Probe card for probing wafers with raised contact elements

• US 6,483,328 B1
• Filed: 12/02/1998
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FormFactor Incorporated
• Original Assignee: FormFactor Incorporated
• Inventors: Mathieu, Gaetan L., Eldridge, Benjamin N., Grube, Gary W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Glenn W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burdell, George P.
• Application Number:
  US09/204,740
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 324/754, 324/761
• US Class Current: 324/754.18
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 20/004 Wire welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/40 Semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06711 Probe needles; Cantilever beams; "Bump" contacts; Replaceable probe pins
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06716 Elastic
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07307 with individual probe elements, e.g. needles, cantilever beams or bump contacts, fixed in relation to each other, e.g. bed of nails fixture or probe card
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07314 the body of the probe being perpendicular to test object, e.g. bed of nails or probe with bump contacts on a rigid support on an elastic support, e.g. a film, G01R1/0735
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07378 using an intermediate adapter, e.g. space transformers G01R1/07371 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2884 using dedicated test connectors, test elements or test circuits on the IC under test G01R31/2855 takes precedence
• 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: H01L 21/4853 Connection or disconnection of other leads to or from a metallisation, e.g. pins, wires, bumps
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/563 Encapsulation of active face of flip-chip device, e.g. underfilling or underencapsulation of flip-chip, encapsulation preform on chip or mounting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0401 Bonding areas specifically adapted for bump connectors, e.g. under bump metallisation [UBM]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/04042 Bonding areas specifically adapted for wire connectors, e.g. wirebond pads
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/06136 Covering only the central area of the surface to be connected, i.e. central arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73203 Bump and layer connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81801 Soldering or alloying
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/85201 Compression bonding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49811 : Additional leads joined to the metallisation on the insulating substrate, e.g. pins, bumps, wires, flat leads H01L23/49827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/06 : of a plurality of bonding areas
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/11 : Manufacturing methods for bumps on insulating substrates H01L21/4853
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/13 : of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/72 : Detachable connecting means consisting of mechanical auxiliary parts connecting the device, e.g. pressure contacts using springs or clips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/81 : using a bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0652 : the devices being arranged next and on each other, i.e. mixed assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/16 : the devices being of types provided for in two or more different main groups of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N, e.g. forming hybrid circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0001 : Technical content checked by a classifier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 : Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 : Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01014 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01019 : Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01022 : Titanium [Ti]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01027 : Cobalt [Co]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 : Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 : Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01039 : Yttrium [Y]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01045 : Rhodium [Rh]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01046 : Palladium [Pd]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 : Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01075 : Rhenium [Re]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 : Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12042 : LASER
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15787 : Ceramics, e.g. crystalline carbides, nitrides or oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/141 : One or more single auxiliary printed circuits mounted on a main printed circuit, e.g. modules, adapters H05K1/142 and H05K1/147 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10318 : Surface mounted metallic pins
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10757 : Bent leads
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10878 : Means for retention of a lead in a hole
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10909 : Materials of terminal, e.g. of leads or electrodes of components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10946 : Leads attached onto leadless component after manufacturing the component
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/20 : by affixing prefabricated conductor pattern H05K1/187, H05K3/046, H05K3/4658, H05K3/4682 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/326 : the printed circuit having integral resilient or deformable parts, e.g. tabs or parts of flexible circuits H05K3/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3421 : Leaded components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/368 : parallel to each other H05K3/361 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4015 : using auxiliary conductive elements, e.g. pieces of metal foil, metallic spheres

Abstract

A probe card is provided for contacting an electric componet with raised contact elements. In particular, the present invention is useful for contacting a semiconductor wafer with resilient contact elements, such as springs. A probe card is designed to have terminals to mate with the contact elements on the wafer. In a preferred embodiment, the terminals are posts. In a preferred embodiment the terminals include a contact material suitable for repeated contacts. In one particularly preferred embodiment, a space transformer is prepared with contact posts on one side and terminals on the opposing side. An interposer with spring contacts connects a contact on the opposing side of the space transformer to a corresponding terminal on a probe card, which terminal is in turn connected to a terminal which is connectable to a test device such as a conventional tester.

