What is Probe Card?
A probe card is used in wafer testing for providing electrical contacts between the electronic test system & integrated circuits on the wafer. Wafer testing is a step and is performed during semiconductor device manufacturing. Usually, probe cards consist of a PCB (printed circuit board) with some form of electrical contact elements, usually metallic (non-metallic contacts also possible).
Probe cards act as electrical interfaces to provide an electrical path between the test system and the circuits on the wafer, during the wafer testing. By doing so, the probe card allows testing and validation of the integrated circuits (i.e., chips) at wafer-level, before they are diced and packaged.
Depending upon the shape and form of contact elements, probe cards can be classified as needle type, vertical type, and MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical system).
