Probe Pin Elastic Hollow Cylinder Contact Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing probe pins for inspecting semiconductor integrated circuits lack high contact stability and reliability, especially when made smaller or thinner, which limits their ability to effectively contact narrowly-spaced test portions.
Innovation Solution
A probe pin design featuring an elastic hollow cylinder with conductive plungers that include a slope and an elastic portion, allowing for increased contact pressure through relative movement and elastic deformation, enhancing stability and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the probe pin is made smaller or thinner to inspect narrowly-spaced test portions, then the probe pin can access narrower spaces, but the contact area decreases and contact reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a simple linear contact structure to a three-dimensional contact mechanism by introducing an elastic hollow cylinder with plungers that can expand radially. This dimensional change allows the probe pin to maintain a thin profile while creating a larger contact area through radial expansion of the elastic cylinder, thereby resolving the contradiction between thinness and contact reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic hollow cylinder changes its physical parameters dynamically - it can expand radially to increase contact area and then contract to reduce size. This parameter change capability allows the probe pin to have both small dimensions for accessing narrow spaces and large contact area for reliable electrical contact, depending on the operational phase
2Device complexity
If the first and second plungers simply slide over each other in the axial direction, then the structure is simple, but the contact pressure is insufficient and contact stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces dynamic interaction between the plungers through the elastic hollow cylinder. Instead of simple sliding, the plungers can cause radial expansion of the elastic cylinder, creating a dynamic contact mechanism that automatically adjusts contact pressure based on relative movement, thereby improving contact stability without excessive structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic hollow cylinder acts as an intermediary between the first and second plungers. It transmits and transforms the relative axial movement of the plungers into radial expansion, mediating the interaction to generate sufficient contact pressure while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
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 probe pin achieves high contact stability and reliability, enabling effective inspection of narrowly-spaced test portions in semiconductor integrated circuits, even when designed to be smaller or thinner.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic portion that is located between the first terminal and the slope and is elastically deformable
Data Source
AI summary
A probe pin includes an elastic hollow cylinder that expands and contracts along a central axis, a conductive first plunger extending in the cylinder along the central axis from a first end of the cylinder, and a conductive second plunger extending in the cylinder along the central axis from a second end of the cylinder. The first and second plungers are coupled together in the cylinder in a manner movable relative to each other along the central axis. The first plunger includes a first plunger body contained in the cylinder, and a first terminal connected to the first plunger body and located outside the cylinder. The second plunger includes a second plunger body contained in the cylinder, and a second terminal connected to the second plunger body and located outside the cylinder. The first plunger body includes a slope that tapers in a direction from an outer side toward an inner side of the cylinder, comes in contact with the second plunger body inside the cylinder, and is urged in a direction crossing the central axis by relative movement of the first and second plungers. The first plunger body includes a deformable elastic portion between the first terminal and the slope.