KR100811740B1 - Tube for probe needle and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A tube for a probe needle and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to produce the tube separately from the probe needle and to prevent the tube from influencing a center conductor during a manufacturing process. A method for manufacturing a probe needle used for a probe card is composed of the steps for preparing an inner insulating tube(210); forming an intermediate conductive layer(220) by a process for applying or spraying EMI(Electromagnetic Interference) paints on the surface of the inner insulating tube; forming an outer insulating layer(230) on the intermediate conductive layer by an electro-deposition coating process; and inserting a center conductor into the tube composed of the inner insulating tube, the intermediate conductive layer, and the outer insulating layer.

Description

TUBE FOR PROBE NEEDLE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

1A shows a probe card used for inspection of a semiconductor device;

1B is a view for explaining a probe needle for shielding electromagnetic waves according to the prior art,

Figure 1c is a bottom view showing the bottom of the probe card,

2 is a view showing a tube for a probe needle according to an embodiment of the present invention,

3 is a view illustrating a probe needle having a probe needle tube inserted into a center conductor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a view showing a metal rod fitted with an inner insulation tube for the manufacture of the tube for the probe needle according to an embodiment of the present invention,

5 is a view illustrating a process of forming an outer insulating layer of a probe needle tube according to an embodiment of the present invention using a process of electrodeposition coating.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

200: tube for probe needle 210: inner insulation tube

220: intermediate conductive layer 230: outer insulating layer

400: probe needle 410: center conductor

411: Taper part 412: Center part

413: fixed part 414: distal end

415: tip portion

The present invention relates to a tube used for probe needles for probe cards, and more particularly, to a tube for probe needles that can be easily manufactured by being separated from the probe needles and capable of shielding electromagnetic waves and preventing short circuits.

In general, an electrical die sorting (EDS) process is performed to examine electrical characteristics of each semiconductor device constituting a wafer. Specifically, the EDS process is performed by contacting a probe needle of a probe card with a contact pad of a semiconductor device, passing an electrical signal from a separate test device through the probe needle, and reading the electrical signal output thereafter. . This is also called probe inspection.

1A is a diagram showing a probe card used for inspection of a semiconductor element.

Typical probe cards include a printed circuit board (PCB) 10 and a probe needle 20.

The probe needle 20 is divided into a tip portion 21, a fixing portion 22, and a distal portion 23.

The printed circuit board 10 receives an electrical signal from the semiconductor inspection equipment and transmits the electrical signal to the probe needle 20, and transmits the electrical signal received from the probe needle 20 to the semiconductor inspection equipment.

The tip portion 24 of the probe needle 20 is a portion in contact with the electrode pad of the semiconductor device to be inspected.

In addition, the distal end 23 is a portion in which the probe needle 20 is bonded to the printed circuit board PCB 10 by soldering, and the fixing portion 22 is fixedly supported by fixing means such as epoxy resin. to be.

In recent years, as the semiconductor devices become smaller, more integrated, and larger in capacities, the interval between contact pads formed on the wafer, that is, the pitch, becomes narrower. Accordingly, the number of probe needles 20 for the probe card is also increased, and the interval between the probe needles 20 is narrowed.

As such, when the interval between the probe needles 20 becomes narrow, the probe needles 20 affect each other when the semiconductor device is inspected. That is, when an electrical signal passes through the probe needle from the semiconductor inspection equipment for the inspection of the semiconductor device, noise such as various electromagnetic waves and interference currents (magnetic field, static electricity) is generated between the probe needles 20 to cause an error in the inspection. .

In order to solve this problem, conventionally, a technique for implementing an electromagnetic interference (EMI) function by coating a conductive metal tube on the probe needle 20 has been proposed.

FIG. 1B illustrates a probe needle 100 for shielding electromagnetic waves according to the prior art.

Probe needle 100 according to the prior art includes a center conductor 110, an inner insulating layer 120 and an outer conductive layer 130, tapered portion 140, the central portion 150, the distal end 160 and high Government 170 is divided.

The central conductor 110 is made of a conductive material such as tungsten.

The taper portion 140 of the center conductor 110 is a portion whose diameter decreases gradually toward the tip portion, and the tip portion thereof contacts the contact pad of the semiconductor device.

The inner insulating layer 120 is an insulating tube made of an electrically insulating material and is coated on the central portion 150 of the central conductor 110. The inner insulation layer 120 serves to separate the outer conductive layer 130 for shielding electromagnetic waves of the ground structure from the center conductor 110, and the outer conductive layer 130 and the center conductor 110 to be described later. It is formed between.

