Integrated circuit tester probe contact liner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11009545-B2
Application number	US-202016816841-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2020
Priority date	May 15, 2018
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

An integrated circuit (IC) device tester includes contact probes. A liner is formed upon the contact probes. The liner includes a matrix of metal particles and glass particles. The metal particles of the liner allow the contact probe to pass an electrical current through the liner. The glass particles of the liner prevent C4 material from adhering to the liner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A probe card comprising:
a probe contact;
a conductive glass matrix liner upon the probe contact, the conductive glass matrix liner consisting essentially of glass particles and metal particles, the glass particles and the metal particles randomly located in a lattice site, wherein the glass particles have a mass percent range between five percent and fifty percent relative to a mass of the metal particles.

2. The probe card of claim 1 , wherein the conductive glass matrix liner comprises a first threshold number of lattice sites that contain a metal particle such that a conductive pathway is formed though a thickness of the conductive glass matrix liner.

3. The probe card of claim 2 , wherein the first threshold number of lattice sites allow current to flow from the probe contact entirely through the conductive glass matrix liner.

4. The probe card of claim 1 , wherein the conductive glass matrix liner comprises lattice sites that each include a glass particle (glass lattice sites) at a surface of the conductive glass matrix liner that opposes the probe contact.

5. The probe card of claim 4 , wherein glass lattice sites prevent C4 material from adhering to the conductive glass matrix liner.

6. The probe card of claim 1 , wherein the metal particles are Silver particles.

7. The probe card of claim 1 , wherein the conductive glass matrix liner comprises one or more clusters of neighboring lattice sites that are each occupied by a metal particle.

8. An integrated circuit (IC) device testing system comprising:
an IC device tester that passes an outgoing electrical current from a probe contact through a conductive glass matrix liner that surrounds the probe contact and receives a return electrical current at the probe contact through the conductive glass matrix liner, the conductive glass matrix liner consisting essentially of glass particles and metal particles, the glass particles and the metal particles randomly located in a lattice site, wherein the glass particles have a mass percent range between five percent and fifty percent relative to a mass of the metal particles.

9. The IC testing system of claim 8 , wherein the conductive glass matrix liner comprises a first threshold number of lattice sites that contain a metal particle such that a conductive pathway is formed though a thickness of the conductive glass matrix liner.

10. The IC testing system of claim 9 , wherein the first threshold number of lattice sites allow current to flow from the probe contact entirely through the conductive glass matrix liner.

11. The IC testing system of claim 8 , wherein the conductive glass matrix liner comprises lattice sites that each include a glass particle (glass lattice sites) at a surface of the conductive glass matrix liner that opposes the probe contact.

12. The IC testing system of claim 11 , wherein glass lattice sites prevent C4 material from adhering to the conductive glass matrix liner.

13. The IC testing system of claim 8 , wherein the metal particles are Silver particles.

14. The IC testing system of claim 8 , wherein the conductive glass matrix liner comprises one or more clusters of neighboring lattice sites that are each occupied by a metal particle.

15. A wafer testing system comprising:
a probe card comprising a probe contact, the probe contact comprising a conductive glass matrix liner upon and surrounding exterior surfaces of the probe contact, the conductive glass matrix liner consisting essentially of glass particles and metal particles, the glass particles and the metal particles randomly located in a lattice site, wherein the glass particles have a mass percent range between five percent and fifty percent relative to a mass of the metal particles.

16. The wafer testing system of claim 15 , wherein the conductive glass matrix liner comprises a first threshold number of lattice sites that contain a metal particle such that a conductive pathway is formed though a thickness of the conductive glass matrix liner.

17. The wafer testing system of claim 16 , wherein the first threshold number of lattice sites allow current to flow from the probe contact entirely through the conductive glass matrix liner.

18. The wafer testing system of claim 15 , wherein the conductive glass matrix liner comprises lattice sites that each include a glass particle (glass lattice sites) at a surface of the conductive glass matrix liner that opposes the probe contact and wherein the glass lattice sites prevent C4 material from adhering to the conductive glass matrix liner.

19. The wafer testing system of claim 15 , wherein the metal particles are Silver particles.

20. The wafer testing system of claim 15 , wherein the conductive glass matrix liner comprises one or more clusters of neighboring lattice sites that are each occupied by a metal particle.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Arvin Charles L
• Audette David M
• Conti Dennis R
• Erwin Brian M
• Wagner Grant

Classifications

• G01R1/06761

  related to layers · CPC title

• G01R31/2896

  Testing of IC packages; Test features related to IC packages (containers per se H10W76/10, encapsulations per se H10W74/00) · CPC title

• G01R1/06738 Primary

  related to tip portion · CPC title

• B23K26/26

  of rectilinear seams · CPC title

• G01R31/2889 Primary

  Interfaces, e.g. between probe and tester (G01R31/31905 and G01R1/07364 take precedence) · CPC title