Methods for fabricating electronic device components that include protruding contacts and electronic device components so fabricated
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device component, such as a probe card, includes providing a support plate with at least one aperture therethrough and providing at least one contact in the at least one aperture. Ends of the at least one contact may be enlarged to retain the same within the at least one aperture. A protective structure may be provided to prevent excessive compression of the at least one contact. The support plate, all or part of the at least one contact, the protective structure, or a combination thereof may be formed by a programmed material consolidation process, such as stereolithography, in which unconsolidated material is selectively consolidated in accordance with a program.
This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 10/788,941, filed Feb. 27, 2004, pending.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical contacts for use with semiconductor devices. The electrical contacts of the present invention may be used to provide temporary electrical connections as semiconductor devices are being burned in or otherwise tested. More specifically, the present invention relates to electrical contacts which include stereolithographically fabricated portions. The present invention also includes semiconductor devices, carriers, probe cards, and other substrates that employ such electrical contacts. Additionally, the present invention includes methods relating to fabrication of the electrical contacts of the present invention and structures incorporating same.
2. Background of Related Art
Numerous types of electrical contacts that are configured to provide temporary communication between the bond pads or other contacts of a semiconductor device and corresponding terminals or other contacts of a test substrate, carrier substrate, or other electronic component have been developed and used in the art.
Several examples of temporary electrical contacts have been developed by FormFactor, Inc., of Livermore, Calif., and are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,211, as well as in other U.S. Patents referenced hereinbelow that have been assigned to FormFactor (hereinafter collectively “the FormFactor Patents”). Each of these temporary electrical contacts is a compressible, resilient element which is secured to a bond pad of a semiconductor device. They may include a core and an outer coating, both of which are formed from electrically conductive materials. The core may comprise a relatively soft material, or material which is subject to plastic deformation, while the outer coating may comprise a more rigid material, which imparts the electrical contact with elastic properties. Alternatively, the core may be formed from a more rigid, elastic material, while the coating is formed from a material that enhances adhesion of the electrical contact to a bond pad of a semiconductor device.
The electrical contacts that are described in the FormFactor Patents are represented to be useful for providing temporary electrical connection between the bond pads of a semiconductor device and the contacts of a test or burn-in substrate. They may also provide permanent electrical connections between the bond pads of the semiconductor device and corresponding contacts (i.e., bond pads, terminals, leads, etc.) of another semiconductor device, a carrier, another semiconductor device component, or another electronic device.
The FormFactor Patents teach that wire-bonding apparatus may be used to form the core of an electrical contact of the type described therein, while conventional deposition or plating methods may be used to coat each core with another layer of conductive material. As conventional wire-bonding apparatus are typically configured to form only a single conductive element (e.g., bond wire, electrical contact, or other conductive structure) at a time, and since there may be thousands of bond pads on a substrate (e.g., silicon wafer) upon which numerous semiconductor devices are carried, the electrical contact fabrication processes that are described in the FormFactor Patents may be extremely and undesirably time consuming. Furthermore if, as described in the FormFactor Patents, gold is used to form the cores of numerous electrical contacts, the cost of forming the cores may be extremely and undesirably expensive.
The contacts described in the FormFactor Patents may be used, for example, in probe cards, which are used to establish a temporary connection between a semiconductor device and a test substrate or burn-in substrate. The contacts are positioned at locations that correspond to the locations of corresponding bond pads of the semiconductor device and terminals of the test substrate or burn-in substrate. Thus, the contacts are positioned so as to align between corresponding bond pads and terminals when the probe card is aligned between the semiconductor device and the test substrate or burn-in substrate. The compressibility of such contacts imparts the probe card with dimensional tolerance for the spacing between the semiconductor device and the test substrate or burn-in substrate.
Whether the Form Factor contacts are used with a probe card or another type of semiconductor device component, they may be compressed or deformed beyond their elastic limits, which will render them useless.
Accordingly, processes are needed by which electrical contacts may be more efficiently and cost-effectively fabricated, as are electrical contacts that are formed by such processes, protective structures for preventing damage to such electrical contacts, and semiconductor devices, carriers, probe cards, and other substrates with which such electrical contacts may be assembled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention, in several embodiments, includes electrical contacts, which are also referred to herein as “contacts” for simplicity, that may be at least partially fabricated by use of stereolithographic fabrication processes, as well as semiconductor devices, carriers, probe cards, and other substrates that include such contacts.
