A MEMS probe card with 2D dense-arrayed 'hoe'-shaped metal tips

In this paper, we present a novel MEMS probe card with densely area-arrayed microprobes for the wafer-level test of advanced ICs. In a 4 inch silicon wafer, a total of about 110 000 probe tips can be simultaneously fabricated, with a two-dimensional tip pitch of 240 µm × 160 µm. The 'hoe-shaped' microprobe structure is composed of one or two planar arms and an up-tilted tip, both of which are high-yield fabricated with metal micromachining techniques including low-stress nickel electroplating. With micromachined cavities, the silicon wafer serves as moulds for the up-tilted metal probes. Then, the microprobes are finally flip-chip packaged to a ceramic board for further connection to automatic testing equipment (ATE). After the probe structures are formed, the silicon wafer is removed completely by using TMAH wet etching, while the probes are freed by silicon laterally etching. The measured spring constants for all the three types of probes agree well with the designed values. As both mechanical anchors and electrical interconnections, the Sn–Ag solder-bumps feature satisfactory properties. The tested contact resistance values for three different thin-film pads on dies under test are always below 0.8 Ω, while the current leakage between two adjacent probes is only about 150 pA under 3.3 V.