Semiconductor Integrated Circuits (ICs) are essential in today’s high-tech society. They can be found at the heart of a variety of products, from the simplest calculators to the fastest computers. As a result, the production of back panel (wafer probe cards) has become a very important industry, involving some of the world’s most advanced technology.

Back panel printed circuits (wafer probe cards) are important in the final phase of this production process, playing a vital role in the testing and measuring of PCBs.

Back Panel PCBs are built from round, thin sheets of semiconducting material. Standard sheets, or wafers, are commonly made of silicon. These wafers can range from 5 cm (~2 in) to 20 cm (~8 in) in diameter and are roughly 0.10 cm (~0.04 inch) thick.
The process of taking a simple silicon wafer and creating from it circuitry which can use and store electricity is a complex process. In a sense, the circuitry is “embedded” in the silicon, just below its surface. Within this microscopic maze of circuitry, electrical signals flow from one point to the next, much in the same way that water flows in a riverbed. To interact with the world outside of the IC, these signals are passed back and forth through small metal pads attached to the wafer’s surface. The ability to make electrical contact with these metal pads is critical. Without some method of making this contact, the integrated circuit can not be used.

Application Areas

• Aerospace
• Military
• photovoltaics
• Industrial electronics
• Power Electronics: equipment for testing