Electrical connection device comprising connection elements with controllable position

• US 9,915,683 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Inventors: Ben Jamaa, Haykel, Rey, Patrice
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hawkins, Dominic
• Application Number:
  US14/737,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20150369843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06705 Apparatus for holding or moving single probes for moving multiple probe heads or ICs under test G01R31/2886
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06727 Cantilever beams
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06738 related to tip portion
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06761 related to layers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07364 with provisions for altering position, number or connection of probe tips; Adapting to differences in pitch
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 3/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture or maintenance of measuring instruments , e.g. of probe tips
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2057/006 Micromechanical piezoelectric relay
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 57/00 Electrostrictive relays; Piezoelectric relays
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/2042 Cantilevers, i.e. having one fixed end
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/43 Electric condenser making

Abstract

Electrical connection device comprising at least one substrate and one or several first electrical connection elements located on a front face of the electrical connection device such that they can be coupled to contact pads of an electronic device to which the electrical connection device is intended to be connected, each first electrical connection element comprising:

• • at least one support, of which at least one first end is anchored to the substrate such that part of the support is suspended above the front face, the support comprising at least a portion of piezoelectric material located between two electrodes and capable of moving said part of the support in two directions approximately perpendicular to the front face depending on a value of an electrical voltage intended to be applied onto the electrodes;
  • at least one electrical conducting element located on said part of the support.

Claims

1. An electrical connection device comprising:

at least one substrate; and

one or several first electrical connection elements located on a front face of the electrical connection device to be coupled to contact pads of an electronic device to which the electrical connection device is to be connected, each first electrical connection element including

at least one support, of which at least one first end is anchored to the substrate such that part of the support is suspended above the front face forming a space between at least part of the first electrical connection element and at least part of the front face, the support comprising at least a portion of piezoelectric material located between two electrodes such that said part of the support is movable in two directions approximately perpendicular to the front face depending on a value of an electrical voltage that is to be applied onto the electrodes; and

at least one electrical conducting element located on said part of the support.

2. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrical connection elements are arranged according to a matrix with a pitch of less than about 100 μ

m.

3. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein the support of each first electrical connection element is elongated in shape and extends in a direction approximately parallel to the front face.

4. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conducting element in each first electrical connection element is located at a second end of the support suspended above the front face.

5. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein a second end of the support is anchored to the substrate in each first electrical connection element, said part of the support suspended above the front face being located between the first end and second end of the support.

6. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein each electrically conducting element comprises at least one portion of electrically conducting material of which one end forms one or several probes, each probe being rounded or plane or pointed.

7. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein the support for each first electrical connection element also comprises at least one anchor portion such that a first electrode of the two electrodes is located between said anchor portion and the portion of piezoelectric material, the anchor portion anchoring the support to the substrate.

8. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein the support of each first electrical connection element comprises at least one electrically conducting portion on which the electrically conducting element is located.

9. The electrical connection device according to claim 8, wherein the support of each first electrical connection element also comprises at least one dielectric portion located between the electrically conducting portion and a second electrode of the two electrodes.

10. The electrical connection device according to claim 8, further comprising at least one electrically conducting via passing through the substrate and connected to the electrically conducting portion of the support of each first electrical connection element and to at least one second electrical connection element located on a back face of the electrical connection device.

11. The electrical connection device according to claim 8, wherein the electrically conducting portion of the support of each first electrical connection element forms a cover of at least one cavity located in the support, the electrically conducting element possibly being located above the cavity.

12. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, further comprising:

several dielectric layers superposed and arranged on the substrate and forming the front face of the electrical connection device, and

several electrical interconnection layers located in the dielectric layers and to which at least the electrodes of each first electrical connection element are connected.

13. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one memory configured to store the value of the electrical voltage intended to be applied to the electrodes of each first electrical connection element.

14. A method for making an electrical connection device, including producing one or several first electrical connection elements from a substrate on a front face of the electrical connection device to be coupled to contact pads of an electronic device to which the electrical connection device is to be connected, the method comprising:

producing at least one portion of sacrificial material on the front face;

producing at least one support, of which at least one first end is anchored to the substrate such that part of the support is located on the portion of sacrificial material, the support comprising at least one portion of piezoelectric material located between two electrodes;

producing at least one electrical connection element on said part of the support; and

eliminating the portion of sacrificial material, releasing said part of the support such that the portion of piezoelectric material is configured to move said part of the support in two-directions, approximately perpendicular to the front face depending on a value of an electrical voltage intended to be applied onto the electrodes, the part of the support being suspended above the front face forming a space between at least part of the first electrical connection element and at least part of the front face.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising producing several dielectric layers superposed and located on the substrate and forming the front face of the electrical connection device, and several electrical interconnection layers located in the dielectric layers and to which at least the electrodes of the first electrical connection element(s) are connected, before producing the first electrical connection element(s).