The outer conductive layer 130 is a conductive metal tube covering the surface of the inner insulating layer 120. Since both ends are connected to the ground line formed on the substrate of the probe card, various kinds of electromagnetic waves generated in the center conductor 110 are described. And noise such as interference current (magnetic field, static electricity) may be prevented from being emitted to the outside of the probe needle 100.

In addition, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-0044416 discloses a probe needle covering an inner insulating tube made of an electrically insulating material on a central conductor, and applying an electrically conductive material to the inner insulating tube or stacking a conductive particulate film to block electromagnetic waves. Is starting.

However, since the conventional electromagnetic shielding probe needle is coated with a conductive material on the outermost part, there is a problem that a short circuit between the probe needles may occur as the gap between the probe needles becomes narrower.

1C is a bottom view showing the bottom of the probe card.

The distal end 160 of the probe needle 100 is bonded and attached to the substrate 20 of the probe card by soldering, and the probe needle 100 is attached to the probe card substrate 20 by fixing means 180 such as an epoxy resin. It is fixed to).

In general, in the probe card, the plurality of probe needles 100 are arranged in parallel in the area L from the fixing part 170 to the tip 140, while the substrate 20 and the fixing part 170 of the probe card are arranged in parallel. In the region H between), they are often arranged to overlap each other. Moreover, in a situation where the pitch becomes narrower, such a phenomenon tends to be more severe.

In this case, the soldered portion of the distal end 160 of the probe needle 100 may be shorted with other probe needles. That is, since a conductive material for shielding electromagnetic waves is coated on the outside of the probe needle 100, when a short circuit occurs with a soldering part of the other end of the probe needle, an inspection error may occur.

In addition, in the region H in which the plurality of probe needles 100 are arranged to overlap each other, adverse effects due to electromagnetic waves tend to be more severe.

As described above, since the probe needle mounted on the probe card differs in the possibility of short circuit or adverse effect due to electromagnetic waves, it is necessary to vary the length or position of the tube for short circuit prevention or electromagnetic shielding.

On the other hand, the conventional electromagnetic shielding probe needle is manufactured in the form of sandwiching the inner insulation tube of a predetermined length in the center conductor, and covering the outer conductive layer on the inner insulation tube, adversely affects the center conductor when covering the outer conductive layer There is a problem that crazy.

In other words, since the tube is directly formed on the center conductor, a problem may occur such that the material of the outer conductive layer comes into contact with the center conductor, particularly when a process such as application of the outer conductive layer is performed.

Therefore, short circuit between probe needles can be prevented while blocking various electromagnetic waves and interference currents (magnetic field, static electricity), and development of a tube for probe needles that does not affect the center conductor is urgently needed.

Some embodiments of the present invention have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and aim to provide a tube for probe needles that does not affect the center conductor in the manufacturing process while promoting electromagnetic shielding and short circuit prevention. do.

As a technical means for achieving the above object, an embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a tube for the probe needle, the step of providing an inner insulating tube, and forming an intermediate conductive layer on the inner insulating tube It provides a method for producing a tube for the probe needle comprising the step of forming an outer insulating layer on the intermediate conductive layer.

In addition, the intermediate conductive layer may be formed by applying or spraying an electromagnetic shielding (EMI) paint on the surface of the inner insulation tube.

In addition, the intermediate conductive layer may be formed by an electroless wet plating process.

In addition, the outer insulating layer may be formed by a process of electrodeposition coating.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a tube for probe needle, the tube for probe needle including an inner insulating tube, an intermediate conductive layer formed on the inner insulating tube, and an outer insulating layer formed on the intermediate conductive layer. .

In addition, the inner insulation tube and the outer insulation layer may include a polymide.

In addition, the intermediate conductor may include at least one of silver, copper, and nickel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is "connected" to another part, this includes not only "directly connected" but also "electrically connected" with another element in between. . In addition, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, which means that it may further include other components, except to exclude other components unless otherwise stated.

2 is a view showing the probe needle tube 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The probe needle tube 200 includes an inner insulation tube 210, an intermediate conductive layer 220, and an outer insulation layer 230.

Insulation tube 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is not formed directly on the center conductor, as in the conventional probe needle, it is a tube 200 for the probe needle of the form separated from the center conductor, the center conductor The separation from the sheath and the center conductor is free.

