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Patent application title: MEMBRANE PROBING METHOD USING IMPROVED CONTACT
Reed Gleason (Portland, OR, US)
Michael A. Bayne (Vancouver, WA, US)
Kenneth Smith (Portland, OR, US)
Timothy Lesher (Beaverton, OR, US)
Martin Koxxy (Hillsboro, OR, US)
Cascade Microtech, Inc.
IPC8 Class: AG01R106FI
USPC Class:
Class name: Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components of individual circuit component or element probe structure
Publication date: 2010-10-28
Patent application number: 20100271060
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Patent application title: MEMBRANE PROBING METHOD USING IMPROVED CONTACT
Reed Gleason
Michael A. Bayne
Kenneth Smith
Timothy Lesher
Martin Koxxy
Origin: PORTLAND, OR US
IPC8 Class: AG01R106FI
USPC Class:
Publication date: 10/28/2010
Patent application number: 20100271060
A substrate, preferably constructed of a ductile material and a tool
having the desired shape of the resulting device for contacting contact
pads on a test device is brought into contact with the substrate. The
tool is preferably constructed of a material that is harder than the
substrate so that a depression can be readily made therein. A dielectric
(insulative) layer, that is preferably patterned, is supported by the
substrate. A conductive material is located within the depressions and
then preferably lapped to remove excess from the top surface of the
dielectric layer and to provide a flat overall surface. A trace is
patterned on the dielectric layer and the conductive material. A
polyimide layer is then preferably patterned over the entire surface. The
substrate is then removed by any suitable process.
I/we claim:
1. A probing assembly for probing an electrical device comprising:(a) a plurality of contacts formed by locating conductive material within a plurality of depressions of a sacrificial substrate;(b) said plurality of contacts, each of said contacts having a length and a contacting portion spaced apart from an axis of moment of said contact, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor;(c) an elastic assembly including a single continuous surface supporting said plurality of contacts, said elastic assembly operating in respect to each contact to urge each contact, when in pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so that each contact is driven in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said electrical device, each contact remaining supported by said elastic assembly along substantially all of said length during the tilting motion.
2. The probing assembly of claim 1 wherein each one of said contacts is tiltable substantially independently of the other ones of said contacts.
3. The probing assembly of claim 1 including a base, said elastic assembly being tillably coupled to said base so as to enable said elastic assembly to automatically tilt relative to said base toward a position parallel to said electrical device in response to pressing engagement between respective ones of said contacts and said electrical device.
4. The probing assembly of claim 1 wherein each contact includes a contact bump fixedly joined to said contact in an off-centered location on said contact.
5. The probing assembly of claim 1 wherein said contacts are provided in pairs and the respective lateral scrubbing movements of said contacts in each pair are in opposite directions.
6. The probing assembly of claim 1 wherein the distance of said lateral scrubbing movement of each contact after touchdown on said electrical device is uniformly dependent for each contact on the distance traveled after touchdown.
7. The probing assembly of claim 1 wherein said contacts are arranged by rows and columns.
8. The probing assembly of claim 1 wherein each contact is joined in overlapping relationship to the corresponding conductor.
9. The probing assembly of claim 1 wherein said elastic assembly is substantially continuous over said surface supporting said contacts.
10. The probing assembly of claim 1 wherein each contact is supported by a continuous portion of said elastic assembly.
11. A probing assembly for probing an electrical device comprising:(a) a plurality of contacts formed by locating conductive material within a plurality of depressions of a sacrificial substrate;(b) said plurality of contacts being substantially asymmetric, each of said contacts having a length and electrically connected to a corresponding conductor;(c) an elastic assembly having a single continuous surface supporting said contacts, said elastic assembly operating in respect to each contact to urge each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so that each contact is driven in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said electrical device, and each contact remaining supported by said elastic assembly along substantially all of said length during the tilting motion.
12. The probing assembly of claim 11 wherein each one of said contacts is tillable independently of the other ones of said contacts.
13. The probing assembly of claim 11 including a base, said elastic assembly being tiltably coupled to said base so as to enable said elastic assembly to automatically tilt relative to said base toward a position parallel to said electrical device in response to pressing engagement between respective ones of said contacts and said electrical device.
14. The probing assembly of claim 11 wherein each contact includes a contact bump fixedly joined in off-centered location on said contact.
15. The probing assembly of claim 11 wherein said contacts are provided in pairs and the respective lateral scrubbing movements of said contacts in each pair are in opposite directions.
16. The probing assembly of claim 11 wherein the distance of said lateral scrubbing movement of each contact after touchdown on said electrical device is uniformly dependent for each contact on the distance traveled after touchdown.
17. The probing assembly of claim 11 wherein said elastic assembly comprises an elastomeric member having a first surface substantially resisting outward displacement normal to said first surface.
18. The probing assembly of claim 11 wherein said contacts are arranged by rows and columns.
19. The probing assembly of claim 11 wherein each contact is joined in overlapping relationship to the corresponding conductor.
20. The probing assembly of claim 11 wherein said elastic assembly is substantially continuous over said surface supporting said contacts.
21. The probing assembly of claim 11 wherein each contact is supported by a continuous portion of said elastic assembly.
[0001]The present application is a continuation of application U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/705,014 filed Nov. 10, 2003 which is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/814,593, filed Mar. 22, 2001 and now U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,386; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/115,571, filed Jul. 14, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,882.
[0002]The present invention relates to probe assemblies of the type commonly used for testing integrated circuits (IC) and, in particular, the present invention relates to a membrane probing assembly having contacts which scrub, in a locally controlled manner, across the respective input/output conductors of each device so as to reliably wipe clear the surface oxides that are normally found on those conductors thereby ensuring good electrical connection between the probing assembly and each device.
[0003]The trend in electronic production has been toward increasingly smaller geometries particularly in integrated circuit technology wherein a very large number of discrete circuit elements are fabricated on a single substrate or "wafer." After fabrication, this wafer is divided into a number of rectangular-shaped chips or "dice" where each die presents a rectangular or other regular arrangement of metallized contact pads through which input/output connections are made. Although each die is eventually packaged separately, for efficiency sake, testing of the circuit formed on each die is preferably performed while the dies are still joined together on the wafer. One typical procedure is to support the wafer on a flat stage or "chuck" and to move the wafer in X, Y and Z directions relative to the head of the probing assembly so that the contacts on the probing assembly move from die to die for consecutive engagement with each die. Respective signal, power and ground lines are run to the probing assembly from the test instrumentation thus enabling each circuit to be sequentially connected to the test instrumentation.
[0004]Probe structures have been developed to compensate for the inductance at the probe tips. One such design is exemplified by Lockwood et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,143. Lockwood et al. disclose a ground-signal-ground arrangement of strip like conductive traces formed on the underside of an alumina substrate so as to create coplanar transmission lines. These coplanar transmission lines extend from the pads of the DUT at one end to a coaxial cable at the other end. The associated pair of ground traces on each coplanar transmission line is connected to the outer conductor of the coaxial cable and the interposed signal trace is connected to the inner conductor. Areas of wear-resistant conductive material are provided to reliably establish an electrical connection with the respective pads of the DUT. Layers of ferrite-containing microwave absorbing material are mounted about the substrate to absorb spurious microwave energy over a major portion of the length of each ground-signal-ground trace pattern. In accordance with this type of construction, a high frequency impedance (e.g., 50 ohms) can be presented at the probe tips to the device under test. Thus broadband signals of eighteen gigahertz or less can travel with little loss across the coplanar transmission lines formed by each ground-signal-ground trace pattern.
[0005]The problem with this type of probing assembly is that the needle-like tips, due to their narrow geometry, exhibit high inductance so that signal distortion is large in high frequency measurements made through these tips. Also, these tips can act in the manner of a planing tool as they wipe across their respective pads, thereby leading to excessive pad damage. This problem is magnified to the extent that the probe tips bend out of shape during use or otherwise fail to terminate in a common plane which causes the more forward ones of the tips to bear down too heavily on their respective pads. Also, it is impractical to mount these tips at less than 100 micron center-to-center spacing or in a multi-row grid-like pattern so as to accommodate the pad arrangement of more modern, higher density dies. Also, this type of probing assembly has a scrub length of the needle tips of 25 microns or more, which increases the difficulty of staying within the allowed probing area.
