Semiconductor Probe With Asymmetric Body For Bending Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing probes used in semiconductor inspection are prone to bending and contacting adjacent probes, making them difficult to manufacture and control, especially when manufactured through press working, which incurs higher costs compared to etching working.
Innovation Solution
A probe with a bar-like shape featuring a body portion that gradually decreases in thickness from both ends, allowing for controlled bending direction and easy manufacturing through press working, along with an inspection jig and device that utilize these probes to facilitate precise inspection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If probes are configured with plate-shaped regions at 90-degree angles to control bending direction, then bending direction control is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases requiring multiple press operations with mold changes
Solution Approach 1:
The probe body is designed with an asymmetric cross-sectional shape where the dimension in the width direction is larger than the dimension in the thickness direction. This asymmetric geometry creates inherent bending characteristics that control the probe's bending direction toward the thickness direction, eliminating the need for complex 90-degree plate-shaped regions and multiple press operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the probe body by establishing specific dimensional relationships: the width direction dimension is made larger than the thickness direction dimension. This parameter change fundamentally alters the bending behavior and manufacturing requirements, allowing single-direction press working to achieve the desired bending control.
2Manufacturing precision
If probes are manufactured through press working with multiple pressing operations, then bending direction control is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases compared to etching working
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric cross-sectional design with width greater than thickness enables bending direction control through a single press working operation. This eliminates the need for multiple pressing operations and mold changes, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining bending control precision.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the geometric parameters to have width > thickness, the invention enables cost-effective single-step press working manufacturing while achieving the required bending direction control, making press working more competitive against etching working.
3Productivity
If multiple probes are arranged with narrow pitch, then inspection efficiency is improved, but probe bending and contact with adjacent probes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric probe design with larger width dimension provides greater lateral stability, preventing probe bending and contact with adjacent probes even when arranged at narrow pitches. This enables higher inspection efficiency without sacrificing probe reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
By optimizing the dimensional parameters with width > thickness, the probe achieves enhanced stability that allows narrow pitch arrangements, thereby improving inspection efficiency while maintaining probe reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a probe that enables control of a bending direction and can be simply manufactured, an inspection jig using the probe, an inspection device, and a method of manufacturing the probe. A probe has a substantially bar-like shape extending linearly and includes: a tip end portion, a body portion continuous with the tip end portion Pa; and a base end portion continuous with the body portion. The body portion includes a first connection region having a thickness in a thickness direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the bar-like shape that gradually decreases away from the tip end portion, and a second connection region having a thickness that gradually decreases away from the base end portion. A dimension of the body portion in a width direction perpendicular to the thickness direction is larger than dimensions of the tip end portion and the base end portion.