JP2002365334A - Micromanipulation device for minute work - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for efficiently performing a minute works, such as workings, measurements, inspections or the like of a specimen material under microscope image. SOLUTION: In this micromanipulation device for minute work, a sample stage optionally movable in X-, Y- and Z-axial directions and rotatable about the Z-axis is placed on a common chamber base, a workbench and a manipulator unit capable of making rough rough movement movements and minute movements in the X-, Y- and Z-axial directions are also placed on the stage, and a minute work is performed, while observing the specimen sample placed on the workbench and a microprobe placed on a manipulator under microscopic visual field.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a microscopic sample such as processing or moving a microscopic specimen while observing an image of the specimen in an optical or electron microscope. The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing an inspection or the like, and more specifically, to provide a micromanipulation apparatus for micro work provided with a microprobe having a specific functionality.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, so-called fine work of not only observing a minute specimen under a microscope but also performing extremely fine processing under a microscope has been generally performed.
However, with the recent development of micromachines and biotechnology, the demand and importance of capturing a specimen in the field of view of a microscope and performing some advanced processing using a manipulator is particularly important. With the improvement of, it is becoming more sophisticated than ever. This technology not only requires high-precision motion resolution due to the miniaturization of the target specimen, but also handles extremely small specimens in the visual field of the microscope to operate specific parts. It requires high precision and simplification of technology, and it is necessary to ensure operability and certainty of fine work while increasing the degree of freedom of movement on the specimen sample side.

[0003] Further, the above-mentioned tendency is rapidly increasing not only in the field of biotechnology but also in the field of, for example, semiconductor devices. For example, in the manufacturing process of electronic components such as ICs and LSIs, the line width of the circuit is becoming increasingly finer, and in the inspection process, the shape and pattern of the circuit are simply visually checked or the whole is checked. In addition to the performance check, an electrical inspection of a minute portion, for example, by energization is required.

[0004] An apparatus for operating a microprobe attached to a manipulator under a visual field of a microscope to accurately move and process a specimen is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-221409. An apparatus is disclosed in which the movement of a micro sample and the movement of a microprobe are linked to facilitate positioning, movement, and processing in a three-dimensional direction. Further, JP-A-2000-
Japanese Patent No. 91857 discloses an apparatus for monitoring a microscope image by a television camera image. These devices make the movement of the specimen and the microprobe accurate in the field of view of the microscope, and perform operations such as positioning, including rotation of the specimen, movement of the microprobe, cutting, drilling, joining, etc. That is, it is not a simple repetitive operation but a complicated operation that is visually observed by an operator.

That is, in these devices, a worktable on which a specimen is mounted and a plurality of manipulators are allowed to perform minute movements in arbitrary independent directions, and the main movements are basically combined. It is a micromanipulation device. With such a device, it is possible to perform more complicated work with higher accuracy without removing the sample and the probe tip from the field of view of the microscope, and it is also possible to monitor the microscope image with a TV camera image Thus, it is clear that the conventional apparatus has been significantly improved.

[0006] In these apparatuses, the movement of the manipulator on which the probe and the probe, which are required for a minute work, are fed back to a work table on which the probe is mounted and a piezo element mounted on the manipulator, respectively. That has a displacement detection function for
According to this, a minute movement on the order of tens of μm is possible, and a resolution of 1 nm or less can be realized relatively easily, depending on the displacement detecting means. X-axis, Y-axis for each manipulator, ie each probe
By making it possible to perform minute linear movements in the axis and Z-axis directions, it is possible to reliably perform fine work on a three-dimensional level.

[0007] Further, when rotational movement is required, a fixed point is determined, and a movement can be made in consideration of the degree of freedom of rotation around the fixed point. Accurate rotation can be performed with high resolution by separately rotating the work table and the drive table on which the manipulator is installed. In this case, the rotation center is fixed, and there is an advantage that the tip of the microprobe of the manipulator is always fixed in the fine processing operation.

When this type of conventional micromanipulation apparatus is applied to, for example, the field of biotechnology, the movement of the microprobe and the specimen is freely controlled in the actual micromachining operation, and the movement of the microprobe is slowly and reliably ensured. It is important not to cause damage to the specimen and to perform basic operations such as moving, cutting, piercing, cutting, peeling, attaching, and joining the specimen. The microprobe used here is intended to perform the above-mentioned basic work on the manifest sample by moving it, and it can respond variously by appropriately changing the thickness, shape, and tip shape. It is possible.

