JP6540964B2 - Probing device and probe contact method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a probing apparatus and a probe contact method for bringing an electrode pad on a wafer held by a wafer chuck into contact with a probe provided on a probe card.

  Conventionally, the elevating mechanism lifts the wafer chuck until the seal member provided on the wafer chuck contacts the probe card to form an internal space (closed space) surrounded by the wafer chuck, the probe card, and the seal member. Then, the wafer chuck is drawn toward the probe card by depressurizing the internal space by the depressurizing means (vacuum pump), and provided on the electrode pads and the probe card on the wafer (semiconductor wafer) held by the wafer chuck. There is known a probing apparatus and a probe contact method for bringing the probe into contact with the probe (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Also, conventionally, when contacting the electrode pad on the wafer with the probe, from the viewpoint of electrical contact reliability, the oxide film, which is the insulator formed on the electrode pad on the wafer, is removed to make new metal surfaces It is required to bring in contact with each other (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  In addition, the semiconductor manufacturing process has a large number of processes, and various inspections are performed in various manufacturing processes in order to improve quality assurance and yield. For example, when a plurality of chips of the semiconductor device are formed on the semiconductor wafer, the electrode pads of the semiconductor device of each chip are connected to the test head, the power and the test signal are supplied from the test head, and the semiconductor device outputs Wafer level inspections are performed in which signals are measured by a test head to electrically inspect whether they operate properly.

  After wafer level inspection, the wafer is attached to the frame and diced into individual chips with a dicer. For each chip that has been cut, only chips that have been confirmed to operate properly are packaged in the next assembly process, and malfunctioning chips are removed from the assembly process. In addition, the packaged final product is subjected to shipping inspection.

  Wafer level inspection is performed using a prober that brings probes into contact with the electrode pads of each chip on the wafer. Is the probe electrically connected to the terminal of the test head, and the test head supplies power and test signals to each chip through the probe, and does the test head detect the output signal from each chip and operate normally? Measure

  In the semiconductor manufacturing process, in order to reduce the manufacturing cost, the enlargement of the wafer and the further miniaturization (integration) are being promoted, and the number of chips formed on one wafer becomes very large. ing. Along with this, the time required for inspection of one wafer with a prober is also long, and improvement in throughput is required. Therefore, in order to improve the throughput, multi-probing is performed in which a large number of probes are provided so that a plurality of chips can be inspected simultaneously. In recent years, the number of chips to be simultaneously inspected has been increasing and attempts have been made to simultaneously inspect all the chips on a wafer. Therefore, the tolerance of the alignment which contacts an electrode pad and a probe is small, and it is calculated | required that a position accuracy of the movement in a prober is raised.

  On the other hand, although it is conceivable to increase the number of probers as the simplest way to increase the throughput, when the number of probers is increased, there arises a problem that the installation area of the prober in the manufacturing line also increases. In addition, if the number of probers is increased, the cost of the apparatus will be increased accordingly. Therefore, it is required to suppress the increase of the installation area and the increase of the device cost to increase the throughput.

  Under such background, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a test apparatus having a plurality of measurement units having a probe card to which a test head is electrically connected. In this test apparatus, an alignment apparatus that performs relative alignment between the wafer and the probe card is configured to be able to move between the measurement units.

JP, 2010-186998, A JP 2003-287552 A

  However, in the probing device and the probe contact method described in Patent Document 1, the electrode pad on the wafer and the probe do not contact due to the raising operation of the wafer chuck by the elevation mechanism, and the wafer chuck is pulled by the pressure reducing means thereafter. Since the contact by the operation for the first time and the pulling speed of the wafer chuck by the pressure reducing means are slower than the rising speed of the wafer chuck by the raising and lowering mechanism, the pulling operation of the wafer chuck by the pressure reducing means Can not remove the oxide film which is an insulator formed on the electrode pad on the wafer, and it is difficult to improve the reliability of the electrical contact between the electrode pad on the wafer and the probe. There's a problem.

  Moreover, in the test apparatus described in Patent Document 1, space saving and cost reduction can be achieved by sharing the alignment device among the measurement units, but there are the following problems.

  That is, when the movement distance of the alignment device becomes long, the movement mechanism for moving the alignment device to each measurement unit and the support member (frame) to which the movement mechanism is attached are affected by the weight of the alignment device and thermal expansion or contraction. As a result, distortion is likely to occur, which causes a decrease in the positional accuracy of the alignment device moved to each measurement unit. For this reason, it takes time to detect the positions of the electrode pads and the probes on the wafer using the imaging means, and as a result, the alignment operation takes a long time, and there is a problem that the throughput is delayed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is a first object of the present invention to provide a probing apparatus and a probe contact method capable of enhancing the reliability of electrical contact between an electrode pad and a probe on a wafer. To aim.

  Further, it is possible to provide a probing device and a probe contact method capable of improving the throughput while suppressing the increase in the installation area and the device cost while maintaining the accuracy of the movement position of the alignment device shared by each measurement unit. The second purpose.

  In order to achieve the first object described above, the probing apparatus of the present invention brings the wafer into contact with the wafer by moving the wafer chuck supporting the wafer in a direction approaching the probe card having the probe, and thereby the electrical characteristics A probe mechanism having a seal mechanism for forming a sealed space between the wafer chuck and the probe card, and a wafer chuck fixing portion for detachably fixing the wafer chuck, and an electrode pad on the wafer In order to remove the oxide film formed on the wafer chuck, the wafer chuck is raised at a predetermined speed to a position where the electrode pad and the probe come in contact with each other, thereby bringing the probe into contact with the wafer. The oxide film is removed by the means and the wafer chuck lifting means Contact pressure applying means for bringing the probe into contact with the wafer at a predetermined pressure by reducing the pressure of the sealed space in a state where the wafer chuck fixing portion releases the fixing of the wafer chuck. I assume.

  In one aspect of the probing apparatus of the present invention, the wafer chuck lifting and lowering means lifts and lowers the wafer chuck such that the probe contacts the wafer a plurality of times, and the contact pressure applying means lasts the probe on the wafer The vacuum chamber is depressurized so that the probe contacts the wafer at a predetermined pressure.

  One aspect of the probing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a probe card support member for supporting the probe card, and the wafer chuck or the probe card support member opens and closes a communication hole communicating the sealed space with the external environment. The shutter means is provided.

  In one aspect of the probing apparatus of the present invention, the shutter means opens the communication hole while the wafer and the probe are in contact with each other by the wafer chuck lifting means.

  In one aspect of the probing device of the present invention, the shutter means closes the communication hole while the sealed space is depressurized by the contact pressure applying means.

  In one aspect of the probing apparatus according to the present invention, the rising speed of the wafer chuck with respect to the probe card by the wafer chuck lifting means is V1, and the rising speed of the wafer chuck with respect to the probe card by the contact pressure applying means is V2. And V1> V2.

  In one aspect of the probing apparatus according to the present invention, the contact pressure of the wafer held by the wafer chuck against the probe by the wafer chuck lifting means is Pr1, and the wafer held by the wafer chuck by the contact pressure applying means It is Pr1 <Pr2 when the contact pressure with respect to the said probe of is set to Pr2.

  In order to achieve the above second object, the probing device of the present invention comprises a plurality of measurement units having the probe card, and a relative position between a wafer held on the wafer chuck and the probe card provided on the base. Alignment apparatus for performing various alignments, a moving apparatus for mutually moving the alignment apparatus among the measurement units, and a positioning apparatus provided for each of the measurement units and positioning the base of the alignment apparatus moved to each measurement unit And a positioning and fixing device for fixing.

  In order to achieve the first object described above, according to the probe contact method of the present invention, the probe is brought into contact with the wafer by moving the wafer chuck supporting the wafer in a direction approaching the probe card having the probe. And a sealing step of forming an enclosed space between the wafer chuck and the probe card, and the wafer chuck is detachably fixed to the electrode pad on the wafer. Mechanically moving the wafer chuck up and down by bringing the probe into contact with the wafer by raising the wafer chuck at a predetermined speed to a position where the electrode pad and the probe are in contact in order to remove an oxidized film; The oxide film is removed by the wafer chuck lifting process And pressure applying the contact pressure to the wafer at a predetermined pressure by depressurizing the sealed space in a state where the wafer chuck fixing portion releases the fixed state of the wafer chuck. It is characterized by

  In one aspect of the probe contact method of the present invention, in the wafer chuck raising and lowering step, the wafer chuck is raised and lowered such that the probe contacts the wafer a plurality of times, and in the contact pressure applying step, the probe is attached to the wafer After the last contact, the enclosed space is depressurized so that the probe contacts the wafer at a predetermined pressure.