[0006]In order to reduce inductive losses, decrease pad wear and accommodate smaller device geometries, a second type of probing assembly has been developed that uses a flexible membrane structure for supporting the probing contacts. In this assembly, lead lines of well-defined geometry are formed on one or more plies of flexible insulative film, such as polyimide or MYLAR.®. If separate plies are used, these plies are bonded together to form, for example, a multilayered transmission line structure. In the central portion of this flexible structure or membrane, each conductive line is terminated by a respective probing contact which is formed on, and projects outwardly from, an outer face of the membrane. These probing contacts are arranged in a predetermined pattern that matches the pattern of the device pads and typically are formed as upraised bumps for probing the flat surfaces conventionally defined by the pads. The inner face of the membrane is supported on a supporting structure. This structure can take the form, for example, of a truncated pyramid, in which case the inner face of the center portion of the membrane is supported on the truncated end of the support while the marginal portions of the membrane are drawn away from the center portion at an angle thereto so as to clear any upright components that may surround the pads on the device.
[0007]With respect to the membrane probing assembly just described, excessive line inductance is eliminated by carefully selecting the geometry of the lead lines, and a photolithographic process is preferably used to enable some control over the size, spacing, and arrangement, of the probing contacts so as to accommodate higher density configurations. However, although several different forms of this probing assembly have been proposed, difficulties have been encountered in connection with this type of assembly in reducing pad wear and in achieving reliable clearing of the oxide layer from each of the device pads so as to ensure adequate electrical connection between the assembly and the device-under-test.
[0008]One conventional form of membrane probing assembly, for example, is exemplified by the device shown in Rath European Patent Pub. No. 259,163A2. This device has the central portion of the sheet-like membrane mounted directly against a rigid support. This rigid support, in turn, is connected by a resilient member comprising an elastomeric or rubber block to the main body of the assembly so that the membrane can tilt to match the tilt of the device. Huff U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,383 shows a closely related device wherein radially extending leaf springs permit vertical axis movement of the rigid support while preventing it from tilting so that there is no slippage or "misalignment" of the contact bumps on the pads and further so that the entire membrane will shift slightly in the horizontal plane to allow the contacts to "scrub" across their respective pads in order to clear surface oxides from these pads.
[0009]In respect to both of these devices, however, because of manufacturing tolerances, certain of the contact bumps are likely to be in a recessed position relative to their neighbors and these recessed bumps will not have a satisfactory opportunity to engage their pads since they will be drawn away from their pads by the action of their neighbors on the rigid support. Furthermore, even when "scrub" movement is provided in the manner of Huff, the contacts will tend to frictionally cling to the device as they perform the scrubbing movement, that is, there will be a tendency for the pads of the device to move in unison with the contacts so as to negate the effect of the contact movement. Whether any scrubbing action actually occurs depends on how far the pads can move, which depends, in turn, on the degree of lateral play that exists as a result of normal tolerance between the respective bearing surfaces of the probe head and chuck. Hence this form of membrane probing assembly does not ensure reliable electrical connection between each contact and pad.
[0010]A second conventional form of membrane probing assembly is exemplified by the device show in Barsotti European Patent Pub. No. 304,868A2. This device provides a flexible backing for the central or contact-carrying portion of the flexible membrane. In Barsotti, the membrane is directly backed by an elastomeric member and this member, in turn, is backed by a rigid support so that minor height variations between the contacts or pads can be accommodated. It is also possible to use positive-pressure air, negative-pressure air, liquid or an unbacked elastomer to provide flexible backing for the membrane, as shown in Gangroth U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,339, Ardezzone U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,772, Reed, Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,228 and Okubo et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,365, respectively. These alternative devices, however, do not afford sufficient pressure between the probing contacts and the device pads to reliably penetrate the oxides that form on the pad surfaces.
[0011]In this second form of membrane probing assembly, as indicated in Okubo, the contacts may be limited to movement along the Z-axis in order to prevent slippage and resulting misalignment between the contacts and pads during engagement. Thus, in Barsotti, the rigid support underlying the elastomeric member is fixed in position although it is also possible to mount the support for Z-axis movement in the manner shown in Huff U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,637. Pad damage is likely to occur with this type of design, however, because a certain amount of tilt is typically present between the contacts and the device, and those contacts angled closest to the device will ordinarily develop much higher contact pressures than those which are angled away. The same problem arises with the related assembly shown in European Patent Pub. No. 230,348A2 to Garretson, even though in the Garretson device the characteristic of the elastomeric member is such as to urge the contacts into lateral movement when those contacts are placed into pressing engagement with their pads. Yet another related assembly is shown in Evans U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,638 which uses a pivotably mounted support for backing the elastomeric member so as to accommodate tilt between the contacts and the device. However, the Evans device is subject to the friction clinging problem already described insofar as the pads of the device are likely to cling to the contacts as the support pivots and causes the contacts to shift laterally.
[0012]Yet other forms of conventional membrane probing assemblies are shown in Crumly U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,253, Barsotti et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,898 and Evans et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,638. In Crumly, the center portion of a stretchable membrane is resiliently biased to a fully stretched condition using a spring. When the contacts engage their respective pads, the stretched center portion retracts against the spring to a partially relaxed condition so as to draw the contacts in radial scrub directions toward the center of the membrane. In Barsotti, each row of contacts is supported by the end of a respective L-shaped arm so that when the contacts in a row engage their respective pads, the corresponding arm flexes upwardly and causes the row of contacts to laterally scrub simultaneously across their respective pads. In both Crumly and Barsotti, however, if any tilt is present between the contacts and the device at the time of engagement, this tilt will cause the contacts angled closest to the device to scrub further than those angled further away. Moreover, the shorter contacts will be forced to move in their scrub directions before they have had the opportunity to engage their respective pads due to the controlling scrub action of their neighboring contacts. A further disadvantage of the Crumly device, in particular, is that the contacts nearer to the center of the membrane will scrub less than those nearer to the periphery so that scrub effectiveness will vary with contact position.
[0013]In Evans et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,079 each contact constitutes a spring metal finger, and each finger is mounted so as to extend in a cantilevered manner away from the underlying membrane at a predetermined angle relative to the membrane. A similar configuration is shown in Higgins U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,518. It is difficult, however, to originally position these fingers so that they all terminate in a common plane, particularly if a high density pattern is required. Moreover, these fingers are easily bent out of position during use and cannot easily be rebent back to their original position. Hence, certain ones of the fingers are likely to touch down before other ones of the fingers, and scrub pressures and distances are likely to be different for different fingers. Nor, in Evans at least, is there an adequate mechanism for tolerating a minor degree of tilt between the fingers and pads. Although Evans suggests roughening the surface of each finger to improve the quality of electrical connection, this roughening can cause undue abrasion and damage to the pad surfaces. Yet a further disadvantage of the contact fingers shown in both Evans and Higgins is that such fingers are subject to fatigue and failure after a relatively low number of "touchdowns" or duty cycles due to repeated bending and stressing.
[0014]Referring to FIG. 1, Cascade Microtech, Inc. of Beaverton, Oreg. has developed a probe head 40 for mounting a membrane probing assembly 42. In order to measure the electrical performance of a particular die area 44 included on the silicon wafer 46, the high-speed digital lines 48 and/or shielded transmission lines 50 of the probe head are connected to the input/output ports of the test instrumentation by a suitable cable assembly, and the chuck 51 which supports the wafer is moved in mutually perpendicular X, Y, Z directions in order to bring the pads of the die area into pressing engagement with the contacts included on the lower contacting portion of the membrane probing assembly.
[0015]The probe head 40 includes a probe card 52 on which the data/signal lines 48 and 50 are arranged. Referring to FIGS. 2-3, the membrane probing assembly 42 includes a support element 54 formed of incompressible material such as a hard polymer. This element is detachably connected to the upper side of the probe card by four Allen screws 56 and corresponding nuts 58 (each screw passes through a respective attachment arm 60 of the support element, and a separate backing element 62 evenly distributes the clamping pressure of the screws over the entire back side of the supporting element). In accordance with this detachable connection, different probing assemblies having different contact arrangements can be quickly substituted for each other as needed for probing different devices.
[0016]Referring to FIGS. 3-4, the support element 54 includes a rearward base portion 64 to which the attachment arms 60 are integrally joined. Also included on the support element 54 is a forward support or plunger 66 that projects outwardly from the flat base portion. This forward support has angled sides 68 that converge toward a flat support surface 70 so as to give the forward support the shape of a truncated pyramid. Referring also to FIG. 2, a flexible membrane assembly 72 is attached to the support after being aligned by means of alignment pins 74 included on the base portion. This flexible membrane assembly is formed by one or more plies of insulative sheeting such as KAPTON.®. sold by E.I. Du Pont de Nemours or other polyimide film, and flexible conductive layers or strips are provided between or on these plies to form the data/signal lines 76.
