Si-based micro probe card with sharp knife-edged tips combined metal deposition

Abstract

This paper presents the micro-machined cantilever type MEMS probe card with a special shape of tips in single crystal silicon. The probe cantilevers including the sharp tip are formed with anisotropic KOH etching and LOCOS, and the tips are deposited with Cr, Au, and W. This probe can endure enough force because both of tip and cantilever are entirely fabricated by single crystal silicon, and the specific shape of sharp probe tip was fabricated to break the oxidized surface of the IC chip. This probe is also expected to have a long life-time and enough tip hardness since the end of tip is coated with hard metal of tungsten (W). A novel process for the micro machined probe card with a sharp tip formation is developed and the micro probe arrays with 40 /spl mu/m in pitch are also realized.