JP2021097086A - Prober and probe inspection method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a prober and a probe inspection method capable of stably releasing a wafer chuck without damaging a wafer or a probe.SOLUTION: A prober includes: a wafer chuck; a probe card that has a plurality of probes on a surface facing the wafer chuck; an annular sealing member that forms an internal space between the wafer chuck and the probe card; mechanical lifting means that has a wafer chuck fixing portion and raises and lowers the wafer chuck fixed to the wafer chuck fixing portion; negative pressure applying means that attracts and holds the wafer chuck to the probe card side by applying negative pressure to the internal space; a communication passage that has an effective cross-sectional area that can secure the flow rate of air required to release the wafer chuck from the probe card side at the target release speed when the internal space is switched to a non-sealed state; and shutter means that is attached to the communication passage and can switch the internal space between the non-sealed state and a closed state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a prober and probe inspection method for inspecting electrical characteristics of a plurality of semiconductor devices (chips) formed on a semiconductor wafer, and in particular, a multi-stage prober and probe inspection method including a plurality of measuring 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, the 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 is output. Wafer level inspection is performed by measuring the signal with a test head and electrically inspecting whether it operates normally.

After wafer level inspection, the wafer is affixed to the frame and cut into individual chips with a die. As for each of the cut chips, only the chips confirmed to operate normally are packaged in the next assembly step, and the malfunctioning chips are excluded from the assembly step. In addition, the packaged final products are shipped inspected.

Wafer level inspection is performed using a prober that brings the probe into contact with the electrode pads of each chip on the wafer. The probe is electrically connected to the terminal of the test head, and power and test signals are supplied from the test head to each chip via the probe, and the output signal from each chip is detected by the test head to see if it operates normally. To measure.

In the semiconductor manufacturing process, wafers are being made larger and further miniaturized (integrated) in order to reduce manufacturing costs, and the number of chips formed on one wafer is extremely large. ing. Along with this, the time required for inspecting one wafer with a prober has become longer, and improvement in throughput is required. Therefore, in order to improve the throughput, multiprobing is performed in which a large number of probes are provided so that a plurality of chips can be inspected at the same time. In recent years, the number of chips to be inspected at the same time has been increasing, and attempts have been made to inspect all the chips on the wafer at the same time. Therefore, the tolerance for alignment of the electrode pad and the probe in contact with each other is small, and it is required to improve the positioning accuracy of movement in the prober.

On the other hand, the simplest way to increase the throughput is to increase the number of probers, but increasing the number of probers causes a problem that the installation area of the probers on the production line also increases. In addition, if the number of probers is increased, the equipment cost will increase accordingly. Therefore, it is required to increase the throughput by suppressing the increase in the installation area and the increase in the equipment cost.

Against this background, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a test apparatus (multi-stage prober) including a plurality of measuring units. In this test device, an alignment device that aligns the wafer and the probe card relative to each other is configured to be able to move between the measuring units.

However, in the test apparatus described in Patent Document 1, although space saving and cost reduction can be achieved by sharing the alignment apparatus in each measuring unit, there are the following problems.

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

On the other hand, the applicant of the present application has proposed a prober that improves the above problem in a multi-stage prober provided with a plurality of measuring units (see Patent Document 2). In this prober, the alignment device moved to each measurement unit is positioned and fixed by the positioning and fixing device, so that the throughput can be reduced by suppressing the increase in the installation area and the device cost while maintaining the accuracy of the moving position of the alignment device. Can be improved.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-186998 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-192218

By the way, in the conventional probers described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, alignment is performed after the wafer and the probe card are relatively aligned in a state where the wafer chuck is detachably supported by the alignment device. The wafer chuck is delivered from the device to the probe card side. That is, after the wafer chuck is raised toward the probe card by the elevating mechanism (Z-axis moving / rotating portion) of the alignment device, the internal space formed between the probe card and the wafer chuck is depressurized to reduce the pressure of the wafer chuck. Is attracted to the probe card side, and each probe of the probe card is configured to come into contact with the electrode pad of each chip of the wafer at a predetermined pressure.

However, in the conventional prober, after the wafer level inspection is completed, the wafer chuck is released (separated) from the probe card side by vacuum breaking the internal space in order to deliver the wafer chuck from the probe card side to the alignment device. The operation (release operation) is performed. In this case, since it takes a long time to break the vacuum in the internal space, an unstable state occurs in which some probes are in contact with the wafer due to the inclination of the wafer chuck and the variation in the probe length (needle length). It will be easier. In such an unstable state, the binding force is small and the positional relationship between the probe and the wafer is likely to shift, and the wafer or the probe may be damaged at that location.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a prober and probe inspection method capable of stably releasing a wafer chuck without damaging a wafer or a probe.

In order to solve the above problems, the prober according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a wafer chuck for holding a wafer, a probe card having a plurality of probes on a surface facing the wafer chuck, and a wafer chuck and a probe card. An annular seal member that forms an internal space between the two, and a mechanical elevating means that has a wafer chuck fixing portion that detachably fixes the wafer chuck and raises and lowers the wafer chuck fixed to the wafer chuck fixing portion, and the inside. A negative pressure applying means that attracts and holds the wafer chuck to the probe card side by applying a negative pressure to the space, and a communication passage that communicates between the internal space and the external space, and switches the internal space to a non-sealed state. At that time, a communication path having an effective cross-sectional area that can secure the flow rate of air required to release the wafer chuck from the probe card side at the target release speed, and a communication path attached to the communication passage to make the internal space unsealed. It is provided with a shutter means that can be selectively switched between a closed state and a closed state.

In the first aspect, the prober according to the second aspect of the present invention controls the shutter means when the wafer chuck is released from the probe card side to switch the internal space from the non-sealed state to the closed state. Further provide means.

In the probe inspection method according to the third aspect of the present invention, the wafer chuck is attracted and held on the probe card side by applying a negative pressure to the internal space formed between the wafer chuck and the probe card, and the wafer is wafer. This is a probe inspection method that inspects the wafer held by the chuck. When the wafer chuck is released from the probe card side, the communication path communicating between the internal space and the external space is opened by the shutter means, and the inside is opened. Equipped with a process to make the space unsealed, the communication passage can secure the flow rate of air required to release the wafer chuck from the probe card side at the target release speed when the internal space is switched to the unsealed state. Has an effective cross-sectional area.

According to the present invention, the wafer chuck can be stably released without damaging the wafer and the probe.