A contact, in an exemplary embodiment, includes a core which is stereolithographically formed or fabricated, as well as a conductive coating on at least a portion of the core. As the core is stereolithographically fabricated, it may include a single layer or multiple layers that are at least partially superimposed, contiguous, and mutually adhered to one another. The contact may be rigid or comprise a compressible, resilient member.
In another exemplary embodiment, a contact according to the present invention includes a conductive core disposed within a stereolithographically fabricated shell. The shell, which may include a single layer or a plurality of superimposed, contiguous, mutually adhered layers, may be formed with a channel extending therethrough. The channel may then be filled with the conductive material of the core, which is exposed at both ends of the shell.
In yet another aspect, the present invention includes methods for fabricating contacts. One exemplary embodiment of a contact fabrication method according to the present invention includes stereolithographically fabricating a core of the contact, then coating at least portions of the core with one or more layers (or sublayers) of conductive material.
A method for fabricating a contact in accordance with teachings of the present invention may include the formation of recesses within a fabrication, or sacrificial, substrate and coating the surfaces of the fabrication substrate with one or more material layers that will facilitate the subsequent release of contacts therefrom. Cores of the contacts may then be formed at the locations of the recesses, with the configuration of the base of each contact being at least partially defined by the recess within which it is formed. Thereafter, the cores may be at least partially coated with one or more layers (or sublayers) of conductive material. Once the contacts have been fabricated, they may be released from the fabrication substrate, which may then be discarded or reused to fabricate more contacts.
In another, similar embodiment of the method, the fabrication substrate may lack recesses.
In another embodiment of contact fabrication method according to the present invention, the foregoing processes may be used to form contacts that incorporate teachings of the present invention directly on the contact pads of a semiconductor device, an interposer, a carrier substrate, or the like.
Accordingly, another aspect of the present invention involves semiconductor device components that include the inventive contacts.
In another aspect, the present invention includes probe cards, which are useful in testing and burning in semiconductor devices that include the inventive contacts. An exemplary embodiment of a probe card according to the present invention may include contact pads with one or more types of compressible, resilient electrical contacts.
In addition, methods for fabricating probe cards are within the scope of the present invention.
One embodiment of a method for fabricating a probe card may employ the above-described processes for forming contacts and, prior to releasing the contacts from the sacrificial substrate, fabricating a support plate around intermediate sections of the contacts. Accordingly, the base of each contact is located on one side of the support plate and the tip of each contact is located on the other side of the support plate. As such, the support plate is fabricated in such a way that the contacts become trapped thereby. Nonetheless, it may be possible for the contacts to move relative to the support plate, along their lengths and in a direction which is transverse to a plane in which the support plate is located. The resulting structure may comprise a probe card which is useful for testing semiconductor devices with bond pads that are arranged complementarily to the arrangement of contacts on the support plate, as well as with a test or burn-in substrate that includes terminals that are positioned correspondingly to the positions of contacts on the support plate.
Alternatively, in another embodiment, a probe card may be fabricated by forming apertures through a substrate at areas where contacts are to be located. Of course, the apertures are also positioned correspondingly to the locations of corresponding terminals of a test or burn-in substrate with which the probe card is to be used, as well as to the locations of bond pads of a semiconductor device with which the probe card is to be used. Outer shells of the contacts are then formed within the apertures and in such a way as to protrude from the opposite major surfaces of the substrate. A channel may be formed through each outer shell as that outer shell is being fabricated or following fabrication of the outer shell. Conductive material, which may be introduced into the channels or maintained in position within the apertures of the substrate while at least portions of outer shells are being fabricated, extends completely through each outer shell to form a conductive core of the corresponding contact. The conductive material is exposed at each end of the contact to facilitate connection of a bond pad of a semiconductor device with a corresponding terminal of a test substrate or burn-in substrate.