  In one aspect of the probe contact method of the present invention, the probing apparatus further includes a probe card support member for supporting the probe card, and the wafer chuck or the probe card support member communicates the sealed space with an external environment. Shutter means for opening and closing the communication hole.

  One aspect of the probe contact method of the present invention further includes a communicating hole opening step in which the shutter means opens the communicating hole while the wafer and the probe are brought into contact by the wafer chuck lifting and lowering step.

  One aspect of the probe contact method of the present invention further includes a communicating hole closing step in which the shutter means closes the communicating hole while the sealed space is depressurized by the contact pressure applying step.

  In one aspect of the probe contact method of the present invention, the rising speed of the wafer chuck with respect to the probe card in the wafer chuck lifting process is V1, and the rising speed of the wafer chuck with respect to the probe card in the contact pressure application process is When V2 is satisfied, V1> V2.

  In one aspect of the probe contact method of the present invention, the contact pressure of the wafer held by the wafer chuck against the probe in the wafer chuck lifting step is Pr1, and the contact pressure application step is held by the wafer chuck If the contact pressure of the wafer against the probe is Pr2, then Pr1 <Pr2.

  In order to achieve the above second object, in the probe contact method of the present invention, the probing device is provided with a plurality of measurement units having the probe card, a wafer provided on a base and held by the wafer chuck An alignment apparatus for performing relative alignment with a probe card, a moving apparatus for mutually moving the alignment apparatus between measurement units, and an alignment apparatus provided for each measurement unit and moved to each measurement unit. A positioning and fixing device for positioning and fixing the base, and moving the alignment device relative to each other between the measuring units, and positioning and fixing the base of the alignment device moved to each measuring unit Positioning and fixing step, and in a state in which the base of the alignment device is positioned and fixed, Further including an alignment step of performing relative alignment between the wafer held on the wafer chuck and the probe card by a memory device, wherein the wafer chuck lifting and lowering step is performed after the alignment step is performed .

  In order to achieve the second object, the prober (probing apparatus) of the present invention holds a plurality of measurement units having a probe card electrically connected to a test head, and a wafer on which a plurality of chips are formed. A wafer chuck, an alignment device for performing relative alignment between the wafer held by the wafer chuck and the probe card, a moving device for mutually moving the alignment device between the measurement units, and And a positioning and fixing device that positions and fixes the moved alignment device to each measurement unit.

  In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the positioning and fixing device includes a clamp mechanism that positions and releasably holds and fixes at least three positions of the alignment device.

  In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the positioning and fixing device includes positioning means for positioning at least three positions of the alignment device.

  In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the positioning and fixing device is configured separately from the positioning means, and includes holding means for detachably holding at least one place of the alignment device.

  In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the positioning and fixing device includes height adjustment means capable of adjusting the horizontal direction of the alignment device.

  In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the alignment apparatus includes a first imaging unit that images a wafer, and a second imaging unit that images a probe card.

  In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the moving device moves the alignment device by means of a belt drive mechanism.

  In one aspect of the prober of the present invention, the plurality of measurement units are two-dimensionally arranged along a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. Also, the first direction or the second direction may be vertical.

  Further, in order to achieve the above second object, the probe inspection method of the present invention holds a plurality of measurement units having a probe card electrically connected to a test head, and a wafer on which a plurality of chips are formed. A probe inspection method in a prober comprising: a wafer chuck, and an alignment device for performing relative alignment between a wafer held by the wafer chuck and a probe card, wherein the alignment device is moved relative to each other between measurement units Moving step, positioning and fixing step for positioning and fixing the alignment device moved to each measuring unit, and a wafer and probe card held on the wafer chuck by the alignment device in a state where the alignment device is positioned and fixed. And an alignment step to perform relative alignment of the

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a probing device and a probe contact method capable of enhancing the reliability of electrical contact between an electrode pad and a probe on a wafer. In addition, since the positioning and fixing device for positioning and fixing the moved alignment device to each measurement unit is provided, throughput is improved by suppressing an increase in installation area and an increase in device cost while maintaining the accuracy of the movement position of the alignment device. It can be done.

A diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wafer level inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention Diagram showing configuration around probe card Top perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the alignment apparatus Lower perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the alignment apparatus A plan view schematically showing a configuration example of a moving device Side view schematically showing a configuration example of the moving device A plan view schematically showing another configuration example of the moving device Figure showing the alignment device fixed in position A diagram showing a configuration in which measurement unit groups including a plurality of measurement units are stacked in the vertical direction Example of inspection operation including probe contact method using prober Example of inspection operation including a probe contact method using a prober provided with a wafer chuck 16A, which is a modification example

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

  First, a system for performing wafer level inspection according to the first embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a wafer level inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The system for performing wafer level inspection is electrically connected to the prober 10 for contacting the probe to the electrode pad of each chip on the wafer and to the probe, and supplies power and test signal to each chip for electrical inspection. It comprises the tester 20 which detects the output signal from each chip and measures whether it operates normally.

  In FIG. 1, the base 11, the side plate 12, and the head stage 13 constitute a housing of the prober 10. In some cases, an upper plate supported by the side plate 12 is provided, and the head stage 13 is provided on the upper plate.

  The prober 10 is provided with a plurality of measurement units (first to third measurement units) 14A to 14C. Each of the measurement units 14A to 14C includes a wafer chuck 16 for holding the wafer W and a probe card 18 having a large number of probes 28 corresponding to the electrodes of each chip of the wafer W, and each of the measurement units 14A to 14C. At the same time, simultaneous inspection of all the chips on the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 16 is performed. In addition, since the structure of each measurement part 14A-14C is common, below, these shall be represented and the measurement part shall be shown with the code | symbol 14. FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration around the probe card.

  The wafer chuck 16 sucks and fixes the wafer by vacuum suction or the like. The wafer chuck 16 is detachably supported by an alignment device 50 described later, and is movable in the X-Y-Z-θ direction by the alignment device 50.

  The wafer chuck 16 is provided with a sealing mechanism. The sealing mechanism includes an elastic ring-shaped seal member 40 provided near the outer periphery of the upper surface of the wafer chuck 16. Further, on the upper surface of the wafer chuck 16, a suction port 42 is provided between the wafer W and the ring-shaped seal member 40. The suction port 42 is connected to a suction control unit 46 that controls vacuum pressure via a suction path 43 formed inside the wafer chuck 16. The suction control unit 46 is connected to the vacuum pump 44. When the suction control unit 46 is operated with the ring-shaped seal member 40 in contact with the probe card 18, the sealed internal space S formed between the probe card 18 and the wafer chuck 16 is decompressed, and the wafer chuck 16 is It is drawn toward the probe card 18. As a result, the probe card 18 and the wafer chuck 16 are brought into close contact with each other, and each probe 28 comes into contact with the electrode pad of each chip to enable inspection to be started.

  In the head stage 13, mounting holes (card mounting portions) 26 are provided for each of the measurement units 14, and probe cards 18 are detachably mounted in the mounting holes 26. In the portion of the probe card 18 facing the chips on the wafer W, a plurality of spring-pin elastic probes 28 are formed corresponding to the electrodes of all the chips. Here, although the structure which attaches the probe card 18 directly to the head stage 13 was shown, a card holder may be provided in the head stage 13 and the probe card 18 may be attached to a card holder.

  The tester 20 has a plurality of test heads 22 (22A to 22C) provided for each of the measurement units 14. Each test head 22 is mounted on the top surface of the head stage 13. Each test head 22 may be held above the head stage 13 by a support mechanism (not shown).

  The terminals of each test head 22 are connected to the corresponding terminals of the probe card 18 via a large number of connection pins of the contact ring 24. As a result, the terminals of each test head 22 are electrically connected to the probes 28.

  Each measurement unit 14 is provided with a support mechanism (chuck detachment prevention mechanism) in order to prevent the wafer chuck 16 from coming off. The support mechanism includes a plurality of holders 30 for holding the wafer chuck 16. Each holding portion 30 is provided at a predetermined interval around the mounting hole 26 of the head stage 13. In the present embodiment, four holders 30 are provided around the mounting hole 26 at intervals of 90 degrees (only two holders 30 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2).