External view showing the overall configuration of the prober according to the first embodiment Top view showing the overall configuration of the prober according to the first embodiment The schematic diagram which showed the structure of the measurement unit in the prober which concerns on 1st Embodiment The schematic diagram which showed the structure of the measuring part in the measuring unit shown in FIG. The figure which showed the correspondence relationship between a positioning pin and a V block Top view showing wafer chuck Enlarged plan view of the shutter means Functional block diagram showing the configuration of the prober control device according to the first embodiment. A flowchart showing a contact operation in the prober according to the first embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the contact operation in the prober which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Timing chart of contact operation in the prober according to the first embodiment A flowchart showing the release operation in the prober according to the first embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the release operation in the prober which concerns on 1st Embodiment Timing chart diagram showing the release operation in the prober according to the first embodiment Graph showing the relationship between the chuck release speed and the effective cross-sectional area of the communication passage Schematic diagram showing the configuration of the prober according to the second embodiment The figure for demonstrating the contact operation in the prober which concerns on 2nd Embodiment The figure for demonstrating the release operation in the prober which concerns on 2nd Embodiment

Hereinafter, embodiments of the prober and probe inspection method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First Embodiment)
1 and 2 are an external view and a plan view showing the overall configuration of the prober 10 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the prober 10 of the present embodiment has a loader unit 14 for supplying and recovering a wafer W (see FIG. 4) to be inspected, and a measurement unit 12 arranged adjacent to the loader unit 14. And have. The measuring unit 12 has a plurality of measuring units 16, and when the wafer W is supplied from the loader unit 14 to each measuring unit 16, each measuring unit 16 inspects the electrical characteristics of each chip of the wafer W. (Wafer level inspection) is performed. Then, the wafer W inspected by each measuring unit 16 is collected by the loader unit 14. The prober 10 also includes an operation panel 22, a control device (see FIG. 8) described later, and the like.

The loader unit 14 has a load port 18 on which the wafer cassette is placed, and a transfer unit 24 for transporting the wafer W between each measurement unit 16 of the measurement unit 12 and the wafer cassette.

The loader unit 14 has a card stocker 20 on which a card (probe card 32) is placed. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the measuring unit 16 and the card stocker 20 are arranged in the same number and at the same pitch (same interval) in the X direction.

The transport unit 24 is provided with a transport unit drive mechanism (not shown), and is configured to be movable in the X and Z directions and to be rotatable in the θ direction (around the Z direction).

Further, the transport unit 24 includes a transport arm 26 that is vertically expanded and contracted back and forth by the transport unit drive mechanism. A suction hole (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the transfer arm 26, and the transfer arm 26 holds the wafer W by vacuum suctioning the back surface of the wafer W with the suction hole. As a result, the wafer W in the wafer cassette 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 in a state of being held on the upper surface thereof. Further, the inspected wafer W that has been inspected is returned to the wafer cassette from each measuring unit 16 by the reverse route.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a measurement unit in the prober according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the measuring unit in the measuring unit shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the measuring unit 12 has a laminated structure (multi-stage structure) in which a plurality of measuring units 16 are laminated in a multi-stage shape, and each measuring unit 16 has 2 along the X direction and the Z direction. It is arranged dimensionally. In the present embodiment, as an example, four measuring units 16 in the X direction are stacked in three stages in the Z direction.

The measurement unit 12 includes a housing (not shown) having a grid shape in which a plurality of frames are combined in a grid pattern. This housing is formed by combining a plurality of frames extending in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction in a grid pattern, and each space portion formed by these frames is a component of the measurement unit 16. Is placed.

Each measuring unit 16 has the same configuration, and includes a head stage 30, a probe card 32, and a wafer chuck 34, as shown in FIG. Further, each measuring unit 16 is provided with a test head (not shown). The test head is supported above the head stage 30 by a test head holding portion (not shown).

The head stage 30 is supported by a frame member (not shown) that constitutes a part of the housing, and the probe card 32 is detachably attached and fixed. The probe card 32 mounted and fixed to the head stage 30 is provided so as to face the wafer holding surface 34a 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 a cantilever or a spring pin 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), a power supply 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 normally. The detailed description of the connection configuration between the probe card 32 and the test head will be omitted.

The probe 36 has a spring property, and by raising the contact point from the tip position of the probe 36, the probe 36 comes into contact with the electrode pad at a predetermined contact pressure. Further, when the electrode pad is in contact with the probe 36 in an overdrive state during an electrical inspection, the tip of the probe 36 sinks into the surface of the electrode pad and forms needle marks on the surface of the electrode pad. It is designed to do. The overdrive is a probe so that the electrode pad and the probe 36 are surely in contact with each other in consideration of the inclination of 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. This refers to a state in which the surface of the electrode pad, that is, 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 (contact position) of the probe 36, that is, the distance α is referred to as an overdrive amount.

The wafer chuck 34 vacuum-sucks and fixes the wafer W. The wafer chuck 34 has a wafer holding surface 34a on which the 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 solenoid valve 46 is provided in the suction path connecting the suction device 44 and the suction path 42. The wafer adsorption solenoid valve 46 is controlled by the wafer adsorption solenoid valve control unit 110 (see FIG. 8).

An elastic ring-shaped seal member (chuck seal rubber) 48 formed so as to surround the wafer W held on the wafer holding surface 34a is provided outside the wafer holding surface 34a of the wafer chuck 34. When the wafer chuck 34 is moved (raised) toward the probe card 32 by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 described later, the ring-shaped sealing member 48 comes into contact with the lower surface of the head stage 30, so that the wafer chuck 34, An internal space R (see FIG. 10) surrounded by the probe card 32 and the ring-shaped sealing member 48 is formed. The ring-shaped seal member 48 is an example of the annular seal member of the present invention.

The head stage 30 is provided with a pressure supply port 50 for applying a negative pressure to the internal space R formed between the probe card 32 and the wafer chuck 34. The pressure supply port 50 is provided on the lower surface of the head stage 30 and is open to the internal space R. Further, the pressure supply port 50 is formed at one end (lower end of FIG. 4) of the supply path 52 formed inside the head stage 30, and the other end of the supply path 52 (upper end of FIG. 4) is the pipe 60. It is connected to one end. That is, the pipe 60 communicates with the internal space R via the supply path 52 and the pressure supply port 50. The other end of the pipe 60 is connected to the suction device 44 (vacuum pump) via a pressure reducing regulator (vacuum electropneumatic regulator) 54.

