Intel Corporation

Todd P Albertson

David Shia

Jin Yang

David M Craig

Kip P Stevenson

Joseph D Stanford

Dingying David Xu

Mohit Mamodia

Abram M Detofsky

Jin Pan

Keith J Martin

Donald E Edenfeld

Kamil S Salloum

Michael T Crocker

James G Maveety

Ashish Gupta

John C Johnson

Joe F Walczyk

Eric J Moret

Arun Krishnamoorthy

Erkan Acar

Joseph F Walczyk

Daniel J Dangelo

Patrick Whiting

Lothar Kress

Anil Kaza

Robert W Edmondson

Hon Lee Kon

A prober head to interface an E-testing apparatus to a device under test, which may be an unpackaged die, for example. In some embodiments, the prober head includes an array of conductive pins, each of the pins extending outwardly from a first pin end anchored to a substrate. At least a partial length of each of the pins is coated with a hydrophobic monolayer. The conductive pins may be composite metal wires including a core metal encased by one or more peripheral metal. At a tip of the pins, opposite the first pin end anchored to the substrate, the peripheral metals are recessed from the core metal. In further embodiments, the hydrophobic monolayer is disposed on an outer surface of the peripheral metals, but is substantially absent from a surface of the core metal exposed at the tip.

Probe pins with etched tips for electrical die test

A probe head may be utilized to test an electronic device. The probe head may include a probe axis extending along a length of the probe head. The probe head may include a probe core including a first metal. The probe core may include a core surface having a first dimension. The first dimension may be perpendicular to the probe axis. The probe core may include a probe tip, for instance extending from the core surface along the probe axis. The probe tip has a second dimension that may be perpendicular to the probe axis. The second dimension may be less than the first dimension of the core surface. The probe head may include a cladding layer that includes a second metal. The cladding layer may be coupled around a perimeter of the probe core. The probe tip may extend beyond the cladding layer.

Probe head and electronic device testing system

Embodiments may include systems and methods for manufacturing a probe for wafer sorting or die testing. A probe for wafer sorting or die testing may include a probe body and a probe tip. The probe body may include a probe core and a probe plating layer around the probe core. The probe core may include a first material, and the probe plating layer may include a second material. The probe tip may be next to the probe core of the probe body and may include the first material. In addition, the probe tip may have an end surface that is smaller than a surface of the probe core, and larger than a single point. A probe-manufacturing device may include a forging unit, a clipping unit, and an actuation mechanism to control the forging unit and the clipping unit. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Probes for wafer sorting

Etching for probe wire tip is described particularly well suited to microelectronic device test. In one example, wires of a probe head are covered with an encapsulation material, the wires being attached to a test probe head substrate, each of the wires having two ends, the first end being attached to the substrate and the second end being opposite the substrate, each wire having an outer coating around a core. The wires are etched to remove the outer coating at the second end of the wires. The encapsulation material is then removed.

Etching for probe wire tips for microelectronic device test

Probe tip formation is described for die sort and test. In one example, the tips of wires of a test probe head are prepared for use as test probes. The wires are attached to a test probe head substrate. The end opposite the substrate has a tip. The tips of the wires are polished when attached to the test probe head to form a sharpened point.

Probe tip formation for die sort and test

Electronic device assemblies and methods including an organic substrate based space transformer are described. One assembly includes a space transformer comprising an organic substrate. The assembly also includes a carrier on which the space transformer is positioned, and a clamp positioned to couple the space transformer to the carrier. The assembly also includes a probe array positioned on the space transformer, wherein the space transformer is positioned between the probe array and the carrier. The assembly also includes a printed circuit board, wherein the carrier is positioned between the printed circuit board and the space transformer. The assembly also includes electrical connections to electrically couple the space transformer to the printed circuit board. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Organic space transformer attachment and assembly

Wire probes are described that resist rotation during assembly into a probe head of a die tester. One example includes probe wires with a protrusion at a pre-determined position along the length of the wire. A probe substrate with pads on one side each to attach to and electrically connect with a probe wire and a pads on the opposite side to connect to test equipment and a probe holder above the substrate with holes. Each hole holds a respective one of the probe wires against the probe substrate. Each hole also has a key to mate with a protrusion of a respective probe wire so that the protrusions engage the keys to prevent rotation of the respective wire.