The present invention also includes protective structures that prevent damage to contacts according to the present invention. Such a protective structure may include one or more elements that are located adjacent to regions of contacts that protrude from a substrate, such as a semiconductor device, a carrier, a probe card, or another electronic component. In addition, a protective structure of the present invention is configured to prevent a contact of the present invention from being bent or otherwise deformed beyond its elastic limit (i.e., the limit from which it will not return substantially to its original configuration). Each element of the protective structure may protrude a lesser distance from the substrate than the adjacent protruding portion. Alternatively, if the protective structure is formed from a material that imparts it with some compressibility or flexibility, it may protrude substantially the same distance from the substrate as, or even a greater distance than, the adjacent protruding portion of the contact protrudes from the substrate.
Some embodiments of protective structures according to the present invention include at least one receptacle that laterally surrounds at least a portion of at least one contact. A height of the protective structure (i.e., the distance the protective structure protrudes from the substrate), a distance walls of the receptacle are spaced apart from the contact, or some combination of these dimensions may prevent compression, flexure, or bending or other deformation of the contact beyond its elastic limit.
Other embodiments of protective structures that incorporate teachings of the present invention include at least one element (e.g., a post) that protrudes from a substrate adjacent to a corresponding contact. The at least one protruding element has a height which will prevent compression or flexion of the contact beyond its elastic limit as that contact is biased against a corresponding bond pad, terminal, or other contact element.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art through consideration of the ensuing description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGSIn the drawings, which depict features of exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present invention:
Contact 10 includes a core 18 that may be formed from a dielectric material or a conductive material. A layer of conductive material, which is also referred to herein as a “conductive coating 20,” covers at least portions of the exterior surface 19 of core 18 so as to facilitate the transmission of electrical signals along contact 10.
Core 18 may have any suitable configuration known in the art. As such, core 18 may be rigid or flexible. By way of example only, a rigid core 18 may be shaped as a point, a tip, a truncated cone or pyramid, a cup cross, or the like. Examples of flexible core 18 shapes include structures with levered arms, such as those described in the FormFactor Patents, including without limitation U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,476,211, 5,772,451, 5,820,014, 5,832,601, 5,852,871, 5,864,946, 5,884,398, 5,912,046 and 5,998,228, the disclosures of which patents are hereby incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference. Of course, in addition to their configurations, the materials from which cores 18 are formed may also lend to their relative rigidity or flexibility.
Conductive coating 20 may include one or more layers of conductive material suitable for use in forming or coating electrical contacts of semiconductor devices or other electronic components. By way of example only, conductive coating 20 may include one or more of a conductive layer, a barrier layer, and a noble layer.
An exemplary embodiment of the manner in which contact 10 may be fabricated is illustrated in
Photoresist 104 is disposed upon a surface 103 of hard mask layer 102 and patterned, as known in the art (e.g., by exposing the same, through a reticle, to one or more appropriate wavelengths of radiation, then developing the same), to form a photomask 106. Photomask 106 includes apertures 108 through which regions of hard mask layer 102 may subsequently be exposed to one or more etchants which are suitable for removing the material of hard mask layer 102. The removal of material from hard mask layer 102 results in the formation of a hard mask 110 with apertures 112 formed therethrough, as shown in
Turning now to
As shown in
Once hard mask layer 116 has been formed, a sacrificial layer 118 is formed thereover, as shown in
Thereafter, as shown in
Turning now to
For example, as shown in
Controller 1700 may comprise a computer or a computer processor, such as a so-called “microprocessor,” which may be programmed to effect a number of different functions. Alternatively, controller 1700 may be programmed to effect a specific set of related functions or even a single function. Each controller 1700 of stereolithographic apparatus 1000 may be associated with a single system thereof or a plurality of systems so as to orchestrate the operation of such systems relative to one another.
Fabrication tank 1100 includes a chamber 1110 which is configured to contain a support system 1130. In turn, support system 1130 is configured to carry one or more substrates 100.
Fabrication tank 1100 may also have a reservoir 1120 associated therewith. Reservoir 1120 may be continuous with chamber 1110. Alternatively, reservoir 1120 may be separate from, but communicate with, chamber 1110 in such a way as to provide unconsolidated material 1126 thereto. Reservoir 1120 is configured to at least partially contain a volume 1124 of unconsolidated material 1126, such as a photoimageable polymer, or “photopolymer,” particles of thermoplastic polymer, resin-coated particles, or the like.
