JP2017183423A - Prober and probe contact method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a prober and a probe contact method capable of achieving good contact between an electrode pad and a probe on a wafer in a multi-stage type prober.SOLUTION: A prober includes: a wafer chuck 34; a probe card 32, a head stage 30, chuck seal rubber 48 formed on the wafer chuck 34; a Z-axis movement/rotation unit 72 for lifting the wafer chuck 34 detachably fixed on a wafer chuck supporting surface 72a; a vacuum electro-pneumatic regulator 54 for reducing pressure in a chuck internal space formed when the chuck seal rubber 48 is stuck close to the head stage 30; and a chuck guide mechanism 200 which when the wafer chuck 34 is moved to the probe card 32 by pressure reduction in the chuck internal space, guides movement of the wafer chuck 34 in a vertical direction while regulating horizontal movement of the wafer chuck.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a prober and probe contact method for inspecting electrical characteristics of a plurality of semiconductor devices (chips) formed on a semiconductor wafer, and in particular, a multistage prober and probe contact having a plurality of measurement units. Regarding the method.

  The semiconductor manufacturing process has a large number of processes, and various inspections are performed in various manufacturing processes in order to guarantee quality and improve yield. For example, when a plurality of chips of a semiconductor device are formed on a semiconductor wafer, electrode pads of the semiconductor device of each chip are connected to a test head, a power supply and a test signal are supplied from the test head, and the semiconductor device outputs A wafer level inspection is performed in which a signal is measured by a test head to electrically inspect whether it operates normally.

  After wafer level inspection, the wafer is affixed to the frame and cut into individual chips with a dicer. For each chip that has been cut, only chips that have been confirmed to operate normally are packaged in the next assembly process, and defective chips are excluded from the assembly process. Further, the packaged final product is subjected to shipping inspection.

  The wafer level inspection is performed using a prober in which a probe is brought into contact with an electrode pad of each chip on the wafer. The probe is electrically connected to the terminals of the test head, and power and test signals are supplied from the test head to each chip through the probe, and whether the output signal from each chip is detected by the test head and is operating normally Measure.

  In the semiconductor manufacturing process, in order to reduce the manufacturing cost, the wafer is increased in size and further miniaturized (integrated), and the number of chips formed on one wafer becomes very large. ing. Along with this, the time required for inspecting a single wafer with a prober has also become longer, and an improvement in throughput is required. Therefore, in order to improve the throughput, multi-probing is performed in which a large number of probes are provided so that a plurality of chips can be inspected simultaneously. In recent years, the number of chips to be inspected at the same time has increased, and attempts have been made to inspect all chips on a wafer at the same time. For this reason, the tolerance of alignment for bringing the electrode pad and the probe into contact with each other is small, and it is required to improve the positional accuracy of the movement in the prober.

  On the other hand, as the simplest method for increasing the throughput, it is conceivable to increase the number of probers. However, when the number of probers is increased, there is a problem that the installation area of the prober in the production line also increases. Further, if the number of probers is increased, the cost of the apparatus will increase accordingly. Therefore, it is required to increase the throughput while suppressing an increase in installation area and an increase in apparatus cost.

  Under such a background, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a test apparatus (multistage prober) including a plurality of measurement units. In this test apparatus, an alignment apparatus that performs relative alignment between the wafer and the probe card is configured to be able to move between the measurement units.

  However, although the test apparatus described in Patent Document 1 can achieve space saving and cost reduction by sharing the alignment apparatus among the measurement units, there are the following problems.

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

  On the other hand, the present applicant has proposed a prober in which the above problem is improved in a multistage prober provided with a plurality of measuring units (see Patent Document 2). This prober is equipped with a positioning and fixing device that positions and fixes the alignment device that has moved to each measurement unit, so that while maintaining the accuracy of the movement position of the alignment device, the increase in the installation area and the increase in device cost can be suppressed. Throughput can be improved.

JP 2010-186998 A JP 2014-192218 A

  By the way, in the conventional probers described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a vacuum suction method for holding the wafer chuck on the probe card side is employed. In this vacuum suction method, the internal space (sealed space) formed between the wafer chuck and the probe card is depressurized by the depressurizing means, and the wafer chuck is pulled toward the probe card side, so that the electrode pad and probe on the wafer are A contact operation is performed in which the contact state is changed from the state where the contact points are separated from each other.

  However, when performing contact operation using the vacuum suction method, an error occurs in the positional relationship between the electrode pad on the wafer and the probe due to the probe, seal member, weight balance, etc. during the wafer chuck pulling operation. There is a problem that the operation is likely to vary and it is difficult to improve the electrical contact reliability between the electrode pad on the wafer and the probe.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a prober and a probe contact method capable of realizing good contact between an electrode pad on a wafer and a probe in a multi-stage prober. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, a prober according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided with a wafer chuck for holding a wafer, and a probe at a position corresponding to each electrode pad of the wafer. A probe card; a head stage that detachably holds the probe card; a ring-shaped first seal member that is provided on the head stage side of the wafer chuck and is formed so as to surround the wafer held by the wafer chuck; When the first seal member is in close contact with the head stage, a mechanical lifting means for moving the wafer chuck fixed to the wafer chuck fixing portion in the vertical direction, and a wafer chuck fixing portion for removably fixing the chuck. A decompression means for decompressing the first internal space surrounded by the first seal member, and a first by the decompression means Reduced pressure by a wafer chuck parts space and a wafer chuck guide means for guiding the movement of the vertical direction while restricting the horizontal movement of the wafer chuck as it moves towards the probe card.

  In the prober according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, at least three wafer chuck guide means are provided at different positions in the horizontal direction of the wafer chuck or the head stage.

  The prober according to the third aspect of the present invention is provided separately from the first sealing member in the first aspect or the second aspect, and selectively selects the first internal space between an unsealed state and a sealed state. A switchable first shutter means is provided.

  A prober according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the prober according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the wafer chuck guide means can be detachably fixed to a bearing portion provided on the wafer chuck and the head stage. And a chuck guide that guides the movement in the vertical direction while the movement in the horizontal direction is restricted by the bearing portion.

  The prober according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the prober according to the fourth aspect, wherein the chuck guide has an annular second seal member provided on the head stage side, and the second seal member is in close contact with the head stage. The chuck guide is attracted and fixed to the head stage by reducing the pressure of the second internal space surrounded by the second seal member.

  A prober according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the prober according to the fifth aspect, provided separately from the second seal member, and capable of selectively switching the second internal space between an unsealed state and a sealed state. Two shutter means are provided.

  The prober according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the prober according to any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, wherein the prober is provided on the mechanical lifting means or the wafer chuck, and the distance between the mechanical lifting means and the wafer chuck is set. A first displacement sensor for detection is provided.

  The prober according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the prober according to the seventh aspect, wherein at least three first displacement sensors are provided at different positions in the horizontal direction of the mechanical lifting means or the wafer chuck.

  A prober according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the prober according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, provided on the wafer chuck or the head stage, and detecting a distance between the wafer chuck and the head stage. Displacement sensor.

  In the prober according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect, at least three second displacement sensors are provided at different positions in the horizontal direction of the wafer chuck or the head stage.

  A probe contact method according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention includes a wafer chuck that holds a wafer, a probe card that is provided to face the wafer chuck, and has a probe at a position corresponding to each electrode pad of the wafer, and a probe card The wafer stage is detachably held, and the wafer chuck is provided with an annular first seal member formed on the head stage side of the wafer chuck so as to surround the wafer, and the wafer chuck is detachably fixed. A probe contact method in a prober having a wafer chuck fixing portion for moving the wafer chuck fixed to the wafer chuck fixing portion in a vertical direction, wherein the wafer chuck is held by the mechanical lifting means. Wafer chuck movement to move toward the probe card After the wafer chuck moving step is performed, a depressurizing step for depressurizing the first internal space formed by the first seal member when the first seal member comes into close contact with the head stage; And a wafer chuck guide step for guiding the movement of the wafer chuck in the vertical direction while regulating the movement of the wafer chuck in the horizontal direction when the wafer chuck moves toward the probe card due to the decompression of the internal space.