The suction device 44 can reduce the pressure of the internal space R to a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure by discharging the air in the internal space R through the pipe 60. The decompression regulator 54 can be set to any pressure (negative pressure) from atmospheric pressure to, for example, -100 kPa (gauge pressure), and when the decompression regulator 54 is used to reduce the degree of vacuum (reduce the negative pressure). Air flows into the internal space R from the intake port 54a until a predetermined pressure is reached. The suction device 44 and the pressure reducing regulator 54 are examples of the negative pressure applying means of the present invention.

The wafer chuck 34 is provided with a communication passage 56 that communicates between the internal space R and the external space. One end of the communication passage 56 is open in a region of the wafer holding surface 34a of the wafer chuck 34 near the outer periphery where the wafer W is not placed, and the other end of the communication passage 56 is open on the side surface of the wafer chuck 34.

Further, the head stage 30 can be selectively switched between a communication state in which the internal space R communicates with the external space (non-sealed state) and a non-communication state in which the internal space R does not communicate with the external space (sealed state). Shutter means 58 is provided.

The shutter means 58 is composed of an air cylinder mechanism 300 and an on-off valve 302, and the air-cylinder mechanism 300 provides an on-off valve 302 between a closed position in which the communication passage 56 is closed and an open position in which the communication passage 56 is opened. The communication passage 56 is opened and closed by moving it forward and backward. That is, as the shutter means 58 moves back and forth by the air cylinder mechanism 300, the internal space R is selectively switched between the non-communication state and the communication state.

The air cylinder mechanism 300 moves the on-off valve 302 in the horizontal direction, and includes a cylinder 304, a piston 306 housed inside the cylinder 304, and a piston rod 308 fixed to the piston 306. ing. The cylinder 304 is connected to the air cylinder driving device 310 via a gas supply path, and the piston 306 and the piston rod 308 move forward and backward by the gas supplied from the air cylinder driving device 310. The on-off valve 302 is attached to the tip of the piston rod 308, and is located between an open position for opening the communication passage 56 and a shutoff position for shutting off the communication passage 56 according to the advancing / retreating movement of the piston 306 and the piston rod 308. It is configured to be able to move forward and backward. When the on-off valve 302 moves to the open position, the communication passage 56 is in an open state, and the internal space R is in a communication state communicating with the external space via the communication passage 56. On the other hand, when the on-off valve 302 moves to the shutoff position, the communication passage 56 is in a shutoff state, and the internal space R is in a non-communication state that does not communicate with the external space. The shutter means 58 (air cylinder mechanism 300) is controlled by a shutter control unit 116 (see FIG. 7), which will be described later.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the shutter means 58 is provided on the head stage 30, the wafer chuck 34 is not provided with the components of the shutter means 58 which are heat dissipation elements, and the temperature distribution of the wafer chuck 34 is not provided. The effect on the Further, the flatness of the wafer holding surface 34a of the wafer chuck 34 is improved by eliminating the influence on the temperature distribution of the wafer chuck 34. As a result, the parallelism between the wafer W and the probe card 32 can be made higher, and the wafer level inspection can be performed with high accuracy. Further, since the number of parts mounted on the wafer chuck 34 can be reduced, it becomes easy to balance the weight of the wafer chuck 34. As a result, the contact operation and the release operation by the vacuum suction method can be stably performed without disturbing the weight balance of the wafer chuck 34. The shutter means 58 can also be provided on the wafer chuck 34 side.

In the present embodiment, as an example, a communication state (non-sealed state) and a non-communication state (sealed state) in which the internal space R is communicated with the external space by the communication passage 56 and the shutter means 58 provided in the wafer chuck 34. Although the configuration can be selectively switched between the two, instead of the configuration of the present embodiment, for example, the head stage 30 or the probe card 32 may be provided with a communication passage and a shutter means. According to this configuration, since the wafer chuck 34 is not provided with the communication passage and the shutter means that serve as heat dissipation elements, the influence on the temperature distribution of the wafer chuck 34 can be reduced. Further, the flatness of the wafer holding surface 34a of the wafer chuck 34 is improved by reducing the influence on the temperature distribution of the wafer chuck 34. As a result, the parallelism between the wafer W and the probe card 32 can be made higher, and the wafer level inspection can be performed with high accuracy. Further, since the number of parts mounted on the wafer chuck 34 can be reduced as compared with the configuration of the present embodiment, it becomes easy to balance the weight of the wafer chuck 34. As a result, in the contact operation and the release operation of the wafer chuck 34, the wafer chuck 34 can be delivered in a stable state without disturbing the weight balance of the wafer chuck 34.

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

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

The alignment device 70 detachably supports and fixes the wafer chuck 34, moves the wafer chuck 34 in the Z-axis direction, and rotates in the θ direction with the Z-axis as the center of rotation. An X-axis moving table 74 that supports the rotating portion 72 and moves in the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis moving table 76 that supports the X-axis moving table 74 and moves in the Y-axis direction are provided.

The Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72, the X-axis moving table 74, and the Y-axis moving table 76 are each configured to move or rotate the wafer chuck 34 in a predetermined direction by a mechanical drive mechanism including at least a motor. .. The mechanical drive mechanism includes, for example, a ball screw drive mechanism in which a servomotor and a ball screw are combined. Further, the structure is not limited to the ball screw drive mechanism, and may be composed of a linear motor drive mechanism, a belt drive mechanism, or the like. The Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72, the X-axis moving table 74, and the Y-axis moving table 76 are configured so that the moving distance, moving direction, moving speed, and acceleration of the wafer chuck 34 can be changed by each control unit described later. There is. Specifically, the present embodiment has the following configuration.

The Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 is an example of the mechanical lifting means of the present invention, and is a Z-axis drive motor 122 (for example, a stepping motor, a servomotor, a linear motor, etc.) for moving the wafer chuck 34 in the Z-axis direction. (See FIG. 8) and a Z-axis encoder (for example, a rotary encoder or a linear scale) (not shown) for detecting the moving distance of the wafer chuck 34 in the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis drive motor 122 is controlled based on a motor control signal from the Z-axis movement control unit 106 (see FIG. 7) described later, and drives the wafer chuck 34 to move to a target position at a desired movement speed or acceleration. .. Further, the Z-axis encoder outputs an encoder signal according to the movement of the wafer chuck 34.

