Patents by Inventor Takashi Akao

Takashi Akao has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8456184
    Abstract: A probe card is provided that is capable of accurately ensuring the flatness and the parallelism with respect to a predetermined reference surface. A point (Q) of application of force applied from a leaf spring (17) that presses a portion near an edge portion of a surface of a probe head (15) from which a plurality of probes projects over an entire circumference in a direction of a substrate to the probe head (15) is positioned inside of an outer edge of the probe head (15), and a point (P) of application of force applied from the retainer (16) that presses a portion near an edge portion of a space transformer (14) over an entire circumference in the direction of the substrate to the space transformer (14) is positioned inside of an outer edge of the space transformer (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Yamada, Hiroshi Nakayama, Mitsuhiro Nagaya, Tsuyoshi Inuma, Takashi Akao
  • Patent number: 8149008
    Abstract: A probe card includes a probe head that holds a plurality of probes; a flat wiring board that has a wiring pattern corresponding to a circuit structure; an interposer that is stacked on the wiring board and relays wirings of the wiring board; a space transformer that is placed between the interposer and the probe head, transforms a space between the wirings relayed by the interposer, and leads the transformed wirings out to a surface facing the probe head; and a plurality of post members that are formed in a substantially columnar shape with a height larger than a sum of a thickness of the wiring board and a thickness of the interposer, and embedded to pierce through the wiring board and the interposer in a thickness direction such that one of end surfaces of each post member comes into contact with the space transformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Yamada, Hiroshi Nakayama, Tsuyoshi Inuma, Takashi Akao
  • Patent number: 8049525
    Abstract: A parallelism adjusting mechanism of a probe card is provided. The parallelism adjusting mechanism can bring probes held by a probe card into uniform contact with a wafer even if a parallelism between a mounting reference surface for the probe card and the wafer as a test object is lost. To achieve this purpose, specifically, to adjust a parallelism of a probe card (101) that holds a plurality of probes (1) for electrically connecting a wafer (31) as a test object and a circuitry for generating a signal for a test with respect to the wafer (31), adjusting screws (22) as at least part of an inclination changing unit are provided. The inclination changing unit changes a degree of inclination of the probe card (101) with respect to a mounting reference surface (S1) of a prober (202) for mounting the probe card (101) thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Yamada, Hiroshi Nakayama, Mitsuhiro Nagaya, Tsuyoshi Inuma, Takashi Akao
  • Patent number: 7898272
    Abstract: A probe card includes a flat wiring board having a wiring pattern corresponding to a circuit structure for generating a signal for a test, an interposer that is stacked on the wiring board and relays wirings of the wiring board, a space transformer that is stacked on the interposer and fastened thereto by an adhesive, transforms a space between the wirings relayed by the interposer, and leads the wirings out to a surface opposite a surface facing the interposer, and a probe head that is stacked on the space transformer and houses and holds a plurality of probes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Sasaki, Tsuyoshi Inuma, Yoshio Yamada, Mitsuhiro Nagaya, Takashi Akao, Hiroshi Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20100219852
    Abstract: A probe card includes a probe head that holds a plurality of probes; a flat wiring board that has a wiring pattern corresponding to a circuit structure; an interposer that is stacked on the wiring board and relays wirings of the wiring board; a space transformer that is placed between the interposer and the probe head, transforms a space between the wirings relayed by the interposer, and leads the transformed wirings out to a surface facing the probe head; and a plurality of post members that are formed in a substantially columnar shape with a height larger than a sum of a thickness of the wiring board and a thickness of the interposer, and embedded to pierce through the wiring board and the interposer in a thickness direction such that one of end surfaces of each post member comes into contact with the space transformer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Applicant: NHK Spring Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Yoshio Yamada, Hiroshi Nakayama, Tsuyoshi Inuma, Takashi Akao
  • Publication number: 20100164518
    Abstract: A probe card is provided that is capable of accurately ensuring the flatness and the parallelism with respect to a predetermined reference surface. A point (Q) of application of force applied from a leaf spring (17) that presses a portion near an edge portion of a surface of a probe head (15) from which a plurality of probes projects over an entire circumference in a direction of a substrate to the probe head (15) is positioned inside of an outer edge of the probe head (15), and a point (P) of application of force applied from the retainer (16) that presses a portion near an edge portion of a space transformer (14) over an entire circumference in the direction of the substrate to the space transformer (14) is positioned inside of an outer edge of the space transformer (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2008
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: NHK Spring Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Yoshio Yamada, Hiroshi Nakayama, Mitsuhiro Nagaya, Tsuyoshi Inuma, Takashi Akao
  • Publication number: 20100001752
    Abstract: A parallelism adjusting mechanism of a probe card is provided. The parallelism adjusting mechanism can bring probes held by a probe card into uniform contact with a wafer even if a parallelism between a mounting reference surface for the probe card and the wafer as a test object is lost. To achieve this purpose, specifically, to adjust a parallelism of a probe card (101) that holds a plurality of probes (1) for electrically connecting a wafer (31) as a test object and a circuitry for generating a signal for a test with respect to the wafer (31), adjusting screws (22) as at least part of an inclination changing unit are provided. The inclination changing unit changes a degree of inclination of the probe card (101) with respect to a mounting reference surface (S1) of a prober (202) for mounting the probe card (101) thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshio Yamada, Hiroshi Nakayama, Mitsuhiro Nagaya, Tsuyoshi Inuma, Takashi Akao
  • Publication number: 20100001748
    Abstract: A probe card includes a flat wiring board having a wiring pattern corresponding to a circuit structure for generating a signal for a test, an interposer that is stacked on the wiring board and relays wirings of the wiring board, a space transformer that is stacked on the interposer and fastened thereto by an adhesive, transforms a space between the wirings relayed by the interposer, and leads the wirings out to a surface opposite a surface facing the interposer, and a probe head that is stacked on the space transformer and houses and holds a plurality of probes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Sasaki, Tsuyoshi Inuma, Yoshio Yamada, Mitsuhiro Nagaya, Takashi Akao, Hiroshi Nakayama