JP2008311313A - Semiconductor testing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor testing device that enables a probe pin and a probe card to abut uniformly against each other even when the device itself, a floor surface where the device is installed, etc., have been inevitably deformed plastically due to the long-term use of the device. <P>SOLUTION: The semiconductor testing device has: a prober where a semiconductor wafer formed with a plurality of semiconductor chips is mounted; and a test head driven to a test position or standby position relative to the prober, and the semiconductor testing device conducts a test of electric characteristics of the semiconductor chip. The semiconductor testing device is characterized in that it has: a position adjusting mechanism which translationally driving the test head in elevation/lowering directions, a lateral direction, and a longitudinal direction; a theta rotating mechanism which rotates the test head around an elevation/lowering axis; a twist rotating mechanism which rotates the test head around a lateral axis; and a tumble rotating mechanism which rotates the test head around a longitudinal axis. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor test apparatus that performs an electrical characteristic test of a semiconductor chip formed on a semiconductor wafer and determines its quality.

  In manufacturing a semiconductor device, the electrical characteristics of the chips are tested to determine whether the semiconductor chips are formed on a semiconductor wafer. By inputting test signals to a plurality of semiconductor chips at the same time and measuring the outputs at the same time, an efficient characteristic test can be performed.

The semiconductor test apparatus is roughly divided into a prober for placing a semiconductor wafer and a test head provided facing the prober.
The prober includes a movable stage capable of minute positioning and a probe card provided so as to cover the semiconductor wafer above the stage. A probe needle protrudes from the lower surface of the probe card, and the semiconductor chip and the probe card are electrically connected by bringing the probe needle into contact with a pad (electrode) of the semiconductor chip. Many contact terminals are arranged on the upper surface of the probe card, and the probe needle and the contact terminal are connected by wiring.

  One test head is connected to a tester body that controls the test head, and a test signal generated by the tester body is applied to a number of probe pins (pogo pins) protruding from the test head. Therefore, the test signal from the tester body can be transmitted to the semiconductor chip by making the test head and the prober face each other at a short distance and abutting the lower end of the probe pin on the contact terminal. The test signal input to the pad on the input side of the semiconductor chip is processed by the chip to be output as a predetermined output signal from the pad on the output side. Such an output signal is also sent from the probe pin to the test head via the probe needle and the probe card.

  In order to make the arrangement pattern of the probe pins coincide with the arrangement pattern of the contact terminals, the test head is generally provided with a performance board that detachably holds the probe pins. Thus, when the electrical characteristic test is performed by changing the type of the semiconductor chip, this can be achieved by changing the position of the probe pin that protrudes the tip (lower end) from the performance board.

When performing an electrical characteristic test, the test head is placed at an inspection position close to and opposite to the prober, and when the performance board is replaced or maintained, it is lifted upward and released from the prober.
Conventionally, the test head is most commonly attached in a tiltable manner by a hinge provided on the upper surface of the prober (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below). In addition, a semiconductor measuring apparatus has been proposed in which a test head is attached to a support bar extending vertically upward from the left and right sides of the prober so that the test head can be moved up and down and rotated back and forth (see Patent Document 3 below).

JP-A-8-139142 JP 2004-172551 A JP 2002-158266 A

  Conventionally, the size of the semiconductor wafer was small and the semiconductor chips formed on it were large, so the number of chips per wafer was small, and therefore the number of probe pins was small, so the test head was small and lightweight. Met. However, along with recent improvements in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the degree of integration of chips has increased and the number of probe pins required has increased, and therefore the test head has become larger and heavier. In recent years, test heads have a large weight of about 300 to 500 kg because various measuring jigs and signal processing devices are attached in addition to the performance board and probe pins.

For this reason, in the case of the method described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the hinge method) in which the entire test head is rotated around the hinge and the prober is tilted, the test head is held in a cantilevered state. Since it is held, the moment load applied to the hinge becomes excessive, and plastic deformation with time is unavoidable.
That is, in the semiconductor test apparatus at the beginning of use, the probe pin on the base end side (hinge side) and the probe pin on the tip end side (the side far from the hinge) are both probed in anticipation of the self-weight deflection of the test head and the elastic deformation of the hinge. When the test head and the prober are aligned so as to contact the contact terminal of the card properly, the tip side of the test head is lowered downward by using the semiconductor test equipment for a long time. In the probe pin, the pressing force to the contact terminal becomes excessive, and the probe pin on the proximal end side is lifted to cause a contact failure.

  If a contact failure between the probe pin and the contact terminal occurs in this way, test signals and output signals are not exchanged correctly between the semiconductor chip and the test head. Therefore, even if the semiconductor chip is a non-defective product The result is determined to be defective, which causes a decrease in yield.