  According to the present invention, the transfer operation of the wafer chuck can be performed stably, and good contact can be realized between the electrode pad on the wafer and the probe.

External view showing the overall configuration of the prober of the first embodiment The top view which showed the whole structure of the prober of 1st Embodiment Schematic diagram showing the configuration of the measurement unit Schematic diagram showing the configuration of the measurement unit A diagram showing a specific configuration example of the chuck guide mechanism Functional block diagram showing the configuration of the prober control device of the first embodiment The flowchart which showed the contact operation in the prober of 1st Embodiment The figure for demonstrating the contact operation | movement in the prober of 1st Embodiment. The timing chart figure of the contact operation in the prober of 1st Embodiment The flowchart which showed the release operation | movement in the prober of 1st Embodiment The figure for demonstrating the release operation | movement in the prober of 1st Embodiment The timing chart figure which showed release operation in the prober of a 1st embodiment The flowchart which showed the modification of the contact operation | movement in the prober of 1st Embodiment The timing chart figure which showed the modification of the contact operation | movement in the prober of 1st Embodiment The timing chart figure which showed the other modification of the contact operation | movement in the prober of 1st Embodiment. The figure which showed the structural example of the chuck guide mechanism in 2nd Embodiment. The functional block diagram which showed the principal part structure of the control apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which showed the other structural example of 2nd Embodiment.

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

(First embodiment)
First, the first embodiment will be described.

  1 and 2 are an external view and a plan view showing the overall configuration of the prober 10 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the prober 10 according to the first embodiment is disposed adjacent to the loader unit 14 and a loader unit 14 that supplies and recovers a wafer W (see FIG. 4) to be inspected. And a measurement unit 12 having the measurement unit 16. The measurement unit 12 has a plurality of measurement units 16. When the wafer W is supplied from the loader unit 14 to each measurement unit 16, the measurement unit 16 inspects the electrical characteristics of each chip of the wafer W. (Wafer level inspection) is performed. The wafer W inspected by each measurement unit 16 is collected by the loader unit 14. The prober 10 also includes an operation panel 22, a control device (see FIG. 6) described later, and the like.

  The loader unit 14 includes a load port 18 on which the wafer cassette 20 is placed, and a transfer unit 24 that transfers the wafer W between each measurement unit 16 of the measurement unit 12 and the wafer cassette 20. The transport unit 24 includes a transport unit driving mechanism (not shown), is configured to be movable in the X and Z directions, and is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction. In addition, the transport unit 24 includes a transport arm 26 that is configured to be extendable back and forth by the transport unit driving mechanism. A suction pad (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the transfer arm 26, and the transfer arm 26 holds the wafer W by vacuum-sucking the back surface of the wafer W with this suction pad. Thereby, the wafer W in the wafer cassette 20 is taken out by the transfer arm 26 of the transfer unit 24 and transferred to each measurement unit 16 of the measurement unit 12 while being held on the upper surface thereof. Further, the inspected wafer W that has been inspected is returned from each measuring unit 16 to the wafer cassette 20 through the reverse path.

  The X, Y, and Z directions are orthogonal to each other, the X direction is the horizontal direction, the Y direction is the horizontal direction orthogonal to the X direction, and the Z direction is the vertical direction. The θ direction is the rotation direction around the Z direction.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the measurement unit 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the measurement unit 12 has a stacked structure (multi-stage structure) in which a plurality of measurement units 16 are stacked in multiple stages, and each measurement unit 16 is 2 in the X direction and the Z direction. Dimensionally arranged. In the present embodiment, as an example, four measurement units 16 in the X direction are stacked in three stages in the Z direction. Each measurement unit 16 has the same configuration, and includes a probe card 32, a wafer chuck 34, and the like, as will be described in detail later.

  The measurement unit 12 includes a housing (not shown) having a lattice shape obtained by combining a plurality of frames in a lattice shape. This housing is formed by combining a plurality of frames extending in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction in the form of a lattice, and each component of the measuring unit 16 is formed in each space formed by these frames. Is placed.

  Next, the configuration of the measurement unit 16 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the measurement unit 16.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the measurement unit 16 includes a head stage 30, a probe card 32, a wafer chuck 34, and a test head (not shown). The test head is supported above the head stage 30 by a test head holding unit (not shown).

  The head stage 30 is supported by a frame member (not shown) constituting a part of the casing, and holds and fixes the probe card 32 in a detachable manner. The probe card 32 held and fixed to the head stage 30 is provided so as to face the wafer holding surface 34 a of the wafer chuck 34. The probe card 32 is replaced according to the wafer W (device) to be inspected.

  The probe card 32 is provided with a plurality of probes 36 such as cantilevers and spring pins arranged corresponding to the positions of the electrode pads of each chip of the wafer W to be inspected. Each probe 36 is electrically connected to a terminal of a test head (not shown), and a power and a test signal are supplied from the test head to each chip via each probe 36 and an output signal from each chip is detected by the test head. And measure whether it works properly. Note that the connection configuration between the probe card 32 and the test head is not a main part of the present invention, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The probe 36 has a spring characteristic and contacts the electrode pad with a predetermined contact pressure by raising the contact point from the tip position of the probe 36. Further, when the electrode 36 is in an overdrive state when the probe 36 is in electrical inspection, the tip of the probe 36 becomes hard to the surface of the electrode pad, and a needle mark is formed on the surface of the electrode pad. It is supposed to be. The overdrive means that the electrode pad and the probe 36 are in contact with each other in consideration of the inclination between the wafer W and the arrangement surface of the tip of the probe 36 and the variation in the tip position of the probe 36. The electrode pad, that is, the surface of the wafer W is raised by a distance α to a position higher than the tip position of 36. Further, the amount of movement that further raises the surface of the wafer W from the tip position of the probe 36, that is, the distance α is referred to as an overdrive amount.

  The wafer chuck 34 sucks and fixes the wafer W by vacuum suction. The wafer chuck 34 has a wafer holding surface 34a on which a wafer W to be inspected is placed, and the wafer holding surface 34a is provided with a plurality of suction ports 40 (only one is shown in FIG. 4). The suction port 40 is connected to a suction device (vacuum source) 44 such as a vacuum pump via a suction path 42 formed inside the wafer chuck 34. A wafer suction electromagnetic valve 46 is provided in the suction path connecting the suction device 44 and the suction path 42. The wafer attracting electromagnetic valve 46 is controlled by a suction control unit 110 (see FIG. 6) described later.

  Outside the wafer holding surface 34a of the wafer chuck 34, there is provided an elastic chuck seal rubber (ring-shaped seal member) 48 formed so as to surround the wafer W held on the wafer holding surface 34a. When the wafer chuck 34 is moved (raised) in the Z direction (vertical direction) toward the probe card 32 by a Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 described later, the chuck seal rubber 48 comes into close contact with the lower surface of the head stage 30. A chuck internal space S (see FIG. 8) surrounded by a chuck seal rubber 48 is formed between the wafer chuck 34 and the head stage 30. The chuck seal rubber 48 is an example of the first seal member of the present invention. The chuck internal space S is an example of the first internal space of the present invention.

