TW-I909741-B - SUPPORTING STRUCTURE OF MEMBRANE PROBE CARD AND TEST METHOD OF MEMBRANE PROBE CARD

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a supporting structure of a membrane probe card. The support structure includes a frame body, a fixture, adjustment mechanisms, and first elastic structures. The frame body is configured to be in contact with the membrane. The fixture is configured to fixate the frame body on the substrate, and confine the frame being movable along a direction perpendicular to the substrate. The fixture includes through holes. The adjustment mechanisms are movable, and disposed and tight fitted in the through holes, respectively. The first elastic structures are disposed in a first space of the frame body, and each of the first elastic structures is disposed corresponding to one adjustment mechanism. The adjustment mechanisms are configured to adjust an elastic force of the first elastic structures.

Inventors

LOU CHOON LEONG

Assignees

XINGR TECH ZHEJIANG LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date: 20251221
Application Date: 20241008
Priority Date: 20240830

Claims (19)

A support structure for a thin-film probe card, wherein the support structure is disposed between a substrate and a thin film sheet fixed on the substrate for supporting a test area in the thin film sheet, wherein the support structure comprises: a frame disposed on the substrate for contacting the thin film sheet; a fixing member for limiting the frame to the substrate and allowing the frame to move in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, wherein the fixing member has a plurality of through holes; a plurality of adjustment mechanisms movably fitted into the through holes; and a plurality of first elastic structures disposed in a first space of the frame, wherein each of the first elastic structures corresponds to one of the adjustment mechanisms; wherein the adjustment mechanisms are used to adjust the elasticity of the first elastic structures.
The support structure as described in claim 1 further comprises: a plurality of plates disposed between the adjustment mechanisms and the first elastic structures.
The support structure as described in claim 2, wherein the first elastic structures each include: a first end that contacts a corresponding one of the plates; and a second end that contacts the frame.
The support structure as described in claim 3, wherein the first elastic structures are springs, and a distance between the first end and the second end is related to the elastic force of the first elastic structures, wherein the adjusting mechanisms are used to adjust the position of the plates and adjust the distance accordingly.
The support structure as described in claim 1, wherein the perforations are threaded and the adjustment mechanism is a screw that engages with the thread and moves according to the thread in a direction perpendicular to the substrate.
The support structure as described in claim 1, wherein each of the adjustment mechanisms is used to adjust the elasticity of the corresponding first elastic structure.
The support structure as described in claim 6, wherein the adjusted elasticity of the first elastic structure causes the plurality of probes on the thin film to exert the same contact force on a test object.
The support structure as described in claim 1, wherein the elasticity of the first elastic structures is adjusted by the adjusting structures such that the test area of the film sheet is maintained at a predetermined flatness.
The support structure as described in claim 1 further comprises: a plurality of second elastic structures disposed in a second space of the frame, and each of the second elastic structures corresponds to an adjustment mechanism; wherein the adjustment mechanisms are used to adjust the elasticity of the corresponding second elastic structure.
The support structure as described in claim 9, wherein the adjusted elasticity of the second elastic structure causes the contact stress of the plurality of probes on the thin film on a test object to be the same.
The support structure as described in claim 10, wherein the elastic force of the adjusted first elastic structure is the same as or different from the elastic force of the adjusted second elastic structure.
The support structure as described in claim 9, wherein the film sheet includes a plurality of probes, each of the second elastic structures corresponding to at least one probe, and wherein the elasticity of the second elastic structure is adjusted such that the contact stress of at least one probe on a test object is different from the contact stress of at least another probe on the test object.
The support structure as described in claim 1, wherein, from a top-down view, the adjustment mechanisms are arranged in a straight line along a first direction.
The support structure as described in claim 1, wherein, in a top-down view, the adjustment mechanisms are arranged in an NxM matrix, where N and M are positive integers.
The support structure as described in claim 1, wherein, in a top view, the adjustment mechanisms are arranged in a plurality of columns along a first direction, wherein the spacing between the adjustment mechanisms in each of the columns is equal, and the adjustment mechanisms of adjacent columns are staggered in a second direction, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
The support structure as described in claim 1 further includes: a soft adhesive disposed between the frame and the film sheet.
The support structure as described in claim 1 further includes: a pressure sensor for measuring a second stress between the frame and the diaphragm.
The support structure as described in claim 17, wherein the adjusting mechanisms adjust the elasticity of the elastic structure according to the second stress.
A testing method for a thin-film probe card, wherein the thin-film probe card includes a substrate, a support structure, and a thin film, wherein the support structure is disposed between the substrate and the thin film to support a test area in the thin film, and the testing method includes: applying a first stress to the substrate, causing the test area of the thin-film probe card to contact a test object, and establishing a first contact between the test area and the test object. The first stress is applied to the substrate, causing the test area of the thin-film probe card to contact the test object, and a second contact stress is applied between the test area and the test object, wherein the second contact stress is different from the first contact stress.