  Each holding portion 30 is configured to be movable (expandable) so as to approach / separate each other about the mounting hole 26. The moving mechanism (not shown) of each holding part 30 is comprised, for example with a ball screw, a motor, etc. When the holding portions 30 are close to each other (the state shown by the solid line in FIGS. 1 and 2), the inner diameter of the passage hole 32 formed at the center of each holding portion 30 becomes smaller than the diameter of the wafer chuck 16 Therefore, the wafer chuck 16 is held by each holding unit 30. On the other hand, since the inner diameter of the passage hole 32 is larger than the diameter of the wafer chuck 16 in the state where the holding portions 30 are separated from each other (the state shown by the broken line in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) 16 can be supplied or recovered.

  In addition, about the structure of a support mechanism, it is possible to employ | adopt various modifications which are described in the above-mentioned patent document 1. FIG.

  The prober 10 of the present embodiment supports the wafer chuck 16 detachably and performs alignment operation of the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 16, and a direction in which the measurement units 14 are arranged. And a moving device 100 for moving between the measurement units 14 along the (X-axis direction).

  The alignment apparatus 50 has a moving / rotating mechanism for moving the wafer chuck 16 in the X-Y-Z-.theta. Direction, an electrode of each chip of the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 16, and each probe 28 of the probe card 18. And an alignment mechanism for detecting a relative positional relationship, wherein the wafer chuck 16 is detachably supported, and an alignment operation of the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 16 is performed. That is, the relative positional relationship between the electrode of each chip of wafer W held by wafer chuck 16 and each probe 28 of probe card 18 is detected, and the electrode of the chip to be inspected is probed 28 based on the detection result. The wafer chuck 16 is moved so as to contact the

  The alignment apparatus 50 sucks and fixes the wafer chuck 16 by vacuum suction or the like. However, as long as the wafer chuck 16 can be fixed, a fixing means other than vacuum suction may be used. For example, the wafer chuck 16 is fixed by mechanical means. May be Further, the alignment device 50 is provided with a positioning member (not shown) so that the relative positional relationship with the wafer chuck 16 is always constant.

  3 and 4 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of the alignment apparatus 50. As shown in FIG. Specifically, FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the alignment device 50, and FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the alignment device 50. As shown in FIG. 3 and 4 show a state in which the wafer chuck 16 is supported on the upper surface of the alignment apparatus 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the alignment apparatus 50 supports the wafer chuck 16 in a removable manner, moves the wafer chuck 16 in the Z axis direction, and rotates around the Z axis as a Z axis movement / rotation unit 52, a probe position detection camera 54 for detecting the position of the probe 28, a camera movement mechanism 56 for moving the probe position detection camera 54 in the Z axis direction, a Z axis movement / rotation unit 52 and the camera movement mechanism 56 X-axis moving table 58 moving in the X-axis direction, a Y-axis moving table 60 moving in the Y-axis direction by supporting the X-axis moving table 58, a base 62 supporting the Y-axis moving table 60, a support 64 And an alignment camera 66 supported by the The moving / rotating mechanism for moving the wafer chuck 16 in the X-Y-Z-.theta. Direction is composed of a Z-axis moving / rotating unit 52, an X-axis moving table 58, and a Y-axis moving table 60. Further, the alignment mechanism includes the probe position detection camera 54, the alignment camera 66, the camera moving mechanism 56, and an image processing unit (not shown).

  Two guide rails 68 are provided in parallel on the base 62, and the Y-axis movable table 60 is movable on the guide rails 68. At a portion between the two guide rails 68 on the base 62, a drive motor and a ball screw 70 rotated by the drive motor are provided. The ball screw 70 is engaged with the bottom of the Y-axis moving table 60, and the Y-axis moving table 60 slides on the guide rail 68 by the rotation of the ball screw 70.

  On the Y-axis moving table 60, two parallel guide rails 72 orthogonal to the two guide rails 68 described above are provided, and the X-axis moving table 58 can move on the guide rails 72. It has become. A drive motor and a ball screw 74 rotated by the drive motor are provided in a portion between the two guide rails 72 on the Y-axis moving table 60. The ball screw 74 is engaged with the bottom surface of the X axis moving base 58, and the rotation of the ball screw 74 causes the X axis moving base 58 to slide on the guide rail 72.

  In some cases, a linear motor may be used instead of the ball screw.

  Next, the configuration of the mobile device 100 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the moving device 100 has a transport pallet 102 on which the alignment device 50 is placed and transported. The transport pallet 102 is configured to be movable between the measurement units 14 along the X-axis direction. The moving mechanism (horizontal feed mechanism) for moving the transport pallet 102 may be a linear moving mechanism, and is configured of, for example, a belt drive mechanism, a linear guide mechanism, a ball screw mechanism, or the like. Further, the transport pallet 102 is provided with a lifting mechanism 106 for lifting and lowering the alignment device 50 in the Z-axis direction. The lifting mechanism 106 is configured by a known cylinder mechanism or the like. Thus, the alignment apparatus 50 is configured to be movable between the measurement units 14 along the X-axis direction, and configured to be vertically movable in the Z-axis direction. The moving mechanism of the transport pallet 102 and the lifting mechanism 106 are driven by control by control means (not shown).

  5 and 6 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the mobile device 100. FIG. Specifically, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the moving device 100, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the moving device 100.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, two guide rails 101 are provided in parallel on the base 11, and the transport pallet 102 is movable on the guide rails 101. In addition, timing belts 110 which are parallel to the guide rails 101 and whose both ends are fixed to the base 11 are provided on the outside portions of the two guide rails 101.

  A drive unit 108 is fixed to the transport pallet 102. The drive unit 108 has a drive motor 112, a drive pulley 114 connected to the rotation shaft of the drive motor 112, and two idle pulleys 116 disposed around the drive pulley 114. The timing belt 110 is wound around the driving pulley 114, and the tension of the timing belt 110 is adjusted by idle pulleys 116 disposed on both sides thereof. When the drive motor 112 is driven, the transport pallet 102 slides on the guide rail 101 by the rotation of the drive pulley 114. Thus, the alignment device 50 supported by the transport pallet 102 moves between the measurement units 14 along the X-axis direction.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another configuration example of the mobile apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. The configuration example shown in FIG. 7 utilizes a ball screw mechanism. That is, the base 11 is provided with a drive unit constituted by the drive motor 118 and the ball screw 120 between the two guide rails 101. The ball screw 120 engages with the bottom surface of the transport pallet 102, and the rotation of the ball screw 120 causes the transport pallet 102 to slide on the guide rail 101. Thus, the alignment device 50 supported by the transport pallet 102 moves between the measuring units 14 along the X-axis direction.

  In the present embodiment, a positioning and fixing device having a clamp mechanism that positions and detachably holds three positions of the alignment device 50 moved to each measurement unit 14 is provided. Specifically, the alignment device 50 is provided with a plurality of positioning pins 130 (130A to 130C) at three positions of the base 62. On the other hand, a plurality of chuck members (positioning holes) 134 (134A to 134C) for respectively clamping the positioning pins 130 are provided in the base 11 of the housing, and these are provided for each of the measurement units 14. The clamp mechanism is composed of the positioning pin 130 and the chuck member 134.

  Note that, as a clamp mechanism, for example, a known clamp mechanism such as a ball lock system or a taper sleeve system is applied, so the detailed description will be omitted here.

  When positioning and fixing the alignment device 50 moved to each measurement unit 14, the alignment device 50 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 106, and as shown in FIG. 8, each positioning pin 130 is fitted into the corresponding chuck member 134. And clamp. Thus, the alignment device 50 is positioned in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and the alignment device 50 is fixed to the base 11 in a state in which the rotation around the vertical direction of the alignment device 50 is restricted. On the other hand, when moving the alignment device 50 to another measurement unit 14, the alignment device 50 is lifted by the lifting mechanism 106 to separate the positioning pins 130 from the respective chuck members 134. As a result, the positioning and fixing of the alignment device 50 is released, and the alignment device 50 can be moved to another measuring unit 14 by the moving device 100.

  Next, an inspection operation using the prober of this embodiment will be described.

  First, the alignment device 50 is moved to the measurement unit 14 to be inspected from now on and positioned and fixed, and then the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 is raised to hold the wafer chuck 16 in the alignment device 50. In this state, the depressurization of the internal space S by the suction control unit 46 is released, the holding units 30 of the support mechanism are separated from each other, and then the wafer chuck 16 is lowered by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52.