  The head stage 30 is provided with a suction port 50 for decompressing the chuck internal space S surrounded by the chuck seal rubber 48. The suction port 50 is connected to the suction device 44 via a suction path 52 formed inside the head stage 30. A vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54 is provided in the suction path connecting the suction device 44 and the suction path 52. The vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54 is a control valve that adjusts the internal pressure (degree of vacuum) of the chuck internal space S. The vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54 is controlled by a suction control unit 110 (see FIG. 6) described later. The suction device 44 and the vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54 are examples of decompression means.

  The wafer chuck 34 is provided with a communication path 56 that communicates between the chuck internal space S and the external space. One end of the communication path 56 opens to a region near the outer periphery of the wafer holding surface 34 a of the wafer chuck 34 where the wafer W is not placed, and the other end of the communication path 56 opens to the side surface of the wafer chuck 34. A chuck shutter 58 capable of opening and closing the communication path 56 is provided on the side surface of the wafer chuck 34. When the chuck shutter 58 is opened, the communication path 56 is opened, and the chuck internal space S is in communication with the external space via the communication path 56 (non-sealed state). On the other hand, when the chuck shutter 58 is closed, the communication path 56 is cut off, and the chuck internal space S is not in communication with the external space (sealed state). The chuck shutter 58 is an example of the first shutter means of the present invention, and is controlled by a shutter control unit 112 (see FIG. 6) described later. Since a known configuration is applied to the configuration of the chuck shutter 58, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, as an example, the chuck internal space S can be selectively switched between the non-sealed state and the sealed state by the communication path 56 and the chuck shutter 58 provided in the wafer chuck 34. Instead of the configuration of this embodiment, for example, the head stage 30 or the probe card 32 may be provided with a communication path and shutter means.

  A heating / cooling source is provided inside the wafer chuck 34 so that the electrical characteristics of the wafer W to be inspected can be inspected at a high temperature (for example, a maximum of 150 ° C.) or a low temperature (for example, a minimum of −40 ° C.). A heating / cooling mechanism (not shown) is provided. As the heating / cooling mechanism, a known appropriate heater / cooler can be adopted. For example, a heating / cooling mechanism having a double layer structure of a heating layer of a surface heater and a cooling layer provided with a passage for cooling fluid, Various devices such as a heating / cooling device having a single layer structure in which a cooling pipe around which a heater is wound are embedded in a conductor are conceivable. Further, instead of electrical heating, a thermal fluid may be circulated, and a Peltier element may be used.

  The wafer chuck 34 is detachably supported and fixed to an alignment device 70 described later. The alignment apparatus 70 moves or rotates the wafer chuck 34 in the X, Y, Z, and θ directions to perform relative alignment between the wafer W held on the wafer chuck 34 and the probe card 32.

  The alignment apparatus 70 supports the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 and the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 that move the wafer chuck 34 in the Z direction and rotate in the θ direction, and the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 by detachably supporting and fixing the wafer chuck 34. An X-axis moving table 74 that moves in the X direction, and a Y-axis moving table 76 that supports the X-axis moving table 74 and moves in the Y direction.

  Each of the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72, the X-axis movement table 74, and the Y-axis movement table 76 is configured such that the wafer chuck 34 can be moved or rotated in a predetermined direction by a mechanical drive mechanism including at least a motor. The As the mechanical drive mechanism, for example, a ball screw drive mechanism in which a servo motor and a ball screw are combined is used. Moreover, not only a ball screw drive mechanism but a linear motor drive mechanism or a belt drive mechanism may be used. The Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72, the X-axis moving table 74, and the Y-axis moving table 76 are configured such that the moving distance, moving direction, moving speed, and acceleration of the wafer chuck 34 can be changed by each control unit described later. ing. Specifically, the present embodiment has the following configuration.

  The Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 is an example of a mechanical lifting / lowering unit of the present invention, and a Z-axis driving motor 122 (for example, a stepping motor, a servo motor, a linear motor, etc.) for moving the wafer chuck 34 in the Z direction. (See FIG. 6) and a Z-axis encoder (for example, a rotary encoder or a linear scale) (not shown) for detecting the movement distance of the wafer chuck 34 in the Z direction. The Z-axis drive motor 122 is controlled based on a motor control signal from a Z-axis movement control unit 106 (see FIG. 6) described later, and drives the wafer chuck 34 to move to a target position at a desired movement speed or acceleration. . The Z-axis encoder outputs an encoder signal in accordance with the movement of the wafer chuck 34.

  The Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 includes a rotation drive motor 124 (for example, a stepping motor, a servo motor, a linear motor, etc.) (see FIG. 6) for rotating the wafer chuck 34 in the θ direction, A rotation encoder (for example, a rotary encoder or the like) (not shown) for detecting a rotation angle in the θ direction is provided. The rotation drive motor 124 is controlled based on a motor control signal from a later-described θ rotation control unit 108 (see FIG. 6), and drives the wafer chuck 34 to move to a target position at a desired rotation speed or acceleration. The rotary encoder outputs an encoder signal according to the rotation of the wafer chuck 34.

  The X-axis moving table 74 has an X-axis drive motor 118 (for example, a stepping motor, a servo motor, a linear motor, etc.) (see FIG. 6) for moving the wafer chuck 34 in the X direction, and the wafer chuck 34 in the X direction. And an X-axis encoder (for example, a rotary encoder, a linear scale, etc.) (not shown) for detecting the movement distance. The X-axis drive motor 118 is controlled based on a motor control signal from an X-axis movement control unit 102 (see FIG. 6), which will be described later, and drives the wafer chuck 34 to move to a target position at a desired moving speed or acceleration. . The X-axis encoder outputs an encoder signal according to the movement of the wafer chuck 34.

  The Y-axis moving table 76 has a Y-axis drive motor 120 (for example, a stepping motor, a servo motor, a linear motor, etc.) for moving the wafer chuck 34 in the Y direction (see FIG. 6), and the wafer chuck 34 in the Y direction. And a Y-axis encoder (for example, a rotary encoder, a linear scale, etc.) (not shown) for detecting the movement distance. The Y-axis drive motor 120 is controlled based on a motor control signal from a Y-axis movement control unit 104 (see FIG. 6) described later, and drives the wafer chuck 34 to move to a target position at a desired movement speed or acceleration. . Further, the Y-axis encoder outputs an encoder signal in accordance with the movement of the wafer chuck 34.

  The alignment device 70 is provided for each stage (see FIG. 3), and is configured to be movable between a plurality of measurement units 16 arranged in each stage by an alignment device driving mechanism (not shown). . That is, the alignment device 70 is shared among a plurality of (four in this example) measurement units 16 arranged on the same stage, and moves between the plurality of measurement units 16 arranged on the same stage. To do. The alignment device 70 moved to each measuring unit 16 is fixed in a state where it is positioned at a predetermined position by a positioning and fixing device (not shown), and the wafer chuck 34 is moved or rotated in the X, Y, Z, and θ directions, and the wafer chuck 34 is moved. The wafer W held in the wafer and the probe card 32 are relatively aligned. Although not shown, the alignment apparatus 70 includes a needle position detection camera for detecting the relative positional relationship between the electrode pad of each chip of the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 34 and the probe 36. And a wafer alignment camera. The alignment device drive mechanism is configured by a mechanical drive mechanism such as a ball screw drive mechanism, a linear motor drive mechanism, or a belt drive mechanism.

  On the wafer chuck support surface 72a of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 constituting the upper surface of the alignment apparatus 70, there is provided a Z-axis seal rubber (ring-shaped seal member) 78 having elasticity formed in an annular shape along the outer periphery. A suction port 80 is provided inside the Z-axis seal rubber 78 on the wafer chuck support surface 72a. The suction port 80 is connected to the suction device 44 via a suction path 82 formed inside the wafer chuck 34. In the suction path connecting the suction device 44 and the suction path 82, a chuck fixing electromagnetic valve 84 and a throttle valve 86 are provided in this order from the suction device 44 side. The chuck fixing electromagnetic valve 84 is controlled by a suction control unit 110 (see FIG. 6) described later. The wafer chuck support surface 72a of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 is an example of the wafer chuck fixing unit of the present invention. The suction port 80 provided in the wafer chuck support surface 72a is an example of a component of the wafer chuck fixing portion.

