Electroplating for the Ni probe tip

Electrical test is a mandatory step to check the reliable functioning of the semiconductor devices. As devices shrink smaller, the pad size and its pitch are getting finer down to micro meter scale, leading to fine dimension of the probe tip. The requisitions for the finer probe tip are durability and contact resistance at one million-th touch down. As a substitute for the used material, the Ni-P alloy was examined to fulfil the requisition. Large amount of P was dispersed in Ni matrix by pulsed electroplating and followed by heat treatment. The following heat treatment resulted in satisfying microstructure with electrical conductivity and strength by balancing the degree of grain growth of nanocrystal and precipitation of Ni-P compound.