A skate on a tip of a probe for testing electrical devices is a reduced thickness probe tip contact. Such a skate can advantageously increase contact pressure, but it can also undesirably reduce probe lifetime due to rapid mechanical wear of the skate. Here multilayer skate probes are provided where the overall shape of the probe tip is a smooth curved surface, as opposed to the conventional fin-like skate configuration. The skate layer is the most mechanically wear-resistant layer in the structure, so abrasive processing of the probe tip leads to a probe skate defined by the skate layer. The resulting probes provide the advantage of increased contact pressure without the disadvantage of reduced lifetime.

Systems, devices, and methods for characterizing semiconductor devices and thin film materials. The device consists of multiple probe tips that are integrated on a single substrate. The layout of the probe tips could be designed to match specific patterns on a CMOS chip or sample. The device provides for detailed studies of transport mechanisms in thin film materials and semiconductor devices.

An electrical connection device includes: a probe (10); and a probe head (20) including a top portion (21) allowing penetration of the probe (10), a bottom portion (23) disposed closer to a distal end portion than the top portion (21) and allowing penetration of the probe (10), and an upper guide portion (24) and a lower guide portion (25), which are disposed between the top portion (21) and the bottom portion (23) and allow penetration of the probe (10), wherein the probe (10) is held in a curved state between the top portion (21) and the bottom portion (23), the probe (10) buckles by contact of the distal end portion with an inspection object (2), and at least a continuous portion of the probe (10), which ranges from a portion where the probe (10) in a buckling state penetrates the bottom portion (23) to a portion where the probe (10) penetrates the lower guide portion (25), is a high-rigidity portion (101) made to have higher rigidity than a buckling portion of the probe (10).

Cantilever probes are produced for use in a test apparatus of integrated electronic circuits. The probes are configured to contact corresponding terminals of the electronic circuits to be tested during a test operation. The probe bodies are formed of electrically conductive materials. On a lower portion of each probe body that, in use, is directed to the respective terminal to be contacted, an electrically conductive contact region is formed having a first hardness value equal to or greater than 300 HV; each contact region and the respective probe body form the corresponding probe.

The present disclosure provides a probe card device and a conductive probe thereof. The conductive probe includes a metallic pin, an outer electrode, and a dielectric layer. The metallic pin includes a middle segment, a first connecting segment and a second connecting segment respectively extending from two opposite ends of the middle segment, and a first contacting segment and a second contacting segment respectively extending from the first connecting segment and second contacting segment along two opposite directions away from the middle segment. At least part of the outer electrode corresponds in position to the middle segment and is arranged adjacent to the first connecting segment. The dielectric layer is sandwiched between and entirely separates the metallic pin and the outer electrode, so that the outer electrode, the dielectric layer, and the metallic pin are jointly configured to generate a capacitance effect.

Provided is a contact probe which may achieve improved heat resistance even when a spring portion thereof is compressed and released in a high temperature environment. The contact probe includes an NiP layer, and the NiP layer has different concentrations of P at different positions in a thickness direction of the NiP layer.

Some embodiments of the invention are directed to electrochemical fabrication methods for forming structures or devices (e.g. microprobes for use in die level testing of semiconductor devices) from a core material and a shell or coating material that partially coats the surface of the structure. Other embodiments are directed to electrochemical fabrication methods for producing structures or devices (e.g. microprobes) from a core material and a shell or coating material that completely coats the surface of each layer from which the probe is formed including interlayer regions. Additional embodiments of the invention are directed to electrochemical fabrication methods for forming structures or devices (e.g. microprobes) from a core material and a shell or coating material wherein the coating material is located around each layer of the structure without locating the coating material in inter-layer regions.

Embodiments described herein provide techniques for wafer-level and panel-level testing of semiconductor devices. In one embodiment, a probe card comprises a probe card substrate and an array of test probes that extend outward from the probe card substrate. Each test probe has a blunt tip (i.e., a tip that is not sharp or pointed). An anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACA) may be formed on the test probes' blunt tips or disposed on a wafer or panel comprising contact pads formed therein or thereon. In one scenario, the test probes are brought in contact with the ACA, which is in contact with contact pads on or in a wafer or panel. The contacting of the ACA on the contact pads with the test probes forms electrical connections between test probes and the contact pads. In this way, the contact pads can be tested.

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.

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.