JP2008192861A - Semiconductor inspection apparatus and semiconductor inspection method - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a semiconductor inspection apparatus that always keeps a pressing amount of a probe needle against an electrode pad against a height variation of a probe card that occurs when a semiconductor wafer is inspected at a high temperature or a low temperature.
After a semiconductor wafer (4) to be measured is set to an inspection temperature, a probe tip position is measured by a probe tip position measuring device (9) provided beside the stage (3), and at the same time, a probe card (1) is measured. Alternatively, the position of the recognition object provided on the probe needle 2 is measured by the probe position measuring device 6 disposed above the probe card 1, and the distance between the semiconductor wafer 4 and the probe tip of the probe needle 2 is set to the controller 7. input. Further, at the time of inspection, the position of the recognized object of the probe card 1 or the probe needle 2 is always measured by the probe position measuring device 6, the height fluctuation amount due to the expansion and contraction of the probe card 1 is measured, and the fluctuation amount is controlled by the controller. 7 and the height of the stage 3 is corrected so that the pressing amount of the probe needle 2 of the electrode pad is kept constant.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor inspection apparatus and a semiconductor inspection method for inspecting electrical characteristics of an object to be measured such as a semiconductor device, and in particular, the distance (position in the height direction) between a probe needle and a stage. This is related to the retention method.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, there is a probe inspection process in which the electrical characteristics of a manufactured semiconductor wafer are inspected in a semiconductor wafer state by a semiconductor inspection apparatus.
In this probe inspection step, the probe needle is pressed against a plurality of electrode pads of one or many semiconductor devices in the semiconductor wafer, and the probe needle is connected to a tester to measure the electrical characteristics. This is used to select non-defective and defective semiconductor devices. Further, the semiconductor inspection apparatus is configured to be able to inspect a semiconductor device formed in a semiconductor wafer at an arbitrary temperature (−50 ° C. to 150 ° C.) from a low temperature state to a high temperature state.

  This semiconductor inspection apparatus includes a stage having a chuck mechanism for holding a semiconductor wafer by vacuum suction or the like, and a mechanism for holding a probe card having a probe needle corresponding to an electrode pad of a semiconductor device above the stage. ing. The stage can be appropriately moved in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions. By appropriately moving the stage, each electrode pad of the semiconductor device and the probe needle are aligned and inspected.

  A conventional semiconductor inspection apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. The probe card 1 provided with the probe needle 2 is fixed to a predetermined position of the semiconductor inspection apparatus by a card holder 5, and is firstly attached to a predetermined position of the stage 3 (next to the stage 3 in FIG. 10). A free probe needle tip position measuring instrument 9 moves the stage 3 so as to be directly below the needle tip of the probe needle 2 and measures the needle tip position of the probe needle 2. Thereafter, the height position of the semiconductor wafer 4 held by the stage 3 is measured by a separately-measured object position measuring instrument 10 and the positions of the probe needle 2 and the chip in the semiconductor wafer 4 are aligned. In order to press the probe needle 2 against the electrode pad of the chip, the amount of movement (size) of the stage 3 in the Z-axis direction has been set.

  However, in the inspection of semiconductor devices, inspections at high and low temperatures are often required for quality assurance reasons. In this case, a heating / cooling mechanism for setting the semiconductor wafer 4 to high and low temperatures is provided. Often provided for stage 3. Therefore, taking as an example a case where inspection is performed at a high temperature, it is known that during the inspection, thermal expansion of the stage 3 due to heating, deformation of the probe card 1 due to radiant heat of the stage 3, and the like occur.

  As a result, fluctuations in the height of the stage 3 and fluctuations in the position of the probe needle 2 occur. As a result, the positional relationship between the semiconductor wafer 4 and the probe needle 2 fluctuates, and the electrode pad of the semiconductor device (chip) changes. Thus, the probe needle 2 cannot be pressed and an accurate inspection cannot be performed, or the probe needle 2 and the electrode pad are in strong contact with each other, and an excessive force is applied. Problems such as damage have occurred.

