JPWO2009102029A1 - Contact probe and probe unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A contact probe capable of performing maintenance easily and at low cost and a probe unit including the contact probe are provided. For this purpose, a first plunger that comes into contact with one of two different objects to be contacted, a coil spring that has one end attached to the first plunger and that can expand and contract along the axial direction of the first plunger, and a part of A second plunger that is detachably attached to the inner peripheral portion of the coil spring from the other end of the coil spring and contacts the other of the two contacted bodies.

Description

  The present invention relates to a conductive contact probe for inspecting electrical characteristics of an inspection object such as a semiconductor integrated circuit and a probe unit including the contact probe.

  In the inspection of electrical characteristics of a semiconductor integrated circuit such as an IC chip, a probe unit in which a plurality of conductive contact probes are accommodated at predetermined positions corresponding to the external connection electrode installation pattern of the semiconductor integrated circuit is used. . The probe unit includes a probe holder provided with a plurality of holes through which the contact probe is inserted, and both ends of the contact probe held by the probe holder output a spherical electrode of the semiconductor integrated circuit and an inspection signal. The semiconductor integrated circuit and the circuit board are electrically connected to each other by making contact with the electrodes of the board (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-107377 A

  In the probe unit, when the number of inspections for electrical characteristic inspection increases, the solder of the spherical electrode of the semiconductor integrated circuit is transferred to the tip of the contact probe, the contact resistance increases, and normal electrical characteristic inspection may not be possible. is there. In order to avoid such a situation, in the conventional probe unit, every time the inspection is performed a predetermined number of times, the work of scraping off the solder adhered to the tip of the contact probe by using a paper file or the like is periodically performed. .

  When the above-described shaving operation is repeated, the surface plating of Au, Pd, Rh, Ni, etc. provided to reduce the contact resistance is scraped off, and the tip of the contact probe gradually wears. Must be replaced. However, in the conventional probe unit, it is not easy to replace the contact probe, and it may be necessary to stop the inspection line or to disassemble the probe holder by removing it from the handler. For this reason, much time and labor have been spent on the replacement work of the contact probe. In addition, since other than the tip of the contact probe that needs to be replaced must be replaced at a time, there is also a problem that maintenance costs increase.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a contact probe that can be easily maintained at low cost and a probe unit including the contact probe.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a contact probe according to the present invention is in contact with two different objects to be contacted at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and electrically between the two objects to be contacted. A conductive contact probe to be connected, wherein the first plunger is in contact with one of the two contacted bodies, and one end is attached to the first plunger, and is extendable along the axial direction of the first plunger. A coil spring and a second plunger that is partly insertable / removable from the other end of the coil spring into the inner peripheral portion of the coil spring and contacts the other of the two contacted bodies, To do.

  Further, in the contact probe according to the present invention, in the above invention, the coil spring is continuous to the tightly wound portion around which the wire is tightly wound and the tightly wound portion, and the length in the longitudinal direction of the natural length is the length. A coarsely wound portion that is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the tightly wound portion and in which the wire is wound more coarsely than the tightly wound portion, and the length in the longitudinal direction of the second plunger is that of the first plunger It is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction, and the second plunger can contact the tightly wound portion in a state where a part of the second plunger is inserted into the coil spring.

  The probe unit according to the present invention includes a plurality of conductive contact probes that are in contact with two different objects to be contacted at both ends in the longitudinal direction and electrically connect the two objects to be contacted. A probe unit comprising a probe holder for holding both ends exposed to the outside while retaining them, wherein the contact probe has a first plunger that contacts one of the two contacted bodies, A coil spring attached to the first plunger and extending and contracting along the axial direction of the first plunger, and a part of the coil spring can be inserted into and removed from the other end of the coil spring to the inner periphery of the coil spring; And a second plunger in contact with the other of the contacted bodies.

  Further, in the probe unit according to the present invention, in the above invention, the coil spring is continuous to the tightly wound portion around which the wire is tightly wound and the tightly wound portion, and the length in the longitudinal direction of the natural length is the length. A coarsely wound portion that is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the tightly wound portion and in which the wire is wound more coarsely than the tightly wound portion, and the length in the longitudinal direction of the second plunger is that of the first plunger The length of the second plunger is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction, and the second plunger can contact the tightly wound portion in a state where a part of the second plunger is inserted into the coil spring.