  Next, the alignment apparatus 50 supporting the wafer chuck 16 is moved to a predetermined delivery position, and the wafer W is loaded on the wafer chuck 16 by a wafer delivery mechanism (not shown) (loader) and fixed by vacuum suction.

  Next, an alignment operation is performed. Specifically, the X-axis movement table 58 is moved so that the probe position detection camera 54 is located under the probe 28, and the camera movement mechanism 56 moves the probe position detection camera 54 in the Z-axis direction to focus In addition, the tip position of the probe 28 is detected by the probe position detection camera 54. The position (X and Y coordinates) of the tip of the probe 28 in the horizontal plane is detected by the coordinates of the camera, and the vertical position is detected at the focal position of the camera. The probe card 18 is usually provided with several hundreds to several thousands or more probes 28. The tip position of a specific probe is usually detected without detecting the tip positions of all the probes 28.

  Next, while holding the wafer W to be inspected on the wafer chuck 16, the X-axis moving table 58 is moved so that the wafer W is positioned below the alignment camera 66, and the positions of the electrode pads of each chip of the wafer W To detect It is not necessary to detect the positions of all the electrode pads of one chip, but it is sufficient to detect the positions of several electrode pads. In addition, it is not necessary to detect the electrode pads of all the chips on the wafer W, and the positions of the electrode pads of several chips are detected.

  Next, based on the arrangement of the probes 28 and the arrangement of the electrode pads detected as described above, the wafer chuck is moved by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 so that the arrangement direction of the probes 28 matches the arrangement direction of the electrode pads. After rotating 16, the wafer chuck 16 is moved in the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction so that the electrode pad of the chip to be inspected is located under the probe 28, and the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 Z Raise axially.

  In this state, the elevation of the wafer chuck 16 is stopped at the height at which the corresponding electrode pad contacts the probe. At this time, the ring-shaped seal member 40 contacts the probe card 18 and an internal space S sealed between the probe card 18 and the wafer chuck 16 is formed. Then, when the suction control unit 46 is operated to lower the pressure in the internal space S, the wafer chuck 16 is drawn toward the probe card 18 and the probe card 18 and the wafer chuck 16 are in close contact with each other. The probes 28 contact the corresponding electrode pads with uniform contact pressure.

  On the other hand, when the probe card 18 and the wafer chuck 16 come into close contact due to the pressure reduction of the internal space S by the vacuum pump 44, the Z axis movement / rotation unit 52 is lowered in the Z axis direction to separate the wafer chuck 16 from the alignment device 50. Let Also, in order to prevent the wafer chuck 16 from falling off, the holding portions 30 of the support mechanism are brought close to each other.

  Next, power and test signals are supplied from the test head 22 to the respective chips of the wafer W, and signals output from the chips are detected to conduct an electrical operation inspection.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is loaded onto the wafer chuck 16 in the same procedure for the other measurement units 14 and after the alignment operation and the contact operation are completed in each measurement unit 14, simultaneous inspection of each chip of the wafer W is performed. It will be done sequentially. That is, power and test signals are supplied from the test head 22 to the respective chips of the wafer W, and signals output from the chips are detected to conduct an electrical operation inspection. The wafer chuck 16 may be inspected while being supported by the alignment device 50.

  When the inspection in each measurement unit 14 is completed, the alignment apparatus 50 is sequentially moved to each measurement unit 14 to recover the wafer chuck 16 on which the inspected wafer W is held.

  That is, when the inspection in each measurement unit 14 is completed, the alignment device 50 is moved to the measurement unit 14 in which the inspection is completed, and after positioning and fixing, the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 is raised in the Z-axis direction, After the wafer chuck 16 is supported by the alignment apparatus 50, the pressure reduction of the internal space S by the suction control unit 46 is canceled, specifically, the atmospheric pressure is introduced into the internal space S. Thereby, the contact state between the probe card 18 and the wafer chuck 16 is released. And each holding part 30 of a support mechanism is made into a diameter-expanding state. Thereafter, the wafer chuck 16 is lowered in the Z-axis direction by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 to release the positioning and fixing of the alignment device 50, and then the alignment device 50 is moved to a predetermined delivery position. The fixing is released and the inspected wafer W is unloaded from the wafer chuck 16. The unloaded inspected wafer W is collected by the delivery mechanism.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, one wafer chuck 16 is assigned to each measurement unit 14, but a plurality of these wafer chucks 16 are provided between the plurality of measurement units 14. It may be delivered.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the positioning and fixing device for positioning and fixing the alignment device 50 shared by each measurement unit 14 is provided for each measurement unit 14, the position reproducibility of the alignment device 50 moved to each measurement unit 14 The position of the electrode pad and the probe 28 on the wafer W can be easily detected, and the alignment time can be shortened. Therefore, while maintaining the accuracy of the movement position of the alignment apparatus 50, it is possible to improve the throughput by suppressing the increase in the installation area and the increase in the apparatus cost.

  Further, in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to perform the alignment operation from the beginning each time the wafer W is replaced, and part of the alignment operation can be simplified. For example, at the time of inspection of the first wafer W, the relative positional relationship between the wafer W and the probe card 18 is detected to store the alignment data, and at the time of inspection of the second and subsequent wafers W, Relative alignment between the wafer W and the probe card 18 can be performed based on alignment data acquired at the time of inspection of the wafer W of the eye.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the accuracy of the movement position of the alignment device 50 can be secured by providing the positioning and fixing device, it is preferable to preferably use a belt drive mechanism or the like which is difficult to move with relatively high accuracy as the movement device 100. Can.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the positioning and fixing device has a clamp mechanism that positions three positions of the alignment device 50 and detachably grips and fixes them, the alignment device 50 has horizontal and vertical directions by a so-called three-point support configuration. The alignment device 50 can be fixed to the base 11 in a state in which the alignment device 50 is positioned in the direction and the rotation around the vertical direction of the alignment device 50 is restricted. As a result, the alignment device 50 moved to each measurement unit 14 can be accurately positioned and fixed at the same position every time.

  In the present embodiment, a configuration in which three positions of the alignment device 50 are positioned and fixed by the clamp mechanism is shown, but it is possible to position the rotational direction of the alignment device 50 in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction and the vertical direction. For example, not only three positions of the alignment device 50 but also four or more positions may be positioned and fixed by the clamp mechanism.

  Further, in the present embodiment, positioning and fixing are performed at the same position at the three positions of the alignment device 50 by the clamp mechanism, but these positions do not necessarily have to be the same position. The fixed position may be configured separately.

  For example, in a state where three directions of the alignment device 50 are positioned in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the rotation direction around the vertical direction (that is, not fixed), one or more places different from these positions are known holding means It may be held and fixed. As the holding means, for example, it is preferable that the front and back surfaces of the base 62 be held from above and below by the biasing force of an elastic member such as a torsion coil spring.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the clamp mechanism preferably includes a height adjustment mechanism that adjusts the horizontal direction of the alignment device 50. As a height adjustment mechanism, for example, a known screw height adjustment mechanism using a push screw or a draw screw can be used. Thus, for example, even if the surface accuracy of the base 11 to which the alignment device 50 is fixed is deteriorated due to deformation, parallel adjustment of the alignment device 50 can be performed by the height adjustment function, thereby preventing a decrease in alignment accuracy. Is possible.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the alignment camera 50 (first imaging means) and the probe position detection camera 54 (second imaging means) are mounted on the alignment apparatus 50. Therefore, compared to the case where an imaging unit is provided for each measurement unit 14, it is less susceptible to distortion due to heat or the like caused by a difference in temperature change for each measurement unit 14, and alignment camera 66 and probe position detection camera 54 There is no relative displacement. Therefore, the alignment operation can be performed with high accuracy and in a short time.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the three measurement units 14 are arranged along the X-axis direction is illustrated, but the number and arrangement of the measurement units 14 are not particularly limited. The plurality of measurement units 14 may be two-dimensionally arranged in the Y-axis direction.

