JP2021027175A - Inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology that enables constant monitoring of the amount of charge on a placement table.SOLUTION: An inspection device for inspecting electrical characteristics of a device formed on a substrate includes an inspection chamber, a placement table that is provided in the inspection chamber and on which the substrate is placed, a conductive member that is provided in the inspection chamber and electrically connected to the placement table via wiring, and a sensor unit that detects the amount of charge on the conductive member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to an inspection device.

When inspecting the electrical characteristics of a semiconductor wafer using a tester, static electricity may be charged on the mounting table or the semiconductor wafer due to friction with air when the mounting table on which the semiconductor wafer is placed moves. In this case, the substrate in the tester may be damaged by static electricity.

Therefore, conventionally, there is known a technique of removing static electricity charged on a semiconductor wafer by a static eliminator and monitoring a malfunction of the static eliminator (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-54762

The present disclosure provides a technique capable of constantly monitoring the charge amount of a mounting table.

The inspection device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an inspection device for inspecting the electrical characteristics of a device formed on a substrate, and includes an inspection room, a mounting table provided in the inspection room on which the substrate is placed, and the inspection. A conductive member provided in the room and electrically connected to the above-mentioned stand via wiring, and a sensor unit for detecting the amount of charge of the conductive member are provided.

According to the present disclosure, the charge amount of the mounting table can be constantly monitored.

Front view showing an example of the inspection device of one embodiment Top view showing an example of the inspection device of one embodiment The figure for demonstrating the loader room of the inspection apparatus of FIG. The figure for demonstrating the detection part of the inspection apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the detection unit of FIG. The figure for demonstrating the fixing method of a conductive member The figure which shows another example of the inspection apparatus of one Embodiment Flow chart showing an example of static elimination processing Flow chart showing an example of temperature adjustment processing Flow chart showing an example of humidity adjustment processing

Hereinafter, non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In all the attached drawings, the same or corresponding members or parts are designated by the same or corresponding reference numerals, and duplicate description is omitted.

[Inspection device]
An example of the inspection device of one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the inspection device of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the inspection device of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the loader chamber of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a detection unit of the inspection device of FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the detection unit of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of fixing the conductive member.

The inspection device 1 includes a loader chamber 10, an inspection chamber 20, and an apparatus controller 30. The inspection device 1 conveys a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer W”) from the loader chamber 10 to the inspection chamber 20 under the control of the apparatus controller 30, and a device (DUT: Device) to be inspected formed on the wafer W. An electrical signal is given to the Under Test) to inspect various electrical characteristics.

The loader chamber 10 is provided with a load port 11, an aligner 12, and a wafer transfer mechanism 13.

The load port 11 mounts the cassette C containing the wafer W. The cassette C is, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod).

The aligner 12 aligns the wafer W with reference to notches such as an orientation flat (orifura) and a notch formed on the wafer W.

The wafer transfer mechanism 13 transfers the wafer W between the cassette C mounted on the load port 11, the aligner 12, and the mounting table 21 provided in the inspection room 20, which will be described later. The wafer transfer mechanism 13 includes an arm unit 131, a rotation drive mechanism 132, and a vertical drive mechanism 133.

The arm unit 131 is provided in two upper and lower stages, and has arms 131a and 131b that can move independently in the horizontal direction. The arms 131a and 131b hold the wafer W.

The rotation drive mechanism 132 is provided below the arm unit 131 and drives the arm unit 131 to rotate. The rotary drive mechanism 132 includes, for example, a stepping motor.

The vertical drive mechanism 133 is provided below the rotary drive mechanism 132, and drives the arm unit 131 and the rotary drive mechanism 132 up and down. The vertical drive mechanism 133 includes, for example, a stepping motor. The wafer transfer mechanism 13 is not limited to the form shown in FIG. 3, and may have, for example, an articulated arm and a vertical drive mechanism.

In the loader chamber 10, first, the wafer transfer mechanism 13 transfers the wafer W housed in the cassette C to the aligner 12. Subsequently, the aligner 12 aligns the wafer W. Subsequently, the wafer transfer mechanism 13 transfers the aligned wafer W from the aligner 12 to the mounting table 21 provided in the inspection room 20.