As described above, from the viewpoint of expanding the range of application, these devices are used, for example, in semiconductor-related technologies, that is, in I-type devices.
When applied to the inspection process of electronic components such as C and LSI, the resistance value, rather than the basic operations such as moving, cutting, piercing, excision, peeling, pasting, and joining the specimen,
Work such as measurement of conductivity, current value or voltage waveform, application of voltage, confirmation of insulation, and the like, which is performed in a conventional semiconductor inspection apparatus and has electrical functionality, for example, is required. However, a microprobe used in a conventional semiconductor device inspection apparatus or the like has a plurality of microprobes having electrical functionalities, as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-55317, whereby a semiconductor element is specified. Inspection of the part is performed, but once the precise position of the microprobe has been determined, the position is not changed, and the semiconductor elements supplied in the flow operation are efficiently repetitively determined by simple repetition work. The most characteristic feature is that the inspection work is repeated.

That is, the above-described conventional apparatus is suitable for an operation in which measurement or the like between fixed points of a minute portion is continuously and repeatedly performed. However, an arbitrary operation point on a certain surface is searched for and its position is determined. It is not suitable for the purpose of freely moving the tip of the microprobe and performing necessary work. For example, the operator freely scans the microprobe tip while observing the microscope image on the entire surface of the silicon device wafer on which the fine circuit pattern is integrated, and positions the needle tip at an arbitrary position while checking it visually. Finely move the rear needle tip,
The work of performing necessary fine work is a work required for research and development of new electronic components such as ICs and LSIs. In particular, with the tendency of circuit complexity, improvement of integration, and increase in the size of the silicon wafer as a raw material being remarkable, the development of equipment that can facilitate such fine work is being conducted by the R & D division of electronic components. It was strongly requested by others.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have observed the movement of the microprobe over a wide range while observing the needle of the microprobe and the specimen in the field of view of the microscopic image. The purpose of this study is to conduct research on a micromanipulation device that can perform fine work with excellent operability and reliability at the same time as efficiently performing positioning and positioning.Additionally, microprobes are given functionality, especially electrical functions. By doing so, the electrical inspection and processing of the fine portion of the specimen are made to be performed efficiently. In other words, the object of the present invention is not only to observe extremely fine and precise specimens such as semiconductor devices, but also to conduct electrical inspections and even electrical ultra-fine processing smoothly and reliably by visual observation of operator's microscope images. It is an object of the present invention to provide a micromanipulation device for fine work, which enables the operation to be carried out in a short time.

[0012]

An object of the present invention is to mount a sample stage on a common chamber base, which is capable of arbitrary movement in the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions and rotation about the Z-axis,
Further, on the sample stage, a work table, an X axis, a Y axis
Axis, a manipulator unit capable of coarse movement and fine movement in the Z-axis direction is placed, and a manifest sample placed on the work table and a microprobe having an electrical function mounted on the manipulator This is achieved by a micromanipulator for fine work, which performs fine work while observing under a microscope visual field. Further, in the micromanipulation apparatus for fine work described above, it is preferable that at least two manipulator units equipped with a microprobe are provided.
The electrical function according to the present invention refers to a performance that exhibits a specific electrical role.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The essential point of the present invention is that the tip of the working microprobe is positioned while moving the coarse movement device of the manipulator unit, and the tip of the working microprobe and the specimen are always kept in the visual field of the image observed by the microscope. The operator operates the fine movement device while visually confirming, and performs fine work accurately. In addition, the work involves not only basic operations such as moving, cutting, piercing, cutting, peeling, pasting, and joining the specimen using the tip of the microprobe as a simple stylus, but also the functionality of the microprobe itself, especially electrical Function, and the electrical resistance value, conductivity, current value, voltage value waveform, capacitance,
Measurement of electrical characteristics such as electrical resistance, and further, electrical processing such as extremely fine electrical welding, electrical fusing, and connection. The type of microscope used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an optical microscope, an electron microscope, various scanning electron microscopes (SEM),
An X-ray microscope or the like can be used.