  In the probe unit according to the present invention, in the above invention, the contacted body that the first plunger contacts is a circuit board that generates and outputs an inspection signal, and the contacted contact that the second plunger contacts. The body is an inspection object that receives the inspection signal output from the circuit board.

  According to the present invention, a first plunger that comes into contact with one of two different objects to be contacted, a coil spring that is attached to the first plunger and that can extend and contract along the axial direction of the first plunger, and a part thereof Can be inserted into and removed from the other end of the coil spring to the inner periphery of the coil spring, and the second plunger is in contact with the other of the two contacted bodies, so that only the second plunger is used when performing maintenance. Can be exchanged. Therefore, maintenance can be performed easily and at low cost.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an overall configuration of a probe unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of the probe unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the probe according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in the natural length of the probe according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of assembly of the probe unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state at the time of inspection of the probe unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a probe according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a probe according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Probe unit 2, 5, 6 Contact probe 3 Probe holder 4 Holder member 21, 51 1st plunger 21a, 22a, 51a, 52a Tip part 21b, 22b, 51b, 52b Flange part 21c, 51c Boss part 21d, 51d Base end Portions 22, 52 Second plungers 23, 24, 53 Coil springs 23a, 24a, 53a Close winding portions 23b, 24b, 53b Coarse winding portions 31 First substrate 32 Second substrate 100 Semiconductor integrated circuit 101, 201 Electrode 200 Circuit substrate 311 , 321 Hole 311a, 321a Small diameter hole 311b, 321b Large diameter hole

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the ratio of the thickness of each part, and the like may be different from the actual ones. Of course, there may be included portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a probe unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of the probe unit according to the present embodiment. The probe unit 1 shown in these drawings is a device used when performing an electrical characteristic test on the semiconductor integrated circuit 100 that is an inspection target, and outputs a test signal to the semiconductor integrated circuit 100 and the semiconductor integrated circuit 100. This is an apparatus for electrically connecting the circuit board 200.

  The probe unit 1 includes a conductive contact probe 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as “probe 2”) that contacts two different objects to be contacted at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and a semiconductor substrate 100 and a circuit board 200. The probe holder 3 that accommodates and holds the probe 2 according to a predetermined pattern, and the semiconductor integrated circuit 100 that is provided around the probe holder 3 and contacts the plurality of probes 2 during inspection are prevented from being displaced. A holder member 4.

  The probe 2 is formed using a conductive material, and a first plunger 21 whose tip is in contact with the circuit board 200 and a second plunger that is longer in the longitudinal direction than the first plunger 21 and is in contact with the semiconductor integrated circuit 100. 22 and a coil spring 23 provided between the first plunger 21 and the second plunger 22.

  The first plunger 21 protrudes in a direction opposite to the distal end portion 21a via the flange portion 21b, a distal end portion 21a having a needle-like distal end, a flange portion 21b having a diameter larger than the diameter of the distal end portion 21a, and a flange portion. A cylindrical shape having a diameter smaller than the diameter of 21b and slightly larger than the inner diameter of the coil spring 23, a boss part 21c into which the end of the coil spring 23 is press-fitted, and a diameter smaller than the diameter of the boss part 21c and the coil spring And a base end portion 21 d having a columnar shape having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of 23.

  The second plunger 22 protrudes in a direction opposite to the distal end portion 22a through the flange portion 22b, a distal end portion 22a having a crown-shaped distal end, a flange portion 22b having a diameter larger than the diameter of the distal end portion 22a, and a flange portion. And a base end portion 22c having a cylindrical shape having a diameter smaller than the diameter of 22b and smaller than the inner diameter of the coil spring 23. Note that the tip shape of the tip 22a is merely an example, and other shapes may be used.

