Patent US4969598A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US5670889A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5670889A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Probe card for maintaining the position of a probe in high temperature application
Assignee: Japan Electronic Materials Corp
•
Filing: 1995-03-15
•
Granted: 1997-09-23
•
Expires: 2015-03-15
Abstract
Abstract Probe card is a part which is incorporated into a probing equipment to test finished IC chips, This card is customarily mounted with a plurality of probes, very fine needle and generally bent, and each probe is disposed so that its front end may pinpoint to a pad of an IC chip of interest. In performing the probing test, a most important condition is to keep the probe contact pressure on the pad of an IC chip at a constant position during measurement time, but in performing such at a high temperature, heated IC chips radiate the probe card and thereby positional deviation of the contact point is caused by heat expansion of the probe card and hence the contact pressure may change. The invented probe card employs a ceramic material in fabricating the probe card for possessing a very low expansion coefficient or for possessing an equivalent coefficient value to the IC chip or wafers, thereby the positional deviation of the probe contact is avoided and other devices to cope with difficulties caused by performance at a high temperature are disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 Masao Okubo
- 👤 Nobuyuki Murakami
- 👤 Kouji Katahira
- 👤 Hiroshi Iwata
- 👤 Kazumasa Okubo
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 11:56
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01R; G01R1/00; G01R1/02; G01R1/06; G01R1/067; G01R1/073; G01R1/07307; G01R1/07342; G01R31/00; G01R31/28; G01R31/2851; G01R31/2855
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
86 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature comprising: a probe for contacting the semiconductor wafers, a ceramic board, the probe being secured to one side of the ceramic board, a print board including a wiring pattern, means for holding the print board at a superposed position spaced from the ceramic board at the other side of the ceramic board so as to decrease deformation of the print board at a high temperature, and an interconnector between the wiring pattern and the probe.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
86 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature comprising: a probe for contacting the semiconductor wafers, a ceramic board, the probe being secured to one side of the ceramic board, a print board including a wiring pattern, means for holding the print board at a superposed position spaced from the ceramic board at the other side of the ceramic board so as to decrease deformation of the print board at a high temperature, and an interconnector between the wiring pattern and the probe.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ceramic board is made from a material of which thermal expansion coefficient is equivalent to the same coefficient of the semiconductor wafers.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claims 1, or 2, wherein the ceramic board comprises two parts: a ceramic central board and a non-ceramic outer board for holding the ceramic central board.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claim 3, wherein the ceramic central board provides mounts for the probes and the wiring patterns.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claim 3, wherein the ceramic central board is mounted with a retainer which retains the probe at its straight midportion and is durable in a high temperature atmosphere for performing the test.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claim 5, wherein the retainer is secured by an adhesive durable in a high temperature atmosphere for performing the test.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claim 6, wherein the adhesive durable in a high temperature is heat durable epoxy adhesive or frit glass for sealing at low temperature.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
51 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claims 1, or 2, wherein the ceramic board is mounted with a retainer on said one side which retains the probe at its straight midportion and is durable in a high temperature atmosphere for performing the test.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claim 8, wherein the retainer is secured by an adhesive durable in a high temperature atmosphere for performing the test.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claim 9, wherein the adhesive durable in a high temperature is heat durable epoxy adhesive or frit glass for sealing at low temperature.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interconnector is a lead connecting a front end of the wiring pattern with a rear end of the probe.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interconnector is an anisotropic film of electroconduction.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers at a high temperature as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interconnector is a spring pin.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-09-22 | 2001-03-24 | 2001-09-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-09-22 | 2005-03-24 | 2005-09-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-09-22 | 2009-03-24 | 2009-09-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |