Anisotropic conductive sheet and wafer inspection device

• US 6,870,385 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ISC Incorporated (Svenska Cellulosa AB)
• Original Assignee: JSR Corporation
• Inventors: Inoue, Kazuo, Igarashi, Hisao
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOAI AN D
• Application Number:
  US10/432,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20040028893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 324/713, 324/691, 324/649, 324/600, 324/754, 324/765, 324/755, 324/757, 324/761, 324/762, 324/758, 324557-559, 438/27, 438/46, 439/55, 439/66, 439/86, 439/91, 439/586, 439/591, 252/512, 252/514, 257/9, 257/613, 428/328, 428/332
• US Class Current: 324/755.09
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06755 Material aspects
• 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 1/0735 arranged on a flexible frame or film
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/256 Heavy metal or aluminum or compound thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/26 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a wafer inspection apparatus which is small in size, prevented from shortening the service life of its circuit board for inspection, can collectively perform inspection as to a great number of electrodes to be inspected, has good electrical properties and can perform electrical inspection of high functional integrated circuits, and an anisotropically conductive sheet suitable for use in this wafer inspection apparatus. The anisotropically conductive sheet is composed of an insulating sheet body, in which a through-hole has been formed, and an elastic anisotropically conductive film arranged in the through-hole. The insulating sheet body is formed of a material having a modulus of elasticity of 1×10⁸ to 1×10¹⁰ Pa, a coefficient of linear thermal expansion of 3×10⁻⁶ to 3×10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ and a saturation magnetization lower than 0.1 wb/m², the elastic anisotropically conductive film is composed of a plurality of conductive path-forming portions and insulating portions formed among these conductive path-forming portions, the conductive path-forming portions are obtained by filling conductive particles having a number average particle diameter of 30 to 150 μm, a coating layer composed of a noble metal and having a thickness of at least 20 nm is formed on surfaces of the conductive particles, each of the conductive path-forming portions has a durometer hardness of 15 to 45, and an electric resistance between conductive path-forming portions is at least 10 MΩ.

Claims

1. An anisotropically conductive sheet comprising:

an insulating sheet body, in which a through-hole extending in a thickness-wise direction thereof has been formed, and

an elastic anisotropically conductive film arranged in the through-hole in the insulating sheet body and supported by the inner peripheral edge portion about the through-hole, wherein

the insulating sheet body is composed of a material having a modulus of elasticity of 1×

10⁸ to 1×

10¹⁰ Pa, a coefficient of linear thermal expansion of 3×

10<sup>−

6</sup> to 3×

10<sup>−

5</sup> K<sup>−

1</sup> and a saturation magnetization lower than 0.1 wb/m², wherein

the elastic anisotropically conductive film is composed of a plurality of conductive path-forming portions each extending in a thickness-wise direction of the film and arranged along a plane direction of the film in a state separated from each other and an insulating portions formed between these conductive path-forming portions, the conductive path-forming portions are obtained by filling conductive particles having a number average particle diameter of 30 to 150 μ

m and exhibiting magnetism at a high density in an elastic polymeric substance, and a coating layer composed of a noble metal and having a thickness of at least 20 nm is formed on surfaces of the conductive particles, and wherein

each of the conductive path-forming portions has a durometer hardness of 15 to 45, and an electric resistance between conductive path-forming portions adjacent to each other is at least 10 MΩ

.

3. The anisotropically conductive sheet according to claim 1, wherein an allowable current value of each of the conductive path-forming portions when the conductive path-forming portion is pressed in the thickness-wise direction thereof under a load of 40 g is at least 3 A.

5. The anisotropically conductive sheet according to claim 1, wherein an allowable current value of each of the conductive path-forming portions when the conductive path-forming portion is pressed in the thickness-wise direction thereof so as to give a distortion factor of 10% is at least 1 A.

7. The anisotropically conductive sheet according to claim 3, wherein an electric resistance of each of the conductive path-forming portions in the thickness-wise direction thereof as measured in a state that the conductive path-forming portion has been pressed in the thickness-wise direction under a load of 40 g is at most 0.1 Ω

, and an electric resistance of the conductive path-forming portion in the thickness-wise direction thereof as measured in a state that the conductive path-forming portion has been pressed in the thickness-wise direction under a load of 40 g, after a cycle that the conductive path-forming portion is pressed for 15 minutes in the thickness-wise direction under a load of 40 g and then held for 5 minutes in an unloaded state in an environment of 100°

C. in temperature, was repeated for 3,000 times is at most 0.1 Ω

.