The inspection room 20 is arranged adjacent to the loader room 10. The inside of the examination room 20 is, for example, an atmospheric atmosphere. The atmospheric atmosphere is an atmosphere in which the inside of the inspection room 20 is not decompressed by a vacuum pump or the like. The atmospheric atmosphere includes, for example, an atmosphere in which the dew point is controlled by dry air in the inspection room 20, and an atmosphere in which the inside of the inspection room 20 is filled with an inert gas. The inspection room 20 includes a mounting table 21, an elevating mechanism 22, an XY stage 23, a probe card 24, an alignment mechanism 25, a cooling unit 26, a detection unit 27, a static elimination unit 28, and a humidity adjustment unit 29. And are provided.

The wafer W is placed on the upper surface of the mounting table 21. The mounting table 21 includes, for example, a vacuum chuck and an electrostatic chuck, and is configured so that the wafer W can be adsorbed on the upper surface. The mounting table 21 is made of, for example, nickel (Ni). The mounting table 21 has a refrigerant flow path (not shown), and low temperature air from the cooling unit 26 is supplied to the refrigerant flow path. As a result, the mounting table 21 is cooled.

The elevating mechanism 22 is provided at the lower part of the mounting table 21, and raises and lowers the mounting table 21 with respect to the XY stage 23. The elevating mechanism 22 includes, for example, a stepping motor.

The XY stage 23 is provided in the lower part of the elevating mechanism 22, and moves the mounting table 21 and the elevating mechanism 22 in the biaxial directions (X direction and Y direction in the drawing). The XY stage 23 is fixed to the bottom of the examination room 20. The XY stage 23 includes, for example, a stepping motor.

The probe card 24 is arranged above the mounting table 21. A plurality of probes 24a are formed on the mounting table 21 side of the probe card 24. The probe card 24 is detachably attached to the head plate 24b. A tester (not shown) is connected to the probe card 24 via a test head T. The probe 24a can be electrically contacted with the electrode of the DUT formed on the wafer W.

The alignment mechanism 25 includes a camera 25a, a guide rail 25b, and an alignment bridge 25c. The camera 25a is attached downward to the center of the alignment bridge 25c, and images the mounting table 21, the wafer W, and the like. The camera 25a is, for example, a CCD camera or a CMOS camera. The guide rail 25b movably supports the alignment bridge 25c in the horizontal direction (Y direction in the drawing). The alignment bridge 25c is supported by a pair of left and right guide rails 25b, and moves in the horizontal direction (Y direction in the drawing) along the guide rails 25b. As a result, the camera 25a moves between the standby position (see FIG. 2) and directly below the center of the probe card 24 (hereinafter referred to as “probe center”) via the alignment bridge 25c. The camera 25a located at the probe center captures the electrode pad of the wafer W on the mounting table 21 from above while the mounting table 21 moves in the XY direction during alignment, processes the image, and captures the image on the display device 40. Is displayed.

The cooling unit 26 cools the mounting table 21 by supplying low-temperature air to the refrigerant flow path in the mounting table 21.

The detection unit 27 includes a conductive member 271, a wiring 272, a sensor unit 273, and a housing 274.

The conductive member 271 is provided in the inspection room 20 and is electrically connected to the mounting table 21 via the wiring 272. Therefore, the conductive member 271 has the same or substantially the same potential as the mounting table 21. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the conductive member 271 is fixed to the housing 274 in a state of being insulated from the housing 274 by insulating washers 275a, 275b, 275c such as plastic washers and fixing screws 276. Has been done. The conductive member 271 has a plate shape, for example, and is made of a low-resistance metal material such as copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al).

One end of the wiring 272 is connected to the mounting table 21, and the other end is connected to the conductive member 271. The wiring 272 is a low-resistance metal wiring such as Cu or Al, and electrically connects the mounting base 21 and the conductive member 271.

As shown in FIG. 5, the sensor unit 273 is fixed to the housing 274 with a distance H above the conductive member 271. The sensor unit 273 includes a surface potential detection unit 273a and a temperature / humidity detection unit 273b. However, the sensor unit 273 may include the surface potential detection unit 273a and may not include the temperature / humidity detection unit 273b.