As an example of coping with such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses that a shielding plate is provided between the probe card and the stage in order to block radiant heat from the stage, and further, a member constituting the probe card is cooled and heated. A technique for preventing heat conduction by providing a mechanism is disclosed.
JP 2000-241454 A

  As described above, in the conventional semiconductor inspection apparatus, the probe tip position measuring instrument 9 provided on the side of the stage 3 or the like is used for the recognition operation of the tip position of the probe needle 2 provided on the probe card 1. It was done. Therefore, when the needle tip position is confirmed, the stage 3 serving as a heat source is moved to move the probe needle tip position measuring instrument 9 to the needle tip position and perform measurement. Due to the movement of the stage 3 serving as the heat source, the height of the needle tip due to the warp of the probe card 1 changes by 40 μm, for example, when the stage 3 is directly below the probe card 1 and when the stage 3 is separated.

  Further, the influence of the radiant heat from the stage 3 to the probe card 1 also changes depending on the position of the chip in the semiconductor wafer 4 to be inspected, and the warping magnitude of the probe card 1 varies by 20 μm, for example. As a result, position fluctuations of the probe card 1 and the probe needle 2 occur during measurement, and the electrode pad and the probe needle 2 cannot be pressed with high accuracy.

  In contrast, Patent Document 1 has proposed a structure provided with a shielding plate that suppresses heat conduction to the probe card. However, even with this structure, the position variation of the probe card and the probe needle caused by the position being measured is also affected. Is difficult to deal with. Furthermore, with the progress of current miniaturization technology, there is a need for pressing the electrode pad and probe needle more accurately.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems in the conventional semiconductor inspection apparatus, and can improve the positioning accuracy between the semiconductor wafer and the probe needle even when the probe card is warped during inspection. An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor inspection apparatus and a semiconductor inspection method that can keep the pressing amount of the probe needle against the constant.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the semiconductor inspection apparatus of the present invention improves the positioning accuracy of the object to be measured such as a semiconductor wafer and the probe needle with respect to the position variation of the probe card and the probe needle during measurement. A probe position measuring device that is disposed above the probe card and detects the position of the probe card or the probe needle; and the probe card or the probe card by deformation of the probe card obtained by the probe position measuring device during the inspection. And a controller for changing the position of the stage so as to keep the distance between the probe card and the object to be measured constant based on the position fluctuation amount of the probe needle. As a result, the distance between the probe card and the object to be measured such as a semiconductor wafer can be kept constant.

  Further, as the probe position measuring device for measuring the position variation amount of the probe card or the probe needle is disposed above the probe card, it is necessary to clarify the points to be measured by the probe position measuring device. Therefore, a recognition object is provided on the probe card or the probe needle as a point for the probe position measuring device to easily measure the amount of position fluctuation of the probe card or the probe needle.

  In addition, if the position variation of the probe card and probe needle that occurs during the inspection is always measured and the position of the stage is changed to cope with this, the correction time will be between the previous inspection and the next inspection. As a result, the overall required time including each of these inspections increases, and the inspection efficiency decreases. Therefore, based on the amount of change in the position of the probe card or the probe needle due to the deformation of the probe card obtained by the probe position measuring device during the inspection, the stage is adjusted so as to keep the distance between the probe card and the object to be measured constant. In addition to the controller for changing the position, the recording apparatus for recording the fluctuation amount obtained by the probe position measuring device is provided. As a result, when inspecting an object of the same type as the object to be measured, such as a semiconductor wafer that has been inspected once, the stage height is automatically determined based on the recorded positional variation of the probe card or probe needle. Can be corrected. Thereby, the frequency which measures the amount of position fluctuations of a probe card or a probe needle can be reduced, and inspection efficiency can be improved.

  According to the present invention, the probe card position fluctuation amount (height fluctuation quantity) generated in a semiconductor inspection apparatus in a high temperature / low temperature state and the probe card position fluctuation amount (fluctuation in distance between the stage and the probe card or the probe needle) For example, about 40 μm, the positioning accuracy of the semiconductor inspection apparatus can be improved, the distance between the stage and the probe card or probe needle is kept constant, and the probe needle is pressed against the electrode pad. The quantity can be kept constant at all times, avoiding problems caused by inspection of high-temperature / low-temperature semiconductor wafers, etc., and the same type of measurement as those of semiconductor wafers, etc., once inspected When inspecting an object, the stage height can be automatically corrected, and the inspection time can be shortened. It expected an effect of improving the accuracy of the non-defective determination.

