Probe cards for probing highly-scaled integrated circuits are provided. A probe card includes a backplane and an array of probes extending from the backplane. Each of the probes includes a cantilever member and a probe tip. A first end of the cantilever member is coupled to the backplane, such that the cantilever member extends from the backplane. The probe tip extends from a second end of the cantilever member. The probes are fabricated from semiconductor materials. Each probe is configured to transmit electrical signals between the backplane and a device under test (DUT), via corresponding electrodes of the DUT. The probes are highly-scaled such that the feature size and pitch of the probes matches the highly-scaled feature size and pitch of the DUT's electrodes. The probes comprise atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes that are enhanced for increased electrical conductivity, elasticity, lifetime, and reliability.

A probe for direct nano- and micro-scale electrical characterization of materials and semi conductor wafers. The probe comprises a probe body, a first cantilever extending from the probe body, and a first thermal detector extending from the probe body. The thermal detector is used to position the cantilever with respect to a test sample.

The present disclosure is an inspection apparatus that makes an inspection of electrical characteristics of an object to be inspected. using a contactor brought into electrical contact with an electrode of the object to be inspected, the inspection apparatus including: a position adjusting unit including the contactor, a position adjusting section that adjusts a tip position of the contactor, and a load. detecting section that detects a value of contact load between the contactor and the electrode; a position deriving section that derives an initial position of the contactor in a specific direction based on a relationship between an amount of contact displacement of the contactor in the specific direction and the value of contact load between the contactor and the electrode; and a movement performing section that moves the tip position of the contactor based on the initial position in the specific direction derived by the position deriving section.

A test apparatus includes a movable stage to support a sample, tips above the stage that have different shapes and alternately perform profiling and milling on the sample, a tip stage connected to a cantilever coupled to the tips, the tip stage to adjust a position of the cantilever, a position sensor to obtain information about a positional relationship between the tips and the sample, a stage controller to control movements of the stage and the tip stage, based on the information about the positional relationship, and a tip controller to select the tips for performing the profiling or milling and to determine conditions for performing milling, wherein a depth of the sample being processed by the milling in the first direction is controlled based on a relationship between a distance between the tips and the sample and a force between the tips and the sample.

It is possible to make the free length of a contactor uniform even when the contactor is joined to a position that deviates from a joint position in a high-frequency conducting path and make contact with an electrode with stability, which improves measurement quality. A probe unit according to the present disclosure includes: a coaxial connector that is attached to a main body and gives and receives an electrical signal to and from a tester via a coaxial cable; a high-frequency conducting path that is connected to the coaxial connector and transmits an electrical signal; a plurality of contactors, each having a tip portion that makes electrical contact with an electrode of an object to be inspected and giving and receiving an electrical signal to and from the high-frequency conducting path; and a pedestal that is interposed between the contactor and the high-frequency conducting path, and the pedestal is provided in each contactor such that a free length of the contactor is a predetermined length.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for illumination inspection of micro LEDs. An apparatus for illumination inspection of micro LEDs includes a surface-contact probe making a surface contact, through an electrical resistive material, with a front surface of an LED assembly of multiple micro LEDs arranged forwardly and interconnecting LED electrodes at both ends of the micro LEDs, probe electrodes to be in line contact with one side and the other side of the surface-contact probe for supplying electric power, an imaging unit for photographing the LED assembly from an opposite surface of the surface-contact probe, to where the surface-contact probe is contacted, and a control unit for supplying electric power to the probe electrodes forwardly along the micro LEDs as aligned and for inspecting the micro LEDs illumination based on images of the LED assembly photographed by the imaging unit before and after supplying the electric power.

Methods of characterizing electrical properties of a semiconductor layer structure on a wafer with topside semiconductor layers on an insulating or semi-insulating substrate, the semiconductor layer structure including a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) heterostructure with a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at a heterointerface between the semiconductor layers of the heterostructure. The methods include: (a) physically contacting the topside of the wafer within a narrow border zone at an edge of the wafer with a flexible metal cantilever electrode of a contacting device, wherein the flexible metal cantilever electrode contacts one or more of the semiconductor layers exposed at the narrow border zone so that the flexible metal cantilever electrode is in electrical contact with the 2DEG; and (b) applying corona charge bias and measuring a surface voltage of the semiconductor layers using a non-contact probe while maintaining the electrical contact with the 2DEG. The physical contacting to the topside of the wafer is noncontaminating and noninvasive to the semiconductor layers.

The present invention relates to a contact and a socket device for testing a semiconductor device. The contact of the present invention is a spring contact which is integrally formed by blanking and bending a metal plate member and includes an elastic portion made of various strips of certain pattern and a tip provided at both ends of the elastic portion. Preferably, an inner volume of the contact is filled with a filler having conductivity and elasticity, whereby durability and electrical characteristics are excellent. Further, the test socket according to the present invention is a rubber type employing the above-mentioned contact and has an advantage that it is suitable for testing a fine pitch device.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for illumination inspection of micro LEDs. An apparatus for illumination inspection of micro LEDs includes a surface-contact probe making a surface contact, through an electrical resistive material, with a front surface of an LED assembly of multiple micro LEDs arranged forwardly and interconnecting LED electrodes at both ends of the micro LEDs, probe electrodes to be in line contact with one side and the other side of the surface-contact probe for supplying electric power, an imaging unit for photographing the LED assembly from an opposite surface of the surface-contact probe, to where the surface-contact probe is contacted, and a control unit for supplying electric power to the probe electrodes forwardly along the micro LEDs as aligned and for inspecting the micro LEDs illumination based on images of the LED assembly photographed by the imaging unit before and after supplying the electric power.

Pin probes and pin probe arrays are provided that allow electric contact to be made with selected electronic circuit components. Some embodiments include one or more compliant pin elements located within a sheath. Some embodiments include pin probes that include locking or latching elements that may be used to fix pin portions of probes into sheaths. Some embodiments provide for fabrication of probes using multi-layer electrochemical fabrication methods.