Active Probe Card

• US 20150212112A1
• Filed: 09/03/2014
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sitronix Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sitronix Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Lai, Hung-Wei, Lee, Tsung-Jun
• Granted Patent: US 9,506,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/073 Multiple probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/30 Structural combination of electric measuring instruments with basic electronic circuits, e.g. with amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2601 Apparatus or methods therefor G01R31/2607, G01R31/2642 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/27 Testing of devices without physical removal from the circuit of which they form part, e.g. compensating for effects surrounding elements testing printed circuit boards G01R31/2801

Abstract

An active probe card capable of improving testing bandwidth of a device under (DUT) test includes a printed circuit board; at least one probe needle, affixed to a first surface of the printed circuit board for probing the DUT; at least one connection member, electrically connected to the at least one probe needle; and an amplification circuit, formed on the printed circuit board and coupled to the at least one connection member for amplifying an input or output signal of the DUT.

Claims

1. An active probe card for improving testing bandwidth of a device under test (DUT), comprising:

a printed circuit board;

at least one probe needle, affixed to a first surface of the printed circuit board for probing the DUT;

at least one connection member, electrically connected to the at least one probe needle; and

an amplification circuit, formed on the printed circuit board and coupled to the at least one connection member for amplifying an input or output signal of the DUT.

2. The active probe card of claim 1, wherein the amplification circuit is a driver integrated circuit (IC).

3. The active probe card of claim 1, wherein the amplification circuit comprises:

a differential operational amplifier or a single-ended operational amplifier;

or

a differential comparator or a single-ended comparator;

or an equalizer.

4. The active probe card of claim 3, wherein the equalizer has at least one of a pre-emphasis function and a de-emphasis function, the pre-emphasis function provides a first amplification factor, the de-emphasis function provides a second amplification factor, the first amplification factor is greater than the second amplification factor, and the first amplification factor and the second amplification factor are programmable or fixed values.

5. The active probe card of claim 1, wherein the amplification circuit is formed on a second surface of the printed circuit board, where the second surface is the top layer of the printed circuit board, and the first surface is the bottom layer of the printed circuit board.

6. The active probe card of claim 5, wherein the printed circuit board has at least one via, each of the at least one connection member is paired with one of the at least one via to electrically connect with each other at the first surface of the printed circuit board, and the amplification circuit is electrically connected to the at least one via at the second surface of the printed circuit board.

7. The active probe card of claim 5, wherein the printed circuit board has a through-hole, the at least one connection member is a coaxial cable, passing through the through-hole, where one end of the coaxial cable is connected to the at least one probe needle, and the other end is connected to the amplification circuit.

8. The active probe card of claim 1, wherein a distance between an output terminal or an input terminal of the amplification circuit and the at least one probe needle is substantially shorter than 10 cm.

9. The active probe card of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one affixing unit, for affixing the at least one probe needle to the first surface of the printed circuit board, wherein a material of the affixing unit is a ceramic material or an electrically insulating plastic material.