The surface potential detection unit 273a detects the charge amount of the conductive member 271 by measuring the surface potential of the conductive member 271 in a non-contact manner. The surface potential detection unit 273a transmits information regarding the detected charge amount to the device controller 30. As a result, the device controller 30 can indirectly and constantly monitor the charge amount of the mounting table 21 having the same or substantially the same potential as the conductive member 271 based on the received information on the charge amount. Further, the device controller 30 may execute the static elimination process described later based on the information regarding the received charge amount.

The temperature / humidity detection unit 273b detects the temperature and humidity in the inspection room 20 which is the space where the sensor unit 273 is provided. The temperature / humidity detection unit 273b transmits information on the detected temperature and humidity to the device controller 30. As a result, the device controller 30 can constantly monitor the temperature and humidity in the examination room 20 based on the received information on the temperature and humidity. Further, the device controller 30 may execute the temperature adjustment process and the humidity adjustment process described later based on the received information on the temperature and humidity.

In the illustrated example, the case where the sensor unit 273 includes the surface potential detection unit 273a for measuring the surface potential of the conductive member 271 in a non-contact manner has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The sensor unit 273 may include, for example, a surface potential detecting unit that contacts the conductive member 271 and measures the surface potential of the conductive member 271.

The housing 274 is fixed in the inspection room 20, and fixes the conductive member 271 and the sensor unit 273 in a predetermined positional relationship. The predetermined positional relationship is a positional relationship in which the sensor unit 273 can measure the surface potential of the conductive member 271. In one embodiment, the housing 274 is fixed to the bottom of the laboratory 20. However, the position where the housing 274 is fixed is not particularly limited as long as it does not interfere with the operation of the probe card 24 and the alignment mechanism 25, and is fixed to, for example, the mounting table 21, the elevating mechanism 22, and the XY stage 23. You may. The housing 274 is made of a metal material such as Al.

The static elimination unit 28 has a grounding wiring 281 and a switch 282.

One end of the grounding wiring 281 is connected to the mounting base 21, and the other end is grounded. The grounding wiring 281 is a metal wiring having a low resistance such as Cu or Al.

The switch 282 is interposed in the grounding wiring 281. The switch 282 opens and closes under the control of the device controller 30. By closing the switch 282, the device controller 30 removes the static electricity charged on the mounting base 21 via the grounding wiring 281. On the other hand, the device controller 30 cuts the grounding wiring 281 by opening the switch 282 and stops removing the static electricity charged on the mounting table 21.

The humidity adjusting unit 29 includes a dry air generator 291, a dry air introduction pipe 292, a branching unit 293, and a discharge nozzle 294.

The dry air generator 291 generates air having a predetermined dew point temperature (hereinafter, also referred to as “dry air”). The predetermined dew point temperature is, for example, −75 to −65 ° C. The dry air generator 291 generates air having a dew point temperature set under the control of the device controller 30.

The dry air introduction pipe 292 is connected to the dry air generator 291 and introduces the dry air generated by the dry air generator 291 into the branch portion 293.

The branch portion 293 is provided on the outer side wall of the inspection room 20, adjusts the flow rate of the dry air introduced from the dry air introduction pipe 292, and branches and supplies the dry air to the two discharge nozzles 294. The branch portion 293 includes, for example, an on-off valve and a flow rate regulator.

The discharge nozzle 294 extends parallel to the guide rail 25b of the alignment mechanism 25 on the ceiling in the inspection room 20. The discharge nozzle 294 has a plurality of discharge holes 294h arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and supplies dry air from the discharge holes 294h into the inspection chamber 20. As a result, the inside of the examination room 20 is maintained at a predetermined dew point temperature.

The device controller 30 is an example of a control unit, and is provided below the mounting table 21 to control the overall operation of the inspection device 1. The CPU provided in the device controller 30 executes a desired inspection according to the product type parameters stored in the memory such as ROM and RAM. The product type parameters may be stored in a semiconductor memory other than the hard disk, ROM, or RAM. Further, the product type parameter may be inserted and read at a predetermined position in a state of being recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD that can be read by a computer.

