JPH0943274A - Contact structure of contact probe with object to be inspected - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an electrically stable contact by generating a self-cleaning action in the contact sites of a terminal to be measured with a contactor and the inner wall of a probe body with a top in a contact structure of a contact probe with an object to be inspected. SOLUTION: The contact structure brings a contact probe 6 into contact with a terminal 8 to be measured of a semiconductor device 7 to be inspected by pressing a contactor 5. The probe 6 is held by an angle so formed as to cross its shaft 4 at an acute angle θ1 to the surface of the terminal 8 to be measured of the device 7 to be inspected, the contactor 5 of the probe 6 is pressed to the terminal 8 to be measured as remaining in the inclined state, the contactor 5 is brought into sliding contact with the terminal 8, and the inner wall of the probe body 1 is bought into sliding contact with a top 3. Thus, a self-cleaning operation is given rise to at the contact site of them to be able to obtain electrically stable contact.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a contact structure in which a contact probe used in a head portion of an IC tester, a wafer inspection device, a liquid crystal inspection device, or the like is brought into contact with a terminal to be measured of a semiconductor device to be inspected, and particularly to a mutual contact structure. The present invention relates to a contact structure of a contact probe for contacting an object to be inspected, which is capable of producing a self-cleaning action at a contact portion and obtaining an electrically stable contact.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional contact probe of this type is
As shown in FIG. 3, the probe body 1 is formed in a tubular shape.
And the spring 2 fitted inside the probe body 1.
And a rod-shaped contactor 5 at the tip of a shaft 4 extending from the top 3 in the axial direction of the probe body 1 and protruding to the outside. It was made up of

And, such a contact probe 6
In order to bring the contact probe 6 into contact with the object to be inspected, as shown in FIG. 4, the contact probe 6 is held so that the shaft 4 crosses at right angles to the surface of the terminal 8 to be measured of the semiconductor device 7 to be inspected, In this state, move the semiconductor device 7 to the arrow A
As described above, the contactor 5 at the tip of the shaft 4 is vertically pressed against the terminal 8 to be measured so as to be in contact therewith. At this time, by pushing down in the direction of the arrow A, the contact 5 and the shaft 4 are pushed down against the elastic force of the internal spring 2 shown in FIG. 3, and the pressing movement amount of the contact 5 is from the position a. It is the distance to b. Then, the contact 5 is pressed against the measured terminal 8 by the elastic force due to the compression of the spring 2 corresponding to the pressing movement amounts a to b, and the electrical contact is obtained.

[0004]

However, as shown in FIG. 4, such a conventional contact probe contact structure for contacting an object to be inspected has a structure in which the contact probe 6 is attached to the surface of the measured terminal 8 of the semiconductor device 7 as shown in FIG. Since the contactor 5 at the tip end is vertically pressed and brought into contact, the contactor 5 and the terminal 8 to be measured 8 only by the elastic force due to the compression of the spring 2 corresponding to the pressing movement amounts a to b of the semiconductor device 7. It is only in pressure contact with the surface of No. 3, and no further measures for positive and stable contact have been made. That is, if the surface of the measured terminal 8 is formed with an oxide film or dust is adhered, the contact may be poor simply by making a pressure contact. On the other hand, although the tip shape of the contactor 5 may be a multi-pointed tip shape or a needle tip shape, the surface of the terminal 8 to be measured is severely worn and the life thereof is shortened. Moreover, the plating of the terminals 8 to be measured is likely to adhere to the tip-shaped contactor 5, which may cause contact failure on the contrary.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the top 3 is only slidably fitted in the cylindrical shape of the probe main body 1, and a device for further positive and stable contact is made. There wasn't. In this case, even if good contact is obtained between the terminal 8 to be measured and the contact 5 shown in FIG. 4, it is the top 3 that comes into contact with the probe main body 1 via the shaft 4 and the top 3 shown in FIG. Since it is performed by the spring 2 interposed on one end surface of the above, sufficient contact may not be obtained in some cases.

For these reasons, the contact structure of the conventional contact probe to the object to be inspected may not be able to obtain an electrically stable contact. Therefore, due to poor contact between the measured terminal 8 of the semiconductor device 7 and the contact probe 6, a normal test may not be performed in the functional test of the semiconductor device 7, or the reliability of the test result may decrease.