  In the case of a hinge system in which the test head is tilted up and down to reciprocate between the inspection position and the retreat position, the moving distance of the test head becomes long, so the workability is bad and the vibration generated when the test head is stopped at the inspection position is attenuated. There are many problems that it takes a long time, the wiring between the test head and the tester body is disconnected, and the reproducibility of the inspection position is inferior.

On the other hand, in the case of the method described in Patent Document 3 for raising and lowering the test head with respect to the support rod (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the raising and lowering method), the test head is held on both the left and right support rods. The problem that one side is greatly lowered as in the hinge system is solved.
However, in a manufacturing plant where this type of semiconductor test apparatus is installed, a conductive vinyl floor is generally used for antistatic and corrosion resistance. However, the measurement of Patent Document 3 including a heavy test head and a prober is used. In the apparatus, when the vinyl floor sinks and deforms, the contact failure of the probe pin may occur as described above.
That is, the test head in the above conventional measuring apparatus has a twist around the axis extending in the up-and-down direction (Z direction) along the support bar (Z direction) and the left and right direction (X direction) connecting the support bars. Although the angle (RX) and the tumble angle (RY) around the front-rear direction (Y direction) can be adjusted, other X and Y position (TX, TY) and theta angle around the lifting axis (RZ) cannot be adjusted. For this reason, the sinking deformation occurs in the vinyl floor, and the direction of gravity load and the direction in which the support rod extends are inconsistent.For example, the relative position between the test head and the prober is changed over time due to the backlash that the drive mechanism part inevitably has. When there is a shift in the inward direction (X, Y direction), there arises a problem that this cannot be finely adjusted.

  Since the movable stage provided in the prober moves the mounted semiconductor wafer relative to the probe card, the position and orientation of the probe pin with respect to the contact terminal of the probe card even if it is driven. Cannot be adjusted.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, that is, even when a plastic deformation inevitably occurs on the apparatus itself or a floor surface on which the apparatus is installed due to long-term use, the probe pin and the probe card are provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor test apparatus capable of uniformly contacting each other. Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

The semiconductor test apparatus of the present invention is
(1) a prober comprising a movable stage for placing a semiconductor wafer on which a plurality of semiconductor chips are formed, and a probe card electrically connected to the semiconductor chips;
A semiconductor test comprising a plurality of probe pins for transmitting a test signal to the probe card, and a test head driven to an inspection position or a retracted position with respect to the prober to perform an electrical characteristic test of the semiconductor chip A device,
A position adjustment mechanism that translates and drives the test head in the up-and-down direction (TZ), the lateral direction (TX), and the longitudinal direction (TY);
A theta rotation mechanism for rotating the test head around a lifting axis (RZ);
A twist rotation mechanism for rotating the test head about a horizontal axis (RX);
A tumble rotation mechanism for rotating the test head about a vertical axis (RY);
A semiconductor test apparatus comprising:
(2) A head holder that holds the test head rotatably about the horizontal axis via the twist rotation mechanism including the rotation shaft that extends in the horizontal direction, and is provided rotatably about the vertical axis with respect to the head holder. A holding frame comprising: a lower fixed frame; and an upper fixed frame provided so as to be rotatable around a lifting shaft with respect to the lower fixed frame;
A gate stand that includes three or more struts, and holds the holding frame so as to be capable of translational driving in the up and down direction;
(2) The tumble rotation mechanism is provided between the head holder and the lower fixed frame, and the theta rotation mechanism is provided between the lower fixed frame and the upper fixed frame. Semiconductor testing equipment;
(3) comprising at least a pair of linear motion guides on which the columns are mounted, and a dispersion plate on which the linear motion guides are installed,
The semiconductor test apparatus according to (2), wherein the prober is installed on a dispersion plate, and the gate stand is movable on the dispersion plate along a linear motion guide;
Is the gist.

In the semiconductor test apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the translation position of the test head in the three orthogonal axes with respect to the prober and the rotation angle around each axis can be individually adjusted. As a result, even if the relative position between the test head and the prober changes over time due to plastic deformation on the device itself represented by the drive mechanism and the floor on which it is installed, this change over time The positional relationship between the two can be finely adjusted regardless of the direction or tendency.
For this reason, even if the semiconductor test apparatus is used for a long period of time, contact failure between the probe pin and the probe card does not occur, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of semiconductor chip failure determination due to test abnormality and improve yield. Can do.
Regarding the plastic deformation over time of the test head itself, this is negligible because the test head is generally made rigid and a large load is not applied unlike the drive mechanism portion.

