JP2010080775A - Probe apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a probe apparatus that facilitates replacing a probe card, and has a simple structure for replacement. <P>SOLUTION: The probe apparatus has a head plate 7 arranged for withdrawing to one end side of a cabinet 22, and the probe card 6 detachably provided on the head plate 7. A cutout 7b, whose edge is located in the probe card 6 side rather than one edge of the cabinet 22, is formed at the drawing direction as viewed from at least the probe card 6, in an end edge on a drawing direction side of the head plate 7 in inspection. Thereby, distance to the probe card 6 is shortened, and the replacement work of the probe card 6 on the head plate 7 is made easy. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a probe device that performs electrical measurement of a chip to be inspected by bringing an electrode pad of the chip to be inspected on a substrate into contact with a probe of a probe card.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a probe device for examining the electrical characteristics of an IC chip formed on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) is mounted on a mounting table provided in a housing and provided on a top plate of the housing. A probe test (electrical measurement of a test chip) is performed by bringing a probe of a probe card, for example, a probe needle and an electrode pad of a wafer IC chip into contact with each other. In such a probe apparatus, it is necessary to replace the probe card in accordance with the type of wafer.

  By the way, in order to contact the pad on the wafer and the probe of the probe card, it is necessary to perform an alignment operation in which each is imaged by the camera and the position of the mounting table at the time of imaging (for example, the position managed by the encoder pulse) is acquired. In this case, since the moving range of the mounting table must be secured in the casing, the probe card is arranged on the center side of the casing by an amount corresponding to the movement range from the edge of the casing. For this reason, when an operator stands next to the casing and tries to replace the probe card, the operator reaches to the probe card installation position and performs a delicate attachment / detachment operation on the mounting opening of the top board.

  On the other hand, as the diameter of the wafer increases, the probe card becomes larger, its weight increases, and the range of movement of the mounting table during alignment work also increases, increasing the distance between the probe card and the edge of the housing. For this reason, the worker must lean out, reach out, and perform delicate replacement work on the probe card that is heavy. This places a heavy burden on the operator when replacing the probe card.

  Therefore, the present applicant has proposed a probe device described in Patent Document 1. This probe device has a dedicated transport mechanism for transporting the probe card into the housing, and places the probe card on the tray of the transport mechanism and transports the probe card to the holding unit. Exchange. Thereby, in the probe device described in Patent Document 1, the probe card can be easily replaced when the probe card is replaced, and the probe card is prevented from dropping.

  However, in the probe device described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a dedicated transport mechanism for transporting the probe card in order to replace the probe card, and the cost of the probe device is increased by this transport mechanism. . Further, since the exchange is performed via the transport mechanism when exchanging the probe card, the time required for exchanging the probe card becomes longer than in the case of exchanging directly. Furthermore, the apparatus becomes larger because a dedicated transport mechanism must be provided.

  Further, in such a probe device, as shown in Patent Document 2, when performing maintenance inside the casing, a head plate provided with a holding portion for holding a probe card is provided on one end side of the head plate. The inside of the housing is opened by turning upward about the shaft. However, in the probe apparatus, a test head is disposed above the head plate, and it is necessary to move the test head to a position that does not hinder the turning of the head plate during maintenance. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a swivel area for the head plate and a retreat area for the test head around the housing of the probe apparatus, which may increase the footprint.

JP 08-264601 A (paragraph numbers 0021 and 0022) JP 2001-53119 A (paragraph numbers 0003 and 0004)

  The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a probe apparatus that can easily replace a probe card and that has a simple structure for replacement.

In the probe device of the present invention,
The substrate is placed on the mounting table in the casing and raised, and the electrode pad of the chip to be processed on the substrate and the probe of the probe card provided on the top plate of the casing are contacted to inspect the electrical characteristics of the chip to be processed. In the probe device to perform,
A part of the top plate, a head plate provided so as to be pulled out to one edge side of the housing;
A probe card detachably provided on the head plate,
Of the edge on the pulling direction side of the head plate at the time of inspection, at least a portion located in the pulling direction when viewed from the probe card is located closer to the probe card than one edge of the housing Yes.