Further, the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 includes a rotary drive motor 124 (for example, a stepping motor, a servomotor, a linear motor, etc.) for rotating the wafer chuck 34 in the θ direction (see FIG. 8) and the wafer chuck 34. It is provided with a rotation encoder (for example, a rotary encoder or the like) (not shown) for detecting a rotation angle in the θ direction. The rotation drive motor 124 is controlled based on a motor control signal from the θ rotation control unit 108 (see FIG. 8) described later, and drives the wafer chuck 34 to move to a target position at a desired rotation speed or acceleration. Further, the rotary encoder outputs an encoder signal according to the rotation of the wafer chuck 34.

The X-axis moving table 74 includes an X-axis drive motor 118 (for example, a stepping motor, a servomotor, a linear motor, etc.) for moving the wafer chuck 34 in the X-axis direction (see FIG. 8) and an X-axis of the wafer chuck 34. It is equipped with an X-axis encoder (for example, a rotary encoder, a linear scale, etc.) (not shown) for detecting a moving distance in a direction. The X-axis drive motor 118 is controlled based on a motor control signal from the X-axis movement control unit 102 (see FIG. 8) described later, and drives the wafer chuck 34 to move to a target position at a desired movement speed or acceleration. .. Further, the X-axis encoder outputs an encoder signal according to the movement of the wafer chuck 34.

The Y-axis moving table 76 includes a Y-axis drive motor 120 (for example, a stepping motor, a servomotor, a linear motor, etc.) for moving the wafer chuck 34 in the Y-axis direction (see FIG. 8) and a Y-axis of the wafer chuck 34. It is equipped with a Y-axis encoder (for example, a rotary encoder, a linear scale, etc.) (not shown) for detecting a moving distance in a direction. The Y-axis drive motor 120 is controlled based on a motor control signal from the Y-axis movement control unit 104 (see FIG. 8) 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 according to the movement of the wafer chuck 34.

The alignment device 70 is provided for each stage (see FIG. 3), and is configured to be mutually movable between a plurality of measuring units 16 arranged in each stage by an alignment device drive mechanism (not shown). .. That is, the alignment device 70 is shared among a plurality of (four in this example) measuring units 16 arranged in the same stage, and moves between the plurality of measuring units 16 arranged in the same stage. To do. The alignment device 70 moved to each measuring unit 16 is fixed in a predetermined position by a positioning and fixing device (not shown), and the wafer chuck 34 is moved in the X, Y, Z and θ directions and held by the wafer chuck 34. Relative alignment between the wafer W and the probe card 32 is performed. Although not shown, the alignment device 70 includes a needle position detection camera and a needle position detection camera in order to detect 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. It is equipped with a wafer alignment camera. Further, the alignment device drive mechanism is composed of a mechanical drive mechanism such as a ball screw drive mechanism, a linear motor drive mechanism, or a belt drive mechanism.

A ring-shaped seal member (Z-axis seal rubber) 78 having elasticity formed in an annular shape along the outer circumference is provided on the wafer chuck support surface 72a of the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 forming the upper surface of the alignment device 70. Further, a suction port 80 is provided inside the ring-shaped seal member 78 of 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. The suction path connecting the suction device 44 and the suction path 82 is provided with a chuck fixing solenoid valve 84 and a throttle valve 86 in this order from the suction device 44 side. The chuck fixing solenoid valve 84 is controlled by the chuck fixing solenoid valve control unit 112 (see FIG. 8), which will be described later. The wafer chuck support surface 72a of the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 is an example of the wafer chuck fixing portion of the present invention. Further, the suction port 80 provided on the wafer chuck support surface 72a is an example of a component of the wafer chuck fixing portion.

A positioning pin 88 is provided on the outside of the ring-shaped seal member 78 of the wafer chuck support surface 72a of the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 so that the relative positional relationship of the wafer chuck 34 with respect to the alignment device 70 is always constant. ing. As shown in FIG. 5, the positioning pins 88 are provided at three positions at equal intervals along the circumferential direction centered on the central axis of the wafer chuck 34 (only two are shown in FIG. 4). A V block 90, which is a positioning member, is provided on the lower surface of the wafer chuck 34 at a position corresponding to each positioning pin 88. When the wafer chuck 34 is attracted and fixed by vacuum suction, the corresponding positioning pins 88 are engaged in the V grooves of each V block 90 in the horizontal direction (X direction and Y direction) of the wafer chuck 34. ) Is restrained, and the alignment device 70 and the wafer chuck 34 are relatively positioned. Note that FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the correspondence between the positioning pin 88 and the V block 90. In FIG. 5, in order to simplify the drawing, the configurations other than the positioning pin 88 and the V block 90 are not shown.

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

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the wafer chuck, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the shutter means.

As shown in FIG. 6, four shutter means 58 are attached to the wafer chuck 34. The shutter means 58 is provided corresponding to a communication passage 56 that communicates between the internal space R surrounded by the wafer chuck 34, the probe card 32, and the ring-shaped sealing member 48 and the external space. The communication passage 56 is used for exhaust when cleaning the probe card 32 of the prober 10.

As shown in FIG. 7, the shutter means 58 includes a drive unit 300. The drive unit 300 includes, for example, an air cylinder, and moves the piston 306 and the piston rod 308 in the length direction thereof. As the drive unit 300, for example, one including a motor or a linear motor can be used. In FIG. 4 and the like, the shutter means 58 is shown in a simplified manner.

Reference numeral 56A in the drawing is a sealing component (for example, rubber packing or the like). The sealing part 56A is attached to the tip of the on-off valve 302 (see FIG. 4), and when the on-off valve 302 is moved to close the communication passage 56, the sealing part 56A is placed in the opening of the communication passage 56. Airtightness is ensured by contacting.

When the sealing component 56A comes into contact with the opening of the communication passage 56, the sealing component 56A closes the communication passage 56 and blocks the internal space R from the external space. On the other hand, when the sealing component 56A separates from the opening of the communication passage 56, the communication passage 56 is opened and the internal space R communicates with the external space. As a result, the opening and closing of the internal space R can be switched.

Reference numeral 50A in FIG. 7 is a connection portion for connecting the supply path 52 and the pipe 60.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a prober control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 8, the control device of the prober 10 of the present 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, and a θ rotation control unit 108. It includes a wafer suction solenoid valve control unit 110, a chuck fixing solenoid valve control unit 112, a pressure control unit 115, a shutter control unit 116, and the like.