  Further, in the semiconductor test apparatus according to claim 2, which is a more specific aspect of the present invention, the holding frame for holding the test head includes a head holder, a lower fixed frame, an upper fixed frame, and at least three parts. Furthermore, the test head is held by a two-stage configuration in which a gate stand having three or more columns is held up and down. As a result, when adjusting the position and orientation by moving the test head in translation in each axial direction and rotating around each axis, the movement in each direction does not interfere with each other, and a large amount of movement (stroke) Can be secured.

  Further, in the semiconductor test apparatus according to claim 3, which is a more specific aspect of the present invention, a gate stand column for holding the test head via a holding frame is mounted on the linear motion guide. A prober is installed on a dispersion plate. Thereby, since the load of the test head having a large weight is transmitted to the dispersion plate without passing through the prober, local subduction deformation of the floor surface can be suppressed. In other words, in the case of the measuring apparatus described in Patent Document 3, the weight of the test head and the prober, which are both heavy, are added together and transmitted from the prober footprint to the floor surface. However, according to the present invention, by substituting the heavy weights of both of them, the subsidence deformation of the floor surface that causes poor contact between the probe pin and the probe card is suppressed.

  In addition, by mounting the gate stand on the linear motion guide, when performing work such as test head maintenance or performance board replacement, the test head can be probed by sliding the gate stand horizontally with a small force. It can be easily pulled away from the surface and has excellent workability. In addition, the weight of the test head loaded on the linear motion guide via the gate stand is distributed over the area of the linear motion guide footprint and transmitted to the dispersion plate. There is an effect that can be distributed to the floor surface by distributing the weight of the two in two stages.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a semiconductor test apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a gate stand 20 is installed on a dispersion plate 90, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the test head 70 viewed from the direction of arrow III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a slide mechanism 69 used in the tumble rotation mechanism 53 and the like.

  A semiconductor chip to be subjected to an electrical characteristic test by the semiconductor test apparatus 10 of the present invention and a semiconductor wafer (not shown) on which a plurality of the semiconductor chips are formed are mounted on a movable stage 81 provided in the prober 80. The The movable stage 81 can rotate around the Z axis (theta rotation) and slide in the XYZ axis directions. In the semiconductor test apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the direction in which the twist rotating shaft 73 extends to reverse the test head 70 in the state where the test head 70 is set at the semiconductor chip inspection position is set to the Z direction. A right-handed orthogonal triaxial direction is defined with the X direction as the Y direction.

A probe card 82 is set horizontally on the upper surface of the prober 80. A large number of contact terminals (not shown) are provided on the upper surface of the probe card 82, and each contact terminal and the pad of the semiconductor chip are electrically connected.
The prober 80 is installed on a surface plate 84 placed on the floor surface 100. The plurality of support legs 83 provided on the surface plate 84 can be adjusted in height, and the prober 80 can be roughly leveled. By driving the movable stage 81, the probe card 82 can be leveled with higher accuracy. The surface plate 84 is fixed to the dispersion plate 90 by a fixing bracket 85.

  The test head 70 facing the prober 80 includes a circuit board and a signal processing device inside, and has a substantially box shape as a whole. A performance board 71 is attached to one surface of the test head 70. From the performance board 71, tips of a large number of probe pins (not shown) protrude, and a test signal supplied from a tester body (not shown) is transmitted. When inspecting a semiconductor chip, the performance board 71 and the probe card 82 are brought close to each other so as to face each other, and the tip (lower end) of the probe pin and the contact terminal of the probe card 82 are brought into contact with each other.

The semiconductor test apparatus 10 of the present invention can drive the test head 70 to an inspection position where the test head 70 and the prober 80 are electrically connected by a probe pin and a retracted position where both are separated. In such driving, the semiconductor test apparatus 10 of the present invention moves the test head 70 in the up-and-down direction (Z direction) translation drive (TZ), the lateral direction (X direction) translation drive (TX), and the longitudinal direction (Y direction). Translation drive (TY), theta rotation drive (RZ) around the lift axis (Z axis), twist rotation drive (RX) around the horizontal axis (X axis), and tumble rotation drive around the vertical axis (Y axis) (RY) is possible.
The driving of the test head 70 in each direction may be performed by separate driving devices, and the driving device may be shared for driving in any direction.

  As a result, the test head 70, which tends to increase in size in recent years, can be opposed to the prober 80 in which the position and orientation of the probe card 82 are fixedly set at an arbitrary position and posture. Further, even when the orientation of the probe card 82 of the prober 80 changes in an arbitrary direction, such as when the floor surface 100 sinks locally or entirely due to deformation over time, the probe is adjusted by fine adjustment of the posture of the test head 70. Good conduction between the pin and the contact terminal can be maintained.