Photopolymers believed to be suitable for use with a stereolithography apparatus 1000 according to the present invention include, without limitation, ACCURA® SI 40 H
Reservoir 1120 or another component associated with one or both of fabrication tank 1100 and reservoir 1120 thereof may be configured to maintain a surface 1128 of a portion of volume 1124 located within chamber 1110 at a substantially constant elevation relative to chamber 1110.
A material consolidation system 1200 is associated with fabrication tank 1100 in such a way as to direct consolidating energy 1220 into chamber 1110 thereof, toward at least areas of surface 1128 of volume 1124 of unconsolidated material 1126 within reservoir 1120 that are located over substrate 100. Consolidating energy 1220 may comprise, for example, electromagnetic radiation of a selected wavelength or a range of wavelengths, an electron beam, or other suitable energy for consolidating unconsolidated material 1126. Material consolidation system 1200 includes a source 1210 of consolidating energy 1220. If consolidating energy 1220 is focused, source 1210 or a location control element 1212 associated therewith (e.g., a set of galvanometers, including one for x-axis movement and another for y-axis movement) may be configured to direct, or position, consolidating energy 1220 toward a plurality of desired areas of surface 1128. Alternatively, if consolidating energy 1220 remains relatively unfocused, it may be directed generally toward surface 1128 from a single, fixed location or from a plurality of different locations. In any event, operation of source 1210, as well as movement thereof, if any, may be effected under the direction of controller 1700.
When material consolidation system 1200 directs focused consolidating energy 1220 toward surface 1128 of volume 1124 of unconsolidated material 1126, stereolithographic apparatus 1000 may also include a machine vision system 1300. Machine vision system 1300 facilitates the direction of focused consolidating energy 1220 toward desired locations of features on substrate 100. As with material consolidation system 1200, operation of machine vision system 1300 may be proscribed by controller 1700. If any portion of machine vision system 1300, such as a camera 1310 thereof, moves relative to chamber 1110 of fabrication tank 1100, that portion of machine vision system 1300 may be positioned so as provide a clear path to all of the locations of surface 1128 that are located over each substrate 100 within chamber 1110.
Optionally, one or both of material consolidation system 1200 (which may include a plurality of mirrors 1214) and machine vision system 1300 may be oriented and configured to operate in association with a plurality of fabrication tanks 1100. Of course, one or more controllers 1700 would be useful for orchestrating the operation of material consolidation system 1200, machine vision system 1300, and substrate handling system 1600 relative to a plurality of fabrication tanks 1100.
Cleaning component 1400 of stereolithographic apparatus 1000 may also operate under the direction of controller 1700. Cleaning component 1400 of stereolithographic apparatus 1000 may be continuous with a chamber 1110 of fabrication tank 1100 or positioned adjacent to fabrication tank 1100. If cleaning component 1400 is continuous with chamber 1110, any unconsolidated material 1126 that remains on a substrate 100 may be removed therefrom prior to introduction of another substrate 100 into chamber 1110.
If cleaning component 1400 is positioned adjacent to fabrication tank 1100, residual unconsolidated material 1126 may be removed from a substrate 100 as substrate 100 is removed from chamber 1110. Alternatively, any unconsolidated material 1126 remaining on substrate 100 may be removed therefrom after substrate 100 has been removed from chamber 1110, in which case the cleaning process may occur as another substrate 100 is positioned within chamber 1110.
Material reclamation system 1500 collects excess unconsolidated material 1126 that has been removed from a substrate 100 by cleaning component 1400, then returns the excess unconsolidated material 1126 to reservoir 1120 associated with fabrication tank 1100.
In use, controller 1700, under control of computer-aided drafting (CAD) or stereolithography (.stl) programming, may orchestrate operation of various components of stereolithographic apparatus 1000 to fabricate cores 18, as well as other features.
