MEMS-based Ni–B probe with enhanced mechanical properties for fine pitch testing

We fabricated and characterized microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based Ni–B probes with enhanced mechanical properties for fine pitch testing. The Ni–B micro-probes were compared with conventional Ni–Co micro-probes in terms of the mechanical performance and thermal effect. The elastic modulus and hardness of Ni–B were found to be 240.4 and 10.9 GPa, respectively, which surpass those of Ni–Co. The Ni–B micro-probes had a higher contact force than the Ni–Co micro-probes by an average of 41.38% owing to the higher elastic modulus. The Ni–B micro-probes had a lower average permanent deformation than the Ni–Co micro-probes after the same overdrive was applied for 1 h by 56.58 µm. The temperature was found to have a negligible effect on the Ni–B micro-probes. These results show that Ni–B micro-probes are useful for fine pitch testing and a potential candidate for replacing conventional Ni–Co micro-probes owing to their advanced mechanical and thermal characteristics.