In the semiconductor test apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the load of the semiconductor test apparatus does not undergo plastic deformation due to an excessive moment load unlike the conventional hinge system, and the load of the semiconductor test apparatus is the floor surface unlike the conventional lift system. Specifically, the test head 70 is suspended from the gate stand 20 so that the test head 70 can be moved in each axial direction and rotated around each axis as described above. A method of holding the test head 70 by the lowered holding frame 50 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a hanging method) is employed.
However, the semiconductor test apparatus 10 of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and the test head 70 is driven in the three axial directions and around each axis as described above between the inspection position and the retracted position. If possible, other driving methods derived from the description of this embodiment and known techniques may be employed.

<About the gate stand>
The gate stand 20 includes three or more columns 21 and holds a holding frame 50, which will be described later, so that it can be driven in translation in the ascending / descending direction (Z direction). It is a structural member for distributing to the floor surface 100 without passing through 80. In the present embodiment, the gate stand 20 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped frame structure and is erected by four columns 21. A prober 80 can be accommodated inside the gate stand 20.
The support column 21 is made of a highly rigid material such as an iron-based metal, and is formed in a L-shaped cross section. The four struts 21 are connected to each other by a rectangular upper frame 22 and a reinforcing member 23 extending in the horizontal direction or the like, so that deformation of the gate stand 20 is suppressed. As shown in FIG. 2, the reinforcing member 23 is provided on three side surfaces excluding the back side of the gate stand 20, and the front side is open. The gate stand 20 is also open on the lower surface side where the prober 80 is accommodated and on the upper surface side where the holding frame 50 is suspended.

A pair of dispersion plates 90 extending in the Y direction are laid on the floor surface 100, and linear motion guides (LM guides) 91 are installed on the respective dispersion plates so as to extend in the Y direction. The linear motion guide is a structural component that slides the LM block 93 with respect to the LM rail 92 extending in one direction via a ball bearing.
The interval between the LM guides 91 coincides with the width of the gate stand 20 in the Y direction. That is, the four columns 21 of the gate stand 20 are mounted on any of the LM blocks 93 mounted on the pair of LM rails 92. Has been. Two LM blocks 93 are provided on one LM rail 92, and each column 21 is individually mounted on the positive side / negative side in the Y direction and on the positive side / negative side in the X direction. Alternatively, one LM rail 92 may be provided on each LM rail 92, and the two columns 21 on the Y direction positive side or the negative side may be mounted on each LM block 93.
The LM rail 92 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel and has high rigidity. For this reason, the load of the test head 70 loaded on the LM rail 92 via the support column 21 can be distributed to the footprint of the LM rail 92.

In the present embodiment, the LM guide 91 is further installed on the dispersion plate 90. The dispersion plate 90 is made of a lightweight and highly rigid metal material such as an aluminum alloy, and generally has a plate thickness of about 15 to 20 mm. Therefore, the semiconductor test apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment distributes the load of the test head 70 concentrated on the footprint of the support column 21 in the Y direction by the LM rail 92 and further distributes the load in the X direction by the distribution plate 90 on the floor surface 100. Communicating.
Thus, by expanding the installation area of the support column 21, the semiconductor test apparatus 10 can be installed even when the load resistance of the floor surface 100 of the semiconductor manufacturing / testing factory is not sufficient. Further, even when an earthquake or the like occurs and a lateral load is applied to the semiconductor test apparatus 10, it is possible to prevent a fall or movement.

  The gate stand 20 can slide along the LM rail 92 by mounting the columns 21 on the LM block 93, respectively. Accordingly, since the test head 70 can be moved along the LM rail 92 together with the gate stand 20 with the prober 80 installed on the floor surface 100, the prober 80 and the gate stand 20 can be moved closer to or away from each other. Regardless of the installation order, the gate stand 20 can be repaired even when the prober 80 is still installed on the floor 100 or the dispersion plate 90. In the case of this embodiment, since the prober 80 can be moved in and out from the front side where the gate stand 20 is opened, after the prober 80 is attached to the floor surface 100 and the dispersion plate 90, the gate stand 20 is attached to the back side of the LM guide 91. The prober 80 is placed on the LM block 93 and slid in the front direction so that the prober 80 is accommodated in the gate stand 20 and can be made to face the test head 70. Further, when the performance board 71 is replaced from the test head 70, the performance board 71 may be replaced after the gate stand 20 is slid to the rear side and separated from the prober 80 to secure a work space.

  When conducting the electrical characteristic test of the semiconductor chip, the gate stand 20 mounted on the LM guide 91 is slid to connect the test head 70 and the prober 80 so that the gate stand 20 does not move during the test. The support column 21 may be fixed to the dispersion plate 90 by the fixing bracket 95 in a substantially opposed state.

