Double-Beam Cantilever Probe for Crack Probability Analysis of Multilayer Substrates During Wafer Probing

During wafer testing, small probes are contacting pads on the wafer surface to check the chip functionality and identify faulty dies. To prevent damaging structures underneath, a mechanical load limit needs to be defined. This is done by intentionally overstressing the pads and searching for cracks that appear. A customized test bench with a patented sensor-indenter (SI) system is currently used to perform the contact cycles and identify crack formations in real time using the generated acoustic emissions (AEs). This method is faster and more accurate compared with previous optical detection methods. This article presents an improved version of the SI system usable in a wafer prober, featuring a double-beam cantilever beam with an exchangeable indenter tip. This leads to measurement conditions closer to productive wafer testing, enabling more accurate load limit definitions. The cantilever beam contains a strain gauge Wheatstone bridge for contact force measurement and a piezoelectric sensor element for AE signal detection. Amplifier circuits are designed for both sensors, and a data acquisition (DAQ) system is developed. A prototype of the sensor cantilever combination (SCC) is shown together with simulated and experimental results. The accuracy of the force sensor ( $\pm 0.5~{\rightarrow }~\pm 1.3$ mN) and the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of the AE signals ( $29.1~{\rightarrow }~21$ dB) show only a small decrease compared with the previous SI system. A crack probability analysis of a test specimen confirms the usability of the SCC, as AE crack signals are detected at a similar mechanical load with both sensor setups.