  In the present invention, for example, a part of an operator's body can enter at least a portion of the head plate that is positioned in the pulling direction when viewed from the probe card, of the edge of the head plate on the pulling direction side. It may be cut out. In the present invention, for example, after the head plate is pulled out to a position where a part of the head plate protrudes from the housing, the head plate can be rotated downward around the horizontal axis on the edge side opposite to the pulling direction side. It is preferable that it is comprised. In the present invention, for example, the upper edge of the side wall on one edge side of the housing is a notch through which the probe card attached to the head plate can pass out of the housing when the head plate is pulled out. A part may be formed.

  According to the present invention, the head plate can be pulled out freely, and the edge on the pulling direction side viewed from the probe card at the mounting position of the head plate is closer to the probe card side than one edge of the housing. When an operator stands on the drawer side and pulls out the head plate, the distance to the head plate at the time of the inspection is closer by the amount of the edge. For this reason, an operator can easily replace the probe card on the head plate. Further, by configuring the head plate so that the head plate can be rotated downward after being pulled out, maintenance work inside the housing is facilitated.

  A probe apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the probe device performs an inspection (probe test) on the loader unit 1 for delivering a wafer W, which is a substrate on which a large number of chips to be inspected are arranged, and the wafer W. And a probe device main body 2 to be performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the loader unit 1 includes a transfer chamber 10 in the center, and a plurality of wafers W are stored in one side portion (a side portion in the Y direction in the drawing) as viewed from the transfer chamber 10. And a load port 11 into which the FOUP 100 which is a closed type transport container (carrier) is carried. In addition, a pre-alignment mechanism 36 (see FIG. 2) including a rotary stage and an optical system detection unit that detects the peripheral edge of the wafer is provided on the other side (the side in the Y direction in the drawing) of the transfer chamber 10. .

  The transfer chamber 10 is provided with a wafer transfer arm 3 as shown in FIGS. The wafer transfer arm 3 is configured by providing two arm bodies 35 that can move back and forth on a transfer base 30 that is rotatable about a vertical axis, can be moved up and down, and can be moved in the Y direction in the drawing. The wafer transfer arm 3 has an upper position for transferring the wafer W to and from the FOUP 100, and a lower position below the load port 11 for transferring the wafer W to and from the probe apparatus main body 2. It can be moved up and down.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the probe device main body 2 is disposed adjacent to the loader unit 1 so as to be aligned with the loader unit 1 in the X direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the probe device main body 2 has a housing 22 corresponding to an exterior body that defines and forms the probe device main body 2. An imaging unit 5 is provided. The table unit 24 is movable in the X, Y, and Z (up and down) directions, and the upper portion further rotates around the vertical axis. Above the table unit 24 is a mounting table for mounting a wafer W, and a wafer chuck 4 having a vacuum suction function is loaded thereon. The wafer chuck 4 has a delivery position for delivering the wafer W to and from the wafer transfer arm 3, an imaging position on the wafer surface described later, and a contact for contacting the wafer W to a probe 60 of a probe card 6 described later. It can be moved between positions (inspection positions).

  Further, a belt-like transport port 23 extending in the Y direction is formed on the side wall of the housing 22 on the side adjacent to the loader unit 1. The transfer port 23 transfers the wafer W from the wafer transfer arm 3 to the wafer chuck 4 in a lower position (a position below the load port 11 for delivering the wafer W to and from the probe apparatus main body 2). The wafer transfer arm 3 becomes a passage for advancing and retracting into the probe apparatus main body 2 at the time of delivery. 2 and 4 (a) show an internal state without the top plate of the housing 22 from the probe apparatus main body 2, and FIG. 4 (c) shows a state in which the head plate 7 described later is pulled out by half. Show.

  An upper imaging unit 5 (see FIG. 2) for imaging the surface of the wafer W is disposed above the movement area of the wafer chuck 4. The upper imaging unit 5 includes an upper camera 51 and is configured to be guided by guide rails 52 formed at both ends of the housing 22 in the X direction across the entire region of the housing 22 in the Y direction. In addition, a lower imaging unit 40 having a lower camera 41 for imaging a probe 60 of a probe card 6 described later is provided on the side of the wafer chuck 4.