<About the holding frame>
The holding frame 50 holds the test head 70 in a suspended manner, and the test head 70 is relatively positioned between the holding frame 50 and the test head 70 or relatively between the holding frame 50 and the gate stand 20. Is translated in the ascending / descending direction (TZ), transverse direction (TX), and longitudinal direction (TY), and this is rotated around the ascending / descending axis (RZ), transverse axis (RX), and longitudinal axis (RY). It is a structural member for.

The holding frame 50 exemplified in the present embodiment is attached to the gate stand 20 so as to be movable only in the up-and-down direction (Z direction). When adjusting the height position of the test head 70, the holding frame 50 is used. The whole is driven up and down with respect to the gate stand 20. Such a driving method is not particularly limited, and in the case of the present embodiment, a block 65 that hangs down the chain 27 from the upper sprocket 26 driven by the motor 25 fixed to the gate stand 20 and protrudes from the holding frame 50. When the chain 27 is engaged with the motor 27, the motor 25 is rotated in a desired direction to raise and lower the holding frame 50. In the case of this embodiment, blocks 65 are provided at the four corners of the holding frame 50 to balance the lifting load of the holding frame 50 by the chain 27. However, if the plurality of upper sprockets 26 are driven by separate motors to control the amount of elevation, the test head 70 is driven not only in the elevation direction (Z direction) but also around the horizontal axis (RX). ) Twist rotation and tumble rotation around the vertical axis (RY).
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a lower sprocket 28 is attached to the gate stand 20 vertically below the upper sprocket 26, and an endless chain is used for the chain 27 and is suspended on the upper and lower sprockets. As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the four upper sprockets 26 that hang down the chain 27, the driving sprockets 30 that drive them coaxially are arranged laterally (in the X direction) on the left and right sides of the gate stand 20, respectively. Is provided. The drive sprocket 30 rotates by driving the drive chain 31 hung on the drive sprocket 30 in the forward and reverse directions by the motor 25. Such torque is transmitted to each upper sprocket 26 by a shaft 32 extending in the Y-axis direction, and used for winding the chain 27.

  In the present invention, the method for moving the holding frame 50 up and down is not limited to the above, and the holding frame 50 may be driven up and down using, for example, a hydraulic cylinder whose main body is fixed to the gate stand 20.

  On the other hand, four LM rails 29 extending in the vertical direction are provided inside the gate stand 20 having the frame structure. In addition, the holding frame 50 is provided with four LM blocks 66 that are respectively fitted to the LM rail 29. Accordingly, the holding frame 50 shown in FIG. 3 is inserted into the gate stand 20 shown in FIG. 2 from above, the LM block 66 is mounted on the LM rail 29, and the chain 27 is hung on the upper sprocket 26 and the lower sprocket 28. Thus, the holding frame 50 is attached to the gate stand 20 so as to be movable up and down. In other words, the holding frame 50 and the gate stand 20 are connected by the LM guide 33 including the LM rail 29 and the LM block 66.

In the present embodiment, the movement of the test head 70 in the horizontal plane (XY plane) and the rotational drive around each axis are performed by relative movement with respect to the holding frame 50. This is because the holding frame 50 is fixed to the gate stand 20 and the floor surface 100 in the driving direction.
As shown in FIG. 1, the holding frame 50 according to the present embodiment has a twist rotating shaft 73 that projects coaxially from both sides of the test head 70 in the X-axis direction, thereby adjusting the shaft and a twist adjusting screw 74 that rotationally drives the shaft. The test head 70 can be rotated around the horizontal axis (RX) by a twist rotation mechanism 51 comprising: In addition, the twist rotation mechanism 51 is provided with a handle 75 as a power source for applying a rotational torque to the twist adjustment screw 74. In the present invention, a torque may be applied to the twist adjusting screw 74 using an electric motor instead of the handle 75.
In this embodiment, the maximum value of the twist angle of the test head 70 is about 190 degrees, that is, the performance board 71 facing downward to face the probe card 82 of the prober 80 at the inspection position, and the top and bottom at the retracted position are inverted. It is comprised so that it can face the upper side. As a result, the performance board 71 can be easily replaced.

As shown in FIG. 3, the holding frame 50 is roughly divided into a substantially U-shaped head holder 52 that rotatably supports the twist rotation shaft 73, a vertical shaft 54 that supports the head holder 52 in the vertical direction, and a gate stand. 20 and a fixed frame 56 attached to 20.
Further, the fixed frame 56 can be rotated only around the lifting / lowering axis (Z axis) with respect to the upper fixed frame 561 with the LM blocks 66 provided at the four corners and not rotating relative to the gate stand 20. And a lower fixed frame 562.

