Probe Head Receiver Aperture Segmentation for Pin Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual assembly of probe card assemblies with 25,000 probe pins is labor-intensive and time-consuming, and automatic insertion is prone to misalignment, leading to assembly failures.
Innovation Solution
A probe head receiver design featuring a template with apertures, a guide plate with funnel-shaped apertures, and a spacer that aligns and directs probe pins to ensure precise insertion, reducing assembly time and minimizing misalignment issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual assembly is used to insert 25,000 probe pins into apertures, then alignment accuracy is maintained, but assembly time increases to at least 35 labor days
Solution Approach 1:
The probe head receiver is divided into multiple templates (first template, second template, third template) with different aperture sizes, creating a segmented structure that guides probe pins through progressively smaller openings. This segmentation enables automatic insertion while maintaining alignment accuracy by providing staged guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide plate with funnel-shaped apertures acts as an intermediary component between the probe pins and the final insertion point. The funnel shape provides a gradual transition that automatically aligns probe pins during automatic insertion, serving as a mediator that ensures precision without manual intervention.
2Productivity
If automatic insertion is used to insert probe pins into apertures, then assembly time is reduced to approximately 8 labor days, but misalignment occurs leading to assembly failure
Solution Approach 1:
The probe pins are pre-aligned with the funnel-shaped apertures of the guide plate before insertion. The funnel shape预先 (in advance) provides alignment guidance, ensuring that even during automatic insertion, the probe pins are correctly positioned before reaching the smaller apertures in the templates.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the assembly structure have different aperture sizes optimized for different functions: the guide plate has larger funnel-shaped apertures for initial alignment and insertion, while the templates have smaller precision apertures for final positioning. This local differentiation of aperture sizes enables both automatic insertion and high precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If aperture size is reduced to 60 μm to accommodate smaller probe pins, then pitch reduction is achieved, but distance for probe pin travel becomes relatively greater compared to aperture size
Solution Approach 1:
The probe pin insertion path is extended in the vertical dimension by stacking multiple templates (first, second, and third templates) with progressively smaller apertures. This vertical stacking allows the probe pins to travel through multiple staged apertures, achieving the required pitch reduction while distributing the travel distance across multiple small increments rather than one long distance.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a probe head receiver, which includes: a first template, a guide plate and a spacer. The first template has a number of apertures of a first size. The guide plate has a number of apertures of a second size, each of the number of apertures of the first template is aligned with each of the number of apertures of the guide plate. The spacer is between the first template and the guide place. The second size is different from the first size.