With reference to
Next, as shown in
Turning to
When apparatus such as that shown in
Another example of the manner in which core 18 of a contact 10 of the present invention may be fabricated is shown in
In
Each core 18 may then be plated or otherwise coated with conductive material to form a conductive coating 20 thereon, as shown in
As shown in
In
Once layer 132a has been formed, substrate 100 and layer 132a may be submerged within volume 200 of photopolymer a distance which corresponds to a thickness T2 of a next-higher layer 132b of support plate 130 (
After each layer 132a, 132b, etc. of support plate 130 has been formed, substrate 100, contacts 10, and support plate 130 may be removed from volume 200 of photopolymer, as shown in
Turning now to
As an alternative to the process shown in
Referring now to
The present invention also includes probe cards, as well as methods for fabricating probe cards. As depicted in
One example of a probe card 30 according to the present invention is shown in
As shown in
With reference to
Outer shell 20′ may be rigid or flexible, depending at least in part upon the configuration thereof and the materials that are used to form the same. Also, the material or materials from which outer shell 20′ is fabricated may be dielectric or electrically conductive. As illustrated, outer shell 20′ includes two collars 25′ and 26′, which extend radially from the remainder (e.g., a body 22′) of outer shell 20′ and are positioned so as to be located adjacent to opposite surfaces 133′ and 134′, respectively, of support plate 130′ (
As depicted, the ends of conductive core 18′ may be enlarged at ends 23′ and 24′ of contact 10′ and extend onto portions of outer shell 20′ that are located at ends 23′ and 24′. A base 12′ of each core 18′ and, thus, of contact 10′ of which core 18′ is a part establishes electrical communication with a corresponding terminal 52 of test or bum-in substrate 50 (
Turning now to
In
Turning to
If substrate 300 comprises a conductive or semiconductive material, surfaces 312 of apertures 310 may be coated with a layer 314 of dielectric material, as shown in
As shown in
Outer shell 20′ may be fabricated with a channel 21′ extending therethrough, or channel 21′ may be subsequently formed therethrough by known processes (e.g., with a laser drill, mechanical drill, etc.). Optionally, channel 21′ may be formed during the fabrication of outer shell 20′, then bored to increase one or more cross-sectional dimensions (e.g., radius and circumference) thereof.
Next, as depicted in
As a result of introducing conductive material 316 into channel 21′, a conductive element 320 is formed therein. Conductive element 320 includes a first end 323, which is exposed at and may protrude from end 23′ of contact 10′, and a second end 324, which is exposed at and may protrude from end 24′ of contact 10′.
Additionally, as shown in
As an alternative to the use of dielectric material to form an outer shell 20′, electrically conductive contacts 10′″ may be formed within at least some apertures 310 of substrate 300, as shown in
As another alternative, thermoplastic material may be sprayed, or “jetted,” onto substrate 300 layer-by-layer. Examples of such processes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,532,394, 6,508,971, 6,492,651, 6,490,496, 6,406,531, 6,352,668, 6,347,257, 6,305,769, 6,270,335, 6,193,923, 6,133,355, 5,340,433, 5,260,009, 5,216,616, 5,141,680, 5,134,569, 5,121,329, and 4,665,492, the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference. Additional examples of such processes are described in Grimm, Todd, “Stereolithography, Selective Laser Sintering and PolyJet™: Evaluating and Applying the Right Technology,” Pamphlet produced by Accelerated Technologies, Inc. of Austin, Tex. (2002), and in the pamphlet entitled “PolyJet 2nd Generation Technology,” which was produced by Objet Geometries Ltd. of Rehovot, Israel, in 2003, the disclosures of both of which are hereby incorporated herein, in their entireties, by this reference.
Of course, when a conductive contact 10″ is formed directly within one or more apertures 310 of substrate 300, it may not be necessary to form a core of another conductive material therein, although doing so (e.g., by the processes described above with reference to
Another exemplary embodiment of a method for fabricating a probe card 30′ (
In
Next, as shown in
As depicted, each portion 20a′ includes a protruding element 27′, a collar 25′, and a tapered alignment element 29′. Protruding element 27′ is an elongate member which may be cylindrical in shape. Collar 25′ is located adjacent to protruding element 27′ and extends outwardly (e.g., radially) therefrom. Alignment element 29′, which may be frustoconical in shape, is positioned adjacent to collar 25′ and on an opposite side thereof from protruding element 27′. Although alignment element 29′ is depicted as abutting collar 25′, it may be spaced apart therefrom by a section of portion 20a′ which has a reduced cross section relative to collar 25′ and alignment element 29′.