  Furthermore, a multistage configuration may be adopted in which measurement unit groups including a plurality of measurement units 14 are stacked in the Z-axis direction. For example, the configuration example illustrated in FIG. 9 is a configuration in which measurement unit groups 15 (15A to 15C) including four measurement units 14 are stacked in three stages in the Z-axis direction. In this configuration, the alignment device 50 is provided for each of the measurement unit groups 15, and the alignment device 50 is shared between the measurement units 14 in the same measurement unit group 15. The alignment device 50 may be configured to be shared by all the measurement units 14. According to such a configuration, the footprint of the entire apparatus can be reduced, the processing capacity per unit area can be increased, and the cost can be reduced.

  As mentioned above, although the prober and the probe inspection method of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course.

  Next, a system (corresponding to a probing apparatus of the present invention) for performing wafer level inspection of the second embodiment will be described although partially overlapping with the first embodiment. The system for performing the wafer level inspection of the present embodiment is basically configured in the same manner as the first embodiment except that the probe contact method is different. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration as that of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a wafer level inspection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The system for performing the wafer level inspection moves the wafer chuck 16 supporting the wafer W in a direction approaching the probe card 18 having the probes 28 to bring the probes 28 into contact with the electrode pads on the wafer W to measure the electrical characteristics. A prober for electrically connecting a probe to an electrode pad of each chip on the wafer (hereinafter also referred to as an electrode pad on the wafer), and the probe electrically connected to each other for electrical inspection The power supply and the test signal are supplied to the chip, and the output signal from each chip is detected to determine whether it operates properly or not.

  In FIG. 1, the base 11, the side plate 12, and the head stage 13 constitute a housing of the prober 10. In some cases, an upper plate supported by the side plate 12 is provided, and the head stage 13 is provided on the upper plate.

  The prober 10 is provided with a plurality of measurement units (first to third measurement units) 14A to 14C. Each of the measurement units 14A to 14C includes a wafer chuck 16 for holding the wafer W and a probe card 18 having a large number of probes 28 corresponding to the electrodes of each chip of the wafer W, and each of the measurement units 14A to 14C. At the same time, simultaneous inspection of all the chips on the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 16 is performed. In addition, since the structure of each measurement part 14A-14C is common, below, these shall be represented and the measurement part shall be shown with the code | symbol 14. FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration around the probe card.

  The wafer chuck 16 sucks and fixes the wafer by vacuum suction or the like. The wafer chuck 16 is detachably supported by an alignment device 50 described later, and is movable in the X-Y-Z-θ direction by the alignment device 50.

  The wafer chuck 16 is provided with a sealing mechanism. The sealing mechanism is a sealing mechanism that forms a sealed space S between the wafer chuck 16 and the probe card 18 and includes an elastic ring-shaped sealing member 40 provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the upper surface of the wafer chuck 16. Further, on the upper surface of the wafer chuck 16, a suction port 42 is provided between the wafer W and the ring-shaped seal member 40. The suction port 42 is connected to a suction control unit 46 that controls vacuum pressure via a suction path 43 formed inside the wafer chuck 16. The suction control unit 46 is connected to the vacuum pump 44. The suction control unit in a state where the ring-shaped seal member 40 contacts the probe card 18 and the sealed internal space S (closed space) surrounded by the wafer chuck 16, the probe card 18 and the ring-shaped seal member 40 is formed. When 46 is operated, the internal space S is depressurized and the wafer chuck 16 is drawn toward the probe card 18. As a result, the probe card 18 and the wafer chuck 16 are brought into close contact with each other, and each probe 28 comes into contact with the electrode pad of each chip to enable inspection to be started. As shown in FIG. 10B, the ring-shaped seal member 40 contacts the head stage 13 and the inner space S is surrounded by the wafer chuck 16, the head stage 13, the probe card 18, and the ring-shaped seal member 40. It may be formed as a sealed internal space.

  In the head stage 13 (corresponding to a probe card support member of the present invention), a mounting hole (card mounting portion) 26 is provided for each of the measurement units 14, and the probe card 18 is mounted replaceably in each mounting hole 26. . In the portion of the probe card 18 facing the chips on the wafer W, a plurality of spring-pin elastic probes 28 are formed corresponding to the electrodes of all the chips. Here, although the structure which attaches the probe card 18 directly to the head stage 13 was shown, a card holder may be provided in the head stage 13 and the probe card 18 may be attached to a card holder.

  The tester 20 has a plurality of test heads 22 (22A to 22C) provided for each of the measurement units 14. Each test head 22 is mounted on the top surface of the head stage 13. Each test head 22 may be held above the head stage 13 by a support mechanism (not shown).

  The terminals of each test head 22 are connected to the corresponding terminals of the probe card 18 via a large number of connection pins of the contact ring 24. As a result, the terminals of each test head 22 are electrically connected to the probes 28.

  Each measurement unit 14 is provided with a support mechanism (chuck detachment prevention mechanism) in order to prevent the wafer chuck 16 from coming off. The support mechanism includes a plurality of holders 30 for holding the wafer chuck 16. Each holding portion 30 is provided at a predetermined interval around the mounting hole 26 of the head stage 13. In the present embodiment, four holders 30 are provided around the mounting hole 26 at intervals of 90 degrees (only two holders 30 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2).

  Each holding portion 30 is configured to be movable (expandable) so as to approach / separate each other about the mounting hole 26. The moving mechanism (not shown) of each holding part 30 is comprised, for example with a ball screw, a motor, etc. When the holding portions 30 are close to each other (the state shown by the solid line in FIGS. 1 and 2), the inner diameter of the passage hole 32 formed at the center of each holding portion 30 becomes smaller than the diameter of the wafer chuck 16 Therefore, the wafer chuck 16 is held by each holding unit 30. On the other hand, since the inner diameter of the passage hole 32 is larger than the diameter of the wafer chuck 16 in the state where the holding portions 30 are separated from each other (the state shown by the broken line in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) 16 can be supplied or recovered.

  In addition, about the structure of a support mechanism, it is possible to employ | adopt various modifications which are described in the above-mentioned patent document 1. FIG.

  The prober 10 of the present embodiment supports the wafer chuck 16 detachably and performs alignment operation of the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 16, and a direction in which the measurement units 14 are arranged. And a moving device 100 for moving between the measurement units 14 along the (X-axis direction).

  The alignment apparatus 50 has a moving / rotating mechanism for moving the wafer chuck 16 in the X-Y-Z-.theta. Direction, an electrode of each chip of the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 16, and each probe 28 of the probe card 18. And an alignment mechanism for detecting a relative positional relationship, wherein the wafer chuck 16 is detachably supported, and an alignment operation of the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 16 is performed. That is, the relative positional relationship between the electrode of each chip of wafer W held by wafer chuck 16 and each probe 28 of probe card 18 is detected, and the electrode of the chip to be inspected is probed 28 based on the detection result. The wafer chuck 16 is moved so as to contact the

  The alignment apparatus 50 (Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52) sucks and fixes the wafer chuck 16 by vacuum suction or the like. However, as long as the wafer chuck 16 can be fixed, fixing means other than vacuum suction may be used. It may be fixed by mechanical means or the like. Further, the alignment device 50 is provided with a positioning member (not shown) so that the relative positional relationship with the wafer chuck 16 is always constant.

  3 and 4 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of the alignment apparatus 50. As shown in FIG. Specifically, FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the alignment device 50, and FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the alignment device 50. As shown in FIG. 3 and 4 show a state in which the wafer chuck 16 is supported on the upper surface of the alignment apparatus 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the alignment apparatus 50 supports the wafer chuck 16 in a removable manner, moves the wafer chuck 16 in the Z axis direction, and rotates around the Z axis as a Z axis movement / rotation unit 52, a probe position detection camera 54 for detecting the position of the probe 28, a camera movement mechanism 56 for moving the probe position detection camera 54 in the Z axis direction, a Z axis movement / rotation unit 52 and the camera movement mechanism 56 X-axis moving table 58 moving in the X-axis direction, a Y-axis moving table 60 moving in the Y-axis direction by supporting the X-axis moving table 58, a base 62 supporting the Y-axis moving table 60, a support 64 And an alignment camera 66 supported by the The moving / rotating mechanism for moving the wafer chuck 16 in the X-Y-Z-.theta. Direction is composed of a Z-axis moving / rotating unit 52, an X-axis moving table 58, and a Y-axis moving table 60. Further, the alignment mechanism includes the probe position detection camera 54, the alignment camera 66, the camera moving mechanism 56, and an image processing unit (not shown).

