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US 6,509,751 B1Granted
Planarizer for a semiconductor contactor
AssigneeFormFactor, Inc.
InventorsGaetan L. Mathieu, Benjamin N. Eldridge, Gary W. Grube
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A planarizer for a probe card assembly. A planarizer includes a first control member extending from a substrate in a probe card assembly. The first control member extends through at least one substrate in the probe card assembly and is accessible from an exposed side of an exterior substrate in the probe card assembly. Actuating the first control member causes a deflection of the substrate connected to the first control member.
Claims25
A probe card assembly comprising:
- a substrate having a first surface, wherein the first surface has an area that includes a central region and at least one peripheral region, wherein each peripheral region is located further from a center of said substrate than said central region;
- a plurality of contact elements coupled to said first surface of said substrate;
- and
- at least one planarizing element capable of transmitting a force to the central region of said substrate to modify a shape of the first surface at said central region relative to a shape of said first surface at each peripheral region, whereby, the first surface can be made planar.
1 more element
An interposer for use with a probe card assembly, the interposer comprising:
- an opening in a central region of the interposer, wherein said opening can be aligned with a central region of a space transformer in the probe card assembly, the opening being capable of receiving an actuating assembly for deflecting a central region of a space transformer in the probe card assembly such that a first surface of the space transformer is deflected at said space transformer central region compared to at least one peripheral region of the space transformer.
A probe card assembly comprising:
- a space transformer having a first surface, wherein the first surface has an area that includes a central region and at least one peripheral region, wherein each peripheral region is located further from a center of said space transformer than said central region;
- a plurality of contact elements, coupled to said first surface of said space transformer;
- an adjustable central control member capable of transmitting a force to the central region of said space transformer to modify a shape of the first surface at said central region relative to a shape of said first surface at each peripheral region;
- and
- at least one adjustable peripheral control member, wherein each adjustable peripheral control member is capable of transmitting a respective force to a respective peripheral region of said space transformer to modify a shape of the first surface at the respective peripheral region relative to a shape of said first surface at the central region.
2 more elements
A probe card assembly comprising:
- a plurality of substrates, each substrate having a central region and at least one peripheral region, wherein each peripheral region is located further from a center of a respective substrate than said central region;
- and
- a plurality of planarizing elements that control the planarity of respective ones of said substrates;
- wherein each planarizing element comprises:
- an adjustable central control member capable of transmitting a force to the central region of said substrate to modify a shape of the respective substrate at said central region relative to a shape of the respective substrate at each peripheral region;
- and
- at least one adjustable peripheral control member, wherein each adjustable peripheral control member is capable of transmitting a respective force to a respective peripheral region of said substrate to modify a shape at the respective peripheral region relative to a shape at the central region.
4 more elements
A probe card assembly comprising:
- a substrate having a central region and at least one peripheral region, wherein each peripheral region is located further from a center of said substrate than said central region;
- a plurality of contact elements, coupled to said substrate;
- an adjustable central control member capable of transmitting a force to the central region of said substrate to modify a shape at said central region relative to a shape at each peripheral region;
- and
- at least one adjustable peripheral control member, wherein each adjustable peripheral control member is capable of transmitting a respective force to a respective peripheral region of said substrate to modify a shape at the respective peripheral region relative to a shape at the central region.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.