Thereafter, as illustrated in
Once substrate 300 has been properly positioned, with alignment elements 29′ of each portion 20a′ being at least partially disposed within a corresponding aperture 310 and a portion of each conductive element 418 extending through the corresponding aperture 310 of substrate 300, a remainder 20b′ of each outer shell 20′ may be fabricated, as illustrated in
Once outer shells 20′ have been fabricated, as depicted in
As
Optionally, one or both ends 323, 324 of conductive element 320 may be drawn, by known techniques, in such a way as to form an extension (e.g., extension 328 of
At some point during the process that has been described with reference to
Such plating may be effected just after the formation of conductive elements 418 (
In another aspect, the present invention includes protective structures that are configured to prevent damage to a contact (e.g., contact 10, 10′) of the present invention.
The embodiment of protective structure 500 shown in
Another exemplary embodiment of protective structure 500′ is shown in
Each of the foregoing embodiments of protective structures 500, 500′, 500″, as well as other embodiments of protective structures that are within the scope of the present invention, may be fabricated by stereolithography processes, such as those described herein with reference to
Protective structures according to the present invention may be fabricated directly on a substrate, or fabricated separately from the substrate, then secured thereto (e.g., with a suitable adhesive material).
Although the foregoing description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention, but merely as providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments. Similarly, other embodiments of the invention may be devised which do not depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Moreover, features from different embodiments of the invention may be employed in combination. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated and limited only by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the foregoing description. All additions, deletions, and modifications to the invention, as disclosed herein, which fall within the meaning and scope of the claims are to be embraced thereby.
Claims
1. A method for fabricating a probe card, comprising:
- forming a sacrificial layer over a surface of a fabrication substrate;
- forming at least one elongate contact over the sacrificial layer;
- forming a support plate laterally around an intermediate section of the at least one elongate contact; and
- removing the sacrificial layer to facilitate removal of the at least one contact from the fabrication substrate.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- forming at least one recess within the fabrication substrate prior to the forming the sacrificial layer.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- forming a layer comprising silicon nitride prior to the forming the sacrificial layer.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the sacrificial layer comprises forming a layer comprising aluminum.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:
- forming a plating mask over portions of the layer comprising aluminum where contacts are not to be formed.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
- plating regions of the layer comprising aluminum that are exposed through the plating mask.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the at least one contact comprises selectively consolidating unconsolidated material in accordance with a program.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein selectively consolidating unconsolidated material comprises stereolithographically fabricating at least a portion of the at least one contact.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the at least one contact comprises forming the at least one contact with a wire-bonding capillary.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the support plate comprises selectively consolidating unconsolidated material in accordance with a program.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein selectively consolidating unconsolidated material comprises stereolithographically fabricating the support plate.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- plating exposed portions of the at least one contact with conductive material.
13. A method for fabricating a probe card, selectively consolidating unconsolidated material to form at least a portion of at least one of a support plate and a contact of the probe card.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein selectively consolidating is effected in accordance with a program.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein selectively consolidating comprises stereolithography.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein selectively consolidating comprises forming at least a portion of the contact.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein forming at least a portion of the contact comprises fabricating a core of the contact.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein forming at least a portion of the contact comprises forming an outer shell of the contact.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein selectively consolidating comprises forming at least a portion of the support plate.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein forming at least a portion of the support plate is effected around an intermediate portion of at least the contact.
21. A method for fabricating a probe card, comprising:
- forming a sacrificial layer over a surface of a fabrication substrate;
- forming at least one elongate contact over the sacrificial layer;
- selectively consolidating unconsolidated material in accordance with a program to form a support plate laterally around an intermediate section of the at least one elongate contact; and
- removing the sacrificial layer to facilitate removal of the at least one contact from the fabrication substrate.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein forming the at least one elongate contact includes:
- forming a core; and
- coating conductive material onto the core.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein forming the core comprises selectively consolidating unconsolidated material in accordance with a program.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein coating conductive material comprises depositing conductive material onto the core.