  Above the movement area of the wafer chuck 4 and the upper imaging unit 5, a head plate 7 constituting a part of the ceiling portion of the housing 22 is attached as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4B. Yes. The head plate 7 is attached so that it can be pulled out horizontally in the X direction shown in the drawing, and an opening 7a for mounting, a notch 7b, and a fastening hole 7c are formed. The mounting opening 7a is a circular opening formed in the center portion of the head plate 7 as shown in FIG. 4B and into which the probe card 6 with the card holder 6a (see FIG. 3) attached is inserted. is there. The mounting opening 7a is formed with a holding portion 7d on which the lower surface of the card holder 6a is placed so that the probe card 6 is held in the mounting opening 7a. The holding portion 7d is a flat surface-shaped annular portion formed from the inner peripheral surface of the mounting opening 7a toward the center, and is formed so as not to directly contact the probe card 6. The probe card 6 is attached to the probe device body 2 by being attached to the attachment opening 7a and being held by the holding portion 7d.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the cut portion 7b has a generally rectangular shape, and when the head plate 7 is pulled out forward, the edge portion on the front end side in the pulling direction from the center of the mounting opening 7a. In order to shorten the distance to the edge of the front end side in the pull-out direction. The cut portion 7b is large enough for an operator to enter. The fastening hole 7c is a hole into which a fastening member, for example, a hexagon socket head bolt M is inserted when the head plate 7 is fixed to the housing 22 (see FIG. 4B). The housing 22 is formed with a screw hole 25 that is fastened to a screw portion of a hexagon socket head bolt M that is inserted into the fastening hole 7c when the head plate 7 is fixed at a fixed position. Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, the head plate 7 has a plurality of positioning pins 7e at the edge on the rear end side in the pull-out direction, for example, two spaced apart from the center line in the pull-out direction of the housing. The top plate 22a is provided with the same number of positioning holes 22b as the pins 7e that engage with the pins 7e when the head plate 7 is fixed at the fixed position.

  On the lower surface side of the probe card 6, probes, for example, probes 60 of vertical needles (wire probe needles) extending perpendicularly to the surface of the wafer W are provided corresponding to the arrangement of electrode pads on the wafer W. Further, on the upper surface side of the probe card 6, test heads 8 that are electrically connected to the probe 60 via the pogo pin unit 8a are arranged. A support portion 81 that supports the test head 8 is attached to the test head 8 at the corner on the loader portion 1 side and the side where the pre-alignment mechanism 36 is disposed.

  The support portion 81 is connected to a drive portion 82 provided on the top plate 22 a that constitutes the ceiling portion of the housing 22 together with the head plate 7 via a rotation shaft 83. The test head 8 is supported by the support portion 81 when the drive portion 82 rotates the rotary shaft 83 and turns. The test head 8 is inclined from the test position where the pogo pin unit 8a is horizontal above the probe card 6 by the support part 81, the drive part 82 and the rotating shaft 83 on the loader part 1 side above the probe card 6. It arrange | positions so that it can turn to the waiting position which becomes. Further, the test head 8 is provided with an unillustrated elevating section (not shown) for vertically lowering the test head 8 to contact the pogo pin unit 8a and the probe card 6 when stopped at the test position.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the head plate 7 is provided with a plurality of pairs of cam followers that are paired on the left and right edges when viewed from the center line in the drawing direction (X-axis direction in the drawing) of the head plate 7. . The cam follower has a horizontal shaft extending in the horizontal direction from the side edge of the head plate 7 toward the outside and a rolling element attached to the horizontal shaft, and the rolling element rolls on a guide surface of a groove 26 described later. By doing so, the head plate 7 is attached to the housing 22 so that it can be pulled out. This set of cam followers is provided so as to be paired one by one on the front end side in the pulling direction, the center, and the rear end side in the pulling direction. Here, a set of cam followers on the front end side in the pulling direction is referred to as a first cam follower 73, a set of cam followers in the center is a second cam follower 74, and a set of cam followers on the rear end side in the pulling direction is referred to as a third cam follower 75. The first cam follower 73 is provided with a stopper pin 73a, and the third cam follower 75 is provided with a locking pin 75a. In the present embodiment, nothing is formed on the second cam follower 74. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the case 22 taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 4B, and FIG. 5B is an inner side of the side wall of the case 22 where the groove 26 is formed. FIG. 6A shows the cam follower of the head plate 7 with the upper surface portion of the region where each cam follower is provided cut away. 6B shows details of the first cam follower 73, and FIG. 6C shows details of the third cam follower 75.