  The coil spring 23 includes a tightly wound portion 23a in which a wire is tightly wound, and a coarsely wound portion 23b that is longer in the longitudinal direction than the tightly wound portion 23a and is wound more coarsely than the tightly wound portion 23a. And has a uniform diameter along the longitudinal direction. The end of the tightly wound portion 23 a is press-fitted into the boss portion 21 c of the first plunger 21. For this reason, the coil spring 23 can be expanded and contracted along the axial direction of the first plunger 21. On the other hand, at the end of the rough winding portion 23b, the base end portion 22c of the second plunger 22 is attached to the inner peripheral portion of the rough winding portion 23b so as to be freely inserted and removed (see FIG. 3).

  FIG. 4 is a view showing a state in which the second plunger 22 is attached to the coil spring 23. In FIG. 4, the coil spring 23 has a natural length. In this state, the length P in the longitudinal direction of the base end portion 22c of the second plunger 22 is longer than the natural length S of the rough winding portion 23b of the coil spring 23 (P> S). For this reason, the base end portion 22 c of the second plunger 22 comes into surface contact with the tightly wound portion 23 a of the coil spring 23 when the length of the coil spring 23 is compressed to a length equal to or less than the natural length and is slightly curved. According to the probe 2 having such a configuration, the proximal end portion 22c of the second plunger 22 is guided by the tightly wound portion 23a, and the axis of the second plunger 22 and the coil spring 23 (and the first plunger 21) is shaken. It becomes difficult. Therefore, the straight advanceability of the second plunger 22 when the base end portion 22 c of the second plunger 22 is inserted into the coil spring 23 is improved.

  The probe holder 3 is fixed in a state in which a first substrate 31 and a second substrate 32 formed using an insulating material such as resin, machinable ceramic, and silicon are laminated in the thickness direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2). It consists of

  The first substrate 31 is provided with a plurality of holes 311 penetrating in the thickness direction. The hole 311 includes a cylindrical small-diameter hole 311a through which the tip 21a of the first plunger 21 can be inserted, and a cylindrical large-diameter hole 311b having a diameter larger than that of the small-diameter hole 311a and coaxial with the small-diameter hole 311a. Have The diameter of the large-diameter hole 311b is larger than the outer diameter of the coil spring 23, and has a gap that can be bent when the coil spring 23 is compressed. The diameter of the small diameter hole 311a is smaller than the diameter of the flange portion 21b of the first plunger 21, and the first plunger 21 is prevented from coming off while the tip end portion 21a of the first plunger 21 is exposed.

  The second substrate 32 is provided with a plurality of hole portions 321 corresponding to the plurality of hole portions 311 of the first substrate 31. The hole portion 321 communicates coaxially with any of the plurality of hole portions 311 provided in the first substrate 31. The hole portion 321 includes a cylindrical small-diameter hole 321a that can be inserted through the distal end portion 22a of the second plunger 22, and a cylindrical large-diameter hole 321b that is larger in diameter than the small-diameter hole 321a and coaxial with the small-diameter hole 321a. Have The diameter of the small diameter hole 321a is smaller than the diameter of the flange portion 22b of the second plunger 22, and the second plunger 22 is prevented from coming off while the front end portion 22a of the second plunger 22 is exposed. The diameter of the large diameter hole 321 b is equal to the diameter of the large diameter hole 311 b of the hole portion 311 of the first substrate 31 and is larger than the outer diameter of the coil spring 23.

  The holes 311 and 321 are formed by performing drilling, etching, punching, or performing processing using a laser, an electron beam, an ion beam, wire discharge, or the like.

  Note that the probe holder 3 may be configured such that the surface of the substrate made of a conductive material (including portions corresponding to the side surfaces of the holes 311 and 321) is covered with an insulating material.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of assembly of the probe unit 1. When the probe unit 1 is assembled, the integrated first plunger 21 and coil spring 23 are inserted from the end of the large-diameter hole 311b of the first substrate 31 with the tip 21a of the first plunger 21 at the top. Thereafter, the base end portion 22 c of the second plunger 22 is inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the coil spring 23 from the end portion of the rough winding portion 23 b of the coil spring 23. As a result, the probe 2 is in the state shown in FIG. Thereafter, the second substrate 32 is lowered to the first substrate 31 with the surface including the opening of the large-diameter hole 321b of the hole 321 among the surfaces of the second substrate 32 being lowered, and the tips of the plurality of second plungers 22 are moved. The portions 22a are inserted through the corresponding hole portions 321, respectively. Finally, the first substrate 31 and the second substrate 32 are fixed using screws or the like. In the state shown in FIG. 5, in the probe 2, the length of the coil spring 23 is shorter than the natural length due to the weight of the second plunger 22, and the proximal end portion 22 c of the second plunger 22 is tightly wound by the coil spring 23. It has entered deeper into the inner periphery of the portion 23a. For this reason, the probe 2 is less likely to be shaken from the axial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 5), and the second substrate 32 is easily attached.