The overall control unit 100 comprehensively controls each unit constituting the prober 10. Specifically, the overall control unit 100 controls a contact operation of sucking and holding the wafer chuck 34 on the probe card 32 side and a release operation of releasing (separating) the wafer chuck 34 from the probe card 32 side. In addition to these operations, the overall control unit 100 controls the movement of the alignment device 70 to move between the measurement units 16 and the operation of the wafer level inspection by the test head. Since the controls other than the contact operation and the release operation are not characteristic parts of the present invention, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

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

The wafer suction solenoid valve control unit 110 adjusts the suction pressure by the suction port 40 by controlling ON / OFF (open / close) of the wafer suction solenoid valve 46, and fixes / fixes the wafer W to the wafer chuck 34. Selectively switch between non-fixed.

The chuck fixing solenoid valve control unit 112 adjusts the suction pressure by the suction port 80 by controlling ON / OFF (opening / closing) of the chuck fixing solenoid valve 84, and the wafer with respect to the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72. The chuck 34 is selectively switched between fixed and non-fixed.

The pressure control unit 115 sets the internal pressure of the internal space R to a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure by controlling the operation of the pressure reducing regulator 54.

The shutter control unit 116 selectively switches between opening and closing of the communication passage 56 communicating between the internal space R and the external space by controlling the opening and closing of the shutter means 58. Here, the shutter control unit 116 functions as a shutter control means.

Next, the contact operation (an example of the probe inspection method) in the prober 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. This operation is performed under the control of the overall control unit 100.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a contact operation in the prober according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a contact operation in the prober according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing the contact operation in the prober according to the first embodiment. The time width of the timing chart shown in FIG. 11 is expressed for simplification of the drawing, and is different from the actual time. Further, the “Z-axis height” in FIG. 11 indicates a position (height position) of the wafer chuck support surface 72a of the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 in the Z-axis direction. Further, the “chuck height” in FIG. 11 is the height position (specifically, the wafer holding surface) of the wafer chuck 34 when the tip position (contact position) of the probe 36 is set as the reference position (0 point position). The position of 34a in the Z-axis direction) is shown.

(Preliminary operation)
The pre-operation of the contact operation will be described.

First, as a preliminary operation of the contact operation, the alignment device 70 is moved to the measuring unit 16 to be inspected, and then the wafer chuck 34 is delivered to the alignment device 70 in a state of being positioned and fixed by a positioning and fixing device (not shown). .. Since the transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 before the start of the contact operation is not a main part of the present invention, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Step S10: Wafer chuck fixing step)
After the wafer chuck 34 is delivered to the alignment device 70, as shown in FIG. 10A, the chuck fixing solenoid valve control unit 112 turns the chuck fixing solenoid valve 84 ON (open state) and Z-axis. The wafer chuck 34 is attracted and fixed to the wafer chuck support surface 72a (see FIG. 4) of the moving / rotating portion 72 (time T1 in FIG. 11). At this time, by engaging the positioning pin 88 of the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 into the V groove of the V block 90 of the wafer chuck 34, the alignment device 70 and the wafer chuck 34 are relatively positioned.

After that, when the wafer W is supplied (loaded) to the wafer chuck 34 supported and fixed to the alignment device 70, the wafer adsorption electromagnetic valve control unit 110 turns on the wafer adsorption electromagnetic valve 46 (open state), and the wafer The wafer W is adsorbed and fixed to the holding surface 34a (see FIG. 4) (time T2 in FIG. 11).

(Step S12: Alignment step)
Next, the X-axis movement control unit 102, the Y-axis movement control unit 104, and the θ rotation control unit 108 are based on the results imaged by the needle position detection camera and the wafer alignment camera under the control of the overall control unit 100. The X-axis drive motor 118, the Y-axis drive motor 120, and the rotary drive motor 124 are controlled to perform relative alignment between the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 34 and the probe card 32.

(Step S14: Shutter opening step)
Next, as shown in FIG. 10A, the shutter control unit 116 opens the shutter means 58 to open the communication passage 56 (time T3 in FIG. 11).

The shutter opening step may be executed at least before the ring-shaped seal member 48 comes into contact with the head stage 30 (see FIG. 10B) in the Z-axis raising step described later. For example, the shutter opening step may be performed between the wafer chuck fixing step and the alignment step, or may be performed before the wafer chuck fixing step. Further, the shutter opening step may be performed at the same time as the wafer chuck fixing step or the alignment step.

(Step S16: Z-axis ascending step)
Next, as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C, the Z-axis movement control unit 106 controls the Z-axis drive motor 122 to raise the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72, thereby causing the wafer chuck. The 34 is moved toward the probe card 32 (time T4 to T5 in FIG. 11). Specifically, the wafer chuck 34 is raised so that the wafer chuck 34 moves from a predetermined height position (standby position) to a height position where the ring-shaped sealing member 48 contacts the head stage 30 (FIG. 10B). ), Further, the wafer chuck 34 is raised to a position higher than the tip position (contact position) of the probe 36 (see FIG. 10C). As a result, 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.

In the Z-axis raising step, the height at which the wafer chuck 34 is raised by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 is set from the tip position (contact position) of the probe 36 to the appropriate overdrive amount (appropriate OD position) of the probe card 32. It is a height position of 30 to 70%. Alternatively, the height at which the wafer chuck 34 is raised is a height position of 0 to 70% of the appropriate overdrive amount. The Z-axis raising step is an example of the wafer chuck moving step of the present invention.

(Step S18: Shutter closing step)
Next, as shown in FIG. 10 (D), the shutter control unit 116 closes the shutter means 58 and shuts off the communication passage 56 (time T6 in FIG. 11). As a result, the internal space R formed between the wafer chuck 34 and the probe card 32 by the ring-shaped sealing member 48 becomes a non-communication state (sealed state) that does not communicate with the external space.