  The stopper pin 73a is a pin for stopping the movement of the head plate 7 by contacting a contact member 28 described later when the head plate 7 is pulled out. The stopper pin 73a is attached to the insertion hole 73c formed in the center of the horizontal axis of the first cam follower 73, as shown in FIG. 6B, in the direction pushed out from the insertion hole 73c, that is, toward the outside of the head plate 7. The first cam follower 73 is attached so as to protrude from the side surface of the rolling element. The stopper pin 73a has a rounded tip. When a force is applied to the head plate 7 in the pulling direction in contact with the contact member 28, a force toward the inside of the insertion hole 73c is applied. Evacuate inside. The stopper pin 73a is formed with a retaining portion 73d so as not to be removed from the insertion hole 73c.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6C, the third cam follower 75 has a third cam follower at the center of the horizontal axis of the third cam follower 75 toward the outside of the head plate 7 and in the same horizontal direction as the horizontal axis. A locking pin 75a protruding from the side surface of the 75 rolling elements is formed. The locking pin 75 a is a pin for preventing the head plate 7 from coming off from the housing 22 by abutting against a later-described abutting member 28, and making the third cam follower 75 a rotational axis of the head plate 7.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 5, the housing 22 is formed with a groove portion 26 and a concave moving portion 27, and is provided with a contact member 28. The groove portion 26 is a groove that forms a rolling path of a rolling element formed on the inner peripheral surface of the left and right side walls as viewed from the center line in the pulling direction of the housing 22. The groove portion 26 has a rectangular longitudinal cross-sectional shape and is formed to extend in the drawing direction. A concave movement path 27 having a rectangular longitudinal cross section and extending in the pulling direction is formed on the side wall on the back side of the groove portion 26 and serves as a movement path for the stopper pin 73a and the locking pin 75a. The groove part 26 and the concave moving part 27 have an open end on the front end side in the pull-out direction. When the head plate 7 is attached, the third cam follower 75, the second cam follower 74, and the first cam follower 73 are connected to the groove part 26 from the open end. Inserted in order. The stopper pin 73a and the locking pin 75a are inserted into the concave moving portion 27.

  In the groove portion 26, the side surface of the groove portion 26 facing the head plate 7 serves as a guide surface on which the inserted rotating member of the cam follower rolls, and the rotating member of the cam follower is guided by the guide surface on the head plate 7. To move in the pull-out direction. At this time, the stopper pin 73a and the locking pin 75a move in the concave moving portion 27. A detachable contact member 28 is attached to the open end side of the concave moving part 27. The contact member 28 is removed when the first cam follower 73, the second cam follower 74, and the third cam follower 75 are attached to the groove 26, and is attached when the attachment is completed. The contact member 28 seals the open end of the concave moving portion 27 and contacts the stopper pin 73a and the locking pin 75a as described above.