  Two guide rails 68 are provided in parallel on the base 62, and the Y-axis movable table 60 is movable on the guide rails 68. At a portion between the two guide rails 68 on the base 62, a drive motor and a ball screw 70 rotated by the drive motor are provided. The ball screw 70 is engaged with the bottom of the Y-axis moving table 60, and the Y-axis moving table 60 slides on the guide rail 68 by the rotation of the ball screw 70.

  On the Y-axis moving table 60, two parallel guide rails 72 orthogonal to the two guide rails 68 described above are provided, and the X-axis moving table 58 can move on the guide rails 72. It has become. A drive motor and a ball screw 74 rotated by the drive motor are provided in a portion between the two guide rails 72 on the Y-axis moving table 60. The ball screw 74 is engaged with the bottom surface of the X axis moving base 58, and the rotation of the ball screw 74 causes the X axis moving base 58 to slide on the guide rail 72.

  In some cases, a linear motor may be used instead of the ball screw.

  Next, the configuration of the mobile device 100 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the moving device 100 has a transport pallet 102 on which the alignment device 50 is placed and transported. The transport pallet 102 is configured to be movable between the measurement units 14 along the X-axis direction. The moving mechanism (horizontal feed mechanism) for moving the transport pallet 102 may be a linear moving mechanism, and is configured of, for example, a belt drive mechanism, a linear guide mechanism, a ball screw mechanism, or the like. Further, the transport pallet 102 is provided with a lifting mechanism 106 for lifting and lowering the alignment device 50 in the Z-axis direction. The lifting mechanism 106 is configured by a known cylinder mechanism or the like. Thus, the alignment apparatus 50 is configured to be movable between the measurement units 14 along the X-axis direction, and configured to be vertically movable in the Z-axis direction. The moving mechanism of the transport pallet 102 and the lifting mechanism 106 are driven by control by control means (not shown).

  5 and 6 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the mobile device 100. FIG. Specifically, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the moving device 100, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the moving device 100.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, two guide rails 101 are provided in parallel on the base 11, and the transport pallet 102 is movable on the guide rails 101. In addition, timing belts 110 which are parallel to the guide rails 101 and whose both ends are fixed to the base 11 are provided on the outside portions of the two guide rails 101.

  A drive unit 108 is fixed to the transport pallet 102. The drive unit 108 has a drive motor 112, a drive pulley 114 connected to the rotation shaft of the drive motor 112, and two idle pulleys 116 disposed around the drive pulley 114. The timing belt 110 is wound around the driving pulley 114, and the tension of the timing belt 110 is adjusted by idle pulleys 116 disposed on both sides thereof. When the drive motor 112 is driven, the transport pallet 102 slides on the guide rail 101 by the rotation of the drive pulley 114. Thus, the alignment device 50 supported by the transport pallet 102 moves between the measurement units 14 along the X-axis direction.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another configuration example of the mobile apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. The configuration example shown in FIG. 7 utilizes a ball screw mechanism. That is, the base 11 is provided with a drive unit constituted by the drive motor 118 and the ball screw 120 between the two guide rails 101. The ball screw 120 engages with the bottom surface of the transport pallet 102, and the rotation of the ball screw 120 causes the transport pallet 102 to slide on the guide rail 101. Thus, the alignment device 50 supported by the transport pallet 102 moves between the measuring units 14 along the X-axis direction.

  In the present embodiment, a positioning and fixing device having a clamp mechanism that positions and detachably holds three positions of the alignment device 50 moved to each measurement unit 14 is provided. Specifically, the alignment device 50 is provided with a plurality of positioning pins 130 (130A to 130C) at three positions of the base 62. On the other hand, a plurality of chuck members (positioning holes) 134 (134A to 134C) for respectively clamping the positioning pins 130 are provided in the base 11 of the housing, and these are provided for each of the measurement units 14. The clamp mechanism is composed of the positioning pin 130 and the chuck member 134.

  Note that, as a clamp mechanism, for example, a known clamp mechanism such as a ball lock system or a taper sleeve system is applied, so the detailed description will be omitted here.

  When positioning and fixing the alignment device 50 moved to each measurement unit 14, the alignment device 50 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 106, and as shown in FIG. 8, each positioning pin 130 is fitted into the corresponding chuck member 134. And clamp. Thus, the alignment device 50 is positioned in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and the alignment device 50 is fixed to the base 11 in a state in which the rotation around the vertical direction of the alignment device 50 is restricted. On the other hand, when moving the alignment device 50 to another measurement unit 14, the alignment device 50 is lifted by the lifting mechanism 106 to separate the positioning pins 130 from the respective chuck members 134. As a result, the positioning and fixing of the alignment device 50 is released, and the alignment device 50 can be moved to another measuring unit 14 by the moving device 100.

  Next, an inspection operation including the probe contact method using the prober of the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of inspection operation including a probe contact method using the prober of the present embodiment.

  First, the alignment device 50 is moved to the measurement unit 14 to be inspected from now on, and after positioning and fixing by the positioning and fixing device having a clamp mechanism, the Z axis movement / rotation unit 52 is raised to align the alignment device 50 (Z axis movement The wafer chuck 16 is detachably supported by the rotation unit 52). The wafer chuck 16 is supported by the alignment device 50 (Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52), for example, in a fixed state by vacuum suction. In this state, the depressurization of the internal space S by the suction control unit 46 is released, the holding units 30 of the support mechanism are separated from each other, and then the wafer chuck 16 is lowered by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52.

  Next, the alignment apparatus 50 supporting the wafer chuck 16 is moved to a predetermined delivery position, and the wafer W is loaded on the wafer chuck 16 by a wafer delivery mechanism (not shown) (loader) and fixed by vacuum suction.

  Next, the alignment device 50 is moved again to the measuring unit 14 to be inspected from now on, and after the positioning and fixing by the positioning and fixing device having the clamp mechanism, the alignment operation is performed. Specifically, the X-axis movement table 58 is moved so that the probe position detection camera 54 is located under the probe 28, and the camera movement mechanism 56 moves the probe position detection camera 54 in the Z-axis direction to focus In addition, the tip position of the probe 28 is detected by the probe position detection camera 54. The position (X and Y coordinates) of the tip of the probe 28 in the horizontal plane is detected by the coordinates of the camera, and the vertical position is detected at the focal position of the camera. The probe card 18 is usually provided with several hundreds to several thousands or more probes 28. The tip position of a specific probe is usually detected without detecting the tip positions of all the probes 28.

  Next, while holding the wafer W to be inspected on the wafer chuck 16, the X-axis moving table 58 is moved so that the wafer W is positioned below the alignment camera 66, and the positions of the electrode pads of each chip of the wafer W To detect It is not necessary to detect the positions of all the electrode pads of one chip, but it is sufficient to detect the positions of several electrode pads. In addition, it is not necessary to detect the electrode pads of all the chips on the wafer W, and the positions of the electrode pads of several chips are detected.

  Next, based on the arrangement of the probes 28 and the arrangement of the electrode pads detected as described above, the wafer chuck is moved by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 so that the arrangement direction of the probes 28 matches the arrangement direction of the electrode pads. After rotating 16, the wafer chuck 16 is moved in the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction so that the electrode pad of the chip to be inspected is located under the probe 28 (see FIG. 10A), Z-axis movement / rotation The part 52 lifts the wafer chuck 16 in the Z-axis direction while supporting the wafer chuck 16 detachably. That is, the wafer chuck 16 is moved in the direction in which the distance between the wafer chuck 16 and the probe card 18 approaches.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10B, the ring-shaped seal member 40 provided on the wafer chuck 16 is brought into contact with the head stage 13 (or the probe card 18) to make the wafer chuck 16 and the head stage 13 Forming an internal space S (or an internal space S surrounded by the wafer chuck 16, the probe card 18 and the ring seal member 40) which is a sealed space surrounded by the probe card 18 and the ring seal member 40 Further, the electrode pad on the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 16 is brought into contact with the probe 28 provided on the probe card 18 (first contact).

  This contact is performed by raising the wafer chuck 16 by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 to a predetermined position Po1 at a predetermined velocity V1 (or acceleration) with respect to the probe card 18 (probe 28).

  The Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 is driven by a motor, so that the wafer chuck 16 can be moved to any position (height) at any speed (or acceleration). The Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 raises the wafer chuck 16 to a predetermined position at a predetermined speed, and corresponds to a mechanical wafer chuck elevating means for bringing the probe 28 into contact with the electrode pad on the wafer W.

