• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.825-831
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• 2006

As an increase of chip complexity and level of chip integration, chip input/output (I/O) pad pitches are also drastically reduced. With arrival of high complexity SoC (System on Chip) and SiP (System in Package) products, conventional horizontal type probe card showed its limitation on probing density for wafer level test. To enhance probing density, we proposed new vertical type probe card that has the $70{\mu}m$ probe needle with tungsten wire in $80{\mu}m$ micro-drilled hole in ceramic board. To minimize alignment error, micro-drilling conditions are optimized and epoxy-hardening conditions are also optimized to minimize planarity changes. To apply wafer level test for target devices (T5365 256M SDRAM), designed probe card was characterized by probe needle tension for test, contact resistance measurement, leakage current measurement and the planarity test. Compare to conventional probe card with minimum pitch of $50{\sim}125{\mu}m\;and\;2\;{\Omega}$ of average contact resistance, designed probe card showed only $22{\mu}$ of minimum pitch and $1.5{\Omega}$ of average contact resistance. And also, with the nature of vertical probing style, it showed comparably small contact scratch and it can be applied to bumping type chip test.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.433-438
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• 2005

We present a new type of silicon micro-probe card using a three-dimensional probe beam of the cantilever type. It was fabricated using KOH and dry etching, a porous silicon micromachining technique, and an Au electroplating process. The cantilever-type probe beam had a thickness of $5 {\mu}m$, and a width of $50{\mu}$ and a length of $800 {\mu}m$. The probe beam for pad contact was formed by the thermal expansion coefficient difference between the films. The maximum height of the curled probe beam was $170 {\mu}m$, and an annealing process was performed for 20 min at $500^{\circ}C$. The contact resistance of the newly fabricated probe card was less than $2{\Omega}$, and its lifetime was more than 20,000 turns.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.641-649
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• 2016

In this paper, a novel time-domain measurement technique on a high parallelism probe card with protection resistors installed is proposed. The measured signal amplitude decreases when the measurement is performed by Needle Auto Calibration (NAC) probing on a high parallelism probe card with installed resistors. Therefore, the original signals must be carefully reconstructed, and the compensation coefficient, which is related to the number of channel branches and the value of protection resistors, must be introduced. The accuracy of the reconstructed signals is analyzed based on the varying number of channel branches and various protection resistances. The results demonstrate that the proposed technique is appropriate for evaluating the overall signal performance of probe cards with Automatic Test Equipment (ATE), which enhances the efficiency of probe card performance test dramatically.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.749-755
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• 2007

Recently, novel MEMS probe cards can support reliable wafer level chip test with high density probing capacity. However, manufacturing cost and process complexity are crucial weak points for low cost mass production. To overcome these limitations, we have developed micro spring structured MEMS probe card. For fabrication of micro spring module, a wire bonder and electrolytic polished gold wires are used. In this case, stringent tension force control is essential to guarantee the low level contact resistance of micro spring for reliable probing performance. For this, relation between tension force of fabricated probe card and contact resistance is characterized. Compare to conventional probe cards, developed MEMS probe card requires fewer fabrication steps and it can be manufactured with lower cost than other MEMS probe cards. Also, due to the small contact scratch patterns, we expect that it can be applied to bumping types chip test which require higher probing density.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

We have developed the process of forming one body S-type cantilever probe in the recessed trench for fine-pitched MEMS probe card. The probe (cantilever beam and pyramid tip) was formed using Deep RIE etching and wet etching. The pyramid tip was formed by the wet etching using KOH and TMAH. The process of forming the curved probe was also developed by the wet etching. Therefore, the fabricated probe is applicable for the probe card for DRAM, Flash memory and RF devices tests and probe tip for IC test socket.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.361-364
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• 2008

Tips of probe card were fabricated using MEMS technology. P-type silicon wafer with $SiO_2$ layer was used as a substrate for fabricating the probe card. Ni-Cr and Au used as seed layer for electroplating Ni were deposited on the silicon wafer. Line patterns for probing devices were formed on silicon wafer by electroplating Ni through mold which formed by MEMS technology. Bridge structure was formed by wet-etching the silicon substrate. AZ-1512 photoresist was used for protection layer of back side and DNB-H100PL-40 photoresist was used for patterning of the front side. The mold with the thickness of $60{\mu}m$ was also formed using THB-120N photoresist and probe tip with thickness of $50{\mu}m$ was fabricated by electroplating process.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.1210-1215
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• 2010