  Next, the movement of the head plate 7 when the head plate 7 is pulled out will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 4, 7 and 8. When the head plate 7 is fixed at the fixing position of the housing 22, the head plate 7 is entirely inside the region of the housing 22 as shown in FIGS. 1, 7 (a) and 8 (a). It is stored in. At this time, the third cam follower 75 is positioned in the vicinity of the rearmost end of the groove 26 when the pulling direction is the front. From this state, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the hexagon socket head bolt M is removed to release the fixing of the head plate 7 and a force in the pulling direction is applied, FIG. 7B and FIG. As shown, the rolling element of the cam follower rolls while being guided by the guide surface of the groove portion 26, the head plate 7 is pulled out, and the stopper pin 73a is pulled out to a position where it comes into contact with the contact member 28 and stops. In this state, when the pulling force is further increased, the stopper pin 73a is pushed in the retracting direction because the tip of the stopper pin 73a is round, and is immersed in the head plate 7 side. As a result, as shown in FIG. Thus, the engagement between the stopper pin 73a and the contact member 28 is released, and the head plate 7 can be further pulled out.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 7C and 8D, when the head plate 7 is pulled out to a position where the locking pin 75a of the third cam follower 75 contacts the contact member 28, the third cam follower 75 is The locking pin 75a and the contact member 28 are locked at the open end of the groove 26. For this reason, the head plate 7 is attached to the housing 22 only by the third cam follower 75, and the third cam follower 75 pivots downward by its own weight as shown in FIG. The third cam follower 75 is suspended from the open end of the groove 26. Thus, the head plate 7 is configured to be freely movable from the fixed position of the housing 22 to the position where it is suspended from the open end of the groove 26. 7 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the housing 22 and the head plate 7. FIG. 8 shows the first cam follower 73, the second cam follower 74, and the third cam follower 75 from the head plate 7 for convenience of explanation. And only the surrounding members are shown.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the probe apparatus of the present embodiment, the wafer W accommodated in the FOUP 100 shown in FIG. 2 is transferred by the wafer transfer arm 3 and pre-alignment is performed by the pre-alignment mechanism 36 and then to the wafer chuck 4 of the probe apparatus main body 2. Deliver the wafer W. Then, after the origins of the upper camera 51 and the lower camera 41 are determined, the upper camera 51 images the wafer W, and the lower camera 41 images the probe 60. Then, a contact position between the electrode pad of the wafer W and the probe 60 is set from the imaging results of the upper camera 51 and the lower camera 41, and a probe test is performed by bringing the electrode pad of the wafer W and the probe 60 into contact. The wafer W for which the probe test has been completed is returned to the FOUP 100 by the wafer transfer arm 3.

  Next, when the lot is switched and the type of the wafer W of the subsequent lot is different from the type of the wafer W of the previous lot, it is necessary to replace the probe card 6. In this case, first, the probe test is temporarily stopped, and then the test head 8 is turned as shown in FIG. 1 to retreat from the test position (position where the pogo pin unit 8a is horizontal above the probe card 6) (probe card 6). To the loader section 1 side above the position of the inclined position). Next, the operator removes the hexagon socket head bolt M from the fastening hole 7c of the head plate 7 fixed at the fixing position shown in FIG. 9A so that the head plate 7 can be pulled out. The head plate 7 is replaced with the probe card 6 so that the operator himself enters the cut-out portion 7b of the head plate 7 in the center of the housing 22 on the side of the head plate 7 in the pulling direction as shown in FIG. Pull it out to the position. In the present embodiment, for example, the replacement position of the probe card 6 is set as a position where the stopper pin 73a of the first cam follower 73 shown in FIG.

  When the stopper pin 73a and the contact member 28 come into contact with each other, the stopper pin 73a becomes a resistance, and if the head plate 7 is further pulled out from that position, it is necessary to increase the pulling force. It can be known that the probe card 6 has reached the exchange position. Then, as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, when the head plate 7 is pulled out to the replacement position and the operator enters the cut portion 7b, the distance from the operator to the mounting opening 7a is the head From the distance from the housing 22 to the mounting opening 7a when the plate 7 is fixed, an amount corresponding to the cutting depth of the cutting portion 7b (between the edge of the cutting portion 7b and the edge of the housing 22 at the time of fixing). As a result, the worker approaches the mounting opening 7a accordingly. Then, the probe card 6 is lifted and removed together with the card holder 6a from the mounting opening 7a, and the probe card 6 corresponding to the type of the wafer W of the next lot is fitted into the mounting opening 7a and attached. Thereafter, the head plate 7 is attached to a fixed position and fixed with a hexagon socket bolt M, and the test head 8 is moved to the test position and the pogo pin unit 8a is moved by a lifting unit (not shown) through a process reverse to the process described above. A probe test is performed by contacting the probe card 6. Through the above steps, the probe card 6 is replaced in the present embodiment.