Therefore, the present invention addresses such problems and provides a contact probe contact structure for an object to be inspected, which is capable of producing a self-cleaning action at mutual contact sites and obtaining an electrically stable contact. The purpose is to do.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a contact structure of a contact probe according to the present invention to an object to be inspected includes a cylindrical probe main body and a spring fitted inside the probe main body. A contact probe having a top that is urged by and slidable and a contact formed in a rod shape at the tip of a shaft that extends from the top in the axial direction of the probe body and projects to the outside,
In a contact structure in which the contact is pressed against the measured terminal of the semiconductor device to be inspected to make contact, the contact probe is angled so that its shaft intersects the measured terminal surface of the semiconductor device to be inspected at an acute angle. The contact piece of the contact probe is pressed against the terminal to be measured in this inclined state, and the contact piece and the terminal to be measured are brought into sliding contact with each other, and the inner wall of the probe body and the top are slid. It is something to contact.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a partially sectional side view showing a contact structure of a contact probe according to the present invention to an inspection object. First, the contact probe 6 used in the contact structure of the present invention is configured similarly to the conventional example shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 3, the probe main body 1 is made of metal and is formed into, for example, a cylindrical shape having a predetermined diameter and a predetermined length, and an upper end portion and a lower end portion thereof are bent inward to form a top 3 and a spring described later. A locking piece for 2 is formed.

A top 3 is fitted inside the probe body 1. The top 3 slides in the probe body 1 and electrically contacts a contact 5 described later with the probe body 1. The top 3 is made of metal and has a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the probe body 1, for example, a plunger. It is formed into a shape. Inside the probe body 1, a coil-shaped spring 2, for example, is provided on one end surface side of the top 3. The spring 2 is made of metal and is interposed as a compression spring in a space where the top 3 is located inside the probe body 1. The spring 3 always biases the top 3 upward in FIG. It is supported so that it can slide.

A contact 5 is provided outside the axis of the top 3.
Is provided. The contactor 5 actually contacts the terminal to be measured of the semiconductor device to be inspected, and is made of metal and has a rod-like shape at the tip of the shaft 4 that extends from the top 3 in the axial direction of the probe body 1 and projects to the outside. Is formed in.
Since the contactor 5 is provided on the axis of the top 3 as described above, as shown by arrows B and C in FIG. 3, it can be advanced and retracted by the elastic force of the internal spring 2. There is.

Next, a contact structure for an inspection object using such a contact probe 6 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, an object to be inspected is a semiconductor device 7 such as a semiconductor wafer or an IC (integrated circuit), and a measured terminal 8 such as an electrode pad or a signal terminal is provided on the surface thereof.
Is provided. The semiconductor device 7 can be lowered in the arrow A direction by an appropriate lifting device.
The contact probe 6 is, for example, an IC (not shown).
It is mounted on an inspection board such as a tester.

In such a state, the shaft of the contact probe 6 crosses the surface of the measured terminal 8 of the semiconductor device 7 to be inspected at an acute angle θ ₁ (0 ° <θ ₁ <90 °). It is angled and held, and in this tilted state, a vertical load F is applied vertically downward to the semiconductor device 7 as indicated by an arrow F.
Then, the semiconductor device 7 is lowered as indicated by arrow A, and the terminal 8 to be measured is pressed against and brought into contact with the contact 5 at the tip of the contact probe 6. At this time, by pushing down the semiconductor device 7 in the direction of arrow A, the contact 5 and the shaft 4 resist the elastic force of the spring 2 inside and the arrow B.
The contact 5 is pushed down in the direction, and the pressing movement amount of the contact 5 becomes the distance from the position a to the position b.

Further, in this case, as described above, the shaft 4 forms an angle θ ₁ with respect to the surface of the measured terminal 8 of the semiconductor device 7.
As the shaft 4 is pushed down in the direction of the arrow B, the tip of the contact 5 abutted on the surface of the terminal 8 to be measured slides in the direction of the arrow D on the surface of the terminal 8 to be measured. Move a distance from c to d. As a result, the contact 5 is rubbed against the surface of the terminal 8 to be measured, so that sliding contact between the contact 5 and the terminal 8 to be measured is realized. The sliding contact with the surface of the terminal to be measured 8 removes the oxide film and dust on the surface to exert a self-cleaning action, and the electrical contact between the contact 5 and the terminal to be measured 8 is achieved. Is definitely good.

