Probe head for high frequency signal test and medium or low frequency signal test at the same time

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021048452-A1
Application number	US-202016990283-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 11, 2020
Priority date	Aug 15, 2019
Publication date	Feb 18, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A probe head includes a probe seat, a first spring probe penetrating through upper, middle and lower dies of the probe seat for transmitting a first test signal, and at least two shorter second spring probes penetrating through the lower die for transmitting a second test signal with higher frequency. Two second spring probes are electrically connected in a way that top ends thereof are abutted against two electrically conductive contacts on a bottom surface of the middle die electrically connected by a connecting circuit therein. The lower die has a communicating space and at least two lower installation holes communicating therewith and each accommodating a second spring probe partially located in the communicating space. The probe head is adapted for concurrent high and medium or low frequency signal tests, meets fine pitch and high frequency testing requirements and prevents probe cards from too complicated circuit design.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A probe head for transmitting a first test signal and a second test signal higher in frequency than the first test signal, the probe head comprising:
a probe seat comprising an upper die, a lower die and a middle die disposed between the upper die and the lower die, the middle die having a bottom surface facing toward the lower die and at least one conducting unit which comprises two electrically conductive contacts located on the bottom surface and a connecting circuit located inside the middle die and electrically connecting the two electrically conductive contacts; a first spring probe penetrating through the upper die, the middle die and the lower die for transmitting the first test signal; and at least two second spring probes penetrating through the lower die for transmitting the second test signal, each of the second spring probes being shorter than the first spring probe and having a top end, two said second spring probes being electrically connected with each other in a way that the top ends of the two said second spring probes are abutted against the two electrically conductive contacts of the same conducting unit, respectively; wherein the lower die has a top surface facing toward the middle die, a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, and at least one lower installation hole unit penetrating through the top surface and the bottom surface of the lower die; the lower installation hole unit comprises at least two lower installation holes and a communicating space communicating with said at least two lower installation holes; each of the lower installation holes accommodates one of the second spring probes; each of the second spring probes is partially located in the communicating space of the lower installation hole unit.

2 . The probe head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lower die has two said lower installation hole units; each of the lower installation hole units accommodates two said second spring probes arranged as a differential probe pair for differential signaling.

3 . The probe head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the middle die comprises a multi-layer circuit board provided with the electrically conductive contacts; the connecting circuit comprises at least one internal wiring line located inside the multi-layer circuit board.

4 . The probe head as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the connecting circuit is one said internal wiring line.

5 . The probe head as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the middle die further comprises a machinable plate which has an installation surface facing toward the lower die; the multi-layer circuit board is fixed on the installation surface of the machinable plate.

6 . The probe head as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the machinable plate has a recess provided on the installation surface; the multi-layer circuit board has a top surface facing toward the installation surface and the recess of the machinable plat; the connecting circuit comprises an electronic component disposed on the top surface of the multi-layer circuit board and located in the recess of the machinable plate, and two said internal wiring lines electrically connected with the electronic component and electrically connected with the two electrically conductive contacts, respectively.

7 . The probe head as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the first spring probe penetrates through the machinable plate without penetrating through the multi-layer circuit board.

8 . The probe head as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the first spring probe penetrates through the machinable plate and the multi-layer circuit board.

9 . The probe head as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a positioning film disposed between the middle die and the lower die; each of the first and second spring probes is inserted through a positioning hole of the positioning film.

10 . The probe head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lower installation hole unit comprises a recess recessed from the top surface of the lower die to provide the communicating space; the lower installation holes of the lower installation hole unit penetrate through a bottom surface of the recess and the bottom surface of the lower die.

11 . The probe head as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the recess of the lower installation hole unit has a non-circle cross-section, a length of a shortest side of which is larger than a sum of a pitch between the second spring probes located in the same recess and a largest diameter of the lower installation hole.

12 . The probe head as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the recess of the lower installation hole unit has a circle cross-section, a diameter of which is larger than a sum of a pitch between the second spring probes located in the same recess and a largest diameter of the lower installation hole.

13 . The probe head as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the lower die comprises a lower plate and an upper plate piled on a top surface of the lower plate; the lower installation holes penetrate through the top surface and a bottom surface of the lower plate; the upper plate has an upper through hole; the upper through hole and the top surface of the lower plate collectively form the recess of the lower installation hole unit.

14 . The probe head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the lower installation holes comprises an upper section and a lower section; the communicating space is located between the upper section and the lower section of each of the lower installation holes; the upper section extends downwardly from the top surface of the lower die to the communicating space; the lower section extends upwardly from the bottom surface of the lower die to the communicating space.

15 . The probe head as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the lower die comprises a lower plate, a middle plate and an upper plate piled in order; the upper section and the lower section of each of the lower installation holes penetrate through the upper plate and the lower plate, respectively; the middle plate has a middle through hole in which the communicating space is provided.

16 . The probe head as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the middle through hole has a non-circle cross-section, a length of a shortest side of which is larger than a sum of a pitch between the second spring probes located in the same middle through hole and a largest diameter of the lower installation hole.

17 . The probe head as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the middle through hole has a circle cross-section, a diameter of which is larger than a sum of a pitch between the second spring probes located in the same middle through hole and a largest diameter of the lower installation hole.

18 . The probe head as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a third spring probe penetrating through the upper die and a fourth spring probe penetrating through the lower die; the third spring probe and the fourth spring probe are electrically connected with each other through another connecting circuit inside the middle die.

Assignees

• Mpi Corp

Inventors

• Yang Hui-Pin
• Hsieh Shang-Jung
• Chou Yu-Wen
• Yu Ching-Fang
• Hsu Huo-Kang
• Yang Chin-Tien

Classifications

• G01R1/06772

  High frequency probes · CPC title

• G01R1/06722 Primary

  Spring-loaded · CPC title

• G01R1/07314 Primary

  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

• G01R1/07378

  using an intermediate adapter, e.g. space transformers (G01R1/07371 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R1/06733

  Geometry aspects (G01R1/06727 takes precedence) · CPC title