US 12,243,703 B2
Probe card device and circuit protection assembly thereof
Chih-Chieh Liao, Hsinchu (TW); Yu-Min Sun, Hsinchu (TW); and Chih-Feng Cheng, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to GLOBAL UNICHIP CORPORATION, Hsinchu (TW); and TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by GLOBAL UNICHIP CORPORATION, Hsinchu (TW); and TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Jun. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/809,901.
Claims priority of application No. 111117021 (TW), filed on May 5, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0360874 A1, Nov. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. H01H 85/02 (2006.01); G01R 1/073 (2006.01); G01R 1/36 (2006.01); H05K 1/11 (2006.01)
CPC H01H 85/0241 (2013.01) [G01R 1/07342 (2013.01); G01R 1/36 (2013.01); H05K 1/112 (2013.01); H01H 2085/0275 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A probe card device, used to test a device under test (DUT), the probe card device comprising:
a wiring board provided with a plurality of first contacts and a plurality of second contacts;
a probe head comprising a probe holder, a plurality of first conductive probes arranged on the probe holder, respectively and a plurality of second conductive probes arranged on the probe holder; and
a circuit protection assembly comprising:
an insulation plate sandwiched between the wiring board and the probe head, and provided with a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other;
a plurality of first through holes respectively formed on the insulation plate, and arranged on the insulation plate in a first pattern array form;
a plurality of second through holes respectively formed on the insulation plate and arranged on the insulation plate in a second pattern array form;
a plurality of self-resetting fusing elements respectively disposed within the first through holes, each of the self-resetting fusing elements that is electrically connected to one of the first contacts and one of the first conductive probes for reversibly breaking down electric currents from the wiring board to the one of the first conductive probes, each of the self-resetting fusing elements comprising a first T-shaped solder pad, a second T-shaped solder pad and a resettable fuse portion that is totally buried within one of the first through holes, coaxially aligned with the first T-shaped solder pad and the second T-shaped solder pad and sandwiched between the first T-shaped solder pad and the second T-shaped solder pad, wherein one part of the first T-shaped solder pad is disposed on the first surface of the insulation plate facing towards the wiring board and directly contacted with one of the first contacts, and another part of the first T-shaped solder pad is extended into the one of the first through holes to be contacted with one end of the resettable fuse portion, and one part of the second T-shaped solder pad is disposed on the second surface of the insulation plate facing towards the probe head and electrically connected to one of the first conductive probes, and another part of the second T-shaped solder pad is extended into the one of the first through holes to be contacted with the other end of the resettable fuse portion; and
a plurality of conductive metal elements different from the self-resetting fusing elements, and respectively buried within the second through holes, and each of the conductive metal elements that is electrically connected to one of the second contacts and one of the second conductive probes,
wherein the wiring board, the circuit protection assembly and the probe head are sequentially stacked together as a stacked structure in a direction, and the first T-shaped solder pads are soldered to the first contacts with first solder balls, respectively, and the second T-shaped solder pads are soldered to the second contacts with second solder balls, respectively.
 
11. A circuit protection assembly of a probe card device that is suitable to be directly sandwiched between a wiring board and a probe head of the probe card device, the circuit protection assembly, comprising:
an insulation plate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other;
a plurality of first through holes respectively formed on the insulation plate, and arranged on the insulation plate in a first pattern array form;
a plurality of second through holes respectively formed on the insulation plate and arranged on the insulation plate in a second pattern array form;
a plurality of self-resetting fusing elements respectively buried within the first through holes for reversibly breaking down electric currents from the wiring board to one conductive probe, each of the self-resetting fusing elements comprising a first T-shaped solder pad, a second T-shaped solder pad and a resettable fuse portion that is totally buried within one of the first through holes, coaxially aligned with the first T-shaped solder pad and the second T-shaped solder pad and sandwiched between the first T-shaped solder pad and the second T-shaped solder pad, wherein one part of the first T-shaped solder pad is disposed on the first surface of the insulation plate, and another part of the first T-shaped solder pad is extended into the one of the first through holes to be contacted with one end of the resettable fuse portion, one part of the second T-shaped solder pad is disposed on the second surface of the insulation plate, and another part of the second T-shaped solder pad is extended into the one of the first through holes to be contacted with the other end of the resettable fuse portion; and
a plurality of conductive metal elements different from the self-resetting fusing elements, and respectively buried within the second through holes, and each of the conductive metal elements that is used to be electrically connected to the wiring board and another conductive probe of the probe head,
wherein the self-resetting fusing elements collectively form the first pattern array on the insulation plate.