Further, the device controller 30 constantly monitors the charge amount of the mounting table 21 based on the information regarding the charge amount received from the sensor unit 273. Further, the device controller 30 executes the static elimination process described later based on the information regarding the charge amount received from the sensor unit 273. Further, the device controller 30 executes the temperature adjustment process described later based on the information regarding the temperature received from the sensor unit 273. Further, the device controller 30 executes the humidity adjustment process described later based on the information regarding the humidity received from the sensor unit 273.

As described above, according to the inspection device 1 of the embodiment, the sensor unit 273 detects the charge amount of the conductive member 271 electrically connected to the mounting table 21 via the wiring 272. The charge amount of the mounting table 21 is indirectly detected. As a result, the sensor unit 273 can be arranged at a position that does not interfere with the operation of the probe card 24 and the alignment mechanism 25. As a result, the charge amount of the mounting table 21 can be monitored even when the probe card 24 and the alignment mechanism 25 are operated to inspect the electrical characteristics of the DUT formed on the wafer W. That is, the charge amount of the mounting table 21 can be constantly monitored.

Next, another example of the inspection device of one embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the inspection device of one embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining a detection unit of the inspection device.

The inspection device 1A shown in FIG. 7 has a three-layer structure mounting table 21A instead of the mounting table 21 of the inspection device 1 described above. The mounting base 21A is electrically connected to the tester 50 by the 3-axis cable 60, and is electrically connected to the conductive member 271 by the 3-axis cable 277. The other configurations are the same as those of the inspection device 1. Hereinafter, the differences from the inspection device 1 will be mainly described.

The mounting table 21A is electrically connected to the tester 50 by a 3-axis cable 60 including a central conductor 60a, an intermediate conductor 60b, and an outer conductor 60c. Further, the mounting base 21A is electrically connected to the conductive member 271 by a 3-axis cable 277 including a central conductor 277a, an intermediate conductor 277b, and an outer conductor 277c.

The mounting table 21A has a three-layer structure having an upper layer 211, an intermediate layer 212, and a lower layer 213 arranged in order from the side on which the wafer W is placed.

The upper layer 211 is formed of a conductor such as nickel. The tester 50 is electrically connected to the upper layer 211 via the central conductor 60a of the 3-axis cable 60. Further, the conductive member 271 is electrically connected to the upper layer 211 via the central conductor 277a of the 3-axis cable 277.

The intermediate layer 212 is formed of an insulator such as ceramics.

The lower layer 213 is formed of a conductor such as nickel. A tester 50 is electrically connected to the lower layer 213 via an intermediate conductor 60b of the 3-axis cable 60. Further, one end of the intermediate conductor 277b of the 3-axis cable 277 is connected to the lower layer 213, and the other end of the intermediate conductor 277b is open.

According to the inspection device 1A shown in FIG. 7, the sensor unit 273 detects the charge amount of the conductive member 271 electrically connected to the mounting base 21A via the central conductor 277a of the 3-axis cable 277. The amount of charge of the mounting table 21A is indirectly detected. As a result, the sensor unit 273 can be arranged at a position that does not interfere with the operation of the probe card 24 and the alignment mechanism 25. As a result, the charge amount of the mounting table 21A can be monitored even when the probe card 24 and the alignment mechanism 25 are operated to inspect the electrical characteristics of the DUT formed on the wafer W. That is, the charge amount of the mounting table 21A can be constantly monitored.

Further, according to the inspection device 1A, the lower layer 213 of the mounting table 21A connected to the tester 50 via the intermediate conductor 60b of the 3-axis cable 60 is the 3-axis cable 277 in which the central conductor 277a is connected to the conductive member 271. It is connected to the intermediate conductor 277b. This makes it possible to shield from external noise.

[Static elimination processing]
Next, with reference to FIG. 8, an example of a process (hereinafter referred to as “static elimination process”) in which the device controller 30 performs static elimination of the mounting table 21 based on the information regarding the charge amount received from the sensor unit 273 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of static elimination processing. The static elimination process shown in FIG. 8 is repeatedly executed by the device controller 30 at a predetermined cycle while the inspection device 1 is activated.

In step S71, the device controller 30 acquires the charge amount (charge amount of the mounting table 21) of the conductive member 271 detected by the sensor unit 273.