The probe card are test modules which are to classify the good semiconductor chips and thin film before the packaging process. In the rapid growth a technology of semiconductor, the number of pads per unit area is increasing and pad arrays are becoming irregular. Therefore, the technology of probe card needs narrow width and lots of probe tip. In this paper, the probe tip based on the MEMS(Micro Electro Mechanical System)technology was developed a new MEMS probe tip for vertical probe card applications. For the structural designs of probe tip were performed to mechanical characteristics and structural analysis using FEM(Finite Element Method). Also, the contact force of MEMS probe tip compared with FEM results and experimental results. Finally, the MEMS probe card was developed a fine pitch smaller than $50{\mu}m$.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.1718-1723
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• 2007

The Probe Card is a test component which is to classify the good semiconductor chips before the packaging. The yield of semiconductor product can be better from analysis of probe test information. Recently the technology of the probe card needs narrow width and large amount of probe tip. In this research, the probe tip based on the MEMS(micro electro mechanical system) technology was designed and fabricated to improve the reliability of the test and to meet 2-dimensional Array of tip. The mechanical and electrical properties of proposed tip were evaluated and it has over 100,000 of repetition times in the condition of 5gf, $20{\mu}m$ Over Drive.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2012.11a
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• pp.71-71
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• 2012

Memory 반도체 Test공정에서 사용되는 Probe Card의 Probing Area가 넓어지면서 종래에 사용되던 Cantilever제품의 사용이 불가능하게 되고, MEMS공정을 사용한 새로운 형태의 Advanced제품이 시장에 출현을 하였다. MEMS형의 제품은 다수의 Micro Spring을 MLC(Multi Layer Ceramic)위에 MEMS 공정을 사용하여 생성하는 방식으로서 MLC는 좁은 지역에 다수의 Pin을 생성 할 수 있는 공간을 만들어 주며, 또 다른 이유는 전기적 특성인 임피던스를 맞추고 다수의 Pin의 압력에 의하여 생기는 하중을 Ceramic기판으로 지탱하기 위한 목적도 있다. 이에 MLC와 같은 전기적 특성을 임피던스를 맞춘 RF-CPCB를 사용하여 작은 면적에 다수의 Pin접합이 가능한 방법을 마련한 후, 이 RF-PCB를 부착하여 Pin의 하중을 받는 Wafer와 유사한 열팽창을 갖는 Substrate를 사용하여 MLC를 대체하여 다양한 온도 조건에서 사용이 가능하며, 복잡하고 공정비가 많이 드는 MEMS 공정에 의한 일괄 Micro Spring 생성 공정을 전주 도금 또는 2D방식의 도금 Pin으로 대체하였으며, Probe Card의 중요한 물리적 특성인 Pin들의 정렬도를 마련하기 위해 Photo Process를 사용한 Wafer로 만든 Wafer Pin Array Frame을 사용하여 2D 제작 Pin을 일괄 또는 부분 접합이 가능한 방법으로 Probe Array Head를 제작하여 이들을 부착하여 Probe Array Head를 이전의 MEMS공정 방법에 비해 쉽고 빠르게 만들어 probe Card를 제작 할 수 있게 되었다.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.4121-4128
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• 2010

A probe card is used in testing semiconductor wafers. It must maintain a precise location tolerance for a fine pitch due to highly densified chips. However, high heat transferred from its lower chuck causes thermal deformations of the probe card. Vertical deformation due to the heat will bring contact problems to the pins in the probe card, while horizontal deformation will cause positional inaccuracies. Therefore, probe cards must be designed with proper materials and structures so that the thermal deformations are within allowable tolerances. In this paper, heat transfer analyses under realistic loading conditions are simulated using ANSYS$^{TM}$ finite element analysis program. Thermal deformations are calculated based on steady-state temperature gradients, and an optimal structure of the probe card is proposed by adjusting a set of relevant design parameters so that the deformations are minimized.