Electronic device testing using a probe tip having multiple contact features
View Patent ↗An electronic device is moved into a first position such that terminals of the electronic device are adjacent probes for making electrical contact with the terminals. The electronic device is then moved horizontally or diagonally such that the terminals contact the probes. Test data are then communicated to and from the electronic device through the probes.
1. A method of testing electronic devices wherein each electronic device comprises a terminal, the method comprising:
obtaining a contactor device comprising a plurality of electrically conductive probes, one of the probes comprising a tip configured to contact the terminal of one of the electronic devices, the tip comprising a plurality of different contact features, wherein initially none of said different contact features has been selected;
selecting one of the contact features of the tip not previously selected as a selected contact feature;
contacting the terminal of one of the electronic devices with only the selected contact feature;
providing a test signal through the one of the probes to the one of the electronic devices;
repeating the contacting and the providing using different ones of the electronic devices until determining that a predetermined condition regarding the selected contact feature has been reached; and
after determining that the predetermined condition regarding the selected contact feature has been reached, repeating the selecting, the contacting, the providing, and the repeating the contacting and the providing.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating the selecting, the contacting, the providing, and the repeating the contacting and the providing until determining that all of the contact features of the tip have previously been selected.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising, after determining that all of the contact features of the tip have previously been selected, cleaning the tip.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined condition is a predetermined threshold number of contacts of the selected contact feature with the terminals of the electronic devices.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined condition is a predetermined threshold contact resistance between the selected contact feature and the terminal of one of the electronic devices.
6. The method of claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of contact features of the tip is a different edge of the tip.
7. The method of claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of contact features of the tip is a different face of the tip.
8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the tip comprises a truncated pyramid shape.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the truncated pyramid shape comprises a plurality of faces.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of contact features of the tip is a different one of the faces.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of contact features of the tip is a different one of an edge where adjacent ones of the faces intersect.
12. The method of claim 3 , wherein the electronic devices are semiconductor dies of a semiconductor wafer.
13. The method of claim 3 , wherein the electronic devices are semiconductor dies of a plurality of semiconductor wafers.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of a plurality of the probes comprises a tip configured to contact a terminal of the electronic device, and the tip comprising a plurality of different contact features.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the contactor device is a probe card,
the method further comprises coupling the probe card to a prober in which is enclosed a moveable chuck, and
at least some of the electronic devices are disposed on the chuck.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the contacting comprises moving the chuck such that the terminal of the electronic devices contacts only the selected contact feature of the probe.