  The position Po1 is a position where the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 28 are in contact with each other at a contact pressure Pr1. The velocity V1 (or acceleration) is an oxide film which is an insulator formed on the electrode pad by rubbing the tip of the probe 28 against the electrode pad when the electrode pad on the wafer W contacts the probe 28. There is a velocity (or acceleration) considered so as to scrape (break) and obtain an electrical connection between the electrode pad and the probe 28. The velocity V1 is, for example, 20 to 30 [mm / sec].

  The above-described first contact can increase the reliability of electrical contact between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 28.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10 (c), after lowering the wafer chuck 16 in the Z-axis direction while supporting the wafer chuck 16 detachably by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52, as shown in FIG. 10 (d), Similarly to the above, the electrode pad on the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 16 and the probe card 18 are formed by raising again to the position Po1 (chuck delivery height) at the velocity V1 (or acceleration) to form the internal space S. (The second contact) with the probe 28 provided on the The position Po1 and the velocity V1 (or acceleration) in the second contact may be the same as or different from the position Po1 and the velocity V1 (or acceleration) in the first contact.

  When the wafer chuck 16 reaches the position Po1 of the second contact, the contact pressure of the electrode pad on the wafer W with respect to the probe 28 is lower than a target contact pressure Pr2 described later (for example, the target It is the position considered so that it may become about 70% of contact pressure Pr2 of contact pressure Pr2.

  The removal of the oxide film which could not be removed at the time of the first contact can be expected by the above second contact, so that the electrical contact reliability between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 28 can be further enhanced.

  After the plurality of contact processes (for example, first contact and second contact) are performed as described above, the wafer chuck 16 and the alignment device 50 (Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52) are fixed (for example, fixed by vacuum suction) ) Is released. Thereafter, the suction control unit 46 is operated to reduce the pressure in the internal space S by the vacuum pump 44, which is a drive source, whereby the pressure reduction step is performed to make the distance between the wafer chuck 16 and the probe card 18 (probe 28) even closer. .

  The depressurization step is performed after the final contact step (for example, the second contact) of the plurality of contact steps (for example, the first contact and the second contact) is performed, and is not performed after the other contact steps. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 10 (e), the wafer chuck 16 is pulled toward the probe card 18 at the velocity V2 with respect to the probe card 18 (probe 28) and is moved from the alignment device 50 (Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52). When separated (disconnected), the probe card 18 and the wafer chuck 16 come into close contact, and each probe 28 of the probe card 18 contacts the corresponding electrode pad with uniform contact pressure. The speed V2 is slower than the speed V1 (speed V2 <speed V1) since the drive source is the vacuum pump 44, and is, for example, 0.25 [mm / sec].

  The suction control unit 46 (vacuum pump 44) reduces the pressure in the internal space S until the contact pressure of the electrode pad on the wafer W against the probe 28 becomes the target contact pressure Pr2 (target contact pressure Pr2> contact pressure Pr1). The target contact pressure Pr2 is a contact pressure considered to increase the reliability of the electrical contact between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 28. The suction control unit 46 (vacuum pump 44) decompresses the sealed space S, and corresponds to a contact pressure application unit for bringing the probe 28 into contact with the wafer W at a predetermined pressure.

  On the other hand, when the probe card 18 and the wafer chuck 16 come into close contact due to the pressure reduction of the internal space S by the vacuum pump 44, the Z axis movement / rotation unit 52 is lowered in the Z axis direction to separate the wafer chuck 16 from the alignment device 50. Let Also, in order to prevent the wafer chuck 16 from falling off, the holding portions 30 of the support mechanism are brought close to each other.

  Next, power and test signals are supplied from the test head 22 to the respective chips of the wafer W, and signals output from the chips are detected to conduct an electrical operation inspection.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is loaded onto the wafer chuck 16 in the same procedure for the other measurement units 14 and after the alignment operation and the contact operation are completed in each measurement unit 14, simultaneous inspection of each chip of the wafer W is performed. It will be done sequentially. That is, power and test signals are supplied from the test head 22 to the respective chips of the wafer W, and signals output from the chips are detected to conduct an electrical operation inspection. The wafer chuck 16 may be inspected while being supported by the alignment device 50.

  When the inspection in each measurement unit 14 is completed, the alignment apparatus 50 is sequentially moved to each measurement unit 14 to recover the wafer chuck 16 on which the inspected wafer W is held.

  That is, when the inspection in each measurement unit 14 is completed, the alignment device 50 is moved to the measurement unit 14 in which the inspection is completed, and after positioning and fixing, the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 is raised in the Z-axis direction, After the wafer chuck 16 is supported by the alignment apparatus 50, the pressure reduction of the internal space S by the suction control unit 46 is canceled, specifically, the atmospheric pressure is introduced into the internal space S. Thereby, the contact state between the probe card 18 and the wafer chuck 16 is released. And each holding part 30 of a support mechanism is made into a diameter-expanding state. Thereafter, the wafer chuck 16 is lowered in the Z-axis direction by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 to release the positioning and fixing of the alignment device 50, and then the alignment device 50 is moved to a predetermined delivery position. The fixing is released and the inspected wafer W is unloaded from the wafer chuck 16. The unloaded inspected wafer W is collected by the delivery mechanism.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, one wafer chuck 16 is assigned to each measurement unit 14, but a plurality of these wafer chucks 16 are provided between the plurality of measurement units 14. It may be delivered.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the probe 28 is a protective film on the surface of the wafer W by moving the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 (mechanical wafer chuck lifting means) to a predetermined position at a predetermined speed. Since the (oxide film) is scraped off, the contact state and the conduction state are improved. At this time, since the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 52 is a mechanical elevating means, the probe 28 and the wafer W move at a predetermined speed to a predetermined position while maintaining the parallel posture, so that the contact can be made with high accuracy.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the probe 28 can be maintained in contact with the wafer W at a predetermined speed by the Z-axis moving and rotating unit 52 (mechanical wafer chuck lifting means). On the other hand, since the probe 28 can not be brought into contact at a predetermined speed in the pressure reduction of the enclosed space S, the removal of the protective film can not be controlled.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 (mechanical wafer chuck raising / lowering means) can move to a predetermined position, the surface protection film can be largely scraped by applying a slight overdrive. . On the other hand, in the decompression of the enclosed space S, overdrive can not be applied.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the wafer chuck 16 is pressed against the probe card 18 at a predetermined pressure by the pressure reduction of the enclosed space S. Thereby, each probe 28 and the wafer W can be pressed with a fixed pressure. Furthermore, even during measurement, each probe 28 can be pressed at a constant pressure to stabilize the conduction state. At that time, pressure is automatically set uniformly based on the pressure reduction of the enclosed space S, that is, based on the principle of Pascal, not positioning by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 (mechanical wafer chuck lifting means). Thereby, even if there is a slight positional deviation due to the long and short of the probe 28 which is difficult to improve only by positioning or mutual parallelism error, etc., the pressure is reduced by depressurization and the probe 28 is pressed to the wafer W by a predetermined pressure. It is possible to make contact.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the probe contact method and the prober 10 capable of enhancing the reliability of the electrical contact between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 28 are provided. can do.

  This is because the rising speed V1 of the wafer chuck 16 by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52 whose drive source is a motor is faster than the drawing speed V2 of the wafer chuck 16 whose drive source is the vacuum pump 44 (V1> V2), The electrode pad on the wafer W contacts the probe 28 provided on the probe card 18 at the high speed V1 and the tip of the probe 28 is rubbed against the electrode pad, thereby forming an insulator, which is an insulator formed on the electrode pad. This is because the film is scraped (broken) and an electrical connection between the electrode pad and the probe 28 is obtained.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the contact (the contact at the velocity V1) between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 28 is performed a plurality of times (for example, the first contact and the second contact). The reliability of the electrical contact between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 28 can be enhanced as compared with the case where the contact between the pad and the probe 28 is one time.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the contact pressure of the electrode pad on the wafer W with respect to the probe 28 in the pressure reduction step can be easily made the target contact pressure Pr2.

  This is because the contact pressure of the electrode pad on the wafer W against the probe 28 in the final contact step (for example, second contact) is lower than the target contact pressure Pr2 (for example, about 70% of the target contact pressure Pr2) After setting the pressure Pr1), the pressure in the internal space S is reduced until the contact pressure of the electrode pad on the wafer W against the probe 28 becomes the target contact pressure Pr2 in the pressure reduction step.

