Probe card and LSI test method using probe card

• US 5,969,533 A
• Filed: 10/07/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagi, Ryoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ballato, Josie
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, MINH NHUT
• Application Number:
  US08/946,095
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 324/754, 324/765, 324/72.5, 324/758, 324/761, 324/762
• US Class Current: 324/754.07
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07342 the body of the probe being at an angle other than perpendicular to test object, e.g. probe card

Abstract

A probe card which solves a problem involved in conventional probe cards in that the yield of the LSIs is reduced because non-defectives can be misjudged as defectives, which is due to failure of test signal application to LSIs owing to a contact failure between probe needles and bonding pads, which in turn due to the lack of needle pressure resulting from the lack of thickness of the probe needles in the conventional probe cards. The present probe card device includes units, each of which has a plurality of probe needles juxtaposed on a first insulating sheet, and separated by second insulating sheets with a thickness of about 10 μm. The units are stacked in multilayer and fixed to a probe card substrate. The first insulating sheet has many grooves to which the second insulating sheets can be inserted. The grooves are formed on the first insulating sheet at intervals smaller than the thickness of the probe needles, and the second insulating sheets are inserted into the grooves at intervals corresponding to the thickness of the probe needles.

Claims

1. A probe card comprising:

a probe card substrate; and

a plurality of units stacked in layers and fixed to said probe card substrate, wherein each of said units comprises;

a first insulating sheet including a plurality of grooves;

a plurality of probe needles disposed on said first insulating sheet, each of said probe needles having a thickness, the grooves having a pitch smaller than the thickness of the probe needles; and

second insulating sheets inserted in grooves in said first insulating sheet at intervals corresponding to the thickness of said probe needles and between adjacent pairs of probe needles.

2. A method of testing an LSI device using a probe card comprising a probe card substrate, and a plurality of units stacked in layers and fixed to the probe card substrate, wherein each of the units comprises a first insulating sheet including a plurality of grooves, a plurality of probe needles disposed on the first insulating sheet, the probe needles having a thickness larger than a pitch of the grooves, and second insulating sheets inserted in the grooves between adjacent pairs of probe needles, the method comprising:

contacting a plurality of bonding pads on an LSI device with said probe needles;

transmitting test signals to said LSI device through said probe needles;

receiving response signals from the LSI device through said probe needles; and

comparing the response signals to expected values to determine whether the LSI device is defective.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said probe needles has a tapered shape, a pointed tip, and a bend between the first insulating sheet and the pointed tip.