Probe card capable of multi-probing

• US 7,659,735 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: An, Young-soo, Kim, Min-gu, Choi, Ho-jeong
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Vinh P
• Application Number:
  US11/646,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20070152688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 324/755.08
• 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: G01R 31/2889 Interfaces, e.g. between probe and tester G01R31/31905 and G01R1/07364 take precedence

Abstract

A probe card capable of multi-probing includes a print circuit board having a plurality of contact portions and a test module having a plurality of test boards. Each of the test boards includes at least one probing portion on which a plurality of needles are arrayed. The test module selects one of the test boards and probes semiconductor chips formed on a semiconductor wafer through the needles arrayed on the probing portion of the selected test board.

Claims

1. A probe card capable of multi-probing, comprising:

a PCB having a plurality of contact portions disposed on a first surface thereof;

a test module having a plurality of test boards each having at least one probing portion on which a plurality of needles are arrayed, the test board being provided at a side surface with an insertion groove, the plurality of needles in each of the test boards being contacted with the plurality of contact portions of the PCB;

a fixing member for fixing each test board and disposed on the first surface of the PCB; and

an elastic member disposed between the PCB and each of the test boards to bias the test board upward in the vertical direction with respect to the PCB.

2. The probe card of claim 1, wherein each of the test boards is formed in the form of a push button moving in a vertical direction to the PCB.

3. The probe card of claim 2, wherein the probing portions of the test boards are identical in a needle array configuration to each other or partly different in the needle array configuration from each other.

4. The probe card of claim 1, wherein the elastic member comprises a spring.

5. The probe card of claim 1, wherein the fixing member includes a locking member formed on a surface facing the side surface of the test board on which the insertion groove is formed.

6. The probe card of claim 5, wherein when one of the test boards is selected, the locking member is inserted in the insertion groove of the selected test board to allow the selected test board to contact the PCB through the contact portions while the test boards that are not selected are biased by the elastic members so as not to contact the PCB.

7. The probe card of claim 5, wherein the locking member is disposed between the PCB and the test board to be movable leftward and rightward.

8. The probe card of claim 7, wherein the locking member includes a projection that is inclined as it goes from the test board toward the PCB.

9. The probe card of claim 1, wherein there is a predetermined difference between a distance from a second surface of the PCB, which is opposite to the first surface, to extreme ends of the needles arrayed on the probing portion of the selected test board and a distance from the second surface of the PCB to extreme ends of the needles arrayed on the probing portions of the test boards that are not selected.

10. The probe card of claim 9, wherein the predetermined difference is about 5 mm.

11. The probe card of claim 1, wherein the probing portions of the test boards are different in an array configuration from each other.

12. The probe card of claim 1, wherein the probing portions of the test boards are identical in an array configuration to each other and different in a needle array configuration from each other.