  After the contact pressure of the electrode pad on the wafer W with respect to the probe 28 in the final contact step (for example, second contact) is made the target contact pressure Pr2, the contact pressure of the electrode pad on the wafer W with the probe 28 in the pressure reduction step It is also conceivable to reduce the pressure in the internal space S so that the target contact pressure Pr2 is maintained in the final contact step. However, it is difficult to depressurize the internal space S so as to maintain the target contact pressure Pr2 in the final contact step.

  On the other hand, as in the former, first, the contact pressure Pr1 lower than the target contact pressure Pr2 is set in the final contact step, and then the internal space S is depressurized to the target contact pressure Pr2 in the depressurization step. The contact pressure of the electrode pad on the wafer W against the probe 28 in the depressurization step can easily be made the target contact pressure Pr2.

  Next, a modification is described.

  FIG. 11 is an example of inspection operation including a probe contact method using a prober provided with a wafer chuck 16A which is a modification example.

  The wafer chuck 16A of this modification is equivalent to the wafer chuck 16 shown in FIG. 10 in which the internal space S is communicated with the external environment, and a communication hole 16Aa opened and closed by the shutter means 48 is provided. The communication hole 16Aa is provided inside the wafer chuck 16A, and penetrates a region of the upper surface of the wafer chuck 16A near the outer periphery where the wafer W is not placed and the side surface.

  As shown in FIG. 11C, the internal space S becomes a sealed space when the communication hole 16Aa is closed by the shutter means 48, while the communication hole 16Aa is closed by the shutter means 48 as shown in FIG. 11A. When opened, it becomes a non-hermetic space.

  The shutter means 48 is a means for opening and closing the communication hole 16Aa for communicating the internal space S with the external environment to make the internal space S a sealed space or a non-closed space, for example, the shutter main body 48a and the shutter main body 48a as the communication hole 16Aa The shutter control means (not shown) is moved to an open position (see FIG. 11A) or a closed position (see FIG. 11C). As the shutter control means, a known motor (not shown) such as a motor connected to the shutter main body 48a and a controller for controlling the motor can be used. The communication hole 16Aa and the shutter means 48 may be provided not only on the wafer chuck 16A but also on the head stage 13 or the probe card 18.

  Next, an inspection operation including a probe contact method using a prober using the wafer chuck 16A of the present modification will be described.

  The inspection operation using the prober 10 using the wafer chuck 16A of this modification is basically the same as that of the second embodiment, but the following points are different.

  That is, after each ring seal member 40 is brought into contact with the head stage 13 (or the probe card 18) in each contact step in which the first contact and the second contact are carried out (see FIG. 11A), electrodes on the wafer W Until the pad and the probe 28 are brought into contact (see FIG. 11B), the communication hole 16Aa is opened by the shutter means 48 so that the internal space S is not sealed (the communication hole 16Aa is opened). Point) is different.

  For example, each contact process in which the first contact and the second contact are performed is completed, and the fixation (for example, fixation by vacuum suction) of the wafer chuck 16A and the alignment apparatus 50 (Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52) is released. The communication hole 16Aa is opened until the internal space S is not sealed (the communication hole 16Aa is opened).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 11C, at the timing when the fixing (for example, fixing by vacuum suction) between the wafer chuck 16A and the alignment device 50 (Z-axis movement / rotation unit 52) is released, the communication hole 16Aa It is closed and the internal space S is sealed (the communication hole 16Aa is closed), and the internal space S is decompressed in the decompression step. Other than that is the same as that of the second embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, since the internal space S is sealed in each contact process in which the first contact and the second contact are performed, the sealed space (air in the case) is compressed at each contact, and the pressure is released by the compression. The force acts as a load when the wafer chuck 16A ascends, and the rate of ascent of the electrode pad on the wafer W to the probe 28 may be reduced. As a result, there is a possibility that the oxide film, which is an insulator formed on the electrode pad, can not be sufficiently scraped (broken).

  On the other hand, according to the present modification, since the internal space S is not sealed in each contact step in which the first contact and the second contact are performed, the sealed space (air within) at each contact is The compressed reaction force is prevented from acting as a load when the wafer chuck 16 is lifted, and the rate of rise of the electrode pad on the wafer W relative to the probe 28 is prevented from being reduced. As a result, it can be expected that the oxide film which is an insulator formed on the electrode pad is sufficiently scraped (broken).

  In the second embodiment, although the example in which the contact process is performed twice and the pressure reduction process is performed after the final contact process is performed, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the contact process may be performed only once. It may be carried out and then a depressurization step may be carried out. Moreover, after a contact process is implemented 3 times or more and the last contact process is implemented, you may implement a pressure-reduction process. That is, the wafer chuck 16 is moved up and down so that the probe 28 contacts the electrode pad on the wafer W at least once, and after the probe 28 finally contacts the wafer W, the probe 28 contacts the wafer W at a predetermined pressure. It is sufficient if the enclosed space S is depressurized.

  In the second embodiment, the three measurement units 14 are arranged along the X-axis direction. However, the number and arrangement of the measurement units 14 are not particularly limited. For example, the X-axis A plurality of measurement units 14 may be two-dimensionally arranged in the direction and the Y-axis direction.

  Furthermore, a multistage configuration may be adopted in which measurement unit groups including a plurality of measurement units 14 are stacked in the Z-axis direction. For example, the configuration example illustrated in FIG. 9 is a configuration in which measurement unit groups 15 (15A to 15C) including four measurement units 14 are stacked in three stages in the Z-axis direction. In this configuration, the alignment device 50 is provided for each of the measurement unit groups 15, and the alignment device 50 is shared between the measurement units 14 in the same measurement unit group 15. The alignment device 50 may be configured to be shared by all the measurement units 14. According to such a configuration, the footprint of the entire apparatus can be reduced, the processing capacity per unit area can be increased, and the cost can be reduced.

  As mentioned above, although the probe contact method and prober of the present invention were explained in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course.

  Reference Signs List 10 prober 11 base 12 side plate 13 head stage 14 measuring unit 15 measuring unit group 16 16 A wafer chuck 16Aa communicating hole 18 probe card 20 tester 22 ... Test head, 24 ... Contact ring, 26 ... Mounting hole, 28 ... Probe, 30 ... Holding part, 32 ... Passage hole, 40 ... Ring-like seal member, 42 ... Suction port, 43 ... Suction path, 44 ... Vacuum pump, 46: suction control unit 48: shutter means 48a: shutter main body 48a 50: alignment device 52: Z axis movement / rotation unit 54: probe position detection camera 56: camera movement mechanism 58: X axis movement base , 60 ... Y-axis moving base, 62 ... base, 64 ... post, 66 ... alignment camera, 68 ... guide rail, 70 ... ball screw, 72 ... guide rail, 74 Ball screw, 100: moving device, 101: guide rail, 102: conveying pallet, 106: lifting mechanism, 108: driving unit, 110: timing belt, 112: driving motor, 114: driving pulley, 116: idle pulley, 118: driving Motor, 120: Ball screw, 130: Positioning pin, 134: Chuck member

Claims (2)

In a probing apparatus, in which a probe of a probe card is brought into contact with the wafer by moving a wafer chuck supporting the wafer to measure an electrical property,
A sealing mechanism for forming a sealed space between the wafer chuck and the probe card;
A motor-driven wafer chuck lifting means for detachably mounting and vacuum fixing the wafer chuck and for raising the wafer chuck at a predetermined speed to a position where the wafer and the probe are in contact with each other;
A prober for reducing the pressure in the sealed space and bringing the probe into contact with the wafer at a predetermined pressure after releasing the vacuum fixation of the wafer chuck after contact of the probe with the wafer by the wafer chuck elevating means. In a probe contact method in a probing apparatus, in which a probe of a probe card is brought into contact with a wafer by moving a wafer chuck supporting the wafer to measure an electrical property,
Wherein the wafer chuck lifting means of the motor drive by placing the wafer chuck detachably vacuum fixing is increased at a predetermined rate before Symbol wafer chuck to a position in contact with the probe and the wafer by the wafer chuck lifting means Process,
After contact with the wafer of the probe by the wafer chuck lifting means, after releasing the vacuum fixing of the wafer chuck, depressurizing the closed space formed by the sealing mechanism between the wafer chuck and the probe card, Bringing the probe into contact with the wafer at a predetermined pressure;
Probe contact method.

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