Probe card alignment

• US 10,422,817 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Eckert, Martin, Dieterle, Roland, Tomaschko, Siegfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Hollington, Jermele M
• Application Number:
  US15/795,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20190018044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07364 with provisions for altering position, number or connection of probe tips; Adapting to differences in pitch
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2891 related to sensing or controlling of force, position, temperature G01R31/2874 takes precedence; sensing of force G01L; sensing of position G01B, G01D; sensing of temperature G01K; controlling in general G05

Abstract

An adjustable load transmitter for adjusting an alignment between a probe card and a bridge beam of a wafer prober, where the probe card is separated from the bridge beam by a gap. The adjustable load transmitter located in the gap, the adjustable load transmitter comprising two rotatable plates adapted for transmitting a load via a load transmission path between the bridge beam and the wafer prober and each comprising two flat, non-parallel contact faces. The adjustable load transmitter removes an angular misalignment between the bridge beam and the set of plates by rotating each of the rotatable plates about a pre-determined adjustment angle such that two angles of inclination are adjusted to zero. The adjustable load transmitter establishes the load transmission path by closing a clearance between the bridge beam and the contact face.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting an alignment between a probe card and a bridge beam of a wafer prober, the probe card being separated from the bridge beam by a gap, the method comprising:

providing an adjustable load transmitter in the gap, the adjustable load transmitter comprising a set of plates adapted to be received inside the gap, the set comprising a first rotatable plate and a second rotatable plate, the set being adapted for transmitting a load via a load transmission path between the bridge beam and the wafer prober, the load transmission path comprising the first rotatable plate and the second rotatable plate, each of the plates comprising two flat contact faces, the contact faces of the first rotatable plate being non-parallel to each other, the contact faces of the second rotatable plate being non-parallel to each other, one of the contact faces of the first rotatable plate being in permanent surface contact with one of the contact faces of the second rotatable plate, each of the first rotatable plate and the second rotatable plate being adapted for being rotated relative to each other around one of their respective normal axes;

removing an angular misalignment between the bridge beam and the contact face of the set of plates facing the bridge beam by rotating each of the rotatable plates about a pre-determined adjustment angle around its respective rotational axis, the pre-determined adjustment angles being determined such that two angles of inclination, defined in different non-parallel directions between the bridge beam and the contact face of the set of plates facing the bridge beam, are adjusted to zero; and

establishing the load transmission path by closing a clearance between the bridge beam and the contact face of the set of plates facing the bridge beam.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring inclination angles and measuring a length of the clearance.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the adjustment angle for each of the rotatable plates based on the inclination angles and on the dimensions of the plates.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising using the inclination angles and the dimensions of the plates for dimensioning each of the plates such that a thickness of the set of plates is adjustable to match the clearance.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dimensioning the set of plates to satisfy, based on expected maximum values for inclination angles, a largest adjustable height difference for plates with non-parallel contact faces; and

dimensioning the set of plates to satisfy, based on dimensions of the gap, a diameter and a base thickness for all the plates.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the dimensions of the gap and expected maximum values for the inclination angles;

simulating, for a set of load transmitters for multiple adjustment angles, the inclination angles that will be adjusted by the rotating of the rotatable plates by the adjustment angles;

selecting, from the set of load transmitters, the adjustable load transmitter for which the inclination angles that can be adjusted are larger or equal than the expected maximum values for the inclination angles; and

using the selected adjustable load transmitter for performing the adjusting of the alignment between the probe card and the bridge beam.

7. The method of claim 6, the simulating further comprising calculating an uncertainty for each of the inclination angles that will be adjusted, wherein selecting the adjustable load transmitter is based on the uncertainties.

8. The method of claim 7, the load transmitter being selected from the set being the load transmitter for which the expected maximum values for the inclination angles can be adjusted with a smallest uncertainty among the load transmitters for which the expected maximum values for the inclination angles can be adjusted.

9. The method of claim 1, the set further comprising a base plate, the load transmission path further comprising the base plate, the base plate comprising two flat contact faces, the contact faces of the base plate being parallel to each other, the providing comprising installing the base plate between the probe card and the first rotatable plate.

10. The method of claim 9, the load transmitter further comprising a bolt, each of the plates comprising a hole, the bolt being received by the holes, an end of the bolt comprising an external thread, the hole of the base plate comprising an internal thread, the internal thread being adapted for receiving the external thread, the plates apart from the base plate being floatingly supported by the bolt, the method further comprising interlocking the plates by tightening the bolt.

11. The method of claim 9, the providing comprising fixing the base plate to the probe card.

12. The method of claim 1, the set further comprising a slide plate, the load transmission path further comprising the slide plate, the slide plate comprising two flat contact faces and being shiftable along at least one of its contact faces, the contact faces of the slide plate being non-parallel to each other, the providing comprising installing a base plate between the bridge beam and the second rotatable plate, the establishing comprising shifting the slide plate until one of its contact faces comes into contact with the bridge beam.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising adhering at least two of the plates to each other via magnetic forces.

14. The method of claim 1, at least one of the rotatable plates having a right trapezoidal cross section.

15. The method of claim 1, the plates being made of metallic material.