Segmented Probe Pin Tips for Wear Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Probe pins used for testing semiconductor devices experience wear and accumulation of foreign substances, leading to increased contact resistance and reduced reliability due to the wear of tips and surface area changes during repeated tests.
Innovation Solution
A probe pin design featuring a stem with a contact portion that has symmetrically positioned tips with inclined surfaces forming square-based pyramids, minimizing contact resistance and contamination by spacing tips apart and using acute angles to reduce wear and electrical interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If the probe pin tips are used for repeated tests, then the lifespan decreases due to wear, but the surface area increases causing foreign substance accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The contact portion is divided into multiple tips (first tip and second tip) instead of a single contact point. This segmentation distributes the contact load across multiple points, reducing wear on each individual tip while maintaining stable electrical contact. The tips are positioned at specific intervals to optimize both durability and contact reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The tips are positioned at specific locations on the contact portion with optimized spacing and orientation. The first and second tips are arranged to contact different areas of the testing target, creating localized contact zones that minimize foreign substance accumulation while maintaining reliable electrical connection. The asymmetric positioning of tips provides both durability and contact stability.
2Reliability
If the tip surface area increases due to wear, then foreign substances accumulate, but contact resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the contact surface into multiple discrete tips rather than a single large contact area, the design prevents continuous wear from expanding the overall contact footprint. Each tip maintains a controlled surface area that resists foreign substance accumulation while ensuring low contact resistance through multiple contact points.
Solution Approach 2:
The first and second tips are positioned asymmetrically with respect to the central axis, creating an optimized contact pattern that minimizes foreign substance trapping zones. The asymmetric arrangement ensures that wear does not lead to symmetric expansion that would create larger accumulation areas, instead directing wear in a controlled manner that maintains contact quality.
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 enhances testing reliability by minimizing contact resistance, reducing wear, and preventing contamination, thereby increasing the cleaning cycle and reducing maintenance costs while maintaining stable electrical characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member disposed between the upper plunger and the lower plunger and providing elasticity by compression to at least one of the upper plunger and the lower plunger in testing
Data Source
AI summary
A probe pin is proposed. The probe pin includes a first plunger configured to come in contact with a testing target contact point of a testing object and a second plunger configured to come in contact with a testing contact point of a testing circuit, in which the first plunge or the second plunger has a stem extending with a predetermined cross-sectional area and a contact portion extending from the stem such that a cross-sectional area decreases, and having first second tips, which are configured to come in contact with the testing target contact point or the testing contact point, at a front end; and the first and second tips are formed in symmetric shapes at positions that are symmetric with a central axis of the stem therebetween.