of a semiconductor substrate by contacting the semiconductor substrate, a load pusher provided on the test board, the load pusher including a frame, a plurality of elastic structures, and a loader blade, the frame having a penetration region, the plurality of elastic structures extending from an inner surface of the frame within the penetration region and spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction, the loader blade configured to protrude the test board toward the semiconductor substrate, the loader blade connecting to the frame through the plurality of elastic structures, and a support tensioner configured to support the load pusher.