In step S72, the device controller 30 determines whether or not the acquired charge amount is larger than a preset threshold value. The threshold value is, for example, several tens of V to several hundreds of V. If it is determined in step S72 that the acquired charge amount is larger than the preset threshold value, the device controller 30 advances the process to step S73. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S72 that the acquired charge amount is not larger than the preset threshold value, the device controller 30 ends the process.

In step S73, the device controller 30 determines whether or not the inspection is being performed in the inspection room 20. Whether or not the inspection is performed in the inspection room 20 is determined based on, for example, whether or not the probe 24a of the probe card 24 is in electrical contact with the electrode of the DUT formed on the wafer W. If it is determined in step S73 that the inspection is being performed, the device controller 30 repeats step S73 until the inspection is completed. Further, when it is determined in step S73 that the inspection is being performed, the device controller 30 displays a warning screen on the display device 40, emits a warning sound by the sound output device (not shown), or interrupts the inspection. You may let it. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S73 that the inspection has not been performed, the device controller 30 advances the process to step S74.

In step S74, the device controller 30 closes the switch 282 to remove the static electricity charged on the mounting table 21 via the grounding wiring 281 and ends the process.

According to the above static elimination process, the device controller 30 constantly monitors the charge amount of the mounting table 21 based on the charge amount of the conductive member 271 detected by the sensor unit 273, and the charge amount of the mounting table 21 is larger than the threshold value. In some cases, the mounting table 21 is statically eliminated. As a result, it is possible to prevent damage to the circuit board in the tester caused by static electricity being charged on the mounting table 21.

Further, according to the above static elimination process, when the DUT formed on the wafer W is inspected in a state where the charge amount of the mounting table 21 is larger than the threshold value, the device controller 30 displays a warning screen on the display device 40. Or emit a warning sound by the sound output device. As a result, the administrator of the inspection device 1 can confirm in advance from the warning screen and the warning sound that the substrate in the tester may be damaged by the static electricity charged on the mounting table 21.

Further, according to the above-mentioned static elimination process, when the DUT formed on the wafer W is inspected in a state where the charge amount of the mounting table 21 is larger than the threshold value, the apparatus controller 30 interrupts the inspection. As a result, it is possible to prevent damage to the circuit board in the tester caused by static electricity being charged on the mounting table 21.

Further, according to the above-mentioned static electricity elimination process, the device controller 30 does not remove the static electricity charged on the mounting table 21 when the DUT formed on the wafer W is inspected. As a result, it is possible to prevent adversely affecting the inspection of the electrical characteristics of the DUT formed on the wafer W.

[Temperature adjustment processing]
Next, with reference to FIG. 9, an example of a process of adjusting the temperature in the examination room 20 based on the temperature information received from the sensor unit 273 by the device controller 30 (hereinafter referred to as “temperature adjustment process”) will be described. .. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the temperature adjustment process. The temperature adjustment process shown in FIG. 9 is repeatedly executed by the device controller 30 at a predetermined cycle while the inspection device 1 is activated.

In step S81, the device controller 30 acquires the temperature in the examination room 20 detected by the sensor unit 273.

In step S82, the device controller 30 determines whether or not the acquired temperature is higher than the preset first temperature. The first temperature is determined, for example, according to the conditions for inspecting the electrical characteristics of the DUT. If it is determined in step S82 that the acquired temperature is higher than the preset first temperature, the device controller 30 advances the process to step S83. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S82 that the acquired temperature is not higher than the preset first temperature, the device controller 30 advances the process to step S84.

In step S83, the device controller 30 reduces the holding torque of the stepping motor of the vertical drive mechanism 133. As a result, the amount of heat generated by the stepping motor of the vertical drive mechanism 133 is reduced, and the heat transfer from the loader chamber 10 to the inspection chamber 20 is suppressed. Therefore, the temperature rise of the mounting table 21 is suppressed. Further, the device controller 30 may increase the flow rate of the low temperature air supplied from the cooling unit 26 to the refrigerant flow path of the mounting table 21. After step S83, the device controller 30 ends the process.