In the micromanipulation apparatus for fine work according to the present invention, any movement in the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions and rotation around the Z-axis are performed on a common chamber base that can be stored in the sample chamber of the microscope as it is. By placing a sample stage that can rotate, and placing a work table and at least one manipulator unit on the sample stage, the movement of the work table and the manipulator are basically combined, and the processing point, that is, the sample surface and The tip of the microprobe mounted on the manipulator unit is prevented from deviating from the field of view of the microscope. The common chamber base used here mounts all of the above-described components of the present invention, and is itself capable of arbitrary movement in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, rotation about the Z-axis, and work. The tilt rotation about a straight line on a flat surface on the table may be possible, or a stationary type may be used.

The manipulator unit is capable of performing coarse and fine movements in the X, Y and Z directions by independent drive systems, whereby a large surface area such as a silicon wafer can be observed. Even a body sample can be quickly positioned by driving the coarse movement device,
Elaborate fine work can be performed accurately and reliably by driving the fine movement device. Naturally, the field of view is different between the case where the coarse moving device is driven and the case where the fine moving device is driven. Therefore, it is sufficient to change the magnification of the microscope when switching.

In the present invention, the microprobe has an electrical function, and has an electric resistance value of the specimen,
Measurement of electrical characteristic values such as conductivity, current value, voltage value waveform, capacitance, electric resistance value, and very fine electric welding,
Since the main purpose is to perform electric processing such as electric fusing, the working point is usually not two points but two points or more. Therefore, it is preferable to install two or more manipulator units on which microprobes are mounted.

Further, the functions and shapes of the microprobes are various, and it is preferable that the microprobes can be exchanged according to the purpose of use. In other words, the above-mentioned operations, that is, the measurement of electric characteristic values such as the electric resistance value, the conductivity, the current value, the voltage value waveform, the capacitance, the electric resistance value, etc., and the extremely fine electric welding, electric fusing, etc. It is possible to perform any desired machining.

A specific example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the entirety of the micromanipulator for fine work of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory view of the manipulator unit. Common chamber base A
A sample stage B is mounted thereon, and the sample stage B includes a stage R, a stage X, a stage Y, and a stage Z. Stage R rotates around the Z axis,
The stage X is for driving in the X-axis direction, the stage Y is for driving in the Y-axis direction, and the stage Z is for driving in the Z-axis direction. On the sample stage B, a work table C, a manipulator unit 1 and a manipulator unit 2 are installed. The manipulator unit 1 and the manipulator unit 2 are composed of manipulator unit coarse movement mechanisms M1x, M1y, M1z and M2x, M2y, M
2z enables independent movement from the worktable C. Further, the manipulator unit 1 has a fine movement mechanism P
The probe card 11 is composed of 1x, P1y, P1z, and a probe card 11, and a micro probe 12 is attached to the tip of the probe card 11. Similarly, the manipulator unit 2 is composed of fine movement mechanisms P2x, P2y, P2z and a probe card 21.
A microprobe 22 is attached to one end. That is, the microprobes 12, 22 allow movement in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions independently of each other and independently of the movement of the coarse movement device by the fine movement mechanism described above. The entire micromanipulation apparatus is directly installed and fixed in, for example, a SEM sample chamber, and the optical axis L of the microscope is adapted to match the direction of the Z axis of the apparatus.

With the above-described structure, first, the sample stage B of the micromanipulation apparatus is moved in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions by the movement of the stage R, the stage X, the stage Y, and the stage Z. And rotation about the Z axis can be arbitrarily performed, and the relative positional relationship between the work table C, the manipulator unit 1 and the manipulator unit 2 does not change at all. That is, the position changes only with respect to the optical axis L of the microscope (not shown). In other words, by operating the stage R, the stage X, the stage Y, and the stage Z, it is possible to securely place the working point under the field of view of the microscope, and to set the specimen in the direction and angle that is most easily viewed and workable. Make it possible. The driving of these stages may be performed by applying a fine screw provided on each stage, or a micromotor or the like may be used in consideration of the amount of displacement or the like.