The inner insulation tube 210 is formed on the innermost side of the probe needle tube 200 and is manufactured by a general method of manufacturing an insulation tube. For example, it may include polymide.

The intermediate conductive layer 220 is coated on the inner insulation tube 210 by a process of applying an electromagnetic shielding (EMI) paint or an electroless wet plating process.

The outer insulating layer 230 is coated on the intermediate conductive layer 220 by a process of electro-deposition coating or a process of immersing in an insulating solution, for example, a material including polyamide It can be formed as.

The coating method of the intermediate conductive layer 220 and the outer insulating layer 230 will be described in more detail later.

3 illustrates a probe needle 300 in which an insulating tube 200 is inserted into a center conductor 310 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The central conductor 310 is divided into a tip portion 315, a tapered portion 311, a center portion 312, and a distal portion 314, and may be made of a conductive material including at least one of tungsten, nickel, rhenium, and platinum. have.

The tip portion 315 is a portion in contact with the contact pad on the semiconductor element, and the tapered portion 311 is a portion where the diameter becomes narrower toward the tip portion 315 of the probe needle 300.

The distal end portion 314 is a portion where the probe needle 300 is bonded and attached to the probe card by soldering.

The tube 200 is composed of an inner insulating tube 210, an intermediate conductive layer 220, and an outer insulating layer 230.

The inner insulation tube 210 separates the intermediate conductive layer 220 for shielding electromagnetic waves from the center conductor 310.

Since both ends of the intermediate conductive layer 220 are connected to a ground line (not shown) formed on the probe card substrate, noise such as various electromagnetic waves and interference currents (magnetic field, static electricity) generated by the center conductor 310 may be detected. 300 may be prevented from being released to the outside.

In addition, the outer insulating layer 230 is formed on the outermost portion of the tube 200 to prevent a short between the probe needle.

The tube 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be positioned at an appropriate position of the probe needle 300, for example, between the fixing part 313 and the distal end 314. As described above, the adverse effects of electromagnetic waves generated when current flows in the center conductor 310 are particularly severe. In order to shield and short-circuit the electromagnetic waves, the insulating tube 200 is preferably fitted.

Alternatively, the tube 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention may be located on the fixing part 313. The fixing portion 313 of the probe needle 300 is a portion which is fixed to the substrate of the probe card by fixing means such as an epoxy resin, and is a region where a short circuit between the probe needles is likely to occur. Therefore, the short circuit between the probe needles can be prevented by inserting the insulating tube 200 in this area.

(Formation of intermediate conductive layer)

Hereinafter, a process for forming the intermediate conductive layer 220 of the probe needle tube according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

4 is a view showing a metal rod fitted with an inner insulation tube for the manufacture of the tube for the probe needle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the inner insulation tube 210 is prepared, and then a metal rod 410 is inserted into the inner insulation tube 210. When the metal rod 410 forms the intermediate conductive layer 220 on the inner insulation tube 210, the metal bar 410 serves to prevent the material of the intermediate conductive layer 220 from entering the inner insulation tube.

In addition, the metal rod 410 may be replaced with a ceramic material or the like, which may prevent the specific solution and the paint for forming the intermediate conductive layer 220 from penetrating into the inner insulation tube 210.

Next, an electromagnetic wave shielding (EMI) paint is sprayed onto the surface of the inner insulation tube 210 by coating or spraying, and then dried.

Electromagnetic shielding paint is an electromagnetic shielding effect of electromagnetically isolating the media space on both sides by the closed curved surface of the metal body, and is a paint that serves to block the electromagnetic wave from radiating to the outside of the probe needle.

Electromagnetic shielding paint can be prepared by mixing a metal powder of silver, tin, nickel, copper and the like to a general paint.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate conductive layer 220 is formed by applying or spraying the electromagnetic shielding paint on the surface of the inner insulation tube 210. However, the intermediate conductive layer 220 may be formed by a process of electroless wet plating. 220 may be formed. For example, the probe needle coated with the inner insulation tube is immersed in a solution containing nickel and copper to deposit nickel and copper on the surface of the inner insulation tube to form the intermediate conductive layer 220, thereby achieving the effect of electromagnetic shielding. can do.

Since the electroless wet plating method is an electroless plating, there is no need to consider current control, and thus the work is very easy. In addition, the surface hardness of the coating layer is improved, and the corrosion loss in the acid solution or gas is high. It has a decreasing effect.