[0017]When the support element 54 is mounted on the upper side of the probe card 52 as shown in FIG. 3, the forward support 66 protrudes through a central opening 78 in the probe card so as to present the contacts which are arranged on a central region 80 of the flexible membrane assembly in suitable position for pressing engagement with the pads of the device under test. Referring to FIG. 2, the membrane assembly includes radially extending arm segments 82 that are separated by inwardly curving edges 84 that give the assembly the shape of a formee cross, and these segments extend in an inclined mariner along the angled sides 68 thereby clearing any upright components surrounding the pads. A series of contact pads 86 terminate the data/signal lines 76 so that when the support element is mounted, these pads electrically engage corresponding termination pads provided on the upper side of the probe card so that the data/signal lines 48 on the probe card are electrically connected to the contacts on the central region.
[0018]A feature of the probing assembly 42 is its capability for probing a somewhat dense arrangement of contact pads over a large number of contact cycles in a manner that provides generally reliable electrical connection between the contacts and pads in each cycle despite oxide buildup on the pads. This capability is a function of the construction of the support element 54, the flexible membrane assembly 72 and their manner of interconnection. In particular, the membrane assembly is so constructed and connected to the support element that the contacts on the membrane assembly preferably wipe or scrub, in a locally controlled manner, laterally across the pads when brought into pressing engagement with these pads. The preferred mechanism for producing this scrubbing action is described in connection with the construction and interconnection of a preferred membrane assembly 72a as best depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7a-7b.
[0019]FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the central region 80a of the membrane assembly 72a. In this embodiment, the contacts 88 are arranged in a square-like pattern suitable for engagement with a square-like arrangement of pads. Referring also to FIG. 7a, which represents a sectional view taken along lines 7a-7a in FIG. 6, each contact comprises a relatively thick rigid beam 90 at one end of which is formed a rigid contact bump 92. The contact bump includes thereon a contacting portion 93 which comprises a nub of rhodium fused to the contact bump. Using electroplating, each beam is formed in an overlapping connection with the end of a flexible conductive trace 76a to form a joint therewith. This conductive trace in conjunction with a back-plane conductive layer 94 effectively provides a controlled impedance data/signal line to the contact because its dimensions are established using a photolithographic process. The backplane layer preferably includes openings therein to assist, for example, with gas venting during fabrication.
[0020]The membrane assembly is interconnected to the flat support surface 70 by an interposed elastomeric layer 98, which layer is coextensive with the support surface and can be formed by a silicone rubber compound such as ELMER'S STICK-ALL.®. made by the Borden Company or Sylgard 182 by Dow Corning Corporation. This compound can be conveniently applied in a paste-like phase which hardens as it sets. The flat support surface, as previously mentioned, is made of incompressible material and is preferably a hard dielectric such as polysulfone or glass.
[0021]In accordance with the above-described construction, when one of the contacts 88 is brought into pressing engagement with a respective pad 100, as indicated in FIG. 7b, the resulting off-center force on the rigid beam 90 and bump 92 structure causes the beam to pivot or tilt against the elastic recovery force provided by the elastomeric pad 98. This tilting motion is localized in the sense that a forward portion 102 of the beam moves a greater distance toward the flat support surface 70 than a rearward portion 104 of the same beam. The effect is such as to drive the contact into lateral scrubbing movement across the pad as is indicated in FIG. 7b with a dashed-line and solid-line representation showing the beginning and ending positions, respectively, of the contact on the pad. In this fashion, the insulative oxide buildup on each pad is removed so as to ensure adequate contact-to-pad electrical connections.
[0022]FIG. 8 shows, in dashed line view, the relative positions of the contact 88 and pad 100 at the moment of initial engagement or touchdown and, in solid-line view, these same elements after "overtravel" of the pad by a distance 106 in a vertical direction directly toward the flat support surface 70. As indicated, the distance 108 of lateral scrubbing movement is directly dependent on the vertical deflection of the contact 88 or, equivalently, on the overtravel distance 106 moved by the pad 100. Hence, since the overtravel distance for each contact on the central region 80a will be substantially the same (with differences arising from variations in contact height), the distance of lateral scrubbing movement by each contact on the central region will be substantially uniform and will not, in particular, be affected by the relative position of each contact on the central region.
[0023]Because the elastomeric layer 98 is backed by the incompressible support surface 70, the elastomeric layer exerts a recovery force on each tilting beam 90 and thus each contact 93 to maintain contact-to-pad pressure during scrubbing. At the same time, the elastomeric layer accommodates some height variations between the respective contacts. Thus, referring to FIG. 9a, when a relatively shorter contact 88a is situated between an immediately adjacent pair of relatively taller contacts 88b and these taller contacts are brought into engagement with their respective pads, then, as indicated in FIG. 9b, deformation by the elastomeric layer allows the smaller contact to be brought into engagement with its pad after some further overtravel by the pads. It will be noted, in this example, that the tilting action of each contact is locally controlled, and the larger contacts are able, in particular, to tilt independently of the smaller contact so that the smaller contact is not urged into lateral movement until it has actually touched down on its pad.
[0024]Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the electroplating process to construct such a beam structure, as schematically shown in FIG. 8, includes the incompressible material 68 defining the support surface 70 and the substrate material attached thereon, such as the elastomeric layer 98. Using a flex circuit construction technique, the flexible conductive trace 76a is then patterned on a sacrificial substrate. Next, a polyimide layer 77 is patterned to cover the entire surface of the sacrificial substrate and of the traces 76a, except for the desired location of the beams 90 on a portion of the traces 76a. The beams 90 are then electroplated within the openings in the polyimide layer 77. Thereafter, a layer of photoresist 79 is patterned on both the surface of the polyimide 77 and beams 90 to leave openings for the desired location of the contact bumps 92. The contact bumps 92 are then electroplated within the openings in the photoresist layer 79. The photoresist layer 79 is removed and a thicker photoresist layer 81 is patterned to cover the exposed surfaces, except for the desired locations for the contacting portions 93. The contacting portions 93 are then electroplated within the openings in the photoresist layer 81. The photoresist layer 81 is then removed. The sacrificial substrate layer is removed and the remaining layers are attached to the elastomeric layer 98. The resulting beams 90, contact bumps 92, and contacting portions 93, as more accurately illustrated in FIG. 12, provides the independent tilting and scrubbing functions of the device.
[0025]Unfortunately, the aforementioned construction technique results in a structure with many undesirable characteristics.
[0026]First, several beams 90, contact bumps 92, and contacting portions 93 (each of which may be referred to as a device) proximate one another results in different localized current densities within the electroplating bath, which in turn results in differences in the heights of many of the beams 90, contact bumps 92, and contacting portions 93. Also, different densities of the ions within the electroplating bath and "random" variations in the electroplating bath also results in differences in heights of many of the beams 90, contact bumps 92, and contacting portions 93. The different heights of many of the beams 90, contact bumps 92, and contacting portions 93 is compounded three fold in the overall height of many of the devices. Accordingly, many devices will have a significantly different height than other devices. Using membrane probes having variable device height requires more pressure to ensure that all the contacting portions 93 make adequate contact with the test device than would be required if all the devices had equal overall height. For high density membrane probes, such as 2000 or more devices in a small area, the cumulate effect of the additional pressure required for each device may exceed the total force permitted for the probe head and probe station. The excess pressure may also result in bending and breaking of the probe station, the probe head, and/or the membrane probing assembly. In addition, the devices with the greatest height may damage the pads on the test device because of the increased pressure required to make suitable contact for the devices with the lowest height.
[0027]Second, the ability to decrease the pitch (spacing) between the devices is limited by the "mushrooming" effect of the electroplating process over the edges of the polyimide 77 and photoresist layers 79 and 81. The "mushrooming" effect is difficult to control and results in a variable width of the beams 90, contact bumps 92, and contacting portions 93. If the height of the beams 90, the contact bumps 92, or the contacting portions 93 are increased then the "mushrooming" effect generally increases, thus increasing the width of the respective portion. The increased width of one part generally results in a wider overall device which in turn increases the minimum spacing between contacting portions 93. Alternatively, decreasing the height of the beams 90, the contact bumps 92, or the contacting portions 93 generally decreases the width of the "mushrooming" effect which in turn decreases the minimum spacing between contacting portions 93. However, if the height of the contacting portions 93 relative to the respective beam 90 is sufficiently reduced, then during use the rearward end of the beam 90 may sufficiently tilt and contact the test device in an acceptable location, i.e., off the contact pad.
[0028]Third, it is difficult to plate a second metal layer directly on top of a first metal layer, such as contacting portions 93 on the contact bumps 92, especially when using nickel. To provide a bond between the contact bumps 92 and the contacting portions 93, an interface seed layer such as copper or gold is used to make an improved interconnection. Unfortunately, the interface seed layer reduces the lateral strength of the device due to the lower sheer strength of the interface layer.