  If a positioning opening is provided in each of the first substrate 31 and the second substrate 32 and the positioning pins are inserted into the openings corresponding to each other, the both substrates are positioned. 1 can be assembled more easily and quickly.

  FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of the probe unit 1 when the semiconductor integrated circuit 100 is inspected. When the semiconductor integrated circuit 100 is inspected, a contact load from the semiconductor integrated circuit 100 is applied. As a result of the contact load being applied, the coil spring 23 is compressed along the longitudinal direction. When the coil spring 23 is compressed, the coil spring 23 is curved in the large-diameter holes 311b and 321b communicating with each other in the probe holder 3, and the tightly wound portion 23a contacts the base end portion 22c of the second plunger 22. Thereby, reliable electrical conduction is obtained. At this time, the base end portion 22c of the second plunger 22 has entered the lower part of the tightly wound portion 23a, so that the axis of the second plunger 22 does not shake significantly.

  A test signal supplied from the circuit board 200 to the semiconductor integrated circuit 100 at the time of inspection is transmitted from the electrode 201 of the circuit board 200 to the semiconductor integrated circuit via the first plunger 21, the tightly wound portion 23 a, and the second plunger 22 of the probe 2. 100 electrodes 101 are reached. Thus, in the probe 2, since the first plunger 21 and the second plunger 22 are conducted through the tightly wound portion 23a, the conduction path of the electric signal can be minimized. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a signal from flowing through the rough winding portion 23b during inspection, and to reduce and stabilize the inductance and resistance.

  When the probe unit 1 repeatedly inspects the plurality of semiconductor integrated circuits 100 and the second plunger 22 deteriorates and must be replaced, the second substrate 32 is removed from the first substrate 31. After that, only the second plunger 22 needs to be replaced. For this reason, it is not necessary to replace parts that do not need to be replaced as in a conventional integrated probe.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the first plunger that comes into contact with one of the two different objects to be contacted, one end attached to the first plunger, and expansion and contraction along the axial direction of the first plunger Maintenance is provided with a free coil spring and a second plunger that is partly insertable / removable from the other end of the coil spring into the inner periphery of the coil spring and contacts the other of the two contacted bodies. Only the second plunger can be exchanged when performing. Therefore, maintenance can be performed easily and at low cost.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the length of the second plunger in the longitudinal direction is longer than the length of the first plunger in the longitudinal direction, and the second plunger can be inserted up to the tightly wound portion of the coil spring. The contact probe can be prevented from moving from the axial direction when the probe unit is assembled or the semiconductor integrated circuit is inspected, and the straightness of the second plunger can be improved. Further, since the coil spring is slightly bent inside the probe holder by compression, the tightly wound portion of the coil spring comes into contact with the proximal end portion of the second plunger, so that reliable electrical conduction is obtained. Therefore, the assemblability of the probe unit can be greatly improved, and stable conduction at the time of inspection can be ensured.

