Probe card monitoring system and monitoring method thereof
AssigneeHermes Testing Solutions Inc.
InventorsWei-Ting Chen, Shih-Ying Chou
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A probe card monitoring system is adapted for any one of a probe card including a reinforcement frame and a printed circuit board or a prober including a head plate and a clamping mechanism, and includes at least one sensor and a control unit. The at least one sensor is disposed in one of the probe card and the prober to measure a distance between the probe card and the prober in at least one axial direction. The control unit is coupled to the at least one sensor and is configured to issue an alarm. A probe card monitoring method is also provided.
Claims18
A probe card monitoring system adapted for any one of a probe card comprising a reinforcement frame, at least one contact tab disposed on the reinforcement frame, and a printed circuit board or a prober comprising a head plate and a clamping mechanism, wherein the probe card monitoring system comprises:
- at least one sensor disposed in one of the probe card and the prober to measure a distance between the probe card and the prober in at least one axial direction;
- and
- a control unit coupled to the at least one sensor and configured to issue an alarm;
- wherein
- a measure point on the probe card monitoring system is not on the at least one contact tab, the at least one contact tab is physically connected to the clamping mechanism, and the measure point on the probe card monitoring system is separated from the at least one contact tab by a spacing ranging from 0.1 millimeter (mm) to 3 mm.
A probe card monitoring method adapted for any one of a probe card comprising a reinforcement frame, at least one contact tab disposed on the reinforcement frame, and a printed circuit board or a prober comprising a head plate and a clamping mechanism, wherein the probe card monitoring method comprises:
- disposing at least one sensor in one of the probe card and the prober;
- determining whether a distance between the probe card and the prober in at least one axial direction obtained by the at least one sensor exceeds an abnormality condition;
- and
- issuing an alarm by a control unit in response to the abnormality condition being exceeded, wherein
- a measure point on the probe card monitoring system is not on the at least one contact tab, the at least one contact tab is physically connected to the clamping mechanism, and the measure point on the probe card monitoring system is separated from the at least one contact tab by a spacing ranging from 0.1 millimeter (mm) to 3 mm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.