[0029]Fourth, applying a photoresist layer over a non-uniform surface tends to be semi-conformal in nature resulting in a non-uniform thicknesses of the photoresist material itself. Referring to FIG. 13, the photoresist layer 79 (and 81) over the raised portions of the beams 90 tends to be thicker than the photoresist layer 79 (and 81) over the lower portions of the polyimide 77. In addition, the thickness of the photoresist 79 (and 81) tends to vary depending on the density of the beams 90. Accordingly, regions of the membrane probe that have a denser spacing of devices, the photoresist layer 79 (and 81) will be thicker on average than regions of the membrane probe that have a less dense spacing of devices. During the exposing and etching processing of the photoresist layer 79 (and 81), the duration of the process depends on the thickness of the photoresist 79 (or 81). With variable photoresist thickness it is difficult to properly process the photoresist to provide uniform openings. Moreover, the thinner regions of photoresist layer 79 (or 81) will tend to be overexposed resulting in variably sized openings. Also, the greater the photoresist layer thickness 79 (or 81) the greater the variability in its thickness. Accordingly, the use of photoresist presents many processing problems.
[0030]Fifth, separate alignment processes are necessary to align the beams 90 on the traces 76a, the contact bumps 92 on the beams 90, and the contacting portions 93 on the contact bumps 92. Each alignment process has inherent variations that must be accounted for in sizing each part. The minimum size of the contacting portions 93 is defined primarily by the lateral strength requirements and the maximum allowable current density therein. The minimum size of the contacting portions 93, accounting for the tolerances in alignment, in turn defines the minimum size of the contact bumps 92 so that the contacting portions 93 are definitely constructed on the contact bumps 92. The minimum size of the contact bumps 92, in view of the contacting portions 93 and accounting for the tolerances in alignment, defines the minimum size of the beams 90 so that the contact bumps 92 are definitely constructed on the beams 90. Accordingly, the summation of the tolerances of the contact bumps 92 and the contacting portions 93, together with a minimum size of the contacting portions 93, defines the minimum device size, and thus defines the minimum pitch between contact pads.
[0031]What is desired, therefore, is a membrane probe construction technique and structure that results in a more uniform device height, decreased spacing between devices, maximized lateral strength, desired geometries, and proper alignment.
[0032]The present invention overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a substrate, preferably constructed of a ductile material. A tool having the desired shape of the resulting device for contacting contact pads on a test device is brought into contact with the substrate. The tool is preferably constructed of a material that is harder than the substrate so that a depression can be readily made therein. A dielectric (insulative) layer, that is preferably patterned, is supported by the substrate. A conductive material is located within the depressions and then preferably planarized to remove excess from the top surface of the dielectric layer and to provide a flat overall surface. A trace is patterned on the dielectric layer and the conductive material. A polyimide layer is then preferably patterned over the entire surface. The substrate is then removed by any suitable process.
[0033]The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0034]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a membrane probing assembly bolted to a probe head and a wafer supported on a chuck in suitable position for probing by this assembly.
[0035]FIG. 2 is a bottom elevational view showing various parts of the probing assembly of FIG. 1, including a support element and flexible membrane assembly, and a fragmentary view of a probe card having data/signal lines connected with corresponding lines on the membrane assembly.
[0036]FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the membrane probing assembly of FIG. 1 where a portion of the membrane assembly has been cut away to expose hidden portions of the support element.
[0037]FIG. 4 is a top elevational view of an exemplary support element.
[0038]FIGS. 5a-5b are schematic side elevational views illustrating how the support element and membrane assembly are capable of tilting to match the orientation of the device under test.
[0039]FIG. 6 is an enlarged top elevational view of the central region of the construction of the membrane assembly of FIG. 2.
[0040]FIGS. 7a-7b are sectional views taken along lines 7a-7a in FIG. 6 first showing a contact before touchdown and then showing the same contact after touchdown and scrub movement across its respective pad.
[0041]FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing, in dashed-line representation, the contact of FIGS. 7a-7b at the moment of initial touchdown and, in solid-line representation, the same contact after further vertical overtravel by the pad.
[0042]FIGS. 9a and 9b illustrate the deformation of the elastomeric layer to bring the contacts into contact with its pad.
[0043]FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device of FIG. 8.
[0044]FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of the device of FIG. 8.
[0045]FIG. 12 is a more accurate pictorial view of the device shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.
[0046]FIG. 13 is a detailed view of the device shown in FIG. 11 illustrating the uneven layers that result during processing.
[0047]FIG. 14 is a pictorial view of a substrate.
[0048]FIG. 15 is a pictorial view of an exemplary embodiment of a tool, and in particular a dimpling tool, of the present invention.
[0049]FIG. 16 is a pictorial view illustrating the tool of FIG. 15 coming into contact with the substrate of FIG. 14.
[0050]FIG. 17 is a pictorial view of the substrate of FIG. 14 after the tool of FIG. 15 has come into contact therewith.
[0051]FIG. 18 is a sectional view of the substrate of FIG. 14 with a polyimide layer supported thereon.
[0052]FIG. 19 is a pictorial view of the tool of FIG. 16 together with a z-axis stop.
[0053]FIG. 20 is a sectional view of the substrate of FIG. 14 with a trace, conductive material in the depression, and additional polyimide layer thereon.
[0054]FIG. 21 is a pictorial view of the device of FIG. 20, inverted, with the substrate removed.
[0055]FIG. 22 is a breakaway sectional view of the contacting portion of FIG. 21.
[0056]FIG. 23 is a schematic view illustrating one arrangement of the devices of the present invention.
[0057]FIG. 24 is a schematic view illustrating the contact of a traditional contacting portion and the oxide layer of a solder bump.
[0058]FIG. 25 is a plan view of an alternative device with an elongate probing portion.
[0059]FIG. 26 is a side view of the device of FIG. 25 with an elongate probing portion.
[0060]FIG. 27 is a pictorial view of a solder bump with a mark therein as a result of the device of FIGS. 25 and 26.
[0061]FIG. 28 is a pictorial view of another alternative probing device.
[0062]FIG. 29 is a pictorial view of a further alternative probing device suitable for solder bumps.
[0063]FIG. 30 is a side view of a true Kelvin connection using the devices of the present invention.
[0064]The currently employed construction techniques for membrane probes involves starting with the flat rigid substrate to support additional layers fabricated thereon. To decrease the pitch and provide devices with increased uniformity requires increasingly more complex and expensive processing techniques. In direct contrast to the current techniques of constructing layers from the "bottom up" upon a supporting substrate, the present inventors came to the realization that by using a suitable tool a substrate may be coined to create the desired beams, contact bumps, and contacting portions. The remaining layers are then constructed "top down" on the beam. The substrate itself is thereafter removed.
[0065]Referring to FIG. 14, a substrate 200 is preferably constructed from a ductile material such as aluminum, copper, lead, indium, brass, gold, silver, platinum, or tantalum, with a thickness preferably between 10 mills and 1/8 inch. The top surface 202 of the substrate 200 is preferably planar and polished for optical clarity to improve viewing, as described later.
[0066]Referring to FIG. 15, a tool and in particular a "dimpling" tool 210 is constructed with a head 212 having the desired shape of the resulting device for contacting the contact pads on the test device. The dimpling tool 210 includes a projection 214 to connect to a dimpling machine (not shown). The tool 210 is supported by the dimpling machine with the head 212 oriented to come into contact with the top surface 202 of the substrate 200. The tool 210 is preferably constructed of a material that is harder than the substrate 200 so that a dimple can be readily made therein. Suitable material for the tool 210 is, for example, tool steel, carbide, chromium, and diamond. The preferred dimpling machine is a probe station which has accurate x, y, and z control. It is to be understood that any other suitable dimpling machine may likewise be used. Referring to FIG. 16, the tool 210 is pressed into contact with the top surface 202 of the substrate 200 resulting in a depression 216 matching the shape of the tool 210 upon its removal from the substrate 200, as shown in FIG. 17. The tool 210 is used to create a plurality of depressions 216 in the substrate 200 matching the desired pattern, such as the pattern shown in FIG. 6. Conversely, the tool 210 can be held stationary and the substrate 200 can be moved in the z-direction until the top surface 202 of the substrate is pressed into contact with the tool 210 resulting in the same depression 216 matching the shape of the tool 210 upon its removal from the substrate 200, as shown in FIG. 17.
[0067]Referring to FIG. 18, a polyimide layer 220 is patterned around the depressions 216. It is to be understood that any other suitable insulative layer or dielectric layer may likewise be used. In the process of patterning the polyimide layer 220, it is somewhat difficult to remove the polyimide from the depressions 216 during the exposing and etching process for the polyimide layer 220. This is especially true when the depressions 216 are relatively deep with steeply inclined sides. Alternatively, the polyimide layer 220 may be patterned on the top surface 202 of the substrate 200 with openings located therein where the depressions 216 are desired. Thereafter, the tool 210 is used to create the depressions 216 in the substrate 200 through the openings provided in the polyimide layer 220. This alternative technique eliminates the difficult process of adequately removing the polyimide layer 220 from the depressions 216.
