Nickel alloy probe card frame laminate

• US 6,661,244 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2002
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WinWay Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Wentworth Laboratories, Inc.
• Inventors: Thiessen, William F., McQuade, Francis T., Evans, Stephen, Kukielka, Zbigniew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vinh P.
• Application Number:
  US10/060,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20030146769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 324/754, 324/761, 324/762, 324/755, 324/765, 439/480, 439/824, 439/482
• US Class Current: 324/756.03
• 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 1/07357 with flexible bodies, e.g. buckling beams
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 3/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture or maintenance of measuring instruments , e.g. of probe tips

Abstract

A probe head assembly for use in a vertical pin probing device of the type used to electrically test integrated circuit devices has a metallic spacer portion formed from a plurality of laminated metallic layers. The laminated metallic layers are formed from a low coefficient of thermal expansion metal, such as Invar, a 36% nickel—64% iron alloy. By orienting the metallic grains of the laminated metal layers to be off-set from the orientation of metallic grains of adjacent metallic foil layers, increased strength and flatness is achieved.

Claims

1. A probe head assembly suitable for use in a vertical pin probing device, comprising:

a first spacer member having a first innermost surface and a first outermost surface and a centrally disposed first aperture, a first dielectric sheet spanning said first aperture adjacent said first outermost surface, said first dielectric sheet having a first set of through-holes defining a pattern;

a second spacer member having a second innermost surface and a second outermost surface and a centrally disposed second aperture, a second dielectric sheet that is substantially parallel to said first dielectric sheet spanning said second aperture adjacent said second outermost surface, said second dielectric sheet having a second set of through holes defining said same pattern but horizontally off-set from vertical alignment with said first set of through holes, wherein said second innermost surface is adjacent said first innermost surface; and

at least one of said first spacer member and said second spacer member being a composite formed of a plurality of lamination layers of a low coefficient of thermal expansion metal alloy foil laminated together wherein at least a first lamination layer and a second lamination layer have non-aligned elongated metallic grains.

2. The probe head assembly of claim 1 wherein both said first spacer member and said second spacer member are composites formed of a plurality of lamination layers of a low coefficient of thermal expansion metal alloy foil laminated together wherein at least a first lamination layer and a second lamination layer have non-aligned elongated metallic grains.

3. The probe head assembly of claim 2 wherein said lamination layers have a coefficient of thermal expansion that is within 4×

10<sup>−

6</sup> inch/inch/°

F. the coefficient of thermal expansion of an integrated circuit device under test.

4. The probe head assembly of claim 3 wherein said dielectric layer is a ceramic with a coefficient of thermal expansion within 4×

10<sup>−

6</sup> inch/inch/°

F. the coefficient of thermal expansion of said lamination layers.

5. The probe head assembly of claim 4 wherein said lamination layers are Invar and said ceramic dielectric sheet is silicon nitride.

6. The probe head assembly of claim 2 wherein each of said plurality of lamination layers has elongated metallic grains offset from each adjacent ones of said plurality of lamination layers.

7. The probe head assembly of claim 6 wherein each of said plurality of lamination layer has elongated metallic grains offset from each adjacent ones of said plurality of lamination layers by about 90°

.

8. The probe head assembly of claim 6 wherein said lamination layers are Invar and said ceramic dielectric sheet is silicon nitride.

9. The probe head assembly of claim 2 wherein said plurality of lamination layers extend from an innermost layer to an outermost layer and said aperture has a larger perimeter in said outermost layer than in said innermost layer, thereby forming a shelf.

10. The probe head assembly of claim 9 wherein said dielectric sheet is a ceramic that is supported by said shelf.

11. The probe head assembly of claim 10 wherein said ceramic sheet is adhesively bonded to said shelf.

12. The probe head assembly of claim 11 wherein each of said plurality of lamination layers has elongated metallic grains offset from each adjacent ones of said plurality of lamination layers.

13. The probe head assembly of claim 12 wherein each of said plurality of lamination layer has elongated metallic grains offset from each adjacent ones of said plurality of lamination layers by about 90°

.

14. The probe head assembly of claim 13 wherein said lamination layers are Invar and said ceramic dielectric sheet is silicon nitride.

15. The probe head assembly of claim 14 wherein said spacer member has a flatness variation of less than 0.0002 inch per inch.