  Positioning pins 88 are provided outside the Z-axis seal rubber 78 of the wafer chuck support surface 72a of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 so that the relative positional relationship of the wafer chuck 34 with respect to the alignment device 70 is always constant. Yes. The positioning pins 88 are provided at three locations at equal intervals along the circumferential direction around the central axis of the wafer chuck 34 (only two are shown in FIG. 4). On the lower surface of the wafer chuck 34, V blocks 90 as positioning members are provided at positions corresponding to the positioning pins 88, respectively. When the wafer chuck 34 is sucked and fixed by vacuum suction, the corresponding positioning pins 88 are engaged in the V grooves of the respective V blocks 90 so that the wafer chuck 34 is horizontally oriented (X and Y directions). Thus, the relative positioning of the alignment device 70 and the wafer chuck 34 is performed.

  In this embodiment, the alignment apparatus 70 sucks and fixes the wafer chuck 34 by vacuum suction. However, any fixing means other than vacuum suction may be used as long as the wafer chuck 34 can be fixed, for example, mechanical means. It may be fixed with, for example.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the above-described configuration, when the wafer chuck 34 moves toward the probe card 32 due to the decompression of the chuck internal space S, the wafer chuck 34 is moved in the X and Y directions. A chuck guide mechanism 200 that guides the movement in the Z direction while restricting is provided. The chuck guide mechanism 200 is an example of the wafer chuck guide means of the present invention.

  A plurality of chuck guide mechanisms 200 are provided in parallel along the circumferential direction of the peripheral portion of the wafer chuck 34, specifically, the outer peripheral portion of the chuck guide holding portion 35 integrated with the wafer chuck 34. The chuck guide mechanism 200 sucks and fixes a chuck guide 204 (described later) to the head stage 30 by vacuum suction before the operation of pulling the wafer chuck 34 toward the probe card 32 by depressurization of the chuck internal space S. It functions as wafer chuck guide means for guiding movement in the Z direction while restricting movement in the X and Y directions of the wafer chuck 34. For this reason, the wafer chuck 34 (chuck guide holding portion 35) is provided with at least three chuck guide mechanisms 200 at positions different from each other when viewed from the head stage 30 side. Although not shown in this example, the chuck guide holding part 35 is provided with four chuck guide mechanisms 200 at equal intervals (every 90 degrees) along the circumferential direction (only two are shown in FIG. 4). .

  Here, the configuration of the chuck guide mechanism 200 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a specific configuration example of the chuck guide mechanism 200.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the chuck guide mechanism 200 is guided to move in the Z direction in a state where movement in the X and Y directions is regulated by the bearing portion 202 formed in the chuck guide holding portion 35 and the bearing portion 202. A chuck guide 204. The bearing portion 202 is configured by, for example, a ball bearing.

  The chuck guide 204 is rotatably supported by the bearing portion 202, and a fixing portion (suction portion) 206 capable of detachably fixing the chuck guide 204 to the head stage 30 is provided on the upper portion thereof. A chuck guide seal rubber (ring-shaped seal member) 208 is provided on the upper surface of the fixed portion 206, and a suction port 210 is formed inside the chuck guide seal rubber 208. The suction port 210 is connected to the suction device 44 via a suction path 212 formed inside the chuck guide 204, and a chuck guide electromagnetic valve 214 is connected to the suction path connecting the suction device 44 and the suction path 212. (See FIG. 4). The chuck guide electromagnetic valve 214 is controlled by a suction control unit 110 (see FIG. 6) described later. The chuck guide seal rubber 208 is an example of a second seal member of the present invention.

  With this configuration, the wafer chuck 34 is moved (raised) in the Z direction toward the probe card 32 by the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 and the chuck guide seal rubber 208 is brought into close contact with the head stage 30, and then the head stage 30 and the chuck When the chuck guide internal space Q (see FIG. 8) surrounded by the chuck guide seal rubber 208 with the guide 204 (fixed portion 206) is depressurized by the suction device 44 through the suction port 210, the chuck guide 204 is moved upward (the head). As a result, the fixing portion 206 of the chuck guide 204 is attracted and fixed to the head stage 30. Then, when the wafer chuck 34 is drawn toward the probe card 32 due to the decompression of the chuck internal space S, the movement of the wafer chuck 34 in the X and Y directions is restricted by the chuck guide 204 fixed to the head stage 30. Moves guided in the direction. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the tilt and the position shift due to the unbalanced load caused by the components of the wafer chuck 34, and the transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 is stably performed while maintaining the parallelism between the probe card 32 and the wafer W. Therefore, it is possible to realize a good contact between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 36. The chuck guide internal space Q is an example of the second internal space of the present invention.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in order to more stably realize the suction and fixation of the chuck guide 204 with respect to the head stage 30, the chuck guide internal space Q can be selectively switched between an unsealed state and a sealed state. As a configuration for this purpose, a communication path 216 that communicates between the chuck guide internal space Q and the external space, and a chuck guide shutter 218 that can open and close the communication path 216 are provided. When the chuck guide shutter 218 is opened, the communication path 216 is opened, and the chuck guide internal space Q is in communication with the external space (non-sealed state) via the communication path 216. On the other hand, when the chuck guide shutter 218 is closed, the communication path 216 is cut off, and the chuck guide internal space Q is not in communication with the external space (sealed state). The chuck guide shutter 218 is controlled by a shutter control unit 112 (see FIG. 6) described later. Since a known configuration is applied to the configuration of the chuck guide shutter 218, a detailed description thereof is omitted. The chuck guide shutter 218 is an example of the second shutter means of the present invention.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control device of the prober 10 according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the control device of the prober 10 of this embodiment includes an overall control unit 100, an X-axis movement control unit 102, a Y-axis movement control unit 104, a Z-axis movement control unit 106, a θ rotation control unit 108, A suction control unit 110, a shutter control unit 112, and the like are provided.

  The overall control unit 100 comprehensively controls each part constituting the prober 10. Specifically, the overall control unit 100 controls an operation (contact operation) in which the electrode pad of each chip of the wafer W to be inspected and each probe 36 of the probe card 32 are brought into contact with each other. In addition to the contact operation, the overall control unit 100 performs movement control for moving the alignment apparatus 70 between the measurement units 16, control of wafer level inspection operation by the test head, and the like. Since control other than the contact operation is not a main part of the present invention, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The X-axis movement control unit 102 moves the wafer chuck 34 in the X direction by moving the X-axis movement table 74 in the X direction by controlling the drive of the X-axis drive motor 118 provided on the X-axis movement table 74. Let The Y-axis movement control unit 104 moves the wafer chuck 34 in the Y direction by moving the Y-axis movement table 76 in the Y direction by controlling the drive of the Y-axis drive motor 120 provided on the Y-axis movement table 76. Let The Z-axis movement control unit 106 moves the wafer chuck 34 in the Z direction by moving the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 up and down by controlling the driving of the Z-axis drive motor 122 provided in the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72. Move. The θ rotation control unit 108 controls the drive of the rotation drive motor 124 provided in the Z axis movement / rotation unit 72 to rotate the Z axis movement / rotation unit 72 in the θ direction, thereby moving the wafer chuck 34 in the θ direction. Rotate to

  The suction controller 110 controls ON / OFF (open / close) of various electromagnetic valves 46, 84, and 214 to adjust the suction pressure by the corresponding suction ports 40, 80, and 210, respectively. The fixing / non-fixing of the wafer W, the fixing / non-fixing of the wafer chuck 34 with respect to the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72, and the fixing / non-fixing of the chuck guide 204 (fixing unit 206) with respect to the head stage 30 are selectively switched.