[0068]It is expensive to manufacture masks for exposing the polyimide layer 220 that have tolerances sufficient to precisely align the openings for the depressions 216. The tool 210, in combination with the dimpling machine, can be aligned to the actual location of one of the openings that results from exposing and etching the polyimide layer 220 with a relatively inexpensive, and somewhat inaccurate mask. The present inventors came to the realization that localized regions of the mask, and thus the openings resulting therefrom, tend to be relatively well aligned for purposes of dimpling. Likewise, regions of the mask distant from one another tend not to be relatively well aligned for purposes of dimpling. Accordingly, automatically dimpling the substrate 200 to match an anticipated pattern with many depressions 216 distant from one another, with an accurate dimpling machine, will result in the dimpling tool not accurately being aligned with the openings at regions distant from the initial alignment point. To improve the accuracy of the alignment process the present inventors came to the realization that the dimpling machine may be realigned to the actual openings in the polyimide layer 220 at different remote locations, so that each localized region is relatively accurately aligned, while the overall alignment may be somewhat off. In this manner a relatively inexpensive mask may be used.
[0069]Preferably the dimpling machine includes accurate z-axis movement so that the depth of each depression is identical, or substantially identical. Referring to FIG. 19, if sufficiently accurate z-axis movement is not available then an alternative dimpling tool 240 with a built in z-axis stop 242 may be used. The z-axis stop 242 is a projection extending outward from the head 244 that comes to rest on the top surface of the polyimide 220 or top surface 202 of the substrate 200. The z-axis stop 242 is positioned with respect to the head 244 such that the proper depth is obtained, taking into account whether or not the polyimide layer 220 is previously patterned before using the dimpling tool 240.
[0070]Referring to FIG. 20, a conductive material 250 is electroplated onto the polyimide 220 and substrate 200 thereby filling up the depressions 216 with the conductive material 250, such as nickel and rhodium. It is to be understood that any other suitable technique may be used to locate conductive material within the depressions 216. The conductive material 250 is then preferably lapped to remove excess from the top surface of the polyimide layer 220 and to provide a flat overall surface. The preferred lapping process is a chemical-mechanical planarization process. A trace 252 is patterned on the polyimide layer 220 and the conductive material 250. The trace 252 is preferably a good conductor such as copper, aluminum, or gold. A polyimide layer 254 is then patterned over the entire surface. Further layers of metal and dielectric may be formed. The substrate 200 is then removed by any suitable process, such as etching with hydrochloric acid (HCL 15%) or sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid are not reactive with, the polyimide layer 220 nor the conductive material 250, such as nickel or rhodium. It is to be understood that the polyimide layer 254 may alternatively be any suitable insulator or dielectric layer.
[0071]Referring to FIG. 21, the contacting portion 260 of the resulting device is preferably selected to have a low contact resistance so that a good electrical connection may be made with the test device. While nickel has a relatively low contact resistance, rhodium has an even lower contact resistance and is more resistant to wear than nickel. Accordingly, the depressions 216 are preferably coated with a layer of rhodium. Using normal processing techniques the thickness of rhodium is limited to approximately 5 microns. The resulting device includes an exterior layer of rhodium, and in particular the contacting portion 260, which is then filled with the remaining conductive material, such as nickel or a nonconductive fill. The conductive material need not fill the entire depression.
[0072]The aforementioned "top-down" construction process provides numerous advantages over the traditional "bottom-up" processing technique of constructing layers upon a supporting substrate. These advantages also permit the capability of constructing devices with improved characteristics.
[0073]First, there are no limitations to the height of the resulting devices which were previously imposed by limitations of photoresist processing. The ability to construct devices having any suitable height also relieves the limitations imposed by attempting to electroplate into a tall narrow openings in photoresist, which is difficult.
[0074]Second, the elevation of the contacting portions 260 of the devices is extremely uniform because it is defined solely by the tooling process, which is mechanical in nature. Different localized current densities of the electroplating bath, different densities of the ions within the electroplating bath, and "random" variations in the electroplating bath are eliminated from impacting the overall shape and height of the resulting devices. With substantially uniform elevation of the devices, less force is required for the devices to make adequate contact with the test device which, in turn, decreases the likelihood of bending and breaking the probe station, the probe head, and/or the membrane probing assembly. Also, the substantially uniform elevation of the devices decreases the likelihood of damaging contact pads on the test device with excessive pressure.
[0075]Third, the contacting portion 260 of the devices are stronger because the device is constructed of a single homogenous material during one depositing process requiring no interfacial layers, as previously required for the multiple processing steps. This permits reducing the size of the contacting portions to the limitation of the maximum current density allowable therein during testing and not the minimum sheer force of the interfacial layers.
[0076]Fourth, the shape of the resulting devices are customizable to effectively probe different materials The shape of the device may have steep sidewall angles, such as 85 degrees, while still providing mechanical strength, stability, and integrity. The steep sidewalls permit narrower devices to be constructed which allows for a greater density of devices for increasingly denser arrangements of contact pads on the test device. Moreover, the angle of the sidewalls are not dependent (e.g. independent) on the crystalline structure of the substrate.
[0077]Fifth, the shape of the contacting portion is known precisely, and is uniform between devices, which permits uniform contact with the contact pads of the test device.
[0078]Sixth, the alignment of the different portions of the resulting device are exactly uniform between devices because each device was constructed using the same tooling process. With exact alignment of the lower portions of each device (beam and contact bump) in relation to the contacting portion, there is no need to provide additional leeway to accommodate processing variations inherent in photoresist processes and in electroplating processes. Also, the "mushrooming" effect of the electroplating process is eliminated which also reduces the required size of the device. The alignment variability reduction, and virtual elimination, of different devices 300 allows a significantly decreased pitch to be obtained, suitable for contact pads on the test device that have increased density.
[0079]Seventh, the shape of the resulting devices may be tailor shaped to provide optimal mechanical performance. To provide the scrubbing function, as described in the background portion, the device should have a beam and bump structure that tilts upon contact. The device 300 may include an inclined surface 304 between its tail 302 and the contacting portion 260. The inclined surface 304 provides for increased strength along portions of the length of the device 300 which permits the tail 302 to be thinner than its head 306. The torque forces applied to the device 300 during the tilting process of the device 300 tend to decrease over the length of the device 300 which has a correspondingly thinner material defined by the inclined surface 304. With a thinner tail 302 and material proximate the tail 302, the tail 302 of the device 300 has less likelihood of impacting the test device if excess tiling occurs. The improved shape of the device 300 also decreases the amount of metal material required.
[0080]Eighth, "look-up" cameras are used to obtain an image of the lower portion of the membrane probe to determine the precise location of the devices 300 relative to the contact pads on the test device. Using "look-up" cameras permits automatic alignment of the membrane devices relative to the contact pads so that automatic testing may be performed. In order to obtain an image of the devices 300 on the membrane probe the "look-up" cameras normally utilize light to illuminate the devices 300. Unfortunately, the traditional planar processing techniques result in relatively flat surfaces on the beams, contact bumps, and contacting portions, in a perpendicular orientation to the "look up" cameras each of which reflects light back to the "look-up" camera. The light reflecting back to the "look up" camera from all the surfaces frequently results in some confusion regarding the exact location of the contacting portions 260. The inclined surface 304 of the devices 300 tends to reflect incident light away from lowerly disposed "look-up" cameras, while the contacting portions 306 tend to reflect incident light back to lowerly disposed "look-up" cameras. Light returning to the "look-up" camera primarily from the contacting portions 306 results in less potential confusion regarding the exact location of the contacting portions.
[0081]Ninth, the initial polishing of the top surface 202 of the substrate 200 results in a matching smooth lower surface for the polyimide layer 220 patterned thereon. After etching away, or otherwise removing, the substrate 200 the lower surface of the polyimide layer 220 is smooth and the resulting polyimide layer 220 is generally optically clear. Accordingly, the spaces between the traces and the metallized devices 300 is relatively optically transmissive so that an operator positioning the device can readily see through the device between the traces and devices. This assists the operator in manually positioning the membrane probe on the devices which are otherwise obscured. In addition, the pyramidal shape of the devices 300 allows the operator to more easily determine the exact location of the contacting portions relative to the contact pads on the test device, which were previously obscured by the wide beam structures (relative to the contacting portions).