Claims

1. A probe card assembly for contacting a semiconductor device, the probe card assembly comprising:

a probe card having interposer-contacting terminals disposed on a surface thereof;

an interposer with opposing surfaces, having opposing pairs of contact structures extending from the opposing surfaces thereof, wherein each of the opposing pairs comprises a first elongate resilient member extending from one of the opposing surfaces and connected to a second elongate resilient member extending from another of the opposing surfaces, the interposer disposed against the probe card with the opposing pairs of contact structures connected to the interposer-contacting terminals; and

a space transformer disposed against the interposer, the space transformer having first terminals on an interposer-facing surface thereof connected to the opposing pairs of contact structures, and second terminals selected from contact pads or contact posts on a wafer-facing surface of the space transformer for mating with raised contact elements on the semiconductor device, the second terminals connected through the space transformer to the first terminals.

2. The probe card assembly of claim 1, wherein the second terminals are posts and protrude from the space transformer.

3. The probe card assembly of claim 2, wherein the posts protrude from the space transformer for a distance not greater than 1.5 millimeters.

4. The probe card assembly of claim 2, wherein the space transformer further comprises a plurality of flat surfaces each oriented away from the space transformer, each of the posts having one of the flat surfaces for contacting a corresponding one of the raised contact elements on the semiconductor device.

5. The probe card assembly of claim 4, wherein the plurality of flat surfaces are substantially coplanar.

6. The probe card assembly of claim 1, wherein the second terminals are pads level with or recessed below the wafer-facing surface of the space transformer.

7. The probe card assembly of claim 1, wherein at least a first material layer of the second terminals consists of nickel-cobalt, nickel, copper, cobalt, palladium, or alloys thereof.

8. The probe card assembly of claim 7, wherein at least a second material layer of the second terminals is distinct from the first material layer and consists of palladium, cobalt, hard gold, soft gold, rhodium, or alloys thereof.

9. The probe card assembly of claim 1, wherein the second terminals of the space transformer are configured to mate with terminals of a plurality of semiconductor devices in wafer form.

10. The probe card assembly of claim 1, wherein the probe card assembly is configured for contacting n number of elongate resilient contact elements on the semiconductor device, each of the elongate resilient contact elements having a spring constant k_s, and wherein the probe card has a spring rate greater than nk_s.

11. A method of using a probe card assembly comprising a probe card, an interposer having opposing pairs of contact structures extending from the opposing surfaces thereof, the interposer disposed against the probe card and contacting the probe card with the opposing pairs of contact structures, and a space transformer disposed against the interposer, the space transformer having terminals on a wafer-facing surface of the space transformer for mating with elongate resilient contact elements on a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

aligning a plurality of elongate resilient contact elements on an exposed surface of a semiconductor device with the terminals of the space transformer; and

bringing the semiconductor device and the probe card assembly together until each of the elongate resilient contact elements on the semiconductor device contacts a corresponding one of the terminals of the space transformer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising compressing the semiconductor device and the probe card assembly together until each of the elongate resilient contact elements on the semiconductor device wipes across at least a portion of the corresponding one of the terminals of the space transformer.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising compressing the semiconductor device and the probe card assembly together until further compression is prevented by a stop structure interposed between the space transformer and the semiconductor device.

14. A method of making a probe card assembly comprising a probe card, an interposer having opposing pairs of contact structures extending from the opposing surfaces thereof, the interposer disposed against the probe card and contacting the probe card with the opposing pairs of contact structures, and a space transformer disposed against the interposer, the space transformer having posts on a wafer-facing surface of the space transformer for mating with contact elements on a semiconductor device, the method comprising forming the posts by plating a conductive material in a patterned layer over connection elements on the space transformer.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising depositing a layer of contact material over the conductive material.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising selecting the contact material to be distinct from the conductive material and to consist of palladium, cobalt, hard gold, soft gold, rhodium, or alloys thereof.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising planarizing the posts by grinding or lapping exposed surfaces of the posts after said plating step to form a flat surface distal from the space transformer at an end of each of the posts coplanar with ends of each other of the posts.