Jsr Corporation

Hisao Igarashi

Kazuo Inoue

Katsumi Sato

Mutsuhiko Yoshioka

Hitoshi Fujiyama

Ryoji Setaka

A sheet-like probe and a method of producing the probe. In the probe electrode structure bodies do not come out from an insulation film and achieve high durability, and in a burn-in test for a wafer having a large area and for a circuit device having to-be-inspected electrodes with small intervals, positional displacement, caused by temperature variation, between the electrode structure bodies and the to-be-inspected electrode can be reliably prevented for stable connection conditions. The sheet-like probe includes an insulation layer and a contact film provided with electrode structure bodies arranged on the insulation layer to be apart from each other in the surface direction of the insulation layer and penetratingly extend in the thickness direction of the insulation layer. The electrode structure bodies each are composed of a surface electrode section exposed to the front surface of the insulation layer.

Sheet-like probe, method of producing the probe, and application of the probe

A sheet-like probe has a porous film. In the sheet-like probe, a contact film is penetratingly supported at each position of through-holes formed in the porous film, and a peripheral edge of the contact film and the porous film are integrated such that a flexible resin insulation layer is included in a fine hole of the porous film. Electrode structure bodies are supported in a penetrating manner in the insulation layer. Each electrode structure body includes a surface electrode section exposed to the front surface of the insulation layer and projecting from the front surface of the insulation layer, a back surface electrode section exposed to the back surface of the insulation layer, a short-circuit section continuously extending from the base end of the front surface electrode section, penetrating the insulation layer in its thickness direction, and connected to the back surface electrode section, a holding section extending outward, along the front surface of the insulation layer, from the base end section of the front surface electrode section, and a supporting body supporting the insulation layer.

A probe member for wafer inspection having a sheet-like probe, the probe including a frame plate in which openings are formed, and contact films arranged on a front surface of the frame plate so as to close the openings, each of the contact films obtained by arranging, in an insulating film formed of a flexible resin, a plurality of electrode structures, and an anisotropically conductive connector, which is composed of a frame plate, in which a plurality of openings have been formed corresponding to the electrode regions, and a plurality of elastic anisotropically conductive films arranged on and supported by the frame plate so as to close the respective openings, wherein each of the openings of the frame plate in the sheet-like probe have a size for receiving the external shape in a plane direction in the elastic anisotropically conductive film of the anisotropically conductive connector.

Probe member for wafer inspection, probe card for wafer inspection and wafer inspection equipment

A probe device including a circuit board for inspection having a great number of inspection electrodes, a probe card having a circuit board for connection having a great number of terminal electrodes and a contact member, an anisotropically conductive connector arranged between the circuit board for inspection and the circuit board for connection and electrically connecting the respective inspection electrodes to the respective terminal electrodes, and a parallelism adjusting mechanism for adjusting a parallelism of the circuit board for inspection and the circuit board for connection to the wafer. The parallelism adjusting mechanism includes a location-varying mechanism, which relatively displaces the circuit board for inspection or the circuit board for connection in the thickness-wise direction of the anisotropically conductive connector. A wafer inspection apparatus can include the probe device.

Probe apparatus, wafer inspecting apparatus provided with the probe apparatus and wafer inspecting method

An anisotropically conductive connector suitable for use in a wafer inspection apparatus, and a wafer inspection apparatus comprising the anisotropically conductive connector, which anisotropically conductive connector comprises an elastic anisotropically conductive film composed of a plurality of conductive parts for connection and an insulating part formed among these conductive parts for connection, and a frame plate for supporting this film, which plate is formed of a metallic material having a coefficient of linear thermal expansion of 3&#xd7;10to 2&#xd7;10K, the conductive parts for connection are obtained by filling conductive particles having a number average particle diameter of 20 to 80 &#x3bc;m and exhibiting magnetism in an elastic polymeric substance at a high density, the conductive particles have, on a surface of which, a coating layer composed of a noble metal and having a thickness of at least 20 nm, each of the conductive parts for connection has a durometer hardness of 10 to 35, and an electric resistance between the conductive parts for connection is at least 10 M&#x3a9;.

Anisotropic conductive connector and wafer inspection device

An anisotropically conductive connector, and applications thereof, by which good conductivity is retained over a long period of time even when it is used in electrical inspection of a plurality of integrated circuits formed on a wafer repeatedly over a great number of times, and thus high durability and long service life are achieved. The anisotropically conductive connector includes elastic anisotropically conductive films, in each of which a plurality of conductive parts for connection containing conductive particles and extending in a thickness-wise direction of the film are formed. The conductive particles contained in the conductive parts for connection in the anisotropically conductive connector are obtained by laminating surfaces of core particles exhibiting magnetism with a coating layer formed of a high-conductive metal, and the coating layer is a coating layer having a high hardness.

Anisotropic conductive connector, conductive paste composition, probe member, wafer inspection device and wafer inspection method

Disclosed herein are a wafer inspection apparatus which is small in size, prevented from shortening the service life of its circuit board for inspection, can collectively perform inspection as to a great number of electrodes to be inspected, has good electrical properties and can perform electrical inspection of high functional integrated circuits, and an anisotropically conductive sheet suitable for use in this wafer inspection apparatus. The anisotropically conductive sheet is composed of an insulating sheet body, in which a through-hole has been formed, and an elastic anisotropically conductive film arranged in the through-hole. The insulating sheet body is formed of a material having a modulus of elasticity of 1&#xd7;10to 1&#xd7;10Pa, a coefficient of linear thermal expansion of 3&#xd7;10to 3&#xd7;10Kand a saturation magnetization lower than 0.1 wb/m, the elastic anisotropically conductive film is composed of a plurality of conductive path-forming portions and insulating portions formed among these conductive path-forming portions, the conductive path-forming portions are obtained by filling conductive particles having a number average particle diameter of 30 to 150 &#x3bc;m, a coating layer composed of a noble metal and having a thickness of at least 20 nm is formed on surfaces of the conductive particles, each of the conductive path-forming portions has a durometer hardness of 15 to 45, and an electric resistance between conductive path-forming portions is at least 10 M&#x3a9;.

Anisotropic conductive sheet and wafer inspection device

Disclosed herein is an anisotropically conductive sheet capable of holding charge in its surfaces under an unpressurised state, and moving the charge held in the surface in a thickness-wise direction thereof in a state pressurised in the thickness-wise direction, thereby controlling the quantity of the charge at the surface. This anisotropically conductive sheet comprises a sheet base composed of an elastomer and conductive particles exhibiting magnetism contained in the sheet base in a state oriented so as to arrange in rows in a thickness-wise direction of the sheet base, and dispersed in a plane direction thereof. Supposing that a volume resistivity in the thickness-wise direction under an unpressurised state is R, and a volume resistivity in the thickness-wise direction in a state pressurised under a pressure of 1 g/mmin the thickness-wise direction is R, the volume resistivity Ris 1&#xd7;10to 1&#xd7;10&#x3a9;&#xb7;m, and a ratio (R/R) of the volume resistivity Rto the volume resistivity Ris 1&#xd7;10to 1&#xd7;10.

Anisotropic conductive sheet

An anisotropically conductive sheet comprises an anisotropically conductive functional region part exhibiting conductivity in its thickness-wise direction and an insulating peripheral region part located about the functional region part. The thickness of the functional region part is greater than that of the peripheral region part. The difference in thickness makes a space for inserting a holding tip part of a carrier between a target to be electrically connected and an upper surface of the peripheral region part.

Growing community of inventors

Chuo-ku, Japan

Hisao Igarashi