[0082]Tenth, referring to FIG. 22, the contacting portions 260 of the device are preferably constructed with an exterior surface of rhodium 340, which typically can be effectively plated to only approximately a thickness of 5 microns. The plating process of rhodium is semi-conformal, so the resulting layer is approximately 5 microns thick in a perpendicular direction to the exterior sides 352 and 354. The width of the top 350 of the contacting portion and the angle of the sides 352 and 354 of the tool 210 is selected so that the rhodium 340 plated on both sides 352 and 254 preferably join together forming a v-shape. The remainder of the device is preferably nickel. While the thickness of the rhodium 340 is only 5 microns in a perpendicular direction, the thickness of the rhodium 340 in a perpendicular direction from the top 350 of the device is greater than 5 microns. Accordingly, the contacting portion which wears during use in a generally perpendicular direction from the top 350 will last longer than if the top portion were merely plated to a thickness of 5 microns of rhodium.
[0083]Eleventh, the texture of the contacting portion 260 may be selected to provide the described scrubbing effect on the contact pads of the test device. In particular, the tool may include a roughened surface pattern on the corresponding contacting portion to provide a uniform texture for all devices.
[0084]Thirteenth, using the construction technique of the present invention is relatively quick to construct the devices because of the decreased number of processing steps, resulting in a substantial cost savings.
[0085]The aforementioned construction technique also provides several advantages related to the shape of the devices which would be otherwise difficult, if not impossible, to construct.
[0086]First, the tool may provide any desired shape, such as a simple bump, if no scrubbing action is desired.
[0087]Second, the inclined supporting sides of the test device up to the contacting portion 260 provides superior mechanical support for the contacting portion 260, as opposed to merely a portion of metal supported by a larger contact bump. With such support from the inclined sides, the contacting portion may be smaller without risk of it becoming detached from the device. The smaller contacting portion provides improved contact with the contact pad of the test device when the device tilts to penetrate the oxide buildup on the surface of the contact pad. In addition, the tail 302 of the device may be substantially thinner than the remainder of the device which decreases the likelihood of the tail 302 portion impacting the contact-pad of the test device during testing when the device tilts.
[0088]Third, the pressure exerted by the contacting portions of the devices, given a predefined pressure exerted by the probe head, is variable by changing the center of rotation of the device. The center of rotation of the device can be selected by selecting the length of the device and the location/height of the contacting portion relative thereto. Accordingly, the pressures can be selected, as desired, to match characteristics of two different contact pads.
[0089]Fourth, referring to FIG. 23, a triangular shape of the footprint of the device allows for high lateral stability of the devices while permitting a decrease in the pitch between devices. The contacting portions 403 of the device are preferably aligned in a linear arrangement for many contact pads of test devices. The triangular portions of the device are aligned in alternatively opposing directions.
[0090]Fifth, the capability of constructing contacting portions that are raised high from the lower surface of the device, while still maintaining uniformity in the device height and structural strength, allows the device to provide scrubbing action while the lower surface of the device requires little movement. The small movement of the lower surface of the device to make good electrical contact during testing decreases the stress on the layers under the lower surface of the device. Accordingly, the likelihood of cracking the polyimide layers and the conductive traces is reduced.
[0091]When probing an oxide layer on solder bumps, or solder balls on wafers that are to be used with "flip-chip" packaging technology, such as the solder bumps on the printed circuit boards, the oxide layer developed thereon is difficult to effectively penetrate. Referring to FIG. 24, when contacting a traditional contacting portion of a membrane probe onto the solder bump, the oxide 285 tends to be pressed into the solder bump 287 together with the contacting portion 289 resulting in a poor interconnection. When using conventional needle probes on solder bumps, the needles tend to skate on the solder bumps, bend under within the solder bumps, collect debris on the needles, flake the debris onto the surface of the test device, and cleaning the needle probes is time consuming and tedious. Moreover, needle probes leave non-uniform probe marks on the solder bumps. When probing solder bumps used on flip-chips, the probe marks left in the upper portion of the solder bump tends to trap flux therein, which when heated tends to explode, which degrades, or otherwise destroys, the interconnection. Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26, an improved device construction suitable for probing solder bumps is shown. The upper portion of the device includes a pair of steeply inclined sides 291 and 293, such as 15 degrees off vertical, with preferably polished sides. The inclined sides 291 and 293 preferably form a sharp ridge 295 at the top thereof The angle of the sides 291 and 293 is selected with regard to the coefficient of friction between the sides and the oxide on the solder bump, so that the oxide coated surface tends to primarily slide along the surfaces of the sides 291 and 293, or otherwise shear away, and not be significantly carried on the sides as the device penetrates a solder bump. Referring to FIG. 27, the substantially sharp ridge also provides for a mark (detent) after contact that extends across the entire solder bump. Subsequent heating of the solder bumps, together with flux, result in the flux exiting from the sides of the solder bump thereby avoiding the possibility of explosion. In addition, the resulting mark left on the solder bumps is uniform in nature which allows manufacturers of the solder bumps to account for the resulting marks in their design. Also, less force is required to be applied to the device because it tends to slice through the solder bump rather than make pressing contact with the solder bump. The flatter surface 405 prevents slicing too deeply into the solder ball (bump).
[0092]Referring to FIG. 28, to provide a larger contact area for testing solder bumps a waffle pattern may be used.
[0093]Referring to FIG. 29, an alternative device includes a pair of projections 311 and 313 that are preferably at the ends of an arch 315. The spacing between the projections 311 and 313 is preferably less than the diameter of the solder bump 317 to be tested. With such an arrangement the projections 311 and 313 will strike the sides of the solder bump 317 thereby not leaving a mark on the upper portion of the solder bump 317. With marks on the sides of the solder bump 317, the subsequent flux used will be less likely to become trapped within the mark and explode. In addition, if the alignment of the device is not centered on the solder bump 317 then it is highly likely that one of the projections 311 and 313 will still strike the solder bump 317.
[0094]Previous device construction techniques resulted in devices that included contacting portions that were rather large and difficult to assure alignment of Referring to FIG. 30, with the improved construction technique the present inventors came to the realization that membrane probes may be used to make a "true" Kevlin connection to a contact pad on the test device. A pair of devices 351 and 353 are aligned with their contacting portions 355 and 357 adjacent one another. With this arrangement one of the devices may be the "force" while the other device is the "sense" part of the Kelvin testing arrangement. Both contacting portions 355 and 357 contact the same contact pad on the test device. A more detailed analysis of Kelvin connections is described in Fink, D. G., ed., Electronics Engineers' Handbook, 1st ed., McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1975, Sec. 17-61, pp. 17-25, 17-26, "The Kelvin Double Bridge", and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/864,287, both of which are incorporated by reference herein.
[0095]It is to be noted that none to all of the aforementioned advantages may be present in devices constructed accordingly to the present invention, depending on the technique used, desired use, and structure achieved.
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|Metal Amide Deposition Precursors And Their Stabilization With An Inert Ampoule Liner


text:
The US Department of Energy (DOE) allocated over $43 million in 2011 to research projects, under the broad umbrella of technology development and market-barrier removal. A further $168 million of advanced-technology development and demonstration funding was awarded last year as part of president Barack Obama's commitment to developing domestic energy resources. The work being funded by the DOE is a great step in developing a new US industry.
Industry expectation is that this latest round of funding will make great strides towards kick-starting a sector that has encountered many challenges in the US, largely due to a lack of coherent national energy policy. Offshore wind can be a strong growth catalyst as economies move out of recession, injecting supply-chain development and job creation while increasing energy security and helping to stabilise climate change.
The ultimate goal is for the offshore wind sector to be self-supporting. To achieve this, its levelised cost of energy must become more competitive with other low-carbon forms of energy, and here the US can learn from other offshore wind markets.
During the early stages of the UK offshore sector, the turbine makers and utilities undertook most research in-house. Only more recently has significant research and funding been dedicated to cost reduction through innovation. The US government should be applauded for its forward thinking and significant up-front investment, without a single turbine yet being installed in US waters.
While most European projects have been constructed off balance sheet by major utilities and consortia, there has been an increase in recent years for non-recourse project financing, which broadens development opportunities to outside of the energy utilities.
It is widely anticipated that the US offshore sector will be driven principally by the ability to attract project finance. This should accelerate the pace of development in the US, where utilities have largely been inactive. Even during the insecurity of an extended production tax credit, offshore projects were securing power purchase agreements and moving towards financial close.
Funding will continue to be key for US offshore sector growth. With US banks unfamiliar with offshore wind risk, it is likely that European and Asian banks will be the first to become involved, perhaps in syndication with US banks. I believe that the experience of these banks will help to increase the rate of acceptance among US investors. To this end, understanding and eliminating risk should be a primary area of focus for business leaders, right from the early stages of development in order to unlock capital later down the line.
Technical risks can be offset through robust planning and project management but, in our experience, this must be a holistic process, requiring up-front investment to ensure the project is sufficiently attractive at the financing stage. Construction and operation risks can range from adverse weather to cost escalation and project delay, all of which can be major causes of concern for potential investors.