  Further, the suction control unit 110 controls the operation of the vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54 to adjust the internal pressure (degree of vacuum) of the chuck internal space S steplessly.

  The shutter control unit 112 controls the opening and closing of the chuck shutter 58 and the chuck guide shutter 218 to open / close the communication passage 56 that communicates between the chuck internal space S and the external space, and the chuck guide internal space Q and the external Opening / blocking of the communication path 216 communicating with the space is selectively switched.

  Next, the contact operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This operation is performed under the control of the overall control unit 100.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a contact operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a contact operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing a contact operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment. Note that the time width of the timing chart shown in FIG. 9 is expressed to simplify the drawing and is different from the actual time. Further, “Z-axis height” in FIG. 9 indicates the height position in the Z direction of the wafer chuck support surface 72 a of the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72. Further, “chuck height” in FIG. 9 indicates the height position in the Z direction of the wafer holding surface 34a of the wafer chuck 34 (hereinafter referred to as “the height position of the wafer chuck 34”). The same applies to other figures described later.

(Pre-operation)
A pre-operation of the contact operation will be described.

  First, as a pre-operation of the contact operation, after the alignment device 70 is moved to the measurement unit 16 to be inspected, the wafer chuck 34 is transferred to the alignment device 70 in a state where the alignment device 70 is positioned and fixed by a positioning and fixing device (not shown). . Note that the transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 before the start of the contact operation is not a main part of the present invention, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  After the wafer chuck 34 is transferred to the alignment device 70, the suction controller 110 turns on (opens) the chuck fixing electromagnetic valve 84, and the wafer chuck support surface 72a of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 (FIG. 4). The wafer chuck 34 is sucked and fixed to the reference). At this time, the positioning pin 88 of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 is engaged with the V groove of the V block 90 of the wafer chuck 34, whereby the alignment between the alignment device 70 and the wafer chuck 34 is performed.

  After that, when the wafer W is supplied (loaded) to the wafer chuck 34 supported and fixed to the alignment device 70, the suction control unit 110 turns on (opens) the wafer attracting electromagnetic valve 46 and opens the wafer holding surface 34a ( The wafer W is adsorbed and fixed to (see FIG. 4).

  Next, the X-axis movement control unit 102, the Y-axis movement control unit 104, and the θ rotation control unit 108 are controlled by the overall control unit 100 based on the results captured by the needle position detection camera and the wafer alignment camera. By controlling the X-axis drive motor 118, the Y-axis drive motor 120, and the rotation drive motor 124, the wafer W held on the wafer chuck 34 and the probe card 32 are relatively aligned.

  After the alignment described above is performed, the alignment apparatus 70 moves the wafer chuck 34 to a predetermined standby position. FIG. 8A shows a state when the wafer chuck 34 is moved to the standby position. The height position (standby height) of the wafer chuck 34 when the wafer chuck 34 moves to the standby position is set to H0.

(Step S10: Z-axis raising process)
Next, the Z-axis movement control unit 106 controls the Z-axis drive motor 122 to raise the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72, thereby moving the wafer chuck 34 toward the probe card 32 (FIG. 9). Time T1-T2). Specifically, the wafer chuck 34 is raised so that the height position of the wafer chuck 34 becomes a position H3 higher than the height position (contact start height) H2 when contacting the tip of the probe 36. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8B, each probe 36 of the probe card 32 comes into contact with the electrode pad of each chip of the wafer W in an overdrive state. The Z-axis raising process is an example of the wafer chuck moving process of the present invention.

  Before moving the wafer chuck 34 toward the probe card 32 by the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72, the shutter control unit 112 opens the chuck shutter 58 to open the communication path 56, and opens the chuck guide shutter 218. Open to open the communication path 216. As a result, the wafer chuck 34 is raised by the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 in a communication state (non-sealed state) in which the chuck internal space S and the chuck guide internal space Q communicate with the external space. The wafer chuck 34 can be raised stably and efficiently without causing an excessive reaction force (reaction force to return the wafer chuck 34 to the original state), and the probe card 32 and the wafer W are damaged. Can be prevented.

  The timing for opening the chuck shutter 58 and the chuck guide shutter 218 is not limited to the above-described example, but at least before the chuck seal rubber 48 and the chuck guide seal rubber 208 are in contact with the head stage 30, the chuck shutter 58 and the chuck guide The guide shutter 218 may be opened. Further, the timing of opening the chuck shutter 58 and the chuck guide shutter 218 may be the same or different.

  In the Z-axis raising step, the height position H3 of the wafer chuck 34 when the wafer chuck 34 is raised by the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 is from the contact start height H2 to the appropriate overdrive amount of the probe card 32. The height position is preferably 30 to 70% (more preferably 40 to 60%). In the present embodiment, as a preferred mode, the wafer chuck 34 is raised from the contact start height H2 to a height position of 50% with respect to the appropriate overdrive amount of the probe card 32.

(Step S12: Z-axis lowering step)
Next, the Z-axis movement control unit 106 controls the Z-axis drive motor 122 to lower the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72, thereby changing the height position of the wafer chuck 34 to the contact start height H2. (Times T3 to T4 in FIG. 9).

(Step S14: chuck guide fixing step)
Next, the shutter control unit 112 closes the chuck guide shutter 218 and shuts off the communication path 216 to seal the chuck guide internal space Q (time T5 in FIG. 9). Thereafter, the suction control unit 110 turns on (opens) the chuck guide electromagnetic valve 214 and depressurizes the chuck guide internal space Q through the suction port 210 by the suction device 44. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8C, the fixing portion 206 of the chuck guide 204 is sucked and fixed to the head stage 30 (time T6 in FIG. 9).

(Step S16: Wafer chuck adsorption process)
Next, the shutter control unit 112 closes the chuck shutter 58 to block the communication path 56, and seals the chuck internal space S (time T7 in FIG. 9). Thereafter, the suction controller 110 controls the operation of the vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54 to start depressurization of the chuck internal space S (time T8 in FIG. 9). At this time, the suction control unit 110 has a height position at which the probe card 32 has an appropriate overdrive amount when the fixation of the wafer chuck 34 by the suction port 80 (see FIG. 4) of the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 is released. (Appropriate OD height) A target pressure that raises the wafer chuck 34 to H4 is set, and the internal pressure of the chuck internal space S is adjusted so as to be the target pressure. The target pressure in the chuck internal space S may be obtained empirically or experimentally, or may be obtained from a design value. For example, in order to determine the target pressure, the reaction force received from the probe 36 when the wafer chuck 34 is raised to the appropriate overdrive amount of the probe card 32 (reaction force when the probe 36 is crushed), and the probe card 32 Can be obtained from the total number of probes 36 provided in the. If the total needle pressure of the probe card 32 (the total pressure received from the probe 36) is known, the required negative pressure is divided by the area of the surface (suction surface) surrounded by the chuck seal rubber 48 to obtain the target pressure in the chuck internal space S. As required. However, it is necessary to set the target pressure in the chuck internal space S in consideration of the reaction force due to the weight of the wafer chuck 34 and the chuck seal rubber 48 being crushed. The wafer chuck adsorption process is an example of a decompression process of the present invention.

