Patents by Inventor Syuichi Tsukada

Syuichi Tsukada 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: 8723544
    Abstract: A probe card installed in a probe device includes a supporting plate capable of supporting a contact body and a circuit board installed above a top surface of the supporting plate. A connection member is installed at a top surface of the circuit board and the supporting plate and the connection member are connected to each other by a connection body. Load control members are installed at a top surface of the connection member and capable of maintaining a contact load between the contact body and an object to be inspected at a constant level. Elastic members are installed at a peripheral portion of the connection member and capable of fixing a horizontal position of the supporting plate. An intermediate member is installed between the circuit board and the supporting plate and configured to elastically and electrically connect the circuit board and the supporting plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shigekazu Komatsu, Syuichi Tsukada
  • Patent number: 8063652
    Abstract: The present invention stably maintains contact between probe pins and a wafer. Screws are provided at a plurality of positions in an outer circumferential portion of a printed circuit board. On a lower surface side of the outer circumferential portion of the printed circuit board, a retainer plate is provided, and a bottom end surface of each of the screws is held down with the retainer plate. Turning each of the screws in a state where the bottom end surface of the each of the screws is held down with the retainer plate causes the outer circumferential portion of the printed circuit board to be moved up and down. Adjusting a height of the outer circumferential portion of the printed circuit board by turning each of the screws located at the plurality of positions enables parallelism of the entire probe card with respect to the wafer to be adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Amemiya, Syuichi Tsukada
  • Publication number: 20110234251
    Abstract: A probe card installed in a probe device includes a supporting plate capable of supporting a contact body and a circuit board installed above a top surface of the supporting plate. A connection member is installed at a top surface of the circuit board and the supporting plate and the connection member are connected to each other by a connection body. Load control members are installed at a top surface of the connection member and capable of maintaining a contact load between the contact body and an object to be inspected at a constant level. Elastic members are installed at a peripheral portion of the connection member and capable of fixing a horizontal position of the supporting plate. An intermediate member is installed between the circuit board and the supporting plate and configured to elastically and electrically connect the circuit board and the supporting plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shigekazu Komatsu, Syuichi Tsukada
  • Patent number: 7847569
    Abstract: Contact pressure between a wafer and a probe is maintained at an appropriate level. A probe card 2 has a contactor 11 for supporting a probe 10, a printed wiring board 13 electrically connected to the contactor 11, and a reinforcement member 14. On the upper surface side of the probe card 2 is provided a top plate 70 connected to the reinforcement member 14 by a connection member 80. A groove 90 is formed in the upper surface of the top plate 70, and a strain gauge 91 is attached at the groove 90. When a wafer W and the probe 10 are in contact with each other, an upward load acts on the probe card 2 by pressure caused by the contact, and the load causes strain in the top plate 70. The amount of the strain in the top plate 70 is measured, and contact pressure between the wafer W and the probe 10 is regulated and set based on the amount of the strain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Toshihiro Yonezawa, Syuichi Tsukada
  • Patent number: 7679385
    Abstract: In the present invention, an inspection contact structure is attached to a lower surface side of a circuit board of a probe card. The inspection contact structure has a silicon substrate, and sheets attached to upper and lower surfaces of the silicon substrate. Each of the sheets is elastic and has conductive portions in a projecting shape. The silicon substrate is formed with current-carrying paths passing through the substrate in a vertical direction so that the conductive portions of the sheets and the current-carrying paths of the silicon substrate are in contact with each other. The upper and lower sheets are fixed to the silicon substrate, and the sheet on the upper surface is fixed to a circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited, JSR Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Amemiya, Syuichi Tsukada
  • Publication number: 20090284272
    Abstract: Contact pressure between a wafer and a probe is maintained at an appropriate level. A probe card 2 has a contactor 11 for supporting a probe 10, a printed wiring board 13 electrically connected to the contactor 11, and a reinforcement member 14. On the upper surface side of the probe card 2 is provided a top plate 70 connected to the reinforcement member 14 by a connection member 80. A groove 90 is formed in the upper surface of the top plate 70, and a strain gauge 91 is attached at the groove 90. When a wafer W and the probe 10 are in contact with each other, an upward load acts on the probe card 2 by pressure caused by the contact, and the load causes strain in the top plate 70. The amount of the strain in the top plate 70 is measured, and contact pressure between the wafer W and the probe 10 is regulated and set based on the amount of the strain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2006
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Toshihiro Yonezawa, Syuichi Tsukada
  • Publication number: 20090015281
    Abstract: The method is a method for positioning a three-layered rectangular frame-like anisotropic conductive connector in order to inspect the electrical properties of an object for inspection. The positioning is carried out in the following manner. The three-layered anisotropic conductive sheet is composed of a first anisotropic conductive sheet, a center substrate and a second anisotropic conductive sheet. Markings and through-holes are formed on the center substrate, and semi-transparent protrusions and through-holes are formed on each of the first anisotropic conductive sheet and the second anisotropic conductive sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2008
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Applicants: JSR CORPORATION, TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Mutsuhiko Yoshioka, Akira Matsuura, Masaya Naoi, Takashi Amemiya, Syuichi Tsukada, Tomohisa Hoshino
  • Publication number: 20080048698
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to conduct highly reliable inspection by adjusting a contactor of a probe card and an inspection object in a prober to a parallel state even if the contactor and the inspection object become not parallel to each other. The present invention is a probe card mounted in a prober via a holder, the probe card including: a contactor; a circuit board electrically connected to the contactor; a reinforcing member reinforcing the circuit board; and a parallelism adjustment mechanism adjusting a degree of parallelism between the contactor and an inspection object disposed in the prober.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Inventors: Takashi Amemiya, Hisatomi Hosaka, Toshihiro Yonezawa, Syuichi Tsukada
  • Publication number: 20080007280
    Abstract: In the present invention, an inspection contact structure is attached to a lower surface side of a circuit board of a probe card. The inspection contact structure has a silicon substrate, and sheets attached to upper and lower surfaces of the silicon substrate. Each of the sheets is elastic and has conductive portions in a projecting shape. The silicon substrate is formed with current-carrying paths passing through the substrate in a vertical direction so that the conductive portions of the sheets and the current-carrying paths of the silicon substrate are in contact with each other. The upper and lower sheets are fixed to the silicon substrate, and the sheet on the upper surface is fixed to a circuit board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Inventors: Takashi Amemiya, Syuichi Tsukada
  • Publication number: 20070108996
    Abstract: The present invention stably maintains contact between probe pins and a wafer. Screws are provided at a plurality of positions in an outer circumferential portion of a printed circuit board. On a lower surface side of the outer circumferential portion of the printed circuit board, a retainer plate is provided, and a bottom end surface of each of the screws is held down with the retainer plate. Turning each of the screws in a state where the bottom end surface of the each of the screws is held down with the retainer plate causes the outer circumferential portion of the printed circuit board to be moved up and down. Adjusting a height of the outer circumferential portion of the printed circuit board by turning each of the screws located at the plurality of positions enables parallelism of the entire probe card with respect to the wafer to be adjusted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2006
    Publication date: May 17, 2007
    Inventors: Takashi Amemiya, Syuichi Tsukada