  In the probe device, maintenance may be performed on the upper imaging unit 5 and the table unit 24 inside the housing 22 of the probe device body 2. When performing maintenance of the probe device main body 2, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7C and 10A, after the step of removing the probe card 6 by the above-described replacement work of the probe card 6, Without attaching the probe card 6, the head plate 7 is further pulled out in the pulling direction. Then, as described above, the locking pin 75a of the third cam follower 75 is pulled out to a position where the contact member 28 comes into contact (see FIG. 8D). When the head plate 7 is pulled out to a position where the locking pin 75a and the contact member 28 come into contact with each other, the head plate 7 rotates the third cam follower 75 that is locked by the contact member 28 and the locking pin 75a and serves as a rotation shaft. As shown in FIGS. 7 (d) and 10 (d), the center pivots downward by its own weight and is suspended from the open end of the groove 26. As a result, the ceiling portion of the housing 22 is opened, so that an operator can perform maintenance work on the probe apparatus main body 2 from the ceiling portion. Then, after the maintenance is completed, a process reverse to the process described above is performed, the head plate 7 is attached to the housing 22, and a probe test is performed. 9 and 10 schematically show the probe apparatus main body 2 for convenience of explanation, and the housing 22 is actually used for performing the alignment process of the wafer W and the probe 60 as shown in FIG. It has sufficient area.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the head plate 7 is configured to be drawable, and the edge on the pulling direction side when viewed from the probe card 6 is attached to the edge of the housing 22 by the cut portion 7b. Therefore, when the operator stands on the drawer side and pulls out the head plate 7, the distance to the head plate 7 during the probe test is larger than the distance to the edge when the operator pulls out the head plate 7. The distance to the probe card 6 is reduced. For this reason, the operator can easily replace the probe card 6 on the head plate 7, and the throughput of the replacement operation can be improved. Further, since the replacement can be performed directly by an operator without providing a dedicated transport mechanism, the transport mechanism can be omitted, and the cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional probe device described above.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the head plate 7 is pulled out, the head plate 7 is bent downward and suspended along the side wall of the housing 22 with the third cam follower 75 as the rotation axis, and the ceiling portion of the housing 22 is suspended. Since it can be opened and maintenance can be performed from above, it is possible to omit a large turning mechanism for turning the head plate 7 provided in the conventional probe device upward, thereby further reducing the cost. .

[Other Embodiments]
In the probe apparatus shown in FIG. 11, which is one embodiment of the present invention, the housing 122 of the probe apparatus main body 102 includes a head plate 107 that can be pulled out in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. 122 is provided with guide rails 190 for supporting the movement of the head plate 107 so as to be lined up on the left and right when viewed from the center line in the pull-out direction of the head plate 107, and on the plate lower surface 172 of the head plate 107 on the left and right guide rails 190. A pulley member 191 that rotates is provided. The housing 122 is provided with a plurality of suction portions 192 that vacuum-suck the plate lower surface 172 through a suction path (not shown) along the guide rail 190. In this probe apparatus, the head plate 107 moves as the pulley member 191 is guided by the guide rail 190. When fixing the head plate 107, the head plate 107 is sucked by the suction unit 192. Even with such a probe device, the operator can enter the notch 107b, approach the mounting opening 107a, and perform a probe card exchange operation (not shown) as in the first embodiment.

  Further, as an embodiment of the present invention, for example, a probe device as shown in FIG. 12 may be used. This probe apparatus includes a casing 222 having the same shape as that of the first embodiment, and a head plate 207 obtained by deleting the protruding portions on both sides of the cut portion 7b from the head plate 7 of the first embodiment. Yes. In this case, the edge portion 207f on the pulling direction side of the head plate 207 is closer to the center of the opening portion 207a for mounting 130 mm, for example, than the edge portion 222f of the housing 222. The distance from the probe card not to be shortened is reduced, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, what applied this head plate 207 by replacing with the head plate 107 of the probe apparatus main body 102 shown in FIG. 11 is also included in the scope of the right of the present invention.

