We have a new on-demand webinar now available for review – Considerations for Vertical High Probe Count Testing – presented by Keith Martin, Sr. Director Product Marketing at FormFactor. Keith is an accomplished leader in the semiconductor industry with more than 19 years of experience working for capital equipment and semiconductor logic device manufacturers including Intel and Lam Research.

Webinar Overview

As semiconductor suppliers aim to enhance their production efficiency and reduce testing costs, the trend of increasing probe card parallelism continues. Cutting-edge probe card designs now incorporate as many as 80,000 probes, and the industry is pushing for future designs that may incorporate up to 150,000 probes. However, this drive towards higher probe count presents various challenges and limitations that need addressing.

One critical limitation is the total probe force, which could exceed 200 kgf. Although some testers can manage this level of force, it’s essential to consider the deflection of the probe card to meet the demands of high-volume production.

Currently, the ratio of actual probe overtravel to programmed overtravel can be as low as 30%, which poses a significant challenge in achieving low contact resistance between the probe tips and the wafer. While it seems straightforward to increase probe card stiffness, space constraints between the probe card and the tester, coupled with the need to accommodate numerous components on the PCB, make this a complex task. Additionally, probers and probe card metrology tools must adapt to these higher forces.

In this webinar, Keith will conduct a comprehensive survey of the test equipment industry, shedding light on its chief limitations. Specifically, he will explore the areas where improvements in probe card mechanical design are necessary to overcome these challenges.

You can watch this on-demand webinar here.