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What are micro manipulators used for?
A micro manipulator for wafer probing is a precision instrument used in conjunction with a microscope to position test needles (micro probes) or wafer probes with micrometre-level accuracy. It ‘translates’ coarse hand movements into extremely fine, vibration-free control movements.
The main task in wafer probing is to test the functionality of integrated circuits (chips). The contact areas (pads) on a wafer are often smaller than 50 micrometres. Micro manipulators allow the test probes to be precisely aligned with these microscopic points, thereby establishing electrical contact for measurements.
What is the structure of a micro manipulator?
The complete micro manipulator consists of a base and a probe arm, in addition to the mechanism for fine adjustment.
The base provides the mechanical fixation of the micro positioner on a mounting surface – the so-called probe platen – of the wafer prober. There is a choice of bolt-down, magnetic or vacuum mountings:
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With the bolt-down mounting, a base plate of the micro manipulator is screwed directly onto the platen. For this, suitable threaded holes must be present in the platen.
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The magnetic mounting requires no additional equipment. It requires a magnetisable surface on which it can stand securely.
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The vacuum mounting secures the micro manipulator to the prober’s mounting surface (platen) by means of negative pressure. If no central vacuum line is available, a small, local vacuum pump must be provided. Each micro positioner is connected to a vacuum manifold on the prober via its own thin tube and supplied with vacuum.
The probe arm is the interface to the measurement technology. The range on offer extends from simple signal paths through to coaxial and triaxial signal paths. Specialised arms are available for applications involving high currents and voltages.
RF probe arms should feature a tilt mechanism to enable the planarisation of the RF probes.
What types of micro manipulators are available?
Simple micro positioners
When probing electrical contacts – both on printed circuit boards and on semiconductor substrates – the highest positioning accuracy is not always required. Simple micro manipulators are well suited for standard contacts. For robust signals, simple coaxial cables – sometimes even unshielded ones – are sufficient.
Mid-range micro manipulators
Mid-range micro manipulators enable even finer structures to be probed and offer greater flexibility in terms of probe arms. For demanding tasks that place increased demands on positioning accuracy and flexibility, stable and expandable micro positioners are required.
Performance micro positioners
With performance micro positioners, even the most difficult probing tasks for fault analysis can be mastered.
What application do you require? We provide advice on the available options.
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