  First, the semiconductor inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Components having the same functions as those of the conventional semiconductor inspection apparatus shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the semiconductor inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a probe card 1 including a probe needle 2 that is brought into contact with a semiconductor wafer 4 as an example of an object to be measured, and a semiconductor. A stage 3 on which the wafer 4 is placed, a probe needle tip position measuring device 9 which is attached to the side of the stage 3 and measures the needle tip position of the probe needle 2 in an initial state, and a predetermined position above the stage 3 are arranged. A measuring object position measuring instrument 10 that is provided and measures the position of the semiconductor wafer 4 is provided. Further, the semiconductor inspection apparatus is disposed above the probe card 1 and determines the position of the probe card 1 (or probe needle 2) in the Z-axis direction (that is, the vertical direction (height direction) position in this embodiment). The probe position measuring device 6 to be detected and the position variation in the Z-axis direction of the probe card 1 (or the probe needle 2) due to the deformation of the probe card 1 obtained by the probe position measuring device 6 during inspection (ie, the probe card 1) And a controller 7 for changing the position of the stage 3 so as to keep the distance between the probe card 1 and the semiconductor wafer 4 constant based on the height direction (vertical direction position fluctuation amount). 1 and 2, 5 is a card holder for holding the probe card 1 in a fixed state, and 20 is a base portion on which the stage 3 is placed.

Next, each part of the semiconductor inspection apparatus will be described.
On the stage 3 of the semiconductor inspection apparatus, the stage 3 (specifically, the portion of the stage 3 that holds the semiconductor wafer 4 in a state of being placed) is placed in the X-axis direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the base portion 20. An X-axis motor for driving and a Y-axis motor for driving in the Y-axis direction (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1) are provided, and the semiconductor wafer 4 can move freely in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. It is configured by an XY stage that can be positioned. Furthermore, the stage 3 also has a Z-axis motor (not shown) that can be driven in the Z-axis direction and a rotation motor that can drive the stage 3 in the rotational direction (θ direction).

  Therefore, the semiconductor wafer 4 placed and held on the stage 3 is movable in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions with respect to the probe card 1 fixed at a predetermined position by the card holder 5, and θ Can rotate in the direction. Further, a suction mechanism for fixing the semiconductor wafer 4 (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the stage 3. As an example of the suction mechanism, a suction groove from a vacuum source is formed on the upper surface of the stage 3 so that the semiconductor wafer 4 can be vacuum-sucked and fixed to the stage 3.

The stage 3 is provided with a heating / cooling mechanism (not shown) so that the inspection temperature can be set and adjusted from the outside of the semiconductor inspection apparatus.
A probe card 1 having a plurality of probe needles 2 is installed above the stage 3. The plurality of probe needles 2 are arranged on the probe card 1 so as to correspond to the arrangement of a plurality of electrode pads on at least one chip (not shown) on a semiconductor wafer 4 as an object to be measured. Yes.

  In the above configuration, when the inspection is performed, the semiconductor wafer 4 is heated or cooled so as to reach a predetermined inspection temperature set in advance, so that the expansion and contraction of the stage 3 is sufficiently saturated. Thereafter, an initial needle tip position b of the probe needle 2 is measured by a probe needle tip position measuring device 9 provided on the side of the stage 3 (in FIG. 2, the probe needle tip position measuring device 9 is used to measure the probe needle tip position b). 2), the needle tip position (height dimension along the Z-axis) b from the base portion 20 on which the stage 3 is placed is measured), and at the same time, above the probe card 1. Is a recognized object position a provided in the probe card 1 (the recognized object position a is, for example, a position up to a recognized object provided on the upper surface of the probe card 1). ) Or the recognition object position a ′ provided in the probe needle 2 (in this case, for example, the probe card 1 or the support portion of the probe needle 2 so that the tip of the probe needle 2 can be recognized by the probe position measuring device 6) Make it transparent or transparent As can, or the like are formed openings 11 which will be described later in the second to fourth embodiments (see FIGS. 3 to 5), recognizing the recognized object provided in the probe needle 2) is measured. Further, a semiconductor wafer position (height direction position along the Z-axis of the semiconductor wafer 4) c is measured by the measuring object position measuring instrument 10 (for example, the measuring object position measuring instrument 10 and the semiconductor wafer 4 By measuring the separation distance, the distance from the base unit 20 is calculated, but the distance is not limited to this), and the recognized object position a (or recognized object position a ′) and the semiconductor wafer position c are Based on this, the vertical separation distance h between the semiconductor wafer 4 and the probe tip of the probe needle 2 is calculated and input to the controller 7.