(Step S20: decompression step)
Next, as shown in FIG. 10D, the pressure control unit 115 controls the operation of the decompression regulator 54 to start depressurization of the internal space R (time T7 in FIG. 11). At this time, the pressure control unit 115 has an appropriate overdrive amount (appropriate OD position) of the probe card 32 when the wafer chuck 34 is released from being fixed by the suction port 80 (see FIG. 4) of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72. A target pressure is set so that the wafer chuck 34 rises up to, and the internal pressure of the internal space R is adjusted so as to reach the target pressure. The target pressure of the internal space R may be obtained empirically or experimentally, or may be obtained from the design value. For example, in order to determine the target pressure, the reaction force received from the probe 36 when the wafer chuck 34 rises to the appropriate overdrive amount of the probe card 32 (the reaction force when the probe 36 is crushed) and the probe card 32. It can be obtained from the total number of probes 36 provided in. If the total stylus pressure of the probe card 32 (total pressure received from the probe 36) is known, the negative pressure required by dividing by the area of the surface (adsorption surface) surrounded by the ring-shaped sealing member 48 is the target of the internal space R. Obtained as pressure. However, it is necessary to set the target pressure of the internal space R in consideration of the weight of the wafer chuck 34 and the reaction force caused by crushing the ring-shaped sealing member 48. The depressurization step is an example of the negative pressure applying step of the present invention.

In step S20, the target pressure is set, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a sensor that detects the relative height between the wafer chuck 34 and the head stage 30 may be used to perform feedback control up to an appropriate overdrive amount while measuring the overdrive amount.

(Step S22: Judgment step)
Next, the pressure control unit 115 determines whether or not the internal pressure (pressure value P1) of the internal space R has reached the set pressure (pressure value P2) set by the pressure reducing regulator 54. This determination is repeated until the internal pressure (pressure value P1) reaches the set pressure (pressure value P2), and when the set pressure (pressure value P2) is reached, the process proceeds to the next step S24. As a result, when the internal pressure of the internal space R stabilizes at the set pressure, the wafer chuck fixing release step (step S24) described later is performed. As the internal pressure of the internal space R, for example, the internal pressure of the internal space R may be directly detected by a pressure sensor provided in the wafer chuck 34 or the head stage 30, or the pressure built in or connected to the decompression regulator 54. It may be detected by a sensor.

(Step S24: Wafer chuck fixing release step)
Next, the chuck fixing solenoid valve control unit 112 turns off the chuck fixing solenoid valve 84 (closed state), and fixes the wafer chuck 34 by the suction port 80 (see FIG. 4) of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72. It is released (time T9 in FIG. 11).

At this time, since the internal pressure of the internal space R is adjusted to the set pressure by the decompression regulator 54, the wafer chuck 34 moves in the Z-axis when the fixing of the wafer chuck 34 by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 is released. -It is separated from the rotating portion 72 and pulled toward the probe card 32 side (T9 to T10 in FIG. 11). As a result, the electrode pads and probe card 32 of each chip of the wafer W to be inspected are not affected by the inclination of the wafer W and the array surface of the tip of the probe 36 and the variation of the tip position of the probe 36. The probe 36 is surely in contact with the probe 36 at a predetermined contact pressure.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the wafer chuck 34 is fixed and the wafer chuck 34 is released after the decompression of the internal space R is started. Therefore, the wafer chuck 34 is set to which side at the moment of switching between these steps. There is no fixed state (free state), and the transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 can be performed stably.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the throttle valve 86 is provided in the suction path connecting the suction path 82 of the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 and the chuck fixing solenoid valve 84, the internal space R is depressurized. Even if the wafer chuck 34 is released from being fixed after the start of the operation, the negative pressure on the lower side (Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 side) of the wafer chuck 34 is not suddenly lost. Therefore, the wafer chuck 34 is suddenly restrained from below (that is, the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72) while being pulled from both the upper and lower sides (that is, both sides of the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 and the probe card 32). Since the fixing force due to adsorption from the wafer chuck 34 is not lost, abnormal vibration and abnormal contact due to sudden movement of the wafer chuck 34 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wafer chuck 34 from suddenly detaching from the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 when the wafer chuck fixing release step is performed, so that the transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 is performed more stably. It becomes possible.

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

(Step S26: Z-axis lowering step)
Next, as shown in FIG. 10 (E), 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 (standby position). (Times T11 to T12 in FIG. 11).

As described above, when the wafer chuck 34 is handed over from the alignment device 70 (Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72) to the head stage 30 (probe card 32 side), each probe 36 of the probe card 32 has a uniform contact pressure. The wafer W is in contact with the electrode pads of each chip, and the wafer level inspection can be started. After that, 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 the signal output from each chip is detected to perform an electrical operation inspection.

After the wafer chuck 34 is handed over from the alignment device 70 (Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72) to the head stage 30 (probe card 32 side), the alignment device 70 moves to another measuring unit 16 and measures the wafer chuck 34. In the unit 16, the contact operation is performed in the same procedure, and the wafer level inspection is sequentially performed.

As a result, the contact operation in the prober 10 according to the first embodiment is completed.

Next, the release operation (an example of the probe inspection method) performed after the wafer level inspection is completed in the prober 10 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the release operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a release operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a timing chart showing the release operation in the prober 10 of the first embodiment.

(Step S30: Z-axis ascending step)
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. 13 (A). Raise to a high position (chuck receiving height) (time T1 to T2 in FIG. 14).

The positional relationship between the wafer chuck 34 and the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 when the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 rises to the chuck receiving height and the wafer chuck 34 moves to the release position is shown in FIG. As shown in A), it is preferable that the positioning pin 88 is not fitted in the V block (positioning groove) 90 and the ring-shaped sealing member 78 is in contact with the lower surface of the wafer chuck 34. By bringing the ring-shaped sealing member 78 into contact with the lower surface of the wafer chuck 34 before the chuck release step described later is performed, the ring-shaped sealing member 78 effectively absorbs the impact at the time of releasing the wafer chuck 34. It becomes possible.

(Step S32: Chuck release process)
Next, the shutter control unit 116 controls the shutter means 58 to open the communication passage 56. As a result, air flows from the external space into the internal space R, the pressure in the internal space R rises, and the wafer chuck 34 is released (time T4 in FIG. 14).

In the present embodiment, in order not to damage the wafer W and the probe 36, it is necessary to shorten the time during which the wafer chuck 34 is in an unstable state as much as possible, and for that purpose, the release speed of the wafer chuck 34 is the internal space R. It is desirable that the wafer is sufficiently faster than the case where the wafer is evacuated by opening to the atmosphere or micropressurizing. Therefore, the target release speed varies depending on the type of the probe card 32, the probe 36, the wafer W, and the like, but it has been confirmed by experiments that it is preferable to set the target release speed to 10 mm / sec or more as an example.

