JPS6370432A - Probing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate repair, control and change in an installing position and to set the operating position of an operator, by constituting a supporting post, which holds a magnifying mechanism so that the post can be attached to at least two places. CONSTITUTION:A supporting post 22, which holds a microscope 21, can be attached to a holding shafts 33, which are provided at least at two places, e.g., a rear surface side 23 and a right surface side 24 within a wafer prober so that the post can be attached and removed freely. Namely, a post coupling port is provided at the upper end of the holding shaft 33. The supporting post 22 is coupled into the coupling port. The post is coupled with the holding shaft 33 and tightened with a screw 34. Thus, the supporting post, which holds a magnifying mechanism for magnifying and observing a semiconductor chip, is constituted so that the post can be attached to the desired place. Repair, control and change in an installing position can be made easy. The operating position of an operator can be provided in correspondence with the case.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Purpose of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a probe device.

(Prior art) Probe devices, such as semiconductor wafer probers,
-24030, which is well known, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 below.
The prior art will be explained with reference to FIGS. A large number of semiconductor chips ■ formed on the semiconductor wafer ■ placed on the inspection stage ■ are confirmed with a magnifying glass (a), and at the same time the needle held on the probe card ■ and the semiconductor chips (3
) and the pad ■ to be inspected, and initialize programs such as the movement range and path of the probe card ■. In other words, such an inspection operation is taught, and thereafter, the inspection of the same type of semiconductor chip (2) is carried out fully automatically. The magnifying glass (■), which is the magnifying mechanism described above, is held by a column (■) completely fixed to the rear side (■) of the upper surface of the housing of the semiconductor wafer prober, and the operator can view it from a certain direction on the front side (9) of the semiconductor wafer prober. Only inspection was possible.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) When performing the teaching operation of the semiconductor fin prober, the enlargement mechanism for enlarging and stuttering the semiconductor chip ■ formed on the wafer ■ was conventionally mounted on the rear surface of the top surface of the casing of the semiconductor hop prober. Most of the devices were completely fixed in place, but in order to efficiently manage and repair wafer probers in a limited clean room, the semiconductor chip enlargement mechanism described above was used. There is a need for a configuration that allows the user to move the device to a location where it is easy to operate and live.

A wafer prober with a fixed semiconductor chip enlarging mechanism is difficult to repair, manage, and change its installation, and is also limited by the operator's operation location, the blow μ installation position, and arrangement, and is difficult to install in a limited clean room. The problem also arose that it hindered the effective use of.

The present invention has been made in response to the conventional technology, and is capable of repair, management, and installation by configuring the prop that holds the expansion mechanism in the blow μ so that it can be attached to at least two locations. The present invention provides a blow μ that allows easy layout changes and allows the operator to independently set the operating position.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problem) The present invention relates to a probe device having an inspection section for inspecting a semiconductor wafer and a magnification mechanism for enlarging and viewing semiconductor chips formed on the wafer.

The present invention provides a probe device characterized in that the support supporting the enlargement mechanism can be attached to at least two locations.

(Function) The probe device of the present invention is configured so that the support supporting the magnification mechanism for enlarging the semiconductor chip can be attached to a desired location, making repair, management, and installation changes easy. The operating position of the operator can also be set according to the situation.

(Example) Next, an example in which the probe device of the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer prober will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. The feature of this embodiment is that the electrical fault performance is inspected on the pads 0 of a large number of semiconductor chips (3) shown in FIG. 2 of the semiconductor wafer ■ placed on the inspection stage shown in FIG. The needle (10
) to ensure contact, a magnifying mechanism for magnifying this contact area, such as the M of the microscope (21).
It has a degree of freedom in its position.

The wafer prober carries the wafer cassette containing wafers into the cassette storage section (31), picks up the wafers one by one from the storage section (31), and transports them onto the inspection stage ω. After aligning the transported wafer with reference to the orientation flat, etc., the probe card (2) is automatically soft-landed from above, and inspection is automatically started. In order to execute this automatic process, it is necessary to perform a teaching operation prior to the continuous process. This operation is performed by the operator while checking the pad position on the wafer using a microscope.

This is done by only one person, and operability is an issue in order to do it accurately and quickly.