Anti-rotation for wire probes in a probe head of a die tester

An examples includes a substrate, including a conductive trace and a layer disposed on top of the conductive trace, the layer defining at least one cavity extending to the conductive trace and an electrical probe disposed in the cavity, with solder coupling the electrical probe to the conductive trace. The electrical probe can include a high yield strength wire core including a refractory metal and a thin oxidation protection layer concentrically disposed around high yield strength wire core and providing an outside surface of the electrical probe, the thin oxidation protection layer including predominantly one or more materials selected from gold, platinum, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, chromium, and combinations thereof, wherein the solder fills the cavity and is coupled to the electrical probe inside the cavity, disposed between the electrical probe and the layer.

Composite wire probe test assembly

A mechanism is described for facilitating and employing a modular processing cell framework according to one embodiment. A method of embodiments may include accepting one or more semiconductor devices in one or more media at a modular processing cell framework ('framework') including a plurality of test cells, moving the one or more semiconductor devices from the one or more media to one or more test cells for testing; and testing the one or more semiconductor devices.

Mechanism for facilitating modular processing cell framework and application for asynchronous parallel singulated semiconductor device handling and testing

Methods and structures for testing a microelectronic packaging structure/device are described. Those methods may include placing a device in a floating carrier, wherein the floating carrier is coupled to a socket housing by pin dowels disposed in four corners of the socket housing, and wherein at least two actuating motors are disposed within the socket housing, and micro adjusting the device by utilizing a capacitive coupled or a fiber optic alignment system wherein a maximum measured capacitance or maximum measured intensity between alignment structures disposed in the socket housing and alignment package balls disposed within the device indicate optimal alignment of the device. Methods further include methods for active co-planarity detection through the use of a capacitive-coupled techniques.

Micro positioning test socket and methods for active precision alignment and co-planarity feedback

An electrical probe of an aspect includes a high yield strength wire core. The high yield strength wire core includes predominantly one or more materials selected from tungsten, tungsten-copper alloy, tungsten-nickel alloy, beryllium-copper alloy, molybdenum, stainless steel, and combinations thereof. The high mechanical strength wire core has a yield strength of at least 1 gigapascal (GPa) at temperature of 250&#xb0; C. The electrical probe also includes a low electrical resistivity layer concentrically around the high yield strength wire core. The concentric layer includes predominantly one or more materials selected from silver, gold, copper, and combinations thereof. The low electrical resistivity layer has an electrical resistivity of no more than 2&#xd7;10Ohm-meters. The electrical probe has an outer cross-sectional dimension of the electrical probe that is no more than 50 micrometers. Between 60 to 85% of the outer cross-sectional dimension is provided by the high mechanical strength wire core. Between 10 to 30% of the outer cross-sectional dimension is provided by the low electrical resistivity layer.

Composite wire probes for testing integrated circuits

An apparatus includes a robot and a sort probe gripper. The sort probe gripper includes a body, a jaw mount inserted into the body, a plurality of grippers mounted in the jaw mount and an actuator sleeve slidable along the body to engage the plurality of grippers.

Sort probe gripper

A wire probe assembly and forming process is described. In one example, a method includes inserting a plurality of wires through a probe former and a tip retainer to contact a probe head substrate, attaching the wires to a surface of the substrate, pulling the probe former laterally with respect to the substrate surface and the tip retainer to bend the wires into test probes with a resiliency to transverse movement, and removing the tip retainer to form a test probe head.

Wire probe assembly and forming process for die testing

A thermal interface unit includes a pedestal, a first contact surface below the pedestal to interface with a first die and a flat spring to enable the first contact surface to adapt to a variable height of a first die of a multi-chip package (MCP).

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Warren, OR, United States of America

Todd P Albertson