The vertical shaft 54 can rotate around the lifting shaft with respect to the upper fixed frame 561 and the lower fixed frame 562, and the head holder 52 can move vertically with respect to the vertical shaft 54, the upper fixed frame 561, and the lower fixed frame 562 (Y Axis) can be rotated.
Specifically, with respect to the guide plate 60 provided on the uppermost part of the fixed frame 56 in which all the degrees of freedom of rotation are constrained with respect to the gate stand 20, the vertical shaft 54 is connected via a bearing (not shown). The upper end 541 is attached to be rotatable around the Z axis.
A tumble rotating shaft 531 extending in the Y-axis direction is rotatably inserted into the head holder 52, and the shaft is inserted into a block portion 543 provided at the lower end 542 of the vertical shaft 54, whereby the head holder 52 and the vertical shaft 54 are inserted. Are rotatable around the Y axis. Note that the vertical shaft 54 inserted in the Z direction on the fixed frame 56 does not rotate with respect to the fixed frame 56 around the Y axis intersecting the axis.

The holding frame 50 includes a tumble rotation mechanism 53 as means for rotating the head holder 52 and the test head 70 around the Y axis with respect to the lower fixed frame 562, and an elevating shaft for the lower fixed frame 562 with respect to the upper fixed frame 561. And a theta rotation mechanism 55 as a means for rotationally driving around.
The holding frame 50 is a means for driving the vertical shaft 54 together with the guide plate 60 in a horizontal plane with respect to the fixed frame 56, and a lateral drive mechanism 57 for driving them in the X direction, and a vertical drive for driving them in the Y direction. And a mechanism 59. These functions will be described below.

  The tumble rotation mechanism 53 includes a tumble rotation shaft 531 inserted in the Y direction with respect to the head holder 52, and a shaft insertion direction (X direction in the present embodiment) that is offset in the direction intersecting the shaft (X direction in the present embodiment). The tumble adjustment screw 532 has a screw shaft extending in a direction (Z direction) that intersects the offset direction (X direction) and a handle 533 that applies torque to the adjustment screw. The tumble adjustment screw 532 is a push screw that spans between the lower fixed frame 562 and the head holder 52, and the relative distance between the lower fixed frame 562 and the head holder 52 varies by rotating the tumble adjustment screw 532. When the relative distance varies at a position offset from the tumble rotation shaft 531, the head holder 52 rotates around the tumble rotation shaft 531 (RY) with respect to the lower fixed frame 562 (fixed frame 56).

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a slide mechanism 69 used at the lower end portion of the tumble rotation mechanism 53. The slide mechanism 69 includes two detent shafts 534 parallel to the tumble adjustment screw 532 and a slide block 535 that is driven up and down along the tumble adjustment screw 532.
The slide block 535 is provided with a through hole in which a slide bush 536 that slides along the detent shaft 534 is mounted and a screw hole that is screwed with the tumble adjustment screw 532. Thereby, when the tumble adjustment screw 532 is rotated, the slide block 535 moves up and down along the tumble adjustment screw 532 without the whole tumble rotation mechanism 53 rotating around the tumble adjustment screw 532.

On the other hand, a long hole 538 extending in the Y direction is provided on the back surface of the slide block 535 in the base plate 537 (not shown in FIG. 4) of the tumble rotation mechanism 53, and the long hole of the base plate 537 extends from the slide block 535. A driving piece 539 protrudes to the back side through 538 and the head holder 52.
An insertion hole (not shown) provided in the head holder 52 is formed to be equal to the outer diameter of the drive piece 539 in the ascending / descending direction. Such an insertion hole may be formed as a long hole extending in the X-axis direction.
On the other hand, the long hole 538 provided in the base plate 537 extends in the up-and-down direction. In other words, the drive piece 539 is loosely fitted to the base plate 537 in the up-and-down direction.

  Accordingly, by rotating the tumble adjustment screw 532 and raising the slide block 535, the drive piece 539 applies a load in the Z direction to the head holder 52, and thereby the head holder 52 can be rotated around the tumble rotation shaft 531. it can.

  The drive piece 539 is provided with a flange portion 540 as a retaining portion at the rear end. The flange portion 540 may be formed integrally by expanding the diameter of the rear end of the drive piece 539, or may be provided with a radial bearing attached to the rear end of the drive piece 539.

  The theta rotation mechanism 55 includes a vertical shaft 54 that connects the upper fixed frame 561 and the lower fixed frame 562 so as to be rotatable around the Z axis, and a theta adjustment screw 551 that extends in the Y axis direction. This is a mechanism for rotating the upper fixed frame 561 and the lower fixed frame 562 relatively around the Z axis (RZ) by functioning as a push screw.