  In this case, when the inspection is performed, the height of the probe card 1 due to expansion and contraction is always measured by measuring the recognition object position a (a ′) of the probe card 1 or the probe needle 2 with the probe position measuring device 6. The fluctuation amount is measured, and the fluctuation amount is input to the controller 7. Then, the height of the stage 3 is adjusted by the controller 7 so that the separation distance h between the semiconductor wafer 4 and the probe tip of the probe needle 2 is kept constant.

  By using the semiconductor inspection apparatus having this function, it is possible to keep the unstable pressing amount between the electrode pad and the probe needle 2 caused by the fluctuation of the warp of the probe card 1 having a maximum of about 40 μm constant.

  Even when the expansion and contraction of the stage 3 is not sufficiently saturated, the height of the stage 3 is remeasured by the measuring object position measuring instrument 10 for each fixed inspection unit, and the fluctuation amount is corrected. Thus, the influence of the height fluctuation due to the expansion and contraction of the stage 3 can be avoided.

  Further, instead of the measuring object position measuring device 10 for measuring the semiconductor wafer position (height of the semiconductor wafer 4) c during the inspection, the probe card 1 has an opening 11 (see FIGS. 3 to 5) to be described later. , And the semiconductor wafer position (height of the semiconductor wafer 4) c may be measured through the opening 11 using the probe position measuring device 6, so that the semiconductor wafer 4 and the probe can be measured even during the inspection. The distance h between the needle 2 and the needle tip can always be kept constant, and the error in the amount of pressing between the electrode pad and the probe needle 2 caused by the fluctuation of the warp of the probe card 1 can be reduced to about 5 μm or less as the measuring instrument accuracy. It becomes possible to keep.

Next, a semiconductor inspection apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In this semiconductor inspection apparatus, in order to specify the position of the probe card 1 with the probe position measuring instrument 6 disposed above the probe card 1 in the first embodiment, the probe card 1 is provided with the opening 11. The opening 11 is provided with a wire 12 as a recognition object. Here, the recognition object (wire 12) is provided for easily specifying the position of the probe card 1 by the probe position measuring device 6.

  For example, when the probe position measuring device 6 is a camera, as shown in FIG. 3, the probe card 1 has a structure in which a wire 12 intersects the opening 11 of the probe card 1, and the probe card is obtained by focusing the intersection. The position of 1 is recognized.

  The crossing point of the wires 12 can be easily focused, and even if the configuration of the probe card 1 changes for each product type, it is easy to install because it is structurally simple. It is also possible to attach and apply the wire 12.

Furthermore, it is possible to correct the position fluctuation amount of the probe card 1 and the probe needle 2 with higher accuracy by measuring the central portion where the warp of the probe card 1 is large.
A semiconductor inspection apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In this semiconductor inspection apparatus, in order to specify the position of the probe card 1 by the probe position measuring instrument 6 disposed above the probe card 1 in the first embodiment, the opening 11 of the probe card 1 The corner part 11a is measured as a recognition object.

  For example, when the probe position measuring instrument 6 is a camera, it is possible to measure the amount of positional variation of the probe card 1 by focusing the camera on the corner 11a of the opening 11, and the opening to be measured It is possible to grasp the twisted state of the probe card 1 by measuring the two corner portions 11a of 11 (that is, measuring two points). Furthermore, by measuring at least three or more corner portions 11a of the opening 11 (that is, measuring three points (or more points)), it becomes possible to grasp the tilt state of the probe card 1, and the probe The attachment state of the card 1 and the card holder 5 can be confirmed.

A semiconductor inspection apparatus according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In this semiconductor inspection apparatus, the opening of the probe card 1 is used as a recognition object for specifying the position of the probe card 1 by the probe position measuring device 6 disposed above the probe card 1 in the first embodiment. The protrusion 11 is provided in the part 11. This protrusion 13 is provided for easily specifying the position of the probe card 1 by the probe position measuring instrument 6.

