Probing singulated and small die on wafer probing system chucks, analytical and production, is often challenging or not possible. Most chucks, ambient or thermal, mounted to probe systems, do not have vacuum hole patterns that make it easy to place and hold an individual die. The smaller the die size the more difficult this becomes.
Chip trays, similar in concept to a waffle pack, are often used to hold a single die or multiple die. In some cases, for Known Good Die (KGD) applications, multiple die are loaded and tested manually or automatically.
There are several ways to design a chip tray. The size of the tray depends on a few factors – the number of die the user wants to insert into the chip tray, the chuck size, and the wafer stage travel. They can be designed to hold one size or designed to be universal to hold different sized die. In most cases, the chip trays have a small hole in the bottom that allows the die to be held in place with the chuck vacuum. In some cases, mechanical clamping of the die is required. Chip trays can be conductive or non-conductive. They are often made with aluminum and are black anodized or nickel plated. Other materials and plating can be used. SemiProbe designs and manufactures a large family of chip trays for our single or double-sided probing systems.
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