(Step S18: Wafer chuck fixation release process)
Next, the suction controller 110 determines whether or not the internal pressure (pressure value P1) of the chuck internal space S has reached the set pressure (pressure value P2) by the vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54, and the set pressure (pressure value). It will be in a standby state until it reaches P2). When the set pressure (pressure value P2) is reached, the chuck fixing electromagnetic valve 84 is turned off (closed), and the wafer chuck 34 is moved by the suction port 80 (see FIG. 4) of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72. The fixation is released (time T9 in FIG. 8). As a result, as shown in FIG. 8D, the wafer chuck 34 is detached from the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 and is drawn toward the probe card 32, so that the probe card 32 has an appropriate overdrive amount. It rises to a position (appropriate OD height) H4 (T9 to T10 in FIG. 9).

  When the fixation of the wafer chuck 34 by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 is released and the wafer chuck 34 is pulled toward the probe card 32 by the decompression of the chuck internal space S, the wafer chuck 34 is fixed to the head stage 30. The chuck guide 204 moves while being guided in the Z direction while being restricted from moving in the X and Y directions (wafer chuck guide process). Thereby, it is possible to prevent the tilt and the position shift due to the unbalanced load caused by the components of the wafer chuck 34, and the transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 is stably performed while maintaining the parallelism between the probe card 32 and the wafer W. Therefore, it is possible to realize a good contact between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 36.

  As for the internal pressure of the chuck internal space S, the internal pressure of the chuck internal space S may be directly detected by a pressure sensor provided in the wafer chuck 34 or the head stage 30, for example, or it is built in or connected to the vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54. It may be detected by a pressure sensor.

  In this embodiment, since the fixation of the wafer chuck 34 is released after depressurization of the chuck internal space S is started, the wafer chuck 34 is not fixed to either side at the moment of switching between these processes. The stable state (free state) is eliminated, the transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 can be performed stably, and good contact between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 36 can be realized.

  In the present embodiment, a throttle valve 86 is provided in the suction path connecting the suction path 82 of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 and the chuck fixing electromagnetic valve 84. Even if the fixation of the wafer chuck 34 is released after the decompression is started, the negative pressure on the lower side (Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 side) of the wafer chuck 34 is not suddenly lost. Therefore, in a state where the wafer chuck 34 is pulled from both the upper and lower sides (that is, both sides of the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 and the probe card 32), the restraint from the lower side suddenly (that is, the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72). Therefore, the wafer chuck 34 does not move suddenly, and abnormal vibration and abnormal contact can be reduced. Accordingly, since the wafer chuck 34 can be prevented from being suddenly detached from the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 when the wafer chuck fixing release process is performed, the delivery operation of the wafer chuck 34 is performed more stably. It becomes possible.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, a configuration in which the throttle valve 86 is provided in the suction path connecting the suction path 82 of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 and the chuck fixing electromagnetic valve 84 is shown. A throttle valve 86 may be provided in a path connecting the suction port 80 of the shaft moving / rotating unit 72 and the suction device 44. For example, the throttle valve 86 is provided in the suction path 82 of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72. May be provided.

(Step S20: Z-axis lowering step)
Next, the Z-axis movement control unit 106 controls the Z-axis drive motor 122 to lower the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 to a predetermined height position (time T11 to T12 in FIG. 9).

  As described above, when the wafer chuck 34 is transferred from the alignment device 70 (Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72) to the head stage 30 (probe card 32 side), each probe 36 of the probe card 32 has a uniform contact pressure. Thus, the wafer W comes into contact with the electrode pads of each chip, and the wafer level inspection can be started. Thereafter, a power supply and a test signal are supplied from the test head to each chip of the wafer W via each probe 36, and an electrical operation inspection is performed by detecting a signal output from each chip.

  After the wafer chuck 34 is transferred from the alignment device 70 (Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72) to the head stage 30 (probe card 32 side), the alignment device 70 moves to another measurement unit 16 and measures the measurement. In the part 16, a contact operation is performed in the same procedure, and wafer level inspection is sequentially performed.

  Next, a release operation performed after the wafer level inspection is completed in the prober 10 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the release operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a release operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing a release operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment.

(Step S30: Z-axis raising process)
First, the Z-axis movement control unit 106 controls the Z-axis drive motor 122 so that the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 can receive the wafer chuck 34 from a predetermined height position as shown in FIG. It is raised to a certain height position (chuck receiving height) (time T1 to T2 in FIG. 9).

  Further, when the Z-axis raising process is performed or before and after the Z-axis raising process, the suction control unit 110 controls the operation of the vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54 to move the wafer chuck 34 to the contact start height H2. . As a result, the distance between the wafer chuck 34 and the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 when a chuck release process described later is performed can be shortened, and the delivery of the wafer chuck 34 can be stabilized.

(Step S32: chuck release process)
Next, the suction controller 110 stops controlling the operation of the vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54, and the shutter controller 112 opens the chuck shutter 58 and opens the communication path 56 (time T4 in FIG. 9). As a result, the chuck internal space S is not sealed, and the chucking of the wafer chuck 34 to the head stage 30 is released. Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the wafer chuck 34 is guided and lowered in the Z direction while the movement in the X and Y directions is regulated by the chuck guide 204. At this time, as described above, since the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 has moved to the chuck receiving height, the wafer chuck 34 whose suction to the head stage 30 is released is supported by the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72. .

  Thereafter, the suction control unit 110 turns on (opens) the chuck fixing electromagnetic valve 84 and fixes the wafer chuck 34 via the suction port 80 (see FIG. 4) of the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 (FIG. 12). Time T5). The wafer chuck 34 may be fixed before the wafer chuck 34 is released.

(Step S34: chuck guide release process)
Next, the suction controller 110 turns off the chuck guide solenoid valve 214 (closed state), and the shutter controller 112 opens the chuck guide shutter 218 and opens the communication path 216 (time T6 in FIG. 12). ). As a result, the chuck guide internal space Q is brought into an unsealed state, and the chuck guide 204 is released from being attracted to the head stage 30 as shown in FIG.

(Step S36: Z-axis lowering step)
Next, the Z-axis movement control unit 106 controls the Z-axis drive motor 122 to lower the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 as shown in FIG. The position is changed to the standby height H0 (time T7 to T8 in FIG. 12).

  Thus, the release operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment is completed.

  Next, the effect of this embodiment will be described.

  In the contact operation of the prober 10 according to the present embodiment, the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 constituting the alignment apparatus 70 is moved to a probe card by using a mechanical drive mechanism including at least a motor (Z-axis drive motor 122). Therefore, the wafer chuck 34 can be raised at a sufficiently high speed as compared with the case where the wafer chuck 34 is attracted and raised by depressurization of the chuck internal space S.

  In this embodiment, in addition to the above operation, the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 raises the wafer chuck 34 to a position H3 that is at least higher than the contact start height H2. At this time, the height position H3 of the wafer chuck 34 is a height position of 30 to 70% (more preferably 40 to 60%) with respect to the appropriate overdrive amount of the probe card 32 from the contact start height H2. It is preferable.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the wafer chuck 34 is raised toward the probe card 32 by a mechanical drive mechanism including at least a motor, and each probe 36 of the probe card 32 is over the electrode pad of each chip of the wafer W. It is in contact with the drive. As a result, the tip of the probe 36 digs into the surface of the electrode pad and forms a needle mark on the surface of the electrode pad, so that the oxide film formed on the electrode pad can be removed by contact of the probe 36, and With respect to disturbance (vibration) that occurs when the wafer chuck 34 is transferred from the alignment device 70 to the probe card 32, it is possible to prevent the positional deviation (lateral deviation) of the probe 36 in the horizontal direction (X direction and Y direction).