  For example, when the probe position measuring instrument 6 is a laser displacement meter, as shown in FIG. 5, a protrusion 13 having a recognizable size is provided in a part of the opening 11 of the probe card 1, and the probe card 1 Measure the position variation.

  The number of the protrusions 13 is at least one, and the position where the protrusions 13 are provided can be on either the upper surface side or the lower surface side of the probe card 1 of the opening 11, but the lower surface side is the needle of the probe needle 2. The distance from the previous position is shortened, and the accuracy of the amount of variation to be measured can be increased.

  When the probe position measuring device 6 is a camera, it is possible to measure the amount of variation of the probe card 1 by placing a mark on the protrusion 13 and focusing on the mark.

A semiconductor inspection apparatus according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8. FIG.
In this semiconductor inspection apparatus, as a recognition object for specifying the position of the probe needle 2 by the probe position measuring device 6 provided above the probe card 1 in the first embodiment, the upper surface of the probe needle 2 or The bent part is provided with a protrusion 2a.

  The probe needle 2 is not horizontal with respect to the probe card 1 but is attached at an angle, and the arrangement of the probe needle 2 is complicated as the electrode pad is miniaturized and complicated due to miniaturization of the semiconductor process. Unlike the case where the needle tip position of the probe needle 2 is specified from below the probe card 1, the measurement position of the probe needle 2 is specified by the probe position measuring device 6 provided above the probe card 1. Since the projection 2a is provided on the upper surface or the bent portion of the probe needle 2, it becomes possible to easily specify the position of the probe needle 2 with the probe position measuring instrument 6, and to the probe card 1. The needle tip of the probe needle 2 is more than the case of having a recognition object (the wire 12 in FIG. 3, the corner portion 11a of the opening 11 in FIG. 4, and the protrusion 13 in FIG. 5). Nearby it is therefore possible to enhance the positional variation amount of the accuracy of measurement.

When the probe position measuring device 6 is a camera, it is possible to measure the position variation of the probe card 1 by placing a mark on the protrusion 2a and focusing on the mark.
In addition, the protrusion 2a can be further provided with a portion close to the needle tip position to further increase the accuracy of the amount of variation to be measured.

A semiconductor inspection apparatus according to the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In addition to the constituent elements of the semiconductor inspection devices of the first to fifth embodiments, this semiconductor inspection device includes a recording device 8 that records the amount of variation obtained by the probe position measuring instrument 6. Yes.

  For example, when the first semiconductor wafer 4 is inspected, a value obtained by correcting the height of the stage 3 using the controller 7 is recorded in the recording device 8 and the semiconductor wafer 4 of the same type is measured again. In this case, it is possible to omit the step of measuring the position of the recognition object provided on the probe card 1 or the probe needle 2 again with the probe position measuring device 6. As a result, not only the pressing amount of the probe needle 2 against the electrode pad can be kept constant, but also the number of measurements can be reduced, and the inspection time can be shortened by reducing the number of measurements. It becomes.

  For example, when the first semiconductor wafer 4 is inspected, only the portion where the positional variation of the probe card 1 or the probe needle 2 is 5 μm or more is used for the probe position when inspecting the second and subsequent semiconductor wafers 4 of the same type. By re-measuring with the measuring instrument 6, the amount of fluctuation of the probe card 1 or the probe needle 2 can be corrected with higher accuracy, and the pressing amount of the probe needle 2 against the electrode pad is kept within 5 μm. Is possible.

  In the present invention, by providing at least two probe position measuring instruments 6 provided above the probe card 1, triangulation can be performed, and the height variation (position) of the probe needle 2 with higher accuracy can be obtained. Variation amount) can be measured, and the error of the pressing amount between the electrode pad and the probe needle 2 can be kept at 2 μm or less.

  In the present invention, the semiconductor wafer 4 is cited as an object to be measured. However, the present invention can also be applied to an inspection process for a PDP substrate, an LCD substrate, or the like as the object to be measured.