In order to solve this problem, the above-mentioned microscope (21
) (i Microscope) Holding column (22) For example, the rectangular bar with - side 100m is provided at least two places, for example, on the rear side (23) and on the right side (24) inside the wafer blow μ. It can be detachably attached to the shaft (33). That is, the holding shaft (3) on the upper surface of the casing of the wafer prober
3) A strut fitting opening is provided at the upper end, and the strut (22) is fitted into this fitting opening and fitted with the holding shaft (33). The fitted parts are tightened using screws (34). The microscope (21) is held by an arm mechanism (25) attached to a support post (22), and the arm mechanism (25) moves left and right from the center of the inspection stage ■ around the support post (22). Each of them is designed to be rotatable, for example, by 90 degrees or a total of 180'. Also arm mechanism (2
5) is equipped with a vertical movement control mechanism (26), and the microscope (21) can be adjusted to move upward from the inspection stage (1) within a height range of 200 rrn to 450 m. Further, a focusing adjustment knob (27) of the microscope (21) is attached to the tip of the arm mechanism (25) to facilitate fine adjustment.

The above-mentioned holding shaft part and pillar fitting opening are provided on the rear side (23) and the right side J:A (24), and in Fig. 1, the right side (24) is provided.
The right side is shown because it shows the state connected to the column insertion hole! : When the support is fitted to A (24), a cap may be fitted into the support fitting opening on the rear side (23) to keep the upper surface of the prober casing flat. Conversely, when the support column is fitted on the rear side (23), it is possible to fit the cap on the right side (24). It goes without saying that in the blowover device as described above, the number of support columns (22) installed at the ends may be further increased.

The configuration of the probe device is well known to those skilled in the art, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Figure 1 shows the right side (2
4), the support column (22) is removably fitted to the column (28).This allows the operator to perform inspection operations from the left side (28), and the test head when inspecting with high frequency is also located at the set position of the inspection section. Depending on the case, it may be possible to attach from three directions: the front side (29), the rear side (23), and the left side (28). In addition, the operator can perform inspection operations from the front side (29) by installing the column (22) from the right side (24) and fitting the column on the rear side (23) in the correct position. The front side (29) and the right side (24
)・It can be installed from 3 directions, including the left side (28). The test head can be installed from 4 directions by matching the direction of mounting the test head when the column (22) is mounted on the right side (24) and the direction of mounting on the rear side (23). .

In the above embodiment, an example was explained in which a microscope was used as the magnification mechanism, but teaching operations can be performed by attaching the camera head of an ITV camera to the position of the Wi-Microscope (21) and displaying the image on the TV monitor (32). In this case, the teaching operator can teach while monitoring the monitor (32). The use of the monitor (32) has the effect of constantly monitoring the operation not only during teaching but also during normal probe testing.

In another embodiment, the support column (22) holding the microscope (21) is attached to the right side of the semiconductor wafer blower (
24) but also the left side (28) and front side (29)
) can also be installed. This eliminates restrictions on the mounting direction of the test head when inspecting high-frequency measurement chips, and by configuring the test section at the center of the wafer prober, the test head can be mounted from any direction. became. In addition, it is possible to extremely easily change the arrangement of other semiconductor manufacturing equipment in a clean room to accommodate a fully automated wafer transport system, and the practical effect is very large.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the strut holding the enlargement mechanism can be attached to a desired location.
This has the effect of making repairs, management, and installation changes easier, improving operability, and helping to improve productivity.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a semiconductor unifer prober for explaining one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the unifer in which the semiconductor chip of FIG. 1 is constructed, and FIG. 3 is a diagram of the semiconductor wafer prober of FIG. 1. FIG. 4, a side view of the inspection section, is an explanatory diagram of a conventional semiconductor sea urchin prober. 1 Inspection stage 2 Semiconductor wafer 5 Probe card 21 Microscope 22 Post 25 Arm mechanism 26 Vertically movable mechanism Patent applicant Tokyo Electron Ltd. Figure 4 procedural amendment (voluntary) Submitted on 4Jf27, 1988

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In a probe device having an inspection section for inspecting a semiconductor wafer and a magnification mechanism for magnifying the semiconductor chips formed on the wafer, the struts holding the magnification mechanism can be attached to at least two locations. A probe device characterized by being set to. (2) The probe device according to claim 1, wherein the magnifying mechanism is a microscope. (3) The first claim that the enlargement mechanism is a TV camera
Probe device as described in section.