In the present embodiment, the effective cross-sectional area of the communication passage 56 is adjusted so that the wafer chuck 34 is released from the probe card 32 side at a preset target release speed. The method of calculating the effective cross-sectional area of the communication passage 56 will be described below.

The moving distance when releasing the wafer chuck 34 is y (mm), the speed when releasing the wafer chuck 34 is v (mm / sec), and the area of the area surrounded by the ring-shaped sealing member 48 (hereinafter referred to as the sealing area). ) Is A (mm ² ), the load applied from the probe card 32 to the wafer chuck 34 is F (kgf) (appropriate OD position), the weight of the wafer chuck 34 is m (kgf), and the temperature is t (° C) (maximum). Operating temperature).

Then, the amount of change in volume in the internal space R when the wafer chuck 34 is released is represented by A × y (mm ³ ), and the time required to release the wafer chuck 34 is represented by y / v (sec). Here, the acceleration until the speed v at the time of releasing the wafer chuck 34 is not considered.

When the wafer chuck 34 is released, the flow rate (maximum flow rate) Q per unit time of the air flowing into the internal space R surrounded by the wafer chuck 34, the probe card 32, and the ring-shaped sealing member 48 is calculated by the following equation (1). ).

On the other hand, the suction pressure P of the wafer chuck 34 is obtained by the following formula (2). Here, g is the gravitational acceleration.

P =-(F + m) x g / A (MPa) ... (2)
Assuming that the air flow from the external space to the internal space R is a subsonic flow smaller than the speed of sound at any place, the effective cross-sectional area S of the communication passage 56 can be obtained by the following equation (3).

As an example, if y = 400 μm, v = 10 mm / sec, A = 106940 mm ² , F = 20 kgf (value at a position 100 μm from the proper OD position), m = 10 kgf, t = 150 ° C., then S = 20 mm ^2. .. Therefore, in this case, the effective cross-sectional area S required to set v ≧ 10 mm / sec is S ≧ 20 mm ² .

Under the above conditions, the relationship between the chuck release speed and the required effective cross-sectional area is as shown in the graph shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, there is, for example, a certain correlation (proportional relationship) between the release speed of the wafer chuck 34 and the effective cross-sectional area of the communication passage 56. These relationships (release rate-effective cross-sectional area characteristics) can be determined in advance by experiments. Therefore, the effective cross-sectional area S of the communication passage 56 can be obtained from the target release speed by using the release speed-effective cross-sectional area characteristic obtained in advance. The release speed-effective cross-sectional area characteristic differs depending on each prober, and it is preferable to obtain it for each prober.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, four are provided in parallel on the peripheral edge of the wafer chuck 34. In this case, the combined effective cross-sectional area S is _{obtained by the following formula (4), assuming that the effective cross-sectional area S i} (i = 1 to n, n = 4) of each passage 56.

S = S ₁ + S ₂ + ... + _Sn ... (4)
Here, the effective cross-sectional area S _i of each communication passage 56 is preferably equal. It is not essential that the effective cross-sectional areas _{Si are equal.} In order to prevent the wafer chuck 34 from tilting at the time of release due to the pressure distribution in the internal space R, for example, a series at a position facing the center of the wafer chuck 34 of each passage 56. effective area S _i of the passage 56 may be to be equal to each other. In other words, it may be effective area S _i of the communication passage 56 at the position of point symmetry with respect to the center of the wafer chuck 34 is equal.

As a result, the wafer chuck 34 is released from the probe card 32 side at a sufficiently high release speed. Then, the wafer chuck 34 released from the probe card 32 side is supported by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72.

After the wafer chuck 34 is released, the chuck fixing solenoid valve control unit 112 turns the chuck fixing solenoid valve 84 ON (open state), and the suction port 80 of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 (see FIG. 4). ) Is fixed (time T5 in FIG. 14). The suction (giving negative pressure) by the suction port 80 may be started before the wafer chuck 34 is released. By setting the space between the alignment device 70 and the wafer chuck 34 to a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure before the wafer chuck 34 is released, the effect of improving the release speed of the wafer chuck 34 can be obtained.

(Step S34: Z-axis lowering step)
Next, the Z-axis movement control unit 106 controls the Z-axis drive motor 122 and lowers the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72 as shown in FIG. 13C to lower the wafer chuck 34 to determine the wafer chuck 34. Change to the height position (standby height position) (time T6 to T7 in FIG. 14). In step S34, the communication passage 56 may be blocked by the shutter means 58.

As described above, the release operation in the prober 10 according to the first embodiment is completed.

Next, the effect of the first embodiment will be described.

In the release operation in the first embodiment, the pressure control unit 115 adjusts the effective cross-sectional area of the communication passage 56 so that the wafer chuck 34 is released from the probe card 32 side at the target release speed. As a result, the wafer chuck 34 is released from the probe card 32 side at a sufficiently high release speed as compared with the case where the internal space R is evacuated by opening to the atmosphere or by micropressurizing. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the time during which the wafer chuck 34 is in an unstable state, and it is possible to prevent damage to the wafer W and the probe 36.

Further, in the contact operation in the first embodiment, the electrode pad and the probe 36 on the wafer W are overdriven by moving the wafer chuck 34 up and down (Z direction) by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72. The operation of contacting with is performed. Since the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 is composed of at least a mechanical drive mechanism including a motor (Z-axis drive motor 122), it is possible to accurately adjust the moving distance, moving speed, etc. of the wafer chuck 34. is there. Further, the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72 can move the wafer chuck 34 at a moving speed sufficiently faster than the contact operation by the vacuum suction method as in the prior art. Therefore, when the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 36 are brought into contact with each other, the oxide film (insulator) on the electrode pad can be removed by the contact of the probe 36, and the wafer W is not damaged. , Good contact can be achieved between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 36.

Further, in the first embodiment, the Z-axis movement / rotation occurs at a timing (second timing; time T9 in FIG. 11) later than the timing (first timing; time T7 in FIG. 11) at which the decompression of the internal space R is started. Since the wafer chuck 34 is released from being fixed by the suction port 80 (see FIG. 4) of the portion 72, the wafer chuck 34 is not fixed to either side at the moment of switching between these steps, and is in an unstable state (free). The state) disappears, and the wafer chuck delivery operation can be performed stably. The above control is realized by controlling the pressure control unit 115 and the chuck fixing solenoid valve control unit 112 in cooperation with each other under the control of the overall control unit 100 that functions as the timing control means of the present invention.