9. The anisotropically conductive sheet according to claim 5, wherein an electric resistance of each of the conductive path-forming portions in the thickness-wise direction thereof as measured in a state that the conductive path-forming portion has been pressed in the thickness-wise direction so as to give a distortion factor of 10% is at most 0.1 Ω

, and an electric resistance of the conductive path-forming portion in the thickness-wise direction thereof as measured after a current of 1 A is applied to the conductive path-forming portion for 3,000 hours in a state that the conductive path-forming portion had been pressed in the thickness-wise direction as to give a distortion factor of 10% in an environment of 100°

C. in temperature is at most 0.1 Ω

.

11. A wafer inspection apparatus for performing electrical inspection of a great number of integrated circuits formed on a wafer, which comprises:

a controller having an input-output terminal part, in which a great number of input-output terminals have been arranged,

a circuit board for inspection having a leading terminal part, in which a great number of leading terminals have been arranged on one surface thereof in accordance with a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the input-output terminals in the controller so that the each of the leading terminals is opposed to the respective input-output terminals of the controller,

a contact member arranged on said one surface or the other surface of the circuit board for inspection and having a great number of contactors electrically connected to the respective leading terminals through a circuit in the circuit board for inspection and brought into contact with electrodes to be inspected of the integrated circuits on the wafer as an object of the inspection, and

a connector arranged between the input-output terminal part of the controller and the leading terminal part of the circuit board for inspection to respectively electrically connect the each of the input-output terminals to the respective leading terminals, wherein

the connector is composed of the anisotropically conductive sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The wafer inspection apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the connector is constructed by arranging a plurality of the anisotropically conductive sheets so as to align along the surface of the leading terminal part of the circuit board for inspection.

13. A wafer inspection apparatus for performing electrical inspection of a great number of integrated circuits formed on a wafer, which comprises:

a controller having an input-output terminal part, in which a great number of input-output terminals have been arranged,

a circuit board for inspection having a leading terminal part, in which a great number of leading terminals have been arranged, on one surface thereof,

a contact member arranged on the other surface of the circuit board for inspection and having a great number of contactors electrically connected to the respective leading terminals through a circuit in the circuit board for inspection and brought into contact with electrodes to be inspected of the integrated circuits on the wafer as an object of the inspection,

a circuit board for connection having one-side connecting electrode part, in which a great number of one-side connecting electrodes have been arranged on one surface thereof in accordance with a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the input-output terminals of the controller so that the each of the one-side connecting electrodes is opposed to the respective input-output terminals of the controller, and the other-side connecting electrode part, in which a great number of other-side connecting electrodes have been arranged on the other surface thereof in accordance with a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the leading terminals of the circuit board for inspection so that the each of the other-side connecting electrodes is opposed to the respective leading terminals of the circuit board for inspection,

a first connector arranged between the input-output terminal part of the controller and the one-side connecting electrode part of the circuit board for connection to electrically connect the each of the input-output terminals to the respective one-side connecting electrodes, and

a second connector arranged between the leading terminal part of the circuit board for inspection and the other-side connecting electrode part of the circuit board for connection to electrically connect the each of the leading terminals to the respective other-side connecting electrodes, wherein

either one or both of the first and second connectors are composed of the anisotropically conductive sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. A wafer inspection apparatus for performing electrical inspection of a great number of integrated circuits formed on a wafer, which comprises:

a controller having an input-output terminal part, in which a great number of input-output terminals have been arranged,

a circuit board for inspection having a leading terminal part, in which a great number of leading terminals have been arranged, on one surface thereof,

a contact member arranged on the other surface of the circuit board for inspection and having a great number of contactors electrically connected to the respective leading terminals through a circuit in the circuit board for inspection and brought into contact with electrodes to be inspected of the integrated circuits on the wafer as an object of the inspection,