In step S84, the device controller 30 determines whether or not the acquired temperature is lower than the preset second temperature. The second temperature is a temperature lower than the first temperature, and is determined according to, for example, the conditions for inspecting the electrical characteristics of the DUT. If it is determined in step S84 that the acquired temperature is lower than the preset second temperature, the device controller 30 advances the process to step S85. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S84 that the acquired temperature is not lower than the preset second temperature, the device controller 30 ends the process.

In step S85, the device controller 30 increases the holding torque of the stepping motor of the vertical drive mechanism 133. As a result, the amount of heat generated by the stepping motor of the vertical drive mechanism 133 increases, and the heat transfer from the loader chamber 10 to the inspection chamber 20 increases. Therefore, the temperature of the mounting table 21 rises. Further, the device controller 30 may reduce the flow rate of the low temperature air supplied from the cooling unit 26 to the refrigerant flow path of the mounting table 21. After step S85, the device controller 30 ends the process.

According to the temperature adjustment process described above, the temperature inside the inspection room 20 is constantly monitored based on the temperature inside the inspection room 20 detected by the sensor unit 273, and the temperature inside the inspection room 20 is higher than the first temperature. When it is high, the holding torque of the stepping motor of the vertical drive mechanism 133 is reduced. Further, the temperature inside the inspection room 20 is constantly monitored based on the temperature inside the inspection room 20 detected by the sensor unit 273, and when the temperature inside the inspection room 20 is lower than the second temperature, the stepping of the vertical drive mechanism 133 Increase the holding torque of the motor. As a result, the temperature in the examination room 20 can be maintained within the range from the preset second temperature to the first temperature.

Further, according to the above temperature adjustment process, since the temperature in the examination room 20 is detected by the sensor unit 273 that detects the charge amount, it is not necessary to provide a temperature sensor separately from the sensor unit 273. Therefore, the number of parts used for monitoring the inspection device 1 can be reduced.

In the above temperature adjustment process, the case where the temperature in the inspection chamber 20 is adjusted by controlling the holding torque of the stepping motor of the vertical drive mechanism 133 provided in the loader chamber 10 has been described. Not limited to this. For example, the temperature inside the inspection chamber 20 may be adjusted by controlling the holding torque of the stepping motor of the rotation drive mechanism 132. Further, for example, the temperature in the inspection room 20 may be adjusted by controlling the holding torque of the stepping motors such as the elevating mechanism 22, the XY stage 23, and the alignment mechanism 25 provided in the inspection room 20. Further, a plurality of the above may be combined.

[Humidity adjustment process]
Next, with reference to FIG. 10, an example of a process (hereinafter referred to as “humidity adjustment process”) in which the device controller 30 adjusts the humidity in the examination room 20 based on the humidity information received from the sensor unit 273 will be described. .. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the humidity adjustment process. The humidity adjustment process shown in FIG. 10 is repeatedly executed by the device controller 30 at a predetermined cycle while the inspection device 1 is activated.

In step S91, the device controller 30 acquires the humidity in the examination room 20 detected by the sensor unit 273.

In step S92, the device controller 30 determines whether or not the acquired humidity is higher than the preset first humidity. The first humidity is determined, for example, according to the conditions for inspecting the electrical characteristics of the DUT. If it is determined in step S92 that the acquired humidity is higher than the preset first humidity, the device controller 30 advances the process to step S93. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S92 that the acquired humidity is not higher than the preset first humidity, the device controller 30 proceeds to the process in step S94.

In step S93, the device controller 30 controls the humidity adjusting unit 29 to increase the flow rate of the dry air supplied into the inspection chamber 20 to lower the humidity in the inspection chamber 20. After step S93, the device controller 30 ends the process.

In step S94, the device controller 30 determines whether or not the acquired humidity is lower than the preset second humidity. The second humidity is lower than the first humidity, and is determined according to, for example, the conditions for inspecting the electrical characteristics of the DUT. If it is determined in step S94 that the acquired humidity is lower than the preset second humidity, the device controller 30 advances the process to step S95. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S94 that the acquired humidity is not lower than the preset second humidity, the device controller 30 ends the process.

In step S95, the device controller 30 controls the humidity adjusting unit 29 to reduce the flow rate of the dry air supplied into the inspection chamber 20 to increase the humidity in the inspection chamber 20. After step S95, the device controller 30 ends the process.