  The theta rotation mechanism 55 of this embodiment includes a slide mechanism 69 configured similarly to the tumble rotation mechanism 53. That is, a slide mechanism 69 is screwed to the theta adjustment screw 551 attached to the upper fixed frame 561 in the Y direction, and the slide mechanism 69 is rotated by rotating the handle 552 or the like to rotate the theta adjustment screw 551. 69 slides in the Y direction. Further, a drive piece projects downward from the slide mechanism 69 through an insertion hole formed in the lower fixed frame 562, and the drive piece moves relative to the lower fixed frame 562 as the slide mechanism 69 slides. Apply a load in the Y direction. Since the vertical shaft 54 and the theta adjustment screw 551 are offset from each other in the X direction, the upper fixed frame 561 and the lower fixed frame 562 rotate around the Z axis with each other in the Y direction.

  In the semiconductor test apparatus 10 of the present invention, the maximum angle of tumble adjustment or theta adjustment is preferably at least about 4 degrees. As a result, even when subsidence deformation of the floor surface 100 or bending deformation of the semiconductor test apparatus 10 occurs over time, the posture is finely adjusted by rotating the test head 70 by tumble rotation, theta rotation, and twist rotation. Thus, good contact between the probe pins protruding from the test head 70 and the contact terminals of the probe card 82 can be maintained.

The lateral drive mechanism 57 includes an X-axis moving screw 571 extending in the lateral direction (X direction) and an LM guide 572 extending in the direction, and the X-axis moving screw 571 functions as a push screw so as to function as an upper fixed frame. This is a mechanism that translates the vertical shaft 54 in the X direction together with the guide plate 60 with respect to 561. The X-axis moving screw 571 is provided without being offset in the Y-axis direction with respect to the vertical shaft 54, so that the vertical shaft 54 does not receive torque around the lifting shaft by driving of the lateral drive mechanism 57.
The lateral drive mechanism 57 is also provided with a slide mechanism 69 configured similarly to the tumble rotation mechanism 53. That is, the slide mechanism 69 is screwed to the X-axis moving screw 571 attached to the upper fixed frame 561 in the X direction, and the X-axis moving screw 571 is rotated by rotating the handle 573 or the like. The slide mechanism 69 slides in the X direction, and a load in that direction can be applied to the guide plate 60.
An LM block (not shown) of an LM guide 572 is fixed to the upper fixed frame 561, and an LM rail 574 is provided on the lower surface of the guide plate 60. Thereby, the guide plate 60 to which the load is applied in the X direction by the X-axis moving screw 571 slides smoothly in the load direction. A long hole 61 extending in the lateral direction is formed in the guide plate 60, and a guide pin 62 protruding from the upper fixing frame 561 is inserted into the long hole 61 to guide the horizontal slide.

The vertical drive mechanism 59 (not shown in FIG. 1, refer to FIG. 3) is composed of a Y-axis moving screw 591 extending in the vertical direction (Y direction) and an LM guide 592 extending in the direction, and moving in the Y-axis direction. This is a mechanism that translates the vertical shaft 54 in the Y direction together with the guide plate 60 relative to the upper fixed frame 561 by causing the screw 591 to function as a push screw. The Y-axis moving screw 591 is provided without being offset in the X direction with respect to the vertical shaft 54.
The vertical drive mechanism 59 is configured in the same manner as the horizontal drive mechanism 57, and the Y-axis moving screw 591 attached in the Y direction with respect to the upper fixed frame 561 is rotated by rotating the handle 593 or the like. The slide mechanism 69 screwed to the Y-axis moving screw 591 is slid in the Y direction, and a load in that direction is applied to the guide plate 60.
An LM block (not shown) of an LM guide 592 is fixed to the upper fixed frame 561, and an LM rail 594 is provided on the lower surface of the guide plate 60 at a position twisted with respect to the LM rail 574 in the X direction. As a result, the guide plate 60 to which the load is applied in the Y direction by the Y-axis moving screw 591 slides smoothly in the load direction.
A long hole 63 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the guide plate 60, and a guide pin 64 protruding from the upper fixed frame 561 is inserted into the long hole 63 to guide the vertical slide.

  The theta adjusting screw 551 and the Y-axis moving screw 591 both apply a load in the vertical direction (Y direction) to the vertical shaft 54. Therefore, in the present invention, the Y axis moving screw 591 may not be provided, and the vertical shaft 54 and the test head 70 may be driven in the Y direction by driving the theta adjustment screw 551. The driving in the Y direction may be performed in a state where the rotation around the vertical axis 54 between the lower fixed frame 562 and the upper fixed frame 561 is constrained.