The manipulator unit 1 and the manipulator unit 2 are manipulator unit coarse movement mechanisms M1x, M1y, M1z and M2x, M2, respectively.
The movement in the directions of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis is possible by the movement of y and M2z, and the relative position with respect to the worktable C can be arbitrarily changed. That is, the rough positioning of the tip of the microprobe to the working position of the sample 3 placed on the worktable C can be roughly performed by the manipulator unit coarse movement mechanism. Further, the manipulator unit 1 and the manipulator unit 2 have fine movement mechanisms P1x, P1y, P1z and P2x, P2y, P2 respectively.
By the action of z, fine movement in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions can be independently performed, and this movement allows accurate positioning, contact, and contact of the tips (needle tips) of the microprobes 12 and 22 to the working position. Performs fine work such as measurement and processing.

The following method can be mentioned as an example of the operation when the micromanipulation device for fine operation shown in FIG. 1 is used. That is, the wafer on which the circuit pattern of the semiconductor device is written is directly placed on the worktable C, and the coarse positioning is performed by driving the manipulator unit coarse movement mechanism at a work location in the target chip in the wafer. Then, the tip of the microprobe 12 of one manipulator unit 1 is precisely positioned at a work point by the movement of the fine movement mechanism, and the microprobe 12 is fixed at this position. Here, the coarse positioning is performed under the same magnification or low magnification field of view of the microscope, and the fine positioning is performed under the high magnification field of view. Next, the microprobe 22 of the other manipulator unit 2
Is moved to another predetermined position in the chip and fixed, and measurement between two points, observation such as inspection, or necessary work, for example, measurement of an insulation state is performed. When the tip of the microprobe of the manipulator unit is moved, it is slightly lifted in the Z-axis direction, moved in the X and Y-axis directions, and lowered at a predetermined point. Both types of damage can be avoided. Since the surface of the wafer on which the pattern of the semiconductor device is written is not flat but has irregularities, it is an important point of the present invention that the tip of the microprobe tip can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction.

FIG. 3 is an example showing the observation processing on the semiconductor IC chip F. In FIG. 3 (a), while the microprobes 12 and 22 of the manipulator units 1 and 2 are arranged in the microscope visual field D, the first contact point is searched by driving the sample table B and the manipulator coarse movement mechanism. Then, by driving the fine movement mechanism to the first point searched in FIG. 3B, the tip of the tip of the microprobe 12 of the manipulator unit 1 is fixed in contact. In FIG. 3C, the manipulator unit coarse movement mechanism is driven, the visual field of the microscope is moved, and the next arbitrary contact point is searched. In FIG. 3D, the tip of the microprobe 22 of the manipulator unit 2 is brought into contact with the searched point in the visual field E of the microscope by driving the fine movement mechanism. After that, the microprobes 12, 22
Observation processing such as processing, object addition, measurement, inspection, etc. is performed between the tips of the tips. Processing here means electric welding, wire connection,
Refers to electrical processing such as electric fusing, and measurement and inspection refers to measurement and inspection of electrical characteristic values such as electrical resistance, conductivity, current value, voltage waveform, capacitance, and electrical resistance. Things. The addition of an object refers to an operation such as connection of a minute bonding wire by minute soldering, for example. For these operations, microprobes with functions suitable for each operation are used.However, in order to provide various functions in one micromanipulation device, it is necessary to use functions suitable for the purpose of use. What is necessary is just to prepare a probe card to which a microprobe having the above is attached, exchange it as needed, and attach it to the manipulator.

With regard to the coarse movement of the manipulator unit, the driving means may be, for example, a manual drive using a fine movement screw, or a drive using a micromotor, for example. The coarse movement referred to in the present invention is an X axis, a Y axis,
The linear movement in the Z-axis direction means a positioning accuracy of about 10 μm in a movement range of about ± 25 mm. Further, the fine movement referred to in the present invention refers to a positioning accuracy of about 10 nm in a moving range of about 400 μm with respect to a linear movement in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions. X
Although there is no particular limitation on the method of driving the fine movement in the directions of the axis, the Y axis and the Z axis, for example, the amount of change when applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element is determined by utilizing the elastic deformation of a material directly connected to the piezoelectric element. A preferred example is a method of mechanically enlarging and measuring the displacement amount strain, and feeding back and controlling the required movement amount of the manipulator. By using this method, it is possible to relatively easily realize a resolution of 1 nm or less at a high resolution, depending on the displacement detecting means.

