Anisotropic conductivity connector, probe member, wafer inspecting device, and wafer inspecting method

• US 20060043983A1
• Filed: 08/07/2003
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ISC Incorporated (Svenska Cellulosa AB)
• Original Assignee: JSR Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Katsumi, Naoi, Masaya, Setaka, Ryoji
• Granted Patent: US 7,095,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/755.50
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06711 Probe needles; Cantilever beams; "Bump" contacts; Replaceable probe pins
• 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 3/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture or maintenance of measuring instruments , e.g. of probe tips
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2889 Interfaces, e.g. between probe and tester G01R31/31905 and G01R1/07364 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/714 with contacts abutting directly the printed circuit; Button contacts therefore provided on the printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2414 conductive elastomers

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an anisotropically conductive connector, by which good conductivity is retained over a long period of time even when it is used repeatedly over many times or repeatedly used under a high-temperature environment, and applications thereof. The anisotropically conductive connector is an anisotropically conductive connector having an elastic anisotropically conductive film, in which a plurality of conductive parts for connection extending in a thickness-wise direction of the film have been formed. The elastic anisotropically conductive film has initial properties that supposing that the total number of the conductive parts for connection is Y, an electric resistance of the conductive part for connection in a state that a load of Y×1 g has been applied to the elastic anisotropically conductive film in a thickness-wise direction thereof is R_1g, and an electric resistance of the conductive part for connection in a state that a load of Y×6 g has been applied to the elastic anisotropically conductive film in the thickness-wise direction is R_6g, the number of conductive parts for connection that R_1g is lower than 1 Ω is at least 90% of the total number of the conductive parts for connection, the number of conductive parts for connection that R_6g is lower than 0.1 Ω is at least 95% of the total number of the conductive parts for connection, and the number of conductive parts for connection that R_6g is at least 0.5 Ω is at most 1% of the total number of the conductive parts of connection.

Claims

1. (Canceled)

2. An anisotropically conductive connector for electrically connecting a circuit board for inspection to a wafer by being arranged on the surface of the circuit board for inspection for conducting electrical inspection of each of a plurality of integrated circuits formed on the wafer in a state of the wafer, which comprises:

a frame plate, in which a plurality of anisotropically conductive film-arranging holes each extending in a thickness-wise direction of the frame plate have been formed correspondingly to electrode regions, in which electrodes to be inspected have been arranged, in all or part of the integrated circuits formed on the wafer, which is an object of inspection, and a plurality of elastic anisotropically conductive films arranged in the respective anisotropically conductive film-arranging holes in this frame plate and each supported by the peripheral edge about the anisotropically conductive film-arranging hole,

wherein each of the elastic anisotropically conductive films is composed of a functional part having a plurality of conductive parts for connection arranged correspondingly to the electrodes to be inspected in the integrated circuits formed on the wafer, which is the object of inspection, containing conductive particles exhibiting magnetism at a high density and extending in the thickness-wise direction of the film and an insulating part mutually insulating these conductive parts for connection, and a part to be supported integrally formed at a peripheral edge of the functional part and fixed to the peripheral edge about the anisotropically conductive film-arranging hole in the frame plate, and

wherein the elastic anisotropically conductive film has initial properties that supposing that the total number of the conductive parts for connection is Y, an electric resistance of the conductive part for connection in a state that a load of Y×

1 g has been applied to the elastic anisotropically conductive film in a thickness-wise direction thereof is R_1g, and an electric resistance of the conductive part for connection in a state that a load of Y×

6 g has been applied to the elastic anisotropically conductive film in the thickness-wise direction is R_6g, the number of conductive parts for connection that a value of R_1g is lower than 1 Ω

is at least 90% of the total number of the conductive parts for connection, the number of conductive parts for connection that a value of R_6g is lower than 0.1 Ω

is at least 95% of the total number of the conductive parts for connection, and the number of conductive parts for connection that a value of R_6g is at least 0.5 Ω

is at most 1% of the total number of the conductive parts for connection.

3. The anisotropically conductive connector according to claim 2, wherein the coefficient of linear thermal expansion of the frame plate is at most 3×

10<sup>−

5</sup>/K.

4. A probe member suitable for use in conducting electrical inspection of each of a plurality of integrated circuits formed on a wafer in a state of the wafer, which comprises:

a circuit board for inspection, on the surface of which inspection electrodes have been formed in accordance with a pattern corresponding to a pattern of electrodes to be inspected of the integrated circuits formed on the wafer, which is an object of inspection, and the anisotropically conductive connector according to claim 2 or 3, which is arranged on the surface of the circuit board for inspection.

5. The probe member according to claim 4, wherein the coefficient of linear thermal expansion of the frame plate in the anisotropically conductive connector is at most 3×

10<sup>−

5</sup>/K, and the coefficient of linear thermal expansion of a base material making up the circuit board for inspection is at most 3×

10<sup>−

5</sup>/K.

6. The probe member according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a sheet-like connector composed of an insulating sheet and a plurality of electrode structures each extending through in a thickness-wise direction of the insulating sheet and arranged in accordance with a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the electrodes to be inspected is arranged on the anisotropically conductive connector.

7. A wafer inspection apparatus for conducting electrical inspection of each of a plurality of integrated circuits formed on a wafer in a state of the wafer, which comprises the probe member according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein electrical connection to the integrated circuits formed on the wafer, which is an object of inspection, is achieved through the probe member.

8. A wafer inspection method comprising electrically connecting each of a plurality of integrated circuits formed on a wafer to a tester through the probe member according to any one of claims 4 to 6 to perform electrical inspection of the integrated circuits formed on the wafer.