Planarizer for a semiconductor contactor

• US 6,509,751 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2000
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• 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): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US09/528,064
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 324/761, 324/754, 439/67, 439/66, 361/772, 361/774
• US Class Current: 324/750.25
• 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

Abstract

A planarizer for a probe card assembly. A planarizer includes a first control member extending from a substrate in a probe card assembly. The first control member extends through at least one substrate in the probe card assembly and is accessible from an exposed side of an exterior substrate in the probe card assembly. Actuating the first control member causes a deflection of the substrate connected to the first control member.

Claims

1. A probe card assembly comprising:

a substrate having a first surface, wherein the first surface has an area that includes a central region and at least one peripheral region, wherein each peripheral region is located further from a center of said substrate than said central region;

a plurality of contact elements coupled to said first surface of said substrate; and

at least one planarizing element capable of transmitting a force to the central region of said substrate to modify a shape of the first surface at said central region relative to a shape of said first surface at each peripheral region, whereby, the first surface can be made planar.

2. A probe card assembly as in claim 1 wherein each of said contact elements has a contact region, and wherein said at least one planarizing element applies a force to the central region relative to each peripheral region such that said contact regions are planarized relative to one another.

3. A probe card assembly as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of contact elements comprises free-standing spring elements.

4. A probe card assembly as in claim 1 further comprising an automated actuator coupled to said at least one planarizing element.

5. A probe card assembly as in claim 1,

wherein said at least one planarizing element comprises at least four control elements disposed relative to a printed wiring board in the probe card assembly such that each control element can transmit force to a respective area of said substrate and to a respective area of said printed wiring board.

6. A substrate as in claim 5 wherein said plurality of contact elements are configured to contact a plurality of terminals on a semiconductor device.

7. A probe card assembly as in claim 5 wherein said substrate comprises a space transformer.

8. A probe card assembly as in claim 7 wherein at least one of said control elements comprises:

a stud having a first end and a second end, said first end having a bore mateable with a protrusion on a second surface of said space transformer; and

an actuating component coupled to said second end of said stud.

9. A probe card assembly as in claim 8 wherein said actuating component is rotatably coupled to said second end of said stud.

10. A probe card assembly as in claim 7 wherein said control elements are controllable by a computer system.

11. An interposer for use with a probe card assembly, the interposer comprising:

an opening in a central region of the interposer, wherein said opening can be aligned with a central region of a space transformer in the probe card assembly, the opening being capable of receiving an actuating assembly for deflecting a central region of a space transformer in the probe card assembly such that a first surface of the space transformer is deflected at said space transformer central region compared to at least one peripheral region of the space transformer.

12. A probe card assembly comprising:

a space transformer having a first surface, wherein the first surface has an area that includes a central region and at least one peripheral region, wherein each peripheral region is located further from a center of said space transformer than said central region;

a plurality of contact elements, coupled to said first surface of said space transformer;

an adjustable central control member capable of transmitting a force to the central region of said space transformer to modify a shape of the first surface at said central region relative to a shape of said first surface at each peripheral region; and

at least one adjustable peripheral control member, wherein each adjustable peripheral control member is capable of transmitting a respective force to a respective peripheral region of said space transformer to modify a shape of the first surface at the respective peripheral region relative to a shape of said first surface at the central region.

13. The probe card assembly of claim 12, further comprising an interposer coupled to said space transformer and having an opening in a central region of the interposer, wherein said adjustable central control member is positioned to extend through the opening in said interposer.

14. The probe card assembly of claim 12, wherein said adjustable central control member comprises an adjustable push/pull control member capable of transmitting a push force and a pull force to the central region of said space transformer, wherein the push force is a force applied along a direction extending from the push/pull control member toward the space transformer, and the pull force is a force applied along a direction extending from the space transformer toward the push/pull control member.

15. The probe card assembly of claim 14, wherein each adjustable peripheral control member comprises an adjustable push control member capable of transmitting a push force to a respective peripheral region of said space transformer, wherein the push force is a force applied along a direction extending from the push control member toward the space transformer.

16. The probe card assembly of claim 15, further comprising:

a printed wiring board that is electrically coupled to said space transformer; and

a drive plate coupled to said printed wiring board;

wherein said adjustable push/pull control member is coupled between said space transformer and said drive plate, and each adjustable push control member is coupled between said space transformer and said drive plate, whereby, said drive plate helps provide resistance such that said adjustable push/pull control member is capable of pushing and pulling said space transformer away from and toward said drive plate and each adjustable push control member is capable of pushing said space transformer away from said drive plate.

17. The probe card assembly of claim 16, where in said adjustable push/pull control member includes an extension stud having a first end that can be coupled to said space transformer and a second end that can be coupled to said drive plate.

18. The probe card assembly of claim 17, wherein said adjustable push/pull control member further includes an actuating element coupled between said second end of said extension stud and said drive plate.

19. The probe card assembly of claim 18, wherein said adjustable push/pull control member further includes a spring element coupled between said actuating element and said drive plate, and wherein said actuating element comprises an actuating nut, whereby, rotation of said actuating nut adjusts the deflection of said space transformer.

20. The probe card assembly of claim 16, wherein said adjustable push/pull control member includes an extension stud having a first threaded end that can be coupled to said space transformer and a second threaded end that can be coupled to said drive plate.

21. The probe card assembly of claim 20, further comprising a threaded stud coupled between said space transformer and said first threaded end of said extension stud.

22. The probe card assembly of claim 15, wherein at least one of said adjustable push control members includes a screw coupled to a ball bearing.

23. A probe card assembly comprising:

a plurality of substrates, each substrate having a central region and at least one peripheral region, wherein each peripheral region is located further from a center of a respective substrate than said central region; and

a plurality of planarizing elements that control the planarity of respective ones of said substrates;

wherein each planarizing element comprises;

an adjustable central control member capable of transmitting a force to the central region of said substrate to modify a shape of the respective substrate at said central region relative to a shape of the respective substrate at each peripheral region; and

at least one adjustable peripheral control member, wherein each adjustable peripheral control member is capable of transmitting a respective force to a respective peripheral region of said substrate to modify a shape at the respective peripheral region relative to a shape at the central region.

24. A probe card assembly comprising:

a substrate having a central region and at least one peripheral region, wherein each peripheral region is located further from a center of said substrate than said central region;

a plurality of contact elements, coupled to said substrate;

an adjustable central control member capable of transmitting a force to the central region of said substrate to modify a shape at said central region relative to a shape at each peripheral region; and

at least one adjustable peripheral control member, wherein each adjustable peripheral control member is capable of transmitting a respective force to a respective peripheral region of said substrate to modify a shape at the respective peripheral region relative to a shape at the central region.

25. A probe card assembly of claim 24, wherein said substrate comprises a space transformer.