  Further, in this embodiment, when the wafer chuck 34 is moved toward the probe card 32 due to the decompression of the chuck internal space S, the movement of the wafer chuck 34 in the X and Y directions (horizontal directions) is restricted. In addition, since the chuck guide mechanism 200 that guides the movement in the Z direction (vertical direction) is provided, it is possible to prevent the wafer chuck 34 from being displaced or inclined. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tilt and position shift due to the uneven load due to the components of the wafer chuck 34, and it is possible to stably perform the delivery operation of the wafer chuck 34 while maintaining the parallelism. Good contact can be realized between the electrode pad and the probe 36.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the Z-axis moving / rotating unit is at a timing (second timing; time T9 in FIG. 9) that is later than the timing (first timing; time T8 in FIG. 9) at which pressure reduction of the chuck internal space S starts. 72, the wafer chuck 34 is released from being fixed by the suction port 80 (see FIG. 4), so that the wafer chuck 34 is not fixed to either side at the moment of switching between these steps. ), The transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 can be performed stably, and a good contact between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 36 can be realized.

  In the present embodiment, the chuck shutter 58 and the chuck guide shutter 218 are opened while the wafer chuck 34 is raised by the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 in the Z-axis raising step (step S10). The chuck internal space S and the chuck guide internal space Q are in a communication state (non-sealed state) in communication with the external space via the communication paths 56 and 216, respectively.

  Here, when the wafer chuck 34 is lifted by the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 in a non-communication state (sealed state) where the chuck internal space S does not communicate with the external space, The air in the space S is instantaneously compressed and a strong reaction force is generated. The reaction force causes the head stage 30 to vibrate, and the probe card 32 and the wafer W may come into contact with each other in an unintended manner. . In this case, the probe card 32 and the wafer W may be damaged due to abnormal contact between the probe card 32 and the wafer W.

  Further, when the chuck guide internal space Q is not in communication with the external space (sealed state) and the wafer chuck 34 is raised by the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72, the same problem may occur. .

  In contrast, in the present embodiment, as described above, the chuck chuck 34 is lifted by the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 in a communication state (non-sealed state) in which the chuck internal space S and the chuck guide internal space Q communicate with the external space. Therefore, the wafer chuck 34 can be raised stably and efficiently without causing an excessive reaction force (reaction force to return the wafer chuck 34) when the wafer chuck 34 is raised. Further, damage to the probe card 32 and the wafer W can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, since the throttle valve 86 for limiting the gas flow rate is provided in the path connected to the suction port 80 of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72, the wafer chuck fixing release step (step S18). It is possible to suppress the wafer chuck 34 from being suddenly detached from the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 when the operation is performed, and the transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 can be performed more stably.

(Modification)
Next, a modification of the first embodiment will be described.

  In the first embodiment, the wafer chuck 34 is raised to a position H3 higher than the contact start height H2 by the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72, and each probe 36 of the probe card 32 is used as an electrode pad of each chip of the wafer W. The wafer chuck 34 is lowered to the contact start height H1 after contact (first contact) in the overdrive state, but the height position when the wafer chuck 34 is lowered is limited to the contact start height H1. It is not something.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a modification of the contact operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a timing chart showing a modification of the contact operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment. In FIG. 13, the same processes as those in FIG.

  In the modification shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the wafer chuck 34 is raised to a position H3 higher than the contact start height H2 by the Z-axis raising step (step S10), and each probe 36 of the probe card 32 is moved to the wafer W. After contacting the electrode pads of each chip in an overdriven state, the wafer chuck 34 is lowered to a position H1 lower than the contact start height H2 (time T5 to T6 in FIG. 14).

  Thereafter, after the chuck guide suction process (step S14) is performed, the wafer chuck 34 is moved from the position H1 lower than the contact start height H1 to the appropriate OD height H4 by the wafer chuck suction process (step S16).

  Here, when the wafer chuck 34 is moved to a position H1 lower than the contact start height H2, in the conventional vacuum suction method, an anchor effect can be obtained due to the tip of the probe 36 getting hard on the surface of the electrode pad. This is a factor that tends to cause displacement (lateral displacement) of the probe 36 in the horizontal direction (X direction and Y direction).

  On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the movement in the Z direction is guided while the movement of the wafer chuck 34 in the X and Y directions is regulated by the chuck guide mechanism 200 described above. Even when the position 34 is lowered to a position H1 lower than the contact start height H2, the chuck guide mechanism 200 guides the wafer chuck 34 along the Z direction without causing any positional deviation or inclination. The same effect can be obtained.

  In the first embodiment, the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 raises the wafer chuck 34 to a position H3 higher than the contact start height H2, and each probe 36 of the probe card 32 is moved to the electrode of each chip of the wafer W. A contact operation (first contact) for contacting the pad in an overdrive state is performed. However, the contact operation described above may be omitted if there is no problem due to the oxide film formed on the electrode pad.

  FIG. 15 is a timing chart showing another modified example of the contact operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment.

  In the modification shown in FIG. 15, after the wafer chuck 34 is raised to a position H1 lower than the contact start height H2 by the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72, the wafer chuck 34 is moved to a probe card by reducing the pressure in the chuck internal space S. The height is increased to a height position (appropriate OD height) H4 that is an appropriate overdrive amount of 32.

  According to this modification, the control for moving the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 up and down is simplified, and the overall throughput can be improved.

  Further, in the first embodiment, as a fixing method of the chuck guide mechanism 200, a method by vacuum suction is shown, but various known methods can be used as long as the chuck guide 204 can be detachably fixed to the head stage 30. It can be adopted and may be a mechanical system such as a clamp.

  In the first embodiment, the chuck guide mechanism 200 is provided on the wafer chuck 34 side and the chuck guide 204 (fixed portion 206) is adsorbed on the head stage 30 side. Alternatively, the chuck guide 204 (fixed portion 206) may be sucked to the wafer chuck 34 side.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, description of parts common to the above-described embodiment will be omitted, and description will be made focusing on characteristic parts of the present embodiment.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the chuck guide mechanism 200 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of the control device according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 16, a differential transformer type displacement meter 220 is provided in the chuck guide mechanism 200 in the second embodiment. The differential transformer displacement meter 220 includes a coil portion 222 fixed to the chuck guide holding portion 35 and a core (magnetic body) 224 attached to the chuck guide 204 (fixed portion 206) and inserted into the coil portion 222. The relative displacement in the Z direction of the core 224 with respect to the coil part 222 is output as a voltage signal. The differential transformer type displacement meter 220 is provided in each of the plurality of chuck guide mechanisms 200. The differential transformer type displacement meter 220 is an example of the second displacement sensor of the present invention.

  With the above configuration, when the wafer chuck 34 (chuck guide holding portion 35) is displaced in the Z direction with the fixing portion 206 of the chuck guide 204 being sucked and fixed to the head stage 30, the coil portion 222 is linked with this movement. The core 224 is relatively displaced in the Z direction. Then, the differential transformer displacement meter 220 outputs a voltage signal corresponding to the relative displacement amount of the core 224 with respect to the coil portion 222 in the Z direction (that is, the relative displacement amount of the wafer chuck 34 with respect to the head stage 30). Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the voltage signal output from the differential transformer type displacement meter 220 is input to the wafer chuck height detection unit 114 provided in the control device, and the wafer chuck height detection unit 114 receives this voltage signal. Based on the above, the distance between the head stage 30 and the wafer chuck 34 is calculated, and the height position of the wafer chuck 34 in the Z direction is detected based on the calculation result. The height position of the head stage 30 from an arbitrary reference surface of the prober 10 is known, and the height position of the head stage 30 and the output data of the differential transformer displacement meter 220 (that is, the wafer chuck for the head stage 30). 34), the height position of the wafer chuck 34 in the Z direction from the reference plane can be obtained.