<About other components>
As shown in FIG. 2, the two dispersion plates 90 extending in the Y direction are connected by a connecting plate 94. The connecting plate 94 is made of a highly rigid metal material such as iron, and prevents the dispersion plates 90 from shifting from each other. Thus, the load distribution of the semiconductor test apparatus 10 is achieved by mounting the LM guide 91 on each dispersion plate 90 while improving the portability by dividing the dispersion plate 90 into a plurality of sheets.

  The column 21 of the gate stand 20 is provided with wheels 211 that are offset outward from the lower end thereof. By providing the wheels 211, it is easy to carry the gate stand 20 into the semiconductor manufacturing / testing factory, and since this is offset to the outside, the work of mounting the lower end of the column 21 on the LM block 93 is not hindered. With the column 21 mounted on the LM block 93, the wheel 211 floats slightly hollow from the dispersion plate 90, and the lower end of the gate stand 20 is not the wheel 211 but the LM block 93. As a result, the levelness of the gate stand 20 and the test head 70 suspended from the gate stand 20 can be adjusted with high accuracy.

  According to the semiconductor test apparatus 10 of the present embodiment described above, since the test head 70 is held by the holding frame 50 and the gate stand 20 by the suspension method while maintaining a predetermined posture and a horizontal plane position, When setting the test head 70 to the inspection position where the electrical characteristic test is to be performed, the probe pin can be used as a connection terminal by simply lowering the test head 70 toward the prober 80 in the up-and-down direction without waiting for vibration attenuation of the test head 70. It can be made to contact.

  In addition, since the stop position of the test head 70 in the ascending / descending direction can be arbitrarily set, the thickness of the jig or the like can also be used when testing a semiconductor chip with a jig or the like sandwiched between the prober 80 and the test head 70. By setting the lowering position of the test head 70 upward by a corresponding amount, the weight of the test head 70 is not loaded on the prober 80. Therefore, even when a jig with an arbitrary thickness is used, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor contact between the probe pin and the connection terminal due to the bending deformation of the prober 80.

1 is a front view of a semiconductor test apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where a gate stand 20 is installed on a dispersion plate 90. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a holding frame 50 and a test head 70 held by the holding frame 50 as viewed from the direction of arrow III in FIG. 2. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a slide mechanism 69. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Semiconductor test apparatus 20 Gate stand 21 Support | pillar 50 Holding frame 51 Twist rotation mechanism 52 Head holder 53 Tumble rotation mechanism 54 Vertical axis 55 Theta rotation mechanism 56 Fixed frame 561 Upper fixed frame 562 Lower fixed frame 57 Lateral drive mechanism 59 Vertical drive Mechanism 60 Guide plate 69 Slide mechanism 70 Test head 71 Performance board 73 Twist rotation shaft 74 Twist adjustment screw 80 Prober 82 Probe card 90 Dispersion plate 100 Floor 33, 91, 572, 592 Linear motion guide

Claims (3)

A movable stage for placing a semiconductor wafer on which a plurality of semiconductor chips are formed, and a prober comprising a probe card electrically connected to the semiconductor chips;
A semiconductor test comprising a plurality of probe pins for transmitting a test signal to the probe card, and a test head driven to an inspection position or a retracted position with respect to the prober to perform an electrical characteristic test of the semiconductor chip A device,
A position adjustment mechanism that translates and drives the test head in the up-and-down direction (TZ), the lateral direction (TX), and the longitudinal direction (TY);
A theta rotation mechanism for rotating the test head around a lifting axis (RZ);
A twist rotation mechanism for rotating the test head about a horizontal axis (RX);
A tumble rotation mechanism for rotating the test head about a vertical axis (RY);
A semiconductor test apparatus comprising: A head holder that holds the test head rotatably about a horizontal axis via the twist rotation mechanism that includes a rotation shaft that extends in the horizontal direction, and a lower fixing that is rotatably provided about the vertical axis with respect to the head holder. A holding frame comprising a frame, and an upper fixed frame that is provided so as to be rotatable around a lifting shaft with respect to the lower fixed frame;
A gate stand that includes three or more struts, and holds the holding frame so as to be capable of translational driving in the up and down direction;
2. The semiconductor according to claim 1, wherein the tumble rotation mechanism is provided between a head holder and a lower fixed frame, and the theta rotation mechanism is provided between a lower fixed frame and an upper fixed frame. Test equipment. Comprising at least a pair of linear motion guides on which the columns are mounted, and a dispersion plate on which the linear motion guides are installed,
The semiconductor test apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the prober is installed on a dispersion plate, and the gate stand is movable on the dispersion plate along a linear motion guide.

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