  Moreover, according to this Embodiment, since the 2nd plunger is made to contact with a test object, it can be set as the structure which can replace | exchange easily the plunger of the side with heavy consumption easily. As a result, the first plunger and the coil spring can be used for a long time, and the cost required for maintenance can be reduced.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the second plunger is not fixed to the coil spring, so that the processing is performed with an accuracy lower than the dimensional accuracy required for the boss portion of the first plunger and the inner diameter of the coil spring. Is possible. Therefore, the productivity of the contact probe can be improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described so far, but the present invention should not be limited only by the above-described embodiment. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a contact probe according to another embodiment of the present invention. The contact probe 5 shown in the figure includes a first plunger 51 that contacts the semiconductor integrated circuit 100, a second plunger 52 that contacts the circuit board 200, and a coil provided between the first plunger 51 and the second plunger 52. And a spring 53. The 1st plunger 51 has the front-end | tip part 51a, the flange part 51b, the boss | hub part 51c, and the base end part 51d. The second plunger 52 has a distal end portion 52 a, a flange portion 52 b, and a proximal end portion 52 c, and the length in the longitudinal direction is shorter than that of the first plunger 51. The coil spring 53 has a tightly wound portion 53a and a coarsely wound portion 53b. The contact probe 5 has a shorter second plunger 52 that can be inserted into and removed from the coil spring 53, and the positional relationship between the tightly wound portion 53a and the coarsely wound portion 53b is opposite to that of the contact probe 2, and the first The side that is press-fitted into the boss 51c of the plunger 51 is a coarsely wound portion 53b. Also in the contact probe 5 having such a configuration, since only the second plunger 52 can be exchanged, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment, that is, maintenance can be easily performed at low cost.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a contact probe according to still another embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a case where the contact probe is in the same state as the probe 2 shown in FIG. The contact probe 6 shown in FIG. 8 is inserted into the first substrate 31, and the boundary between the tightly wound portion 24 a and the coarsely wound portion 24 b of the coil spring 24 is located above the upper surface of the first substrate 31. . Thus, in the present invention, the lengths of the tightly wound portion and the coarsely wound portion of the coil spring can be appropriately changed.

  Thus, the present invention can include various embodiments and the like not described herein, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the technical idea specified by the claims. It is possible to apply.

  As described above, the present invention is useful when performing an electrical property test on an inspection target such as a semiconductor integrated circuit.

Claims (5)

A conductive contact probe that contacts two different contacts at both ends in the longitudinal direction and electrically connects between the two contacts.
A first plunger in contact with one of the two contacted bodies;
A coil spring having one end attached to the first plunger and capable of extending and contracting along the axial direction of the first plunger;
A second plunger that is partly insertable / removable from the other end of the coil spring to the inner periphery of the coil spring, and contacts the other of the two contacted bodies;
A contact probe comprising: The coil spring is
A tightly wound portion in which the wire is tightly wound;
Continuing to the tightly wound portion, the length in the longitudinal direction of the natural length is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the tightly wound portion, and the coarsely wound portion in which the wire is wound more coarsely than the tightly wound portion,
Have
The longitudinal length of the second plunger is longer than the longitudinal length of the first plunger,
The contact probe according to claim 1, wherein the second plunger can contact the tightly wound portion in a state where a part of the second plunger is inserted into the coil spring. A plurality of conductive contact probes that are in contact with two different contact bodies at both ends in the longitudinal direction and electrically connect the two contact bodies are provided, and both end portions of each contact probe are exposed to the outside. A probe unit comprising a probe holder that holds it in a state where it is prevented from coming off,
The contact probe is
A first plunger in contact with one of the two contacted bodies;
A coil spring having one end attached to the first plunger and capable of extending and contracting along the axial direction of the first plunger;
A second plunger that is partly insertable / removable from the other end of the coil spring to the inner periphery of the coil spring, and contacts the other of the two contacted bodies;
A probe unit comprising: The coil spring is
A tightly wound portion in which the wire is tightly wound;
Continuing to the tightly wound portion, the length in the longitudinal direction of the natural length is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the tightly wound portion, and the coarsely wound portion in which the wire is wound more coarsely than the tightly wound portion,
Have
The longitudinal length of the second plunger is longer than the longitudinal length of the first plunger,
4. The probe unit according to claim 3, wherein the second plunger can come into contact with the tightly wound portion in a state in which a part of the second plunger is inserted into the coil spring. The contacted body that is in contact with the first plunger is a circuit board that generates and outputs an inspection signal;
5. The probe unit according to claim 3, wherein the contacted object that is in contact with the second plunger is an inspection object that receives the inspection signal output from the circuit board.

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