Thermal control of a probe card assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11280827-B2
Application number	US-201615056789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 29, 2016
Priority date	Feb 29, 2016
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

An example test system includes a test head and a probe card assembly connected to the test head. The probe card assembly includes: a probe card having electrical contacts, a stiffener connected to the probe card to impart rigidity to the probe card, and a heater to heat to at least part of the probe card assembly. A prober is configured to move a device under test (DUT) into contact with the electrical contacts of the probe card assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A test system comprising:
a test head;
a probe card assembly connected to the test head, the probe card assembly comprising:
a probe card having electrical contacts;
a stiffener connected to the probe card to impart rigidity to the probe card;
a heater to heat at least the stiffener, the heater being directly above the probe card and on the probe card;
a first temperature sensor on the probe card to detect a temperature of the probe card; and
a second temperature sensor on the stiffener to detect a temperature of the stiffener;

a prober to move a device under test into contact with the electrical contacts of the probe card; and
a controller configured to control the heater to control the temperature of the stiffener using a control signal generated based on the temperature of the probe card, a size of the prober, and a shape of the stiffener;
wherein the stiffener and the probe card have different coefficients of thermal expansion.

2. The test system of claim 1 , wherein the heater is configured to impart enough heat to the stiffener so that expansion of the stiffener due to heating substantially matches expansion of the probe card due to heating.

3. The test system of claim 1 , wherein the heater is in contact with the stiffener.

4. The test system of claim 1 , wherein the heater is mounted inside the stiffener.

5. The test system of claim 1 , wherein the heater comprises a resistive heater.

6. The test system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive, from the first temperature sensor, information representing the temperature of the probe card, and to output the control signal to control the heater based, in part, on the information in order to heat the stiffener.

7. The test system of claim 6 , wherein the control signal is based also on one or more of the following factors: a modulus of the stiffener, a thickness of the stiffener, a coefficient of thermal expansion of the stiffener, a Poisson's ratio of the stiffener, the size comprising a diameter of an interface of the prober, a modulus of the probe card, a thickness of the probe card, or a Poisson's ratio of the probe card.

8. The test system of claim 6 , wherein the control signal comprises a pulse-width modulated (PWM) control signal.

9. The test system of claim 8 , wherein a duty cycle of the PWM control signal is based, at least in part, on the information.

10. The test system of claim 6 , wherein the first temperature sensor comprises one of a thermocouple, a thermistor, or a resistive temperature detector.

11. The test system of claim 1 , wherein the heater is configured to heat the stiffener to limit deflection of the probe card to within a predefined amount.

12. The test system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive, from the first temperature sensor, information representing the temperature of the probe card assembly, and to output the control signal to control the heater based, in part, on the information so that temperature and heat flow associated with the probe card assembly remain substantially constant for a period of time.

13. A method comprising:
detecting a temperature of a probe card in a probe card assembly using a first temperature sensor on the probe card, the probe card assembly comprising:
the probe card, the probe card having electrical contacts,
a stiffener that is connected to the probe card to impart rigidity to the probe card, and
a heater to heat at least the stiffener, the heater being directly above the probe card and on the probe card;

detecting a temperature of the stiffener using a second temperature sensor on the stiffener; and
controlling the heater to impart heat to the stiffener using a control signal generated based on the temperature of the probe card and based on a size of a prober used to move a device under test into contact with the electrical contacts of the probe card, and a shape of the stiffener;
wherein the stiffener and the probe card have different coefficients of thermal expansion.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the heater is configured to impart enough heat to the stiffener so that expansion of the stiffener due to heating substantially matches expansion of the probe card due to heating.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein controlling the heater is based also on one or more of the following factors: a modulus of the stiffener, a thickness of the stiffener, a coefficient of thermal expansion of the stiffener, a Poisson's ratio of the stiffener, the size comprising a diameter of an interface of the prober, a modulus of the probe card, a thickness of the probe card, or a Poisson's ratio of the probe card.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the control signal comprises a pulse-width modulated (PWM) control signal to the heater, and wherein a duty cycle of the PWM control signal is based, at least in part, on the temperature of the probe card or the temperature of the stiffener.

17. A method comprising:
detecting a temperature of a probe card assembly using a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor, the probe card assembly comprising:
a probe card having electrical contacts, the first temperature sensor being on the probe card,
a stiffener connected to the probe card to impart rigidity to the probe card, the second temperature sensor being on the stiffener, and
a heater to heat at least the stiffener, the heater being above the probe card and on the probe card, and the heater being directly above the electrical contacts; and

controlling the heater to impart heat to the stiffener based on the temperature of the probe card during soak of the probe card assembly in hot air until a temperature of the probe card assembly reaches a specified temperature and remains at the specified temperature for a specified period of time, and controlling the heater using a control signal generated based also on size of a prober used to move a device under test into contact with the electrical contacts of the probe card, and a shape of the stiffener;
wherein the stiffener and the probe card have different coefficients of thermal expansion.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the control signal comprises a pulse-width modulated (PWM) control signal to the heater, and wherein a duty cycle of the PWM control signal is based, at least in part, on the temperature of the probe card assembly.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein controlling the heater is based also on one or more of the following factors: a modulus of the stiffener, a thickness of the stiffener, a coefficient of thermal expansion of the stiffener, a Poisson's ratio of the stiffener, a modulus of the probe card, a thickness of the probe card, or a Poisson's ratio of the probe card.

Assignees

• Teradyne Inc

Inventors

• Thompson Kevin A
• Silva Isaac N

Classifications

• G01R31/2642

  Testing semiconductor operation lifetime or reliability, e.g. by accelerated life tests · CPC title

• G01R31/2644

  Adaptations of individual semiconductor devices to facilitate the testing thereof · CPC title

• G01R1/44 Primary

  Modifications of instruments for temperature compensation · CPC title

• G01R31/2891

  related to sensing or controlling of force, position, temperature (G01R31/2874 takes precedence; sensing of force G01L; sensing of position G01B, G01D; sensing of temperature G01K; controlling in general G05) · CPC title

• G01R1/07314

  the body of the probe being perpendicular to test object, e.g. bed of nails or probe with bump contacts on a rigid support (on an elastic support, e.g. a film, G01R1/0735) · CPC title