The method of detecting the contact between the tip of the microprobe and the working point of the specimen sample is not particularly limited. For example, a method in which a means for detecting a contact pressure is attached to a probe card supporting arm is exemplified. be able to. The contact pressure can be detected by, for example, a small, high-performance strain gauge.

In the present invention, the tip of the microprobe unit of one manipulator and one working point on the specimen are captured and fixed in the microscope images D and E, and the manipulator unit coarse movement mechanism, fine movement Using the mechanism, the tip of the microprobe of another manipulator unit is moved to the other working point of the specimen and fixed to that point. The movement and positioning are manually performed by an operator while displaying the images on a microscope image, and the operations such as measurement and processing are also performed while observing under the visual field of the microscope. Therefore, it is necessary for the system to move the microprobe unit while the operator operates the operation panel directly connected to the control unit by the computer. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the specific concept.

In FIG. 4, the tip of the microprobe 12 is moved over each point of the semiconductor IC chip F and brought into contact therewith. The contact pressure of the tip of the microprobe with the tip of the tip is detected by a strain gauge (not shown) provided on the probe card or the microprobe, and is input to the control unit. On the basis of the displayed microscope image and the information of the detected and input contact pressure, the operator operates the controller to sequentially operate the coarse movement unit and the fine movement unit, and moves the other microprobe 22 to another point. , Contact. Similarly, the contact pressure is detected by the strain sensor and input to the control unit. The operator operates the controller based on the input information, and issues commands for observation processing such as necessary processing, object addition, measurement, and inspection between the tips of the two microprobes.

[0027]

As described above, by using the micro-manipulation apparatus for fine work according to the present invention, it is possible to arbitrarily arrange a circuit pattern on a silicon wafer on which a circuit pattern of a semiconductor device has been written, which has been a troublesome work. It is now possible to easily perform an operation of measuring an electrical property value between specific points and performing fine processing. That is, for example, the operator can freely perform a performance test between any two points on the surface of a silicon wafer on which a circuit pattern of a semiconductor device product under development is written, check necessary physical properties, and further perform fine processing, and furthermore, a microscope. It is possible to perform while monitoring with images. In other words, it responds to the strong demands of the R & D department rather than the manufacturing process, and its influence on this field is extremely large.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the entirety of a micromanipulation device for fine work according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a manipulator unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an example of observation processing on one chip of a semiconductor device.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a control system using a computer according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

A: microscope chamber base, B: sample stage, C:
Work table, D, E: microscope field of view, F: semiconductor IC chip,
L: Microscope optical axis, R: Rotation stage around Z axis, X: X
Axial stage, Y: Y-axis stage Z: Z-axis stage, 1, 2: Manipulator unit, M1x, M1y, M1z, M2x, M2y, M
2z: Manipulator unit coarse movement mechanism, P1x, P1
y, P1z, P2x, P2y, P2z: Manipulator unit fine movement mechanism, 11, 21: Probe card, 1
2, 22: microprobe

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/302 H01L 21/66 L 4M106 21/66 M 5F004 G01R 31/28 K H01L 21/302 Z F term (Ref.) BA20 BB24 BD07 EA38 EB02 EB03

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A sample stage capable of arbitrary movement in the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions and rotation about the Z-axis is mounted on a common chamber base. A table and a manipulator unit capable of coarse movement and fine movement in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, a specimen sample mounted on the work table, and an electrical function mounted on the manipulator A micromanipulation apparatus for fine work, wherein the fine work is performed while observing a microprobe having a microscope under a microscope visual field. 2. The micromanipulation device for fine work according to claim 1, wherein at least two manipulator units each having a microprobe mounted thereon are provided. 3. A microprobe having an electrical function,
3. The micromanipulation apparatus for fine work according to claim 1, wherein the work for measuring an electrical characteristic value of the manifest sample is performed. 4. The micromanipulation device for fine work according to claim 3, wherein the electrical characteristic values are an electric resistance value, a conductivity, a current value, a voltage value waveform, and a capacitance. 5. A microprobe having an electrical function,
The micromanipulator for fine work according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the micromanipulation apparatus performs an electric fine processing operation on a manifest sample.