(Formation of External Insulation Layer)

Hereinafter, a process for forming the outer insulation layer 230 of the tube 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

5 is a view illustrating a process of forming the outer insulation layer 230 of the tube 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention using a process of electrodeposition coating.

Electrodeposition coating is a method by electrochemical reaction, and the electrolysis and electrophoresis generated at this time through the direct current between the object and its counter electrode with the object as the anode or the cathode in the aqueous coating solution for electrodeposition. It is a coating method which deposits a coating film electrically on the surface of a to-be-coated object using electric phenomena, such as electro-phoresis, electro-deposition, and electro-osmosis.

First, a metal rod coated with the inner insulation tube 210 and the intermediate conductive layer 220 is placed in a solution 530 containing a material constituting the outer insulation layer 230, for example, polymide. Soak to depth. Thereafter, when a direct current flows through the intermediate conductive layer 220 and the counter electrode 520, the outer insulating layer 230 is coated on the surface of the intermediate conductive layer 220 by the stepwise electric phenomenon as described above.

Thereafter, the metal rod 410 is taken out of the solution 530 and dried, and then the metal rod 410 is removed from the tube 200.

By using the electrodeposition coating process as described above, an outer insulating layer having a constant thickness can be formed without losing an insulating material.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the outer insulation layer is formed by the electrodeposition coating process. Alternatively, the outer insulation layer may be formed by immersing the metal rod sandwiched between the inner insulation tube and the intermediate conductive layer in an insulation solution. have.

Next, the tube 200 is cut to a desired length.

In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, in order to prevent the material of the intermediate conductor from penetrating into the inner insulation tube, the inner insulation tube is inserted into a metal rod or the like, and then the intermediate conductive layer and the outer insulation layer are formed. After the both ends of the insulating tube are applied to each other by applying heat or the like, the tube 200 may be manufactured by forming the intermediate conductive layer and the external insulating layer.

The foregoing description of the present invention is intended for illustration, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be easily modified in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is shown by the following claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are included in the scope of the present invention. Should be.

According to some embodiments of the present invention described above, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a tube for probe needles that has no effect on the center conductor during the manufacturing process while preventing electromagnetic shielding and short-circuit prevention.

Claims (7)

A method of manufacturing a probe needle for use in a probe card, Preparing an inner insulation tube, Forming an intermediate conductive layer by applying or spraying an electromagnetic shielding (EMI) paint on the surface of the inner insulation tube; Forming an outer insulating layer on the intermediate conductive layer by a process of electrodeposition coating, and Inserting a central conductor into the tube consisting of the inner insulating tube, the intermediate conductive layer and the outer insulating layer Method of producing a probe needle comprising a. A method of manufacturing a probe needle mounted to a probe card substrate by fixing means, the method comprising: Preparing an inner insulation tube, Forming an intermediate conductive layer by applying or spraying an electromagnetic shielding (EMI) paint on the surface of the inner insulation tube; Forming an outer insulating layer on the intermediate conductive layer by a process of electrodeposition coating, and Inserting a central conductor into the tube consisting of the inner insulating tube, the intermediate conductive layer and the outer insulating layer Including but not limited to: And the center conductor is inserted into the tube such that the tube is located in an area between the fixing means and the probe card substrate of an entire area of the center conductor. A method of manufacturing a probe needle for use in a probe card, Preparing an inner insulation tube, Inserting a rod-shaped member into the inner insulation tube, Forming an intermediate conductive layer by applying or spraying an electromagnetic shielding (EMI) paint on the surface of the inner insulation tube; Forming an outer insulating layer on the intermediate conductive layer by a process of electrodeposition coating, Separating the rod-shaped member from the inner insulation tube and Inserting a central conductor into the tube consisting of the inner insulating tube, the intermediate conductive layer and the outer insulating layer Method of producing a probe needle comprising a. A method of manufacturing a probe needle for use in a probe card, Preparing an inner insulation tube, Encapsulating both ends of the inner insulation tube; Forming an intermediate conductive layer by applying or spraying an electromagnetic shielding (EMI) paint on the surface of the inner insulation tube; Forming an outer insulating layer on the intermediate conductive layer by a process of electrodeposition coating, Opening both ends of the inner insulation tube; and Inserting a central conductor into the tube consisting of the inner insulating tube, the intermediate conductive layer and the outer insulating layer Method of producing a probe needle comprising a. delete delete delete

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