Patent ID: 8001685

Claim:
A method for manufacturing probe card needles using microfabrication technology, the method comprising: forming, on a ceramic board, probe needle bases made of conductive metal, and a polymeric elastomer layer, through photolithography using a photoresist, wherein the probe needle bases and the polymeric elastomer layer are formed by forming only the probe needle bases on the ceramic board, forming only the polymeric elastomer layer on a silicon wafer, separating the polymeric elastomer layer from the silicon wafer, and charging the separated polymeric elastomer layer in the ceramic board in such a manner as to expose the probe needle bases, wherein the probe needle bases are formed through a process including depositing a seed layer on the multilayer ceramic board and applying and baking a photoresist on the surface of the seed layer; developing the photoresist through exposure with a mask pattern to form island probe needle bases; etching portions of the seed layer exposed through the removal of the photoresist; and removing the photoresist from the probe needle bases to leave only the island seed layer, wherein the polymeric elastomer layer is formed by a process including applying and baking the photoresist on the silicon wafer; developing the photoresist through exposure with a mask pattern to expose the desired portions; and charging the polymeric elastomer layer in the exposed portions, and wherein the polymeric elastomer layer is separated from the silicon wafer, the separated polymeric elastomer layer is placed on the ceramic board having only the seed layer formed thereon, in such a manner as to expose the seed layer, and a conductive metal layer is plated on the seed layer; depositing a conductive metal layer on the probe needle bases in such a manner as to be supported by the polymeric elastomer layer; and forming probe tips on the end of the conductive metal layer.