Probe card and method for testing magnetic sensors

• US 9,606,144 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everspin Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Everspin Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Liu, Lianjun, Mather, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vincent Q
• Application Number:
  US14/687,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20150219689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 324/201, 324/224, 324/252, 324/260, 324/262, 324/329, 324/756.02, 324/756.03
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 33/0035 Calibration of single magnetic sensors, e.g. integrated calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/09 Magnetoresistive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A probe card and method are provided for testing magnetic sensors at the wafer level. The probe card has one or more probe tips having a first pair of solenoid coils in parallel configuration on first opposed sides of each probe tip to supply a magnetic field in a first (X) direction, a second pair of solenoid coils in parallel configuration on second opposed sides of each probe tip to supply a magnetic field in a second (Y) direction orthogonal to the first direction, and an optional third solenoid coil enclosing or inscribing the first and second pair to supply a magnetic field in a third direction (Z) orthogonal to both the first and second directions. The first pair, second pair, and third coil are each symmetrical with a point on the probe tip array, the point being aligned with and positioned close to a magnetic sensor during test.

Claims

1. A method of testing a magnetic sensor with a probe card including a plurality of probe tips and first and second pairs of non-coaxial coils, comprising:

applying a first magnetic field to the magnetic sensor with the first pair of non-coaxial coils positioned on first opposed sides of the plurality of probe tips, wherein each coil of the first pair of non-coaxial coils includes a longitudinal axis;

sensing a first output from the magnetic sensor;

applying a second magnetic field to the magnetic sensor with the second pair of non-coaxial coils positioned on second opposed sides of the plurality of probe tips, the second magnetic field being orthogonal to the first magnetic field at the magnetic sensor, wherein each coil of the second pair of non-coaxial coils includes a longitudinal axis, and wherein the longitudinal axes of the first pair of non-coaxial coils are disposed orthogonally to the longitudinal axes of the second pair of non-coaxial coils; and

sensing a second output from the magnetic sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the probe card further includes a solenoid coil surrounding the first and second pairs of non-coaxial coils, the method further comprising:

applying a third magnetic field to the magnetic sensor with the solenoid coil, wherein the third magnetic field is orthogonal to each of the first and second magnetic fields at the magnetic sensor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein multiple magnetic fields are applied by each of the first and second pair non-coaxial coils and the solenoid coil.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first magnetic field, the second magnetic field, and the third magnetic field are applied simultaneously.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first magnetic field, the second magnetic field, and the third magnetic field are applied sequentially.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein applying the third magnetic field to the magnetic sensor with the solenoid coil includes:

applying a third current to the solenoid coil to generate the third magnetic field.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic field and the second magnetic field are applied simultaneously.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic field and the second magnetic field are applied sequentially.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple magnetic fields are applied by each of the first and second pair of non-coaxial coils.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the probe card further includes a solenoid coil within the first and second pairs of non-coaxial coils, the method further comprising:

applying a third magnetic field to the magnetic sensor with the solenoid coil, wherein the third magnetic field is orthogonal to each of the first and second magnetic fields at the magnetic sensor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first magnetic field, the second magnetic field, and the third magnetic field are applied simultaneously.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first magnetic field, the second magnetic field, and the third magnetic field are applied sequentially.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein multiple magnetic fields are applied by each of the first and second pair non-coaxial coils and the solenoid coil.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein applying the third magnetic field to the magnetic sensor with the solenoid coil includes:

applying a third current to the solenoid coil to generate the third magnetic field.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

coupling at least one probe tip of the plurality of probe tips to an input node of the magnetic sensor;

coupling at least one other probe tip of the plurality of probe tips to an output node of the magnetic sensor;

applying a voltage to the input node,

wherein sensing the first output from the magnetic sensor includes sensing at the output node a voltage across a plurality of sensor elements of the magnetic sensors.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the first magnetic field to the magnetic sensor with the first pair of non-coaxial coils includes:

applying a first current to the first pair of non-coaxial coils to generate the first magnetic field.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the second magnetic field to the magnetic sensor with the second pair of non-coaxial coils includes:

applying a second current to the second pair of non-coaxial coils to generate the second magnetic field.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second pairs of non-coaxial coils are solenoid coils.