  Based on the height position of the wafer chuck 34 detected by the wafer chuck height detection unit 114, the suction control unit 110 reduces the difference between the height position of the wafer chuck 34 and the target height position so that the difference between the vacuum position and the target height position is reduced. The internal pressure of the chuck internal space S controlled by the empty regulator 54 is feedback controlled.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the chuck guide mechanism 200 is provided with the differential transformer type displacement meter 220 that outputs a voltage signal corresponding to the relative displacement amount of the wafer chuck 34 in the Z direction with respect to the head stage 30. Accordingly, the height position of the wafer chuck 34 can be obtained from the output data of the differential transformer displacement meter 220, and the internal pressure of the chuck internal space S controlled by the vacuum electropneumatic regulator 54 is set to the height of the wafer chuck 34. Since feedback control can be performed based on the position, contact with higher accuracy can be realized.

  Further, in the second embodiment, even when a displacement occurs on the probe card 32 side (head stage 30 side) due to the deformation of the wafer chuck 34 due to the weight or contact load, the output data of the differential transformer displacement meter 220 is used. Since the distance between the probe card 32 held on the head stage 30 and the wafer chuck 34 can be obtained directly, the height position in the Z direction of the wafer chuck 34 is stabilized without being affected by the displacement. And it becomes possible to control with high precision.

  Further, in the second embodiment, it is possible to monitor not only the height position of the wafer chuck 34 but also the inclination from the output data of the plurality of differential transformer displacement meters 220. Therefore, when the wafer chuck 34 is pulled toward the probe card 32 due to the decompression of the chuck internal space S, confirmation of the crushing amount (overdrive amount) of the probe 36, inclination of the wafer chuck 34, state change during measurement, etc. are monitored. It is possible to accurately determine whether or not the measurement is correctly performed.

  In the second embodiment, the chuck guide mechanism 200 and the differential transformer type displacement meter 220 are provided on the wafer chuck 34 side. However, these may be provided on the head stage 30 side.

  Further, in the second embodiment, as a configuration for detecting the height position of the wafer chuck 34, a configuration in which a differential transformer type displacement meter 220 is provided in the chuck guide mechanism 200 is shown. For example, FIG. As described above, a non-contact displacement meter 226 (for example, a laser displacement meter) that detects the distance between the wafer chuck 34 and the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 on the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 side is provided along the circumferential direction. A plurality may be arranged at equal intervals. Thereby, the height position and inclination of the wafer chuck 34 can be detected with the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 side as a reference, and the same effect as the second embodiment described above can be obtained. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the displacement meter 226 is provided on the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 side. However, the displacement meter 226 may be provided on the wafer chuck 34 side. The displacement meter 226 is an example of the first displacement sensor of the present invention.

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

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Prober, 12 ... Measurement unit, 14 ... Loader part, 16 ... Measurement part, 18 ... Load port, 20 ... Wafer cassette, 22 ... Operation panel, 24 ... Transfer unit, 26 ... Transfer arm, 30 ... Head stage, 32 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Probe card, 34 ... Wafer chuck, 36 ... Probe, 40 ... Suction port, 42 ... Suction path, 44 ... Suction device, 46 ... Wafer adsorption solenoid valve, 48 ... Ring-shaped seal member, 50 ... Suction port, 52 ... Suction path, 54 ... vacuum electropneumatic regulator, 56 ... communication path, 58 ... chuck shutter, 70 ... alignment device, 72 ... Z-axis moving / rotating unit, 74 ... X-axis moving table, 76 ... Y-axis moving table, 78 ... Ring-shaped seal member, 80 ... suction port, 82 ... suction path, 84 ... electromagnetic valve for fixing the chuck, 86 ... throttle valve, 88 ... positioning pin, 90 ... V block, 100 ... whole Control unit 102 ... X-axis movement control unit 104 ... Y-axis movement control unit 106 ... Z-axis movement control unit 108 ... θ rotation control unit 110 ... Suction control unit 112 ... Shutter control unit 114 ... Wafer chuck Height detector 118, X-axis drive motor, 120 ... Y-axis drive motor, 122 ... Z-axis drive motor, 200 ... Chuck guide mechanism, 202 ... Bearing part, 204 ... Chuck guide, 206 ... Fixed part, 208 ... Chuck Guide seal rubber, 210 ... Suction port, 212 ... Suction path, 214 ... Chuck guide solenoid valve, 216 ... Communication passage, 218 ... Chuck guide shutter, 220 ... Differential transformer displacement meter, 222 ... Coil section, 224 ... Core, 226 ... Displacement meter

Claims (11)

A wafer chuck for holding the wafer;
A probe card provided to face the wafer chuck and having a probe at a position corresponding to each electrode pad of the wafer;
A head stage for detachably holding the probe card;
An annular first seal member provided on the head stage side of the wafer chuck and formed to surround the wafer held by the wafer chuck;
A mechanical lifting and lowering means for moving the wafer chuck in a vertical direction, having a wafer chuck fixing part for detachably fixing the wafer chuck;
Decompression means for decompressing the first internal space surrounded by the first seal member when the first seal member is in close contact with the head stage;
Wafer chuck guide means for guiding vertical movement while restricting horizontal movement of the wafer chuck when the wafer chuck moves toward the probe card due to the pressure reduction of the first internal space by the pressure reducing means. When,
Prober equipped with. The wafer chuck guide means is provided in at least three different positions in the horizontal direction of the wafer chuck or the head stage.
The prober according to claim 1. A first shutter means provided separately from the first seal member and capable of selectively switching the first internal space between an unsealed state and a sealed state;
The prober according to claim 1 or 2. The wafer chuck guide means can be detachably fixed to a bearing portion provided on the wafer chuck and the head stage, and the movement in the vertical direction is guided by the bearing portion while the movement in the horizontal direction is restricted. A chuck guide,
The prober according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The chuck guide has an annular second seal member provided on the head stage side, and is surrounded by the second seal member when the second seal member comes into close contact with the head stage. The chuck guide is attracted and fixed to the head stage by depressurizing the internal space of 2;
The prober according to claim 4. A second shutter means provided separately from the second seal member and capable of selectively switching the second internal space between an unsealed state and a sealed state;
The prober according to claim 5. A first displacement sensor that is provided on the mechanical lifting means or the wafer chuck and detects a distance between the mechanical lifting means and the wafer chuck;
The prober according to any one of claims 1 to 6. At least three first displacement sensors are provided at different positions in the horizontal direction of the mechanical lifting means or the wafer chuck,
The prober according to claim 7. A second displacement sensor that is provided on the wafer chuck or the head stage and detects a distance between the wafer chuck and the head stage;
The prober according to any one of claims 1 to 6. At least three second displacement sensors are provided at different positions in the horizontal direction of the wafer chuck or the head stage.
The prober according to claim 9. A wafer chuck for holding the wafer;
A probe card provided to face the wafer chuck and having a probe at a position corresponding to each electrode pad of the wafer;
A head stage for detachably holding the probe card;
An annular first seal member provided on the head stage side of the wafer chuck and formed to surround the wafer held by the wafer chuck;
A mechanical lifting and lowering means for moving the wafer chuck in a vertical direction, having a wafer chuck fixing part for detachably fixing the wafer chuck;
A probe contact method in a prober comprising:
A wafer chuck moving step of moving the wafer chuck toward the probe card by the mechanical lifting means;
A depressurizing step of depressurizing a first internal space formed by the first seal member when the first seal member is in close contact with the head stage after the wafer chuck moving step;
A wafer chuck guide step for guiding the movement of the wafer chuck in the vertical direction while regulating the movement of the wafer chuck in the horizontal direction when the wafer chuck moves toward the probe card due to the decompression of the first internal space;
A probe contact method comprising:

Images