In addition to ensuring projects are attractive to investors through understanding risk, stability of policy and financial incentives are also fundamental to ensuring real market growth. The US has laid the groundwork for the offshore wind industry to begin to establish itself, but a long-term national energy policy and incentives will be necessary to help sustain it.
Sebastian Chivers is senior vice-president at PMSS, the renewable energy division of consulting and certification firm TUV SUD, where he leads its North America business unit from New York City

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dockwalk.com Forum
Safety First
Enjoy the View: Protect your Eyes
Chemical exposureIf your eyes are
exposed to a chemical (cleaning solutions or toxic liquids, powders or gases/vapors), flush
your eyes with running water for, at minimum, 15 to 20 minutes or until the
burning or irritation stops. If you continue to feel discomfort, promptly have
your eyes examined for a burn or an abrasion.
Foreign body and corneal abrasionCorneal abrasions generally are the result of trauma to the surface of
the eye. Common causes include jabbing a finger into an eye, walking into a
tree branch or rubbing the eye when grit has settled on its surface. Any object
originating outside the body is considered foreign. If there is a
foreign body in the eye, be careful not to rub your eye as doing so may scratch the
cornea. Have your eye examined to see if there is any obvious foreign body that
can be easily removed. If the foreign body is embedded and cannot easily be
removed, be sure to request the advice of a physician as soon as possible.
Sometimes you can
develop a foreign body sensation with or without a foreign body present. Although the foreign body has already been
removed or fallen out on its own, you are left with a corneal abrasion or
scratch to the cornea. An examination is necessary and you likely will be start
on antibiotic eye drops. Contact lens use should be discontinued until cleared
by a doctor.
Open globeAny injury
involving the eye and an object such as a fist or sharp knife should be
evaluated for what's known as an open globe, a medical emergency that could
lead to a loss of eyesight. These
injuries can be quite obvious, but at times they are not as noticeable, so
caution and good evaluation are very important. If there is a large, obvious
foreign body lodged in the eye, caution should be taken not to remove the object until a health care provider can assess the
injuries. Make sure the eye is secure for the transport to a medical
facility to minimize pain or further damage. The eye should be covered with the bottom half of a cutout
Styrofoam cup, or similar object, for protection and to prevent
further injury. Be careful to avoid
placing any pressure on the eye and don't use a snug-fitting eye patch.
Subconjunctival hemorrhageThis is the
painless, though alarming, appearance of blood in the white of the eye. It can
occur spontaneously or after direct trauma to the eye or activities that
increase the pressure in the eyes such as a bout of severe coughing or
tightening abdominal muscles from heavy lifting or straining. You should not experience any vision changes
with a subconjunctival hemorrhage. This condition will resolve itself in a week
or so without treatment.
Conjunctivitis or Pink EyeConjunctivitis can
be caused by a variety of agents: bacteria, viruses or as a result of contact
with an irritating substance. Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the
conjunctival membrane (or inner eyelid membrane). It's usually itchy, may be slightly
painful and usually involves tearing or yellow, sticky discharge from the
eye. Oftentimes, upon waking up, eyelids
will be stuck together due to dried discharge.
If the
conjunctivitis is bacterial or viral in nature, be conscious, as the infection
is highly contagious. Take great care and use good hand washing technique every
time the eye or face is touched. As an example, entire football teams have been
stricken with conjunctivitis from improper hand hygiene in the locker room.
Contact conjunctivitis occurs after exposure to a chemical agent
or a substance that causes allergy. The conjunctival membrane becomes inflamed,
but this type of conjunctivitis is not contagious and usually involves only the
affected eye. For this form of
conjunctivitis, the doctor may have you start on a steroid eye drop, but not
necessarily antibacterial or antiviral drop.
Hordeolum or a styeA stye is a
commonly occurring infection of the gland at the base of an eyelash. It appears
as a red lump, sometimes with a white head like a pimple. Treatment includes
warm compresses to the lump and eye drops. It will be painful and warm. On rare
occasions, if left untreated, it can develop into a larger infection of the
surrounding skin called cellulitis.
Regular eye
appointments are extremely important. Don't wait for an emergency to have your
eyes checked. The American Optometric Association recommends that healthy
adults between 18 and 60 years old have their eyes checked every two years;
those 61 years and older should have their eyes checked every year.
Protect your eyes
with regular eye exams, exercise caution and by wear protective safety
equipment (glasses, goggles, etc.) when engaging in any activity that could
pose risk to your eyes.
Be good to your
eyes and you'll be rewarded with a lifetime of incredible views.
By Bonnie Paul, RN,
BSN. Paul is a senior coordinating nurse with MedAire, the world's largest integrated maritime
provider of medical, travel and security services. She has provided emergency and remote
environment nursing for over 12 years.
As stated in the body of text, I do not write these articles. They are
submitted by various at sea medical health providers and training companies.
This article in particular was written by Bonnie Paul, a nurse with MedAire.
It would be my pleasure to contact Ms. Paul and ask her to write a second part
of this column on UV radiation, sunlight exposure and senile cataracts.
We feel that the information in this article is pertinent for all readers as
ocular health is important for any and all working at sea as crew.
Thank you for your comments.
UV Radiation from Sunlight is an identified workplace safety hazard according to OSHA. Since 2010, OSHA has had jurisdiction for mariner workplace safety, except where the USCG supercedes ie Boat handling/boating safety, required equipment, etc.
OSHA says that employers CANNOT restrict the use of PPE.
OSHA says that employees CANNOT refuse the use of PPE.
Sunscreen is a known carcinogen.
Therefore, all mariners, at a minimum should dress like this - UV A/B Polarized Sunglasses w see thru lenses, Long sleeve shirt w thumbholes, Brimmed Hat w neck protection, neck roll to lift up over chin and nose, long pants, closed shoes.
Attention Employers....If any of those items violate your dress code policy, you must change your dress code policy. Because if an employee takes a Whistleblower complaint to OSHA because you restricted their UV protection, you are gonna get steamrolled hard!!!! Most especially if that lilly white skinned Ginger is sporting a bright red sunburn or photokeratitis. Not a joke.


text:
Étienne Jung was born in Wissembourg in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace. From 1982 he studied Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, where he specialized in Illustration in Claude Lapointe's atelier. Jung has made comic pages and illustrations for magazines published by Bayard Presse (Grain de Soleil, Astrapi, Youpi), Fleurus Presse (Fripounet, Perlin, Terres Lointaines) and Averbode (Dauphin, Tremplin). He also made illustrations for schoolbooks by Belin and Hatier.
He has also appeared in Lanfeust Mag and made the album 'Au pays de Trémal' with Jean-Louis Fonteneau for Doin Editeurs in 1995. He worked with Denis-Pierre Filippi on the first book in the children's series 'Gargouilles' for Les Humanoïdes Associés in 2003, but was succeeded by Silvio Camboni for the second book. He has worked with Fonteneau again on the children's series 'Brüssli' since 2006.
Comic about Napoleon for Astrapi


text:
Hey all,
In honor of St. Paddy's Day, this month's challenge is 'Think Green'. Take that any way you want. You could simply go with a green color scheme, or feature a faction with green livery such as the Dragon Knights or the Forestmen. Or be festive and give us some leprechauns. Or how about illustrating Gawain and the Green Knight. Maybe some architecture with a green man motif. Narnia fans could show us the Lady of the Green Kirtle, or Middle Earth fans could have hobbits drinking at the Green Dragon. Be creative!


text:
Edson Buddle will be a marked man in Seattle. The 28-year-old striker and his nine goals head to Qwest Field on Saturday, and he will be difficult to contain in his current form.
Opinion on how to keep Buddle from scoring varies. Only two teams, Kansas City and Colorado, have been successful so far, but neither has a win to show for it. In the two matches where Buddle has kept off the score sheet, Los Angeles still has a 1-0-1 record.
Sounders FC defender James Riley said that Buddle's versatility makes it difficult to form a game plan to stop him.
"He's pretty dynamic," Riley said. "He seems like he's not into the game, but all it takes is three seconds where you don't know where he is and he gets into good spots and they find him with the ball."
Riley said the task of stopping the striker starts long before Buddle gets the ball. Seattle will hope to apply pressure in an attempt to keep Buddle's teammates from getting him the ball in dangerous positions. The defender said his team is going to try to stifle passing lanes to Buddle as much as possible.
"We are going to try to limit service," Riley said. "When he does get the ball, he's going to have to work for every touch."
Cutting off service means stopping Landon Donovan. Already the Galaxy's leading assist man, the U.S. national team player has shown sides of regaining his scoring touch. During Los Angeles' midweek match against the Rapids, he gave Colorado's goal posts a stress test early with a well-struck near-miss.