  The semiconductor inspection apparatus of the present invention measures the position variation (height position variation) of the probe card or the probe needle even during the inspection with respect to the height change amount of the probe card that occurs in the high temperature state and the low temperature state. Position correction can be performed, the pressing amount of the probe needle against the electrode pad can be kept constant, and an accurate inspection can be performed. Further, in the semiconductor wafer of the same kind as the kind that has been inspected once, the height of the stage can be changed using the recorded fluctuation amount, so that the inspection efficiency can be improved. Further, as described above, the present invention can be applied to inspection processes for various semiconductor devices such as semiconductor wafers, PDP substrates, and LCD substrates as objects to be measured.

The figure which shows schematic structure of the semiconductor inspection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure explaining the mechanism which controls a stage by the displacement of the probe card which concerns on the same Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the recognition thing of a probe card in the semiconductor inspection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. The figure which shows measuring the recognition thing (corner part of the opening part of a probe card) of a probe card in the semiconductor inspection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. The figure which shows the recognition thing (protrusion of a probe card) of a probe card in the semiconductor inspection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. The figure which shows the recognition object (protrusion provided in the probe needle upper surface) of the probe needle in the semiconductor inspection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. The figure which shows the recognition object (other protrusion provided in the probe needle upper surface) of the other probe needle in the semiconductor inspection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. The figure which shows the recognition object (other protrusions provided in the probe needle upper surface) of the other probe needle in the semiconductor inspection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. The figure which shows schematic structure of the semiconductor inspection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention. The figure which shows schematic structure of the conventional semiconductor inspection apparatus

Explanation of symbols

1 Probe Card 2 Probe Needle 3 Stage 4 Semiconductor Wafer (Measurement Object)
5 Card Holder 6 Probe Position Measuring Device 7 Controller 8 Recording Device 9 Probe Needle Point Position Measuring Device 10 Measuring Object Position Measuring Device 11 Opening 20 Base

Claims (6)

An initial probe needle tip position measuring instrument having a probe card having a probe needle to be brought into contact with an object to be measured, having a movable stage on which the object to be measured is placed, and measuring the needle tip position of the initial probe needle A semiconductor inspection apparatus having a measurement object position measuring instrument for measuring the position of the measurement object,
A probe position measuring device that is disposed above the probe card and detects the position of the probe card or the probe needle, and the probe card obtained by deformation of the probe card obtained by the probe position measuring device during inspection Or a controller that varies the position of the stage so as to keep the distance between the probe card and the object to be measured constant based on the amount of position variation of the probe needle. Inspection device.   2. The semiconductor inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recognition object for detecting the position of the probe card or the probe needle is provided on the probe card with a probe position measuring instrument.   2. The semiconductor inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a probe card or a recognition object for detecting the position of the probe needle is provided on the probe needle with a probe position measuring instrument.   The semiconductor inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recording device that records a fluctuation amount obtained by measurement by the probe position measuring instrument.   Before inspecting the object to be measured, the position of the tip of the probe needle brought into contact with the object to be measured, the position of the movable stage on which the object to be measured is placed, the position of the probe card provided with the probe needle or the probe A step of measuring the position of the needle, a step of measuring the position of the probe card or the probe needle with a probe position measuring instrument disposed above the probe card during the inspection, and the probe card before the inspection Alternatively, the distance between the probe card and the object to be measured is fixed based on the position of the probe needle and the position variation of the probe card or the probe needle obtained during the inspection by the probe position measuring instrument. And a step of correcting the stage position so as to maintain the same.   Before inspecting the object to be measured, the position of the tip of the probe needle brought into contact with the object to be measured, the position of the movable stage on which the object to be measured is placed, the position of the probe card provided with the probe needle or the probe A step of measuring the position of the needle, a step of measuring the position of the probe card or the probe needle with a probe position measuring instrument disposed above the probe card during the inspection, and the probe card before the inspection Alternatively, the distance between the probe card and the object to be measured is constant based on the position of the probe needle and the position variation of the probe card or the probe needle obtained during the inspection by the probe position measuring instrument. The step of correcting the stage position so as to maintain the step, the step of recording the amount of variation obtained by the measurement by the probe position measuring instrument with a recording device, and the object to be measured When inspecting the object to be measured for variety, a semiconductor inspection method characterized by including the step of correcting the stage position automatically on the basis of the recorded variation.

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