Description

Support structure and testing methods for thin-film probe cards This disclosure relates to a thin-film probe card and a testing method for the thin-film probe card. In particular, it relates to a thin-film probe card having an adjustable support structure and a testing method thereof. In the manufacturing process of integrated circuits, electrical testing is a crucial step to ensure proper device function. For today's high-speed circuits, thin-film probe cards offer advantages for high-frequency testing. However, thin films are not rigid materials, resulting in uneven contact force between each probe and the test object, thus reducing test quality. Furthermore, the flatness of the probe card itself or the test object may differ, or the force applied to the probe card may be uneven, resulting in different flatness of the thin film. When the flatness of the thin film does not match the flatness of the test object, the results of the electrical test may deviate from the true situation. Therefore, how to solve the contact quality between the thin film and the analyte has become an important issue in this field. The above description of "prior art" is merely to provide background information and does not constitute an admission that the above description of "prior art" discloses the subject matter of this disclosure. It does not constitute prior art of this disclosure, and no description of the above "prior art" should be considered part of this case. In view of this, in order to solve the problems of the prior art, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a support structure for a thin-film probe card and its testing method. One embodiment of this disclosure provides a support structure for a thin-film probe card, wherein the support structure is disposed between a substrate and a thin film sheet fixed to the substrate for supporting a test area in the thin film sheet. The support structure includes a frame, a fixing member, multiple adjustment mechanisms, and multiple first elastic structures. The frame is used to contact the thin film sheet. The fixing member is used to fix the frame to the substrate and limit the frame's movable direction perpendicular to the substrate. The fixing member has multiple through holes. The adjustment mechanisms are movably fitted into the through holes. The first elastic structures are disposed in a first space of the frame, and each first elastic structure corresponds to one adjustment mechanism. The adjustment mechanisms are used to adjust the elasticity of the first elastic structures. Another embodiment of this disclosure provides a testing method for a thin-film probe card, wherein the thin-film probe card includes a substrate, a support structure, and a thin film sheet, wherein the support structure is disposed between the substrate and the thin film sheet to support a test area in the thin film sheet. The testing method includes: applying a first stress to the substrate, causing the test area of the thin-film probe card to contact a test object, and establishing a first contact stress between the test area and the test object; measuring a second stress between the support structure and the test area; adjusting the elastic force of at least one of a plurality of elastic structures in the support structure according to the second stress; applying the first stress to the substrate, causing the test area of the thin-film probe card to contact the test object, and establishing a second contact stress between the test area and the test object. The second contact stress is different from the first contact stress. Accordingly, due to the support structure of the thin film probe card and its testing method disclosed herein, the thin film can maintain the contact force with the desired test object and obtain reliable test results. The foregoing has provided a fairly broad overview of the technical features and advantages of this disclosure, enabling a better understanding of the detailed description that follows. Other technical features and advantages constituting the subject matter of this disclosure will be described below. Those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains will understand that the concepts and specific embodiments disclosed below can be readily used to modify or design other structures or processes to achieve the same purpose as this disclosure. Those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains will also understand that such equivalent constructions cannot depart from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined in the appended claims. The following description of this disclosure, accompanied by diagrams incorporated into and forming part of this specification, illustrates embodiments of this disclosure; however, this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the following embodiments may be appropriately integrated to complete another embodiment. Terms such as “an embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “illustrative embodim