A lion's share of the responsibility for containing Donovan will likely fall to Seattle's best defensive midfielder, Osvaldo Alonso.
"Obviously any forward lives off service and so we have got to make sure we cut those service lines and keep the ball from getting into him," Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said. "A lot of the service comes from Landon Donovan, so we have got to contain Donovan."
With Los Angeles playing its third match in eight days, fatigue may be a factor. However, Schmid dismissed those concerns. With an easy 3-1 win over expansion Philadelphia last Saturday, the Galaxy did not have to expend as much energy as they might have. Galaxy boss Bruce Arena proved that by deploying the same starting XI from the Philly game on Wednesday night against the Rapids.
With no mid-week match upcoming, Arena should give Buddle the chance to impress the US National Team scouts by adding on to his league-leading goal tally against Seattle. With Bob Bradley set to name his provisional roster of 30 on May 11, the Seattle match could be the last chance for Buddle to earn a call-up in advance of the World Cup. The final 23-man World Cup rosters are due on June 1, just 11 days before the U.S. opens against England.


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Friday 25 January
|Tridacna (1)
This enormous shellfish is the largest species of bivalve mollusc in the fossil record, and the heaviest of all the living molluscs (4). Like all bivalve molluscs, the shell of the giant clam (Tridacna gigas) consists of two valves, although in the larger giant clams these cannot close completely (6). The shell is extremely thick and lacks bony plates; when viewed from above, each valve has four to five inward facing triangular projections (6). The mantle of the giant clam is visible between the two shells, and is a golden brown, yellow or green, although there may be such an abundance of small blue-green circles that the overwhelming impression is of a beautiful iridescent colour (6) (7). A number of pale or clear spots on the mantle, known as 'windows', allow sunlight to filter in through the mantle (6). The mantle of the giant clam is completely fused with the exception of two holes (or 'siphons'). The gills are visible through the inhalant siphon, while the exhalent siphon is tube-like and is capable of expelling a large volume of water during spawning, or if the giant clam's shells close suddenly (5) (7).
Adult giant clams are completely sessile, unable to move from their position on the coral reef. They reproduce by expelling sperm and eggs into the sea (6), where fertilization occurs. The fertilised eggs quickly enter a swimming stage (where they are known as trochophores), before entering a planktonic stage (7). During this stage, the larvae, (known as 'veligers'), inhabit the open ocean for one week, before settling in the substrate. If a clam is disturbed it will close its shell valves (6).
Giant clams have an inhalant siphon, which they use to draw in seawater that is then filtered for planktonic food (6). The majority of the clam's nutrients, however, are obtained by a mutually beneficial relationship with minute algae known as zooxanthellae (6). These plant-like algae exist in delicate tubules which are extensions of the stomach (8). The algae gain protection from predation by being associated with such a large organism, while the clam obtains the carbon by-products of photosynthesis (9). Giant clams also provide protection for a species of pea crab (Xanthasia murigera); a single pair will often be found living within the cavity of the clam (5).
Found in shallow waters of the Pacific Ocean, from Thailand and Japan to Australia and Micronesia (1). However, the giant clam's range has reduced since the 1970s due to over-harvesting (7).
The giant clam inhabits warm tropical waters on reef flats and shallow lagoons to a depth of up to 20 metres (6).
Giant clams have been extensively harvested for their meat and to supply the aquarium trade with such exotic specimens (6). Unable to sustain this exploitation, populations are now showing signs of decline; Tridacna gigas have not been seen in Fiji for over 50 years, primarily as a result of past over-collection for food (2).
These clams are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which requires a permit to be granted before giant clams can be exported (3). There has been considerable success with farming (10), which may help to alleviate the pressure on wild populations in the long-term. Farmed clams may also be used in restocking programmes, where numbers have become severely restricted in the wild. Giant clams were reintroduced to Tongan waters in 1990 (2), from quarantined-reared stocks cultured in Australia under the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and James Cook University giant clam project (11). These enormous molluscs have inspired awe for centuries and effective protection measures are vital if they are to be adequately conserved for future generations.
Authenticated (25/02/08) by Dr Rick Braley, Aquasearch Lab, Aquarium and Consultancies, Queensland, Australia.
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United Kingdom
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By Anthony McCartney
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES � Casey Kasem, the internationally famous radio broadcaster with the cheerful manner and gentle voice who became the king of the top 40 countdown with a syndicated show that ran for decades, died Sunday. He was 82.
Danny Deraney, publicist for Kasem�s daughter, Kerri, says Kasem died Sunday morning. A statement issued by the family says he died at 3:23 a.m. surrounded by family and friends.
Kasem�s �American Top 40� began on July 4, 1970, in Los Angeles. The No. 1 song on his list then was �Mama Told Me Not to Come,� by Three Dog Night.
The show continued in varying forms � and for varying syndicators � until his retirement in 2009. In his signoff, he would tell viewers: �And don�t forget: keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.�
In recent years, Kasem was trapped in a feud between his three adult children and his second wife, former actress Jean Kasem. In 2013, his children filed a legal petition to gain control of his health care, alleging that Kasem was suffering from advanced Parkinson�s disease and that his wife was isolating him from friends and family members. Kasem also suffered from Lewy Body Disease, a form of dementia.
A judge in May temporarily stripped his wife of her caretaker role after she moved him from a medical facility in Los Angeles to a friend�s home in Washington state. Jean Kasem said she moved her husband to protect his privacy and to consult with doctors. Casey Kasem developed a severe bedsore while in Washington and was in critical condition by the time he was hospitalized in early June.
It was a sad, startling end for a man whose voice had entertained and informed music lovers worldwide.
Kasem�s �American Top 40� began on July 4, 1970, in Los Angeles, when the No. 1 song was Three Dog Night�s cover of Randy Newman�s �Mama Told Me Not to Come.� The show expanded to hundreds of stations, including Armed Forces Radio, and continued in varying forms � and for varying syndicators � into the 21st century. He stepped down from �American Top 40� in 2004 and retired altogether in 2009, completing his musical journey with Shinedown�s �Second Chance.�
While many DJs convulsed their listeners with stunts and �morning zoo� snarkiness, Kasem would read �long distance dedications� of songs sent in by readers and introduce countdown records with sympathetic background anecdotes about the singers.
�The idea from the beginning was to do the type of thing on radio that Ed Sullivan did on television, good, honest stories with human interest,� he told the Los Angeles Times in 1975.
Succeeding him at the main �American Top 40� show in 2004 was multiplatform star Ryan Seacrest, who has said he had been a fan of Kasem since boyhood and would imitate him in pretend countdown broadcasts at age 9.
Kasem�s legacy reached well beyond music. His voice was heard in TV cartoons such as �Scooby-Doo� (he was Shaggy) and in numerous commercials.
�They are going to be playing Shaggy and Scooby-Doo for eons and eons,� Kasem told The New York Times in 2004. �And they�re going to forget Casey Kasem � unless they happen to step on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I�ll be one of those guys people say �Who�s that?� about. And someone else will say, �He�s just some guy who used to be on the radio.��
The son of Lebanese immigrants, Kasem was active in speaking out for greater understanding of Arab-Americans � both on political issues involving the Mideast and on arts and media issues.
�Arab-Americans are coming out of the closet,� Kasem told The Associated Press in 1990. �They are more outspoken now than ever before. People are beginning to realize who they really are, that they are not the people who yell and scream on their nightly newscast.�
Kasem was born Kemal Amin Kasem in 1932 in Detroit. He began his broadcasting career in the radio club at Detroit�s Northwestern High School and was soon a disc jockey on WJBK radio in Detroit, initially calling himself Kemal Kasem.
In a 1997 visit with high school students in Dearborn, Michigan, home to a large Arab-American community, he was asked why he changed his name to Casey.
�It didn�t sound like a deejay; it wasn�t hip. So we decided I�d be �Casey at the Mike� � and I have been since,� Kasem said.
In the 1975 Los Angeles Times interview, he said he had been doing �a regular screaming DJ show� in San Francisco in the early 1960s when his boss suggested he talk about the records instead.
He was unconvinced, since his screaming routine had brought him top ratings. But he said he had learned �after a particularly unpleasant situation in Buffalo never to argue with general managers.�
Casey Kasem, king of the Top 40 countdown, dies at 82
By Anthony McCartney


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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey of business leaders suggests the economy will remain sluggish in nine Midwest and Plains states, and hiring will be slow over the next three to six months.
The overall economic index for the region improved to 49.5 in December, but it remained in negative territory below 50. The overall index registered 48 in November and 46.5 in October.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says job growth will continue to be slow in the region, and some manufacturing jobs could be lost.
The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
The December employment index dipped to 48 from November's 50.5.
(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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