a circuit board for connection having one-side connecting electrode part, in which a great number of one-side connecting electrodes have been arranged on one surface thereof in accordance with a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the input-output terminals of the controller so that the each of the one-side connecting electrodes is opposed to the respective input-output terminals of the controller, and the other-side connecting electrode part, in which a great number of other-side connecting electrodes have been arranged on the other surface thereof in accordance with a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the leading terminals of the circuit board for inspection so that the each of the other-side connecting electrodes is opposed to the respective leading terminals of the circuit board for inspection,

a first connector arranged between the input-output terminal part of the controller and the one-side connecting electrode part of the circuit board for connection to electrically connect the each of the input-output terminals to the respective one-side connecting electrodes, and

a second connector arranged between the leading terminal part of the circuit board for inspection and the other-side connecting electrode part of the circuit board for connection to electrically connect the each of the leading terminals to the respective other-side connecting electrodes, wherein

either one or both of the first and second connectors are constructed by arranging a plurality of the anisotropically conductive sheets according to any one of claims 1 to 10 so as to align along the surface of the one-side connecting electrode part or other-side connecting electrode part of the circuit board for connection.

2. An anisotropically conductive sheet comprising:

an insulating sheet body, in which a plurality of through-holes each extending in a thickness-wise direction thereof have been formed, and

a plurality of elastic anisotropically conductive films arranged in the respective through-holes in the insulating sheet body and supported by the inner peripheral edge portions about their corresponding through-holes, wherein

the insulating sheet body is composed of a material having a modulus of elasticity of 1×

10⁸ to 1×

10¹⁰ Pa, a coefficient of linear thermal expansion of 3×

10<sup>−

6</sup> to 3×

10<sup>−

5</sup> K<sup>−

1</sup> and a saturation magnetization lower than 0.1 wb/m², wherein

each of the elastic anisotropically conductive films is composed of a conductive path-forming portion extending in a thickness-wise direction of the film and an insulating portion formed about the conductive path-forming portion, the conductive path-forming portion is obtained by filling conductive particles having a number average particle diameter of 30 to 150 μ

m and exhibiting magnetism at a high density in an elastic polymeric substance, and a coating layer composed of a noble metal and having a thickness of at least 20 nm is formed on surfaces of the conductive particles, and wherein

the conductive path-forming portion in each of the elastic anisotropically conductive films has a durometer hardness of 15 to 45, and an electric resistance between the conductive path-forming portions adjacent to each other of elastic anisotropically conductive films is at least 10 MΩ

.

4. The anisotropically conductive sheet according to claim 2, wherein an allowable current value of each of the conductive path-forming portions when the conductive path-forming portion is pressed in the thickness-wise direction thereof under a load of 40 g is at least 3 A.

6. The anisotropically conductive sheet according to claim 2, wherein an allowable current value of each of the conductive path-forming portions when the conductive path-forming portion is pressed in the thickness-wise direction thereof so as to give a distortion factor of 10% is at least 1 A.

8. The anisotropically conductive sheet according to claim 4, wherein an electric resistance of each of the conductive path-forming portions in the thickness-wise direction thereof as measured in a state that the conductive path-forming portion has been pressed in the thickness-wise direction under a load of 40 g is at most 0.1 Ω

, and an electric resistance of the conductive path-forming portion in the thickness-wise direction thereof as measured in a state that the conductive path-forming portion has been pressed in the thickness-wise direction under a load of 40 g, after a cycle that the conductive path-forming portion is pressed for 15 minutes in the thickness-wise direction under a load of 40 g and then held for 5 minutes in an unloaded state in an environment of 100°

C. in temperature, was repeated for 3,000 times is at most 0.1 Ω

.

10. The anisotropically conductive sheet according to claim 6, wherein an electric resistance of each of the conductive path-forming portions in the thickness-wise direction thereof as measured in a state that the conductive path-forming portion has been pressed in the thickness-wise direction so as to give a distortion factor of 10% is at most 0.1 Ω

, and an electric resistance of the conductive path-forming portion in the thickness-wise direction thereof as measured after a current of 1 A is applied to the conductive path-forming portion for 3,000 hours in a state that the conductive path-forming portion had been pressed in the thickness-wise direction so as to give a distortion factor of 10% in an environment of 100°

C. in temperature is at most 0.1 Ω

.