PROBE APPARATUS AND TEST APPARATUS

• US 20110074456A1
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Original Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Inventors: KOMOTO, Yoshio
• Granted Patent: US 8,253,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/754.03
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07 Non contact-making probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2886 Features relating to contacting the IC under test, e.g. probe heads; chucks G01R31/2865 takes precedence, test connections, e.g. test sockets, or probes per se, G01R1/04 or G01R1/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3025 Wireless interface with the DUT

Abstract

A probe apparatus exchanging signals with a target device, includes: a contact section electrically connected to the target device by contacting a terminal of the target device; a non-contact section that exchanges signals with the target device in a state not contacting the terminal of the target device; and a retaining section that retains the contact section and the non-contact section, in such a manner that a relative position between the contact section and the non-contact section in a connection direction connecting the non-contact section and a region corresponding to the target device is displaceable.

Claims

1. A probe apparatus exchanging signals with a target device, comprising:

a contact section electrically connected to the target device by contacting a terminal of the target device;

a non-contact section that exchanges signals with the target device in a state not contacting the terminal of the target device; and

a retaining section that retains the contact section and the non-contact section, in such a manner that a relative position between the contact section and the non-contact section in a connection direction connecting the non-contact section and a region corresponding to the target device is displaceable.

2. The probe apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the retaining section includes a thin film section, at least a partial region of which stretches in the connection direction according to applied stress and returns to a form prior to application of the stress, after the stress has stopped.

3. The probe apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the probe apparatus transmits signals to a plurality of the target devices formed on a wafer in parallel, and

the thin film section has a form substantially the same as a form of a surface of the wafer on which the target devices are formed.

4. The probe apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the retaining section further includes a fixing section that fixes a periphery of the thin film section to position the thin film section to a position facing the wafer.

5. The probe apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the fixing section fixes the thin film section with tension applied in a surface direction.

6. The probe apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a test substrate that generates a signal to be inputted to the target device and exchanges signals with the target device via the thin film section; and

a conductive rubber provided between the thin film section and the test substrate.

7. The probe apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a stress applying section that applies stress to a region of the thin film section that is provided with the non-contact section, in the connection direction.

8. The probe apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a test substrate that generates a signal to be inputted to the target device and exchanges signals with the target device via the thin film section; and

a connection section that electrically connects the contact section and the test substrate, wherein

the stress applying section elongates to be closer to the target device than the connection section, thereby contacting the region of the thin film section that is provided with the non-contact section.

9. The probe apparatus according to claim 4, comprising, as the non-contact section, an electric field coupling section that is electric-field-coupled with the target device, on a surface of the thin film section closer to the target device.

10. The probe apparatus according to claim 4, comprising, as the non-contact section, an electric field coupling section that is electric-field-coupled with the target device, and a magnetic field coupling section that is magnetic-field-coupled with the target device, on respectively different surfaces of the thin film section.

11. The probe apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the non-contact section includes the electric field coupling section on a surface of the thin film section closer to the target device, and includes the magnetic field coupling section on a surface of the thin film section farther from the target device.

12. The probe apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the non-contact section is provided on a surface of the thin film section closer to the target device, and

the thin film section includes:

a wire provided on a surface thereof closer to the target device, and electrically connected to the non-contact section;

an electrode provided on a surface thereof farther from the target device; and

a penetrating wire provided to penetrate from the surface thereof closer to the target device to the surface thereof farther from the target device, and electrically connecting the wire to the electrode.

13. A test apparatus for testing a target device, comprising:

the probe apparatus according to claim 1 exchanging signals with the target device; and

a determining section that determines acceptability of the target device based on a response signal received by the probe apparatus from the target device.