  Further, as an embodiment of the present invention, for example, an embodiment as shown in FIG. 13 is also included. As shown in FIG. 13, in this embodiment, when the head plate 7 is pulled out to one edge side of the housing 22 of the first embodiment, for example, the upper edge portion of the side wall on the front end side in the pulling direction, the mounting opening. A notch 322 c for allowing the probe card 6 attached to the portion 7 a to pass out of the housing 22 is formed. Accordingly, when the head plate 7 is pulled out, the probe card 6 (mainly the probe 60) mounted in the mounting opening 7a does not come into contact with the housing 22, so that the probe card is placed outside the region of the housing 22. 6 exchange positions can be set. Therefore, the head plate 7 can be further pulled out to allow the operator and the probe card 6 to approach each other, so that the replacement work can be performed more easily. The notch 322c can also be formed in the casings 122 and 222 of the above-described embodiment. Further, FIGS. 11 to 13 show the cases 122 and 222 in a simplified manner for convenience of explanation as in FIGS. 9 and 10, but actually, as shown in FIG. In order to perform wafer and probe alignment processing in the case shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 as well as the first embodiment, it is necessary to secure a region for performing wafer alignment. Have enough space

It is a perspective view which shows the outline of the probe apparatus of this embodiment. It is a top view which shows the outline of the probe apparatus of this embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of the probe apparatus of this embodiment. It is a top view which shows the outline of the probe apparatus main body 2 of this embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of the probe apparatus main body 2 of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of the cam follower of this embodiment. It is the 1st explanatory view for explaining the head plate of this embodiment. It is the 2nd explanatory view for explaining the head plate of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the replacement method of the probe card in the probe apparatus of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the maintenance method of the probe apparatus main body in the probe apparatus of this embodiment. It is the 1st explanatory view for explaining the probe device main part of other embodiments of the present invention. It is the 2nd explanatory view for explaining the probe device main part of other embodiments of the present invention. It is the 3rd explanatory view for explaining the probe device main part of other embodiments of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Loader part 2 Probe apparatus main body 4 Wafer chuck 5 Upper side imaging unit 6 Probe card 7 Head plate 7a Mounting opening 7b Cutting part 7d Holding part 8 Test head 8a Pogo pin unit 22 Case 22a Top plate 22b Positioning hole 24 Table unit 26 Groove 27 Concave moving part 28 Contact member 60 Probe 73 First cam follower 73a Stopper pin 73b Elastic member 73c Insertion hole 73d Retaining part 74 Second cam follower 75 Third cam follower 75a Locking pin 190 Guide rail 191 Pulley member 192 Adsorption unit 322c Notch W Wafer

Claims (4)

The substrate is placed on the mounting table in the casing and raised, and the electrode pad of the chip to be processed on the substrate and the probe of the probe card provided on the top plate of the casing are contacted to inspect the electrical characteristics of the chip to be processed. In the probe device to perform,
A part of the top plate, a head plate provided so as to be pulled out to one edge side of the housing;
A probe card detachably provided on the head plate,
Of the edge on the drawing direction side of the head plate at the time of inspection, at least a portion located in the drawing direction when viewed from the probe card is located on the probe card side with respect to one edge of the housing. Probe device.   Of the edge of the head plate on the pulling direction side, at least a portion located in the pulling direction as viewed from the probe card is cut out so that a part of the operator's body can enter. The probe device according to claim 1.   The head plate is configured to be able to rotate downward around a horizontal axis on the edge side opposite to the pulling direction side after a part of the head plate is pulled out to a position where it protrudes from the housing. The probe apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein   The upper edge of the side wall on one edge side of the housing is formed with a cutout portion through which the probe card attached to the head plate can pass out of the housing when the head plate is pulled out. The probe apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein

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