According to the humidity adjustment process described above, the humidity in the inspection room 20 is constantly monitored based on the humidity in the inspection room 20 detected by the sensor unit 273, and the humidity in the inspection room 20 is higher than the first humidity. When it is high, the flow rate of dry air supplied into the inspection room 20 is increased. Further, the humidity in the examination room 20 is constantly monitored based on the humidity in the examination room 20 detected by the sensor unit 273, and when the humidity in the examination room 20 is lower than the second humidity, the humidity in the examination room 20 is supplied. Reduce the flow of dry air that is produced. As a result, the humidity in the examination room 20 can be maintained within the range from the preset second humidity to the first humidity.

Further, according to the above-mentioned humidity adjustment process, since the humidity in the examination room 20 is detected by the sensor unit 273 that detects the charge amount, it is not necessary to provide a humidity sensor separately from the sensor unit 273. Therefore, the number of parts used for monitoring the inspection device 1 can be reduced.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The above-described embodiment may be omitted, replaced, or changed in various forms without departing from the scope of the appended claims and the intent thereof.

In the above embodiment, the case where the inspection device has one inspection chamber for one loader chamber has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the inspection device may be a device having a plurality of inspection rooms for one loader room. Further, for example, the inspection device may be a device having a plurality of loader chambers and a plurality of inspection chambers.

1 Inspection device 10 Loader chamber 13 Wafer transfer mechanism 132 Rotation drive mechanism 133 Vertical drive mechanism 20 Inspection room 21 Mounting stand 21A Mounting stand 211 Upper layer 212 Intermediate layer 213 Lower layer 22 Elevating mechanism 23 XY stage 25 Alignment mechanism 27 Detection unit 271 Conductive member 272 Wiring 273 Sensor unit 273a Surface potential detection unit 273b Temperature / humidity detection unit 274 Housing 277 3-axis cable 277a Center conductor 277b Intermediate conductor 277c Outer conductor 28 Static elimination unit 29 Humidity adjustment unit 30 Device controller 60 3-axis cable 60a Center conductor 60b Intermediate conductor 60c outer conductor

Claims (10)

An inspection device that inspects the electrical characteristics of devices formed on a substrate.
Laboratory and
A mounting table provided in the inspection room on which the substrate is mounted and
A conductive member provided in the inspection chamber and electrically connected to the above-mentioned stand via wiring.
A sensor unit that detects the amount of charge of the conductive member and
An inspection device equipped with. The inspection room has an atmospheric atmosphere.
The inspection device according to claim 1. Further provided with a housing for fixing the conductive member and the sensor unit,
The conductive member is fixed to the housing in a state of being insulated from the housing.
The inspection device according to claim 1 or 2. The above-mentioned stand is made of nickel,
The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The above-mentioned stand has an upper layer, an intermediate layer, and a lower layer arranged in order from the side on which the substrate is placed.
A tester is connected to the upper layer via the central conductor of a 3-axis cable including a central conductor, an intermediate conductor, and an outer conductor.
The tester is connected to the lower layer via the intermediate conductor of the 3-axis cable.
The wiring is a triaxial cable including a central conductor, an intermediate conductor, and an outer conductor, and the conductive member is connected to the upper layer via the central conductor of the wiring.
The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The sensor unit detects the amount of charge of the conductive member in a non-contact manner.
The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A static eliminator that removes static electricity charged on the stand described above,
Further equipped with a control unit
The control unit is configured to control the static eliminator so as to remove static electricity charged on the above-mentioned stand when the amount of charge detected by the sensor unit is larger than a predetermined threshold value.
The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. With a stepping motor
Further equipped with a control unit
The sensor unit can measure the temperature in the inspection room.
The control unit is configured to control the holding torque of the stepping motor based on the temperature detected by the sensor unit.
The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The stepping motor is included in a drive mechanism that drives a transport mechanism for transporting the substrate.
The inspection device according to claim 8. Humidity control unit that supplies dry air to the inspection room
Further equipped with a control unit
The sensor unit can measure the humidity in the inspection room.
The control unit is configured to control the humidity adjustment unit so as to adjust the flow rate of dry air supplied to the inspection chamber based on the humidity detected by the sensor unit.
The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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