On the other hand, when the shaft 4 is pushed down in the direction of arrow B, the top 3 located at the lower end of the shaft 4 moves downward in the probe body 1 against the elastic force of the spring 2. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the shaft 4 intersects the surface of the terminal 8 to be measured at an angle θ ₁ and is pushed down as indicated by an arrow B. Therefore, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the central axis 10 of the top 3 is biased toward one side and the pressing angle is θ ₂ . The pressing angle θ ₂ is an angle generated by tilting the top 3 under the inclination angle θ ₁ of the shaft 4 and the top 3 between the inner wall of the probe body 1 and the outer peripheral surface of the top 3.

When the shaft 4 is pushed down in the direction of arrow B as shown in FIG. 1 in the state where such a pressing angle θ ₂ is applied, the top 3 located at the lower end of the shaft 4 is moved to the position shown in FIG. as shown, the pressing portion 3 of the lower end portion inclined at an angle theta ₂ 'is moved downward so as to rub against a part of the inner wall of the probe body 1. As a result, sliding contact between the inner wall of the probe body 1 and the top 3 is realized, and an oxide film or dust on the inner wall is removed to exert a self-cleaning action. The electrical contact of is surely good.

In FIG. 2, the amount of protrusion of the locking piece 11 at the upper end of the probe body 1 is set to an appropriate size so that the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 4 and the inner end of the locking piece 11 slide. By making contact with each other, electrical contact between the two can be surely improved.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the contact probe 6 is fixed and the semiconductor device 7 to be inspected is moved to bring them into contact with each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The semiconductor device 7 may be fixed and the contact probe 6 may be moved to bring them into contact with each other. 1 and 3, the tip of the contact 5 has a needle tip shape, but the shape is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a hemispherical shape.

[0019]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above,
The contact probe is held at an angle such that its shaft intersects the surface of the terminal to be measured of the semiconductor device to be inspected at an acute angle, and the contactor of the contact probe is pressed against the terminal to be measured in this inclined state. By
The contactor and the terminal to be measured can be brought into sliding contact with each other, and the inner wall of the probe body and the top can be brought into sliding contact with each other.
As a result, the self-cleaning action can be achieved by removing the oxide film, dust, etc. at the mutual contact parts.
Stable contact can be obtained by ensuring good electrical contact. Therefore, according to the present invention, a normal test can be performed in the functional test of the semiconductor device to be tested, and the reliability of the test result can be improved.

Further, since the above contact probe can be used as it is, the existing product existing in the past can be used as it is.
It is possible to suppress the cost increase factor and provide an economical contact probe contact structure for the inspection target. In this case, contact reliability and stability can be obtained by using the contact probe in a tilted state, and the spring pressure of the internal spring can be reduced. The pressing force of the contact mechanism can be reduced. As a result, the mechanical section can be simplified and the device cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional explanatory view showing a contact structure of a contact probe according to the present invention to an object to be inspected.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a contact state inside the probe main body.

FIG. 3 is a partially sectional side view showing the entire structure of a contact probe according to the present invention and a conventional example.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a contact structure of a conventional contact probe with an inspection target.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Probe body 2 ... Spring 3 ... Top 4 ... Shaft 5 ... Contact 6 ... Contact probe 7 ... Semiconductor device 8 ... Terminal to be measured 9 ... Central axis of probe body 10 ... Center axis of top 11 ... Locking piece θ ₁ … Shaft inclination angle θ ₂ … Top pressing angle

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A probe main body formed in a tubular shape, a piece fitted inside the probe main body and slidable by being biased by a spring, and extending from the top in the axial direction of the probe main body to the outside. In a contact structure in which a contact probe having a contact formed in a rod shape at the tip of a protruding shaft is pressed against the terminal to be measured of the semiconductor device to be inspected by contacting the contact, the contact probe is provided with the shaft. Is held at an angle so that it intersects the measured terminal surface of the semiconductor device to be inspected at an acute angle, and the contactor of the contact probe is pressed against the measured terminal in this inclined state, A contact probe to be inspected is characterized in that the terminal under test is slidably contacted with the inner wall of the probe body and the top is slidably contacted. Contact structure.