25. A method for fabricating a probe card, comprising:
- providing a substrate including at least one aperture therethrough;
- fabricating an outer shell of a contact to extend through the at least one aperture; and
- introducing conductive material into a channel extending through the outer shell.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein fabricating the outer shell includes forming the channel in the outer shell.
27. The method of claim 25, further comprising: forming the channel through the outer shell after fabricating the outer shell.
28. The method of claim 25, wherein fabricating the outer shell includes selectively consolidating unconsolidated material in accordance with a program.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein selectively consolidating unconsolidated material in accordance with a program comprises stereolithographically fabricating the outer shell.
30. The method of claim 25, wherein fabricating the outer shell comprises:
- forming a first section of the outer shell;
- inverting the substrate; and
- forming a second section of the outer shell.
31. The method of claim 25, wherein fabricating the outer shell comprises forming a first section of the outer shell around the elongate element comprising conductive material.
32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:
- aligning the at least one aperture of the substrate with elongate element and the first section; and
- introducing at least a portion of the first section into the at least one aperture.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein fabricating the outer shell further comprises forming a second section of the outer shell around the elongate element after introducing at least the portion of the first section into the at least one aperture.
34. The method of claim 31, further comprising:
- forming the elongate element.
35. The method of claim 34, wherein forming is effected with a wire-bonding capillary.
36. The method of claim 34, wherein forming comprises forming the elongate element so as to protrude from a bonding joint and the substrate.
37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:
- separating the elongate element from the substrate after fabricating the outer shell.
38. The method of claim 37, wherein separating comprises at least one of cutting the elongate element and heating at least a joint between the elongate element and the substrate.
39. The method of claim 25, further comprising:
- forming a conductive cap from the conductive material at at least one end of the contact.
40. The method of claim 25, further comprising:
- forming an elongate conductive element that protrudes from at least one end of the contact.
41. A method for fabricating a probe card, comprising:
- providing a substrate including at least one aperture therethrough;
- forming at least one contact to extend through the at least one aperture, enlarged ends of the at least one contact configured to retain the at least one contact within the at least one aperture, the act of forming including: forming an outer shell of the at least one contact; and forming a conductive element of the at least one contact, the conductive element extending through at least a portion of the outer shell.
42. A semiconductor device component, comprising:
- a substrate;
- at least one flexible, resilient contact protruding from at least one surface of the substrate; and
- at least one protective structure positioned on the at least one surface so as to prevent deformation of the at least one flexible, resilient contact beyond an elastic limit thereof.
43. The semiconductor device component of claim 42, wherein the substrate comprises at least one of a semiconductor device, an interposer, a carrier substrate, a test substrate, and a probe card.
44. The semiconductor device component of claim 42, wherein the at least one protective structure comprises a substantially planar member with at least one aperture formed therethrough, the at least one flexible, resilient contact being located within the at least one aperture and at least partially laterally surrounded by the substantially planar member.
45. The semiconductor device component of claim 42, wherein the at least one protective structure comprises an individual structure that surrounds at least a portion of each of the at least one flexible, resilient contact protruding from the at least one surface of the substrate.
46. The semiconductor device component of claim 45, wherein the at least one protective structure includes an aperture within which the at least one flexible, resilient contact is at least partially located.
47. The semiconductor device component of claim 42, wherein the at least one protective structure comprises a plurality of laterally discrete elements, each laterally discrete element of the plurality protruding from the at least one surface of the substrate laterally adjacent to a flexible, resilient contact.
48. The semiconductor device component of claim 42, wherein the at least one protective structure has a height that at least partially prevents the at least one flexible, resilient contact from being deformed beyond its elastic limit.
49. The semiconductor device component of claim 42, wherein the at least one protective structure is spaced apart from the at least one flexible, resilient contact a distance which at least partially prevents the at least one flexible, resilient contact from being deformed beyond its elastic limit.
50. The semiconductor device component of claim 42, wherein the at least one protective structure includes a plurality of adjacent, mutually adhered regions.
Type: Application
Filed: May 4, 2006
Publication Date: Sep 14, 2006
Inventors: Warren Farnworth (Nampa, ID), William Hiatt (Eagle, ID), Charles Watkins (Eagle, ID)
Application Number: 11/429,011
International Classification: H01R 13/02 (20060101);