Further, in the first embodiment, the shutter opening step (step S12) is performed at least before the ring-shaped sealing member 48 of the wafer chuck 34 is in contact with the head stage 30 (see FIG. 10B). That is, in the Z-axis raising step (step S14), the wafer chuck 34 is further raised from the state where the ring-shaped sealing member 48 is in contact with the head stage 30 (see FIG. 10B) (see FIG. 10C). ), The internal space R is in a communication state (non-sealed state) communicating with the external space via the communication passage 56.

Here, when the wafer chuck 34 is to be raised by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 in a non-communication state (sealed state) in which the internal space R does not communicate with the external space, the internal space R is raised as the wafer chuck 34 is raised. The air inside is momentarily compressed to generate a strong reaction force, which 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.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, as described above, the wafer chuck 34 is raised by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 in the communicating state (non-sealed state) in which the internal space R communicates with the external space. The wafer chuck 34 can be raised stably and efficiently without generating an unreasonable reaction force (reaction force for returning the wafer chuck 34 to its original position) when the wafer chuck 34 is raised, and the probe card 32 and the probe card 32 can be raised. It is possible to prevent the wafer W from being damaged.

Further, in the first embodiment, since the throttle valve 86 for limiting the flow rate of gas is provided in the path connected to the suction port 80 of the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72, the chuck fixing solenoid valve 84 is used. When it is turned off (when it is open to the atmosphere), it is possible to prevent the wafer chuck 34 from suddenly detaching from the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72, and the transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 can be performed more stably. ..

(Second embodiment)
Next, the second embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the parts common to the above-described embodiment will be omitted, and the characteristic parts of the present embodiment will be mainly described.

In the contact operation in the first embodiment, the wafer chuck 34 is released from being fixed by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 at a timing later than the timing at which the decompression of the internal space R is started. When the fixing of the 34 is released, the wafer chuck 34 is separated from the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72, and the wafer chuck 34 moves so as to be attracted toward the probe card 32. At this time, the wafer chuck 34 is restricted from moving in the horizontal direction (X, Y direction) only by the contact pressure between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 36 (that is, the stylus pressure of the probe card 32). When the decompression process is performed, if the wafer chuck 34 is subjected to disturbance such as vibration from the outside, the wafer chuck 34 is likely to be displaced or tilted in the horizontal direction, and the wafer chuck 34 may not rise straight along the vertical direction (Z direction). There is sex.

Further, there is a similar problem in the release operation in the first embodiment. That is, when the wafer chuck 34 is released from the probe card 32 side by the pressurization of the internal space R, the wafer chuck 34 has a contact pressure between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 36 (that is, the stylus pressure of the probe card 32). ) Only restricts the movement in the horizontal direction (X, Y direction). Therefore, when the wafer chuck 34 is released, if a disturbance such as vibration is received from the outside, the wafer chuck 34 is displaced in the horizontal direction. Wafer chuck 34 may not descend straight along the vertical direction (Z direction).

Therefore, in the second embodiment, in order to improve the stability against disturbance in the contact operation and the release operation of the wafer chuck 34, the following configuration is provided.

FIG. 16 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the prober 10 according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16, the prober 10 according to the second embodiment has the wafer chuck 34 in the Z direction (vertical direction) as a configuration for improving the stability against disturbance in the contact operation and the release operation of the wafer chuck 34. ) Is provided with a chuck guide mechanism 200. The chuck guide mechanism 200 is an example of a guide means.

A plurality of chuck guide mechanisms 200 are provided in parallel over the peripheral portion of the wafer chuck 34, specifically, the peripheral portion of the chuck guide holding portion 35 integrated with the wafer chuck 34 in the circumferential direction. The chuck guide mechanism 200 regulates the horizontal movement of the wafer chuck 34 by vacuum-sucking and fixing the chuck guide 204, which will be described later, to the head stage 30 before the contact operation and the release operation of the wafer chuck 34 are performed. While doing so, it functions as a guide mechanism that moves in parallel in the Z direction. Therefore, 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 in the horizontal direction (X, Y direction) orthogonal to the moving direction (Z direction) of the wafer chuck 34. .. Although not shown in this example, the chuck guide holding portion 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. 16). ..

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

The chuck guide mechanism 200 can move in the Z direction (vertical direction) with the bearing portion 202 formed in the chuck guide holding portion 35 and the bearing portion 202 restricting the movement in the X and Y directions (horizontal direction). It has a configured chuck guide (guide shaft portion) 204. The bearing portion 202 is composed of, for example, a ball bearing or the like.

The chuck guide 204 is rotatably supported by the bearing portion 202, and a fixing portion 206 for detachably fixing the chuck guide 204 to the head stage 30 is provided above the chuck guide 204. A ring-shaped seal member (hereinafter referred to as "chuck guide seal rubber") 208 is provided on the upper surface of the fixing portion 206, and a suction port (not shown) connected to a suction path (not shown) is provided inside the chuck guide seal rubber 208. (Shown) and a clearance holding member 210 for keeping the distance (gap) between the fixing portion 206 and the head stage 30 constant are provided. The shape of the clearance holding member 210 is not particularly limited as long as it can maintain a constant gap between the fixing portion 206 and the head stage 30.

Next, the contact operation (an example of the probe inspection method) in the prober 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a contact operation in the prober 10 according to the second embodiment.

First, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the wafer chuck fixing step, the alignment step, and the shutter opening step are sequentially performed, and then the Z-axis raising step is performed.

In the Z-axis ascending step, the wafer chuck 34 moves (ascends) toward the probe card 32 by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72, whereby, as shown in FIG. 17A, each probe 36 of the probe card 32 moves (ascends). Touches the electrode pad of each chip of the wafer W in the overdrive state. At this time, the chuck guide seal rubber 208 comes into contact with the lower surface of the head stage 30 as the wafer chuck 34 moves to the probe card 32.

Next, when the internal space Q formed inside the chuck guide seal rubber 208, the head stage 30, and the fixing portion 206 is depressurized by the suction device 44 via a suction port and a suction path (not shown), the chuck guide 204 is moved upward ( Ascending toward the head stage 30 side), the fixing portion 206 of the chuck guide 204 is attracted to and fixed to the head stage 30 (see FIG. 17B). At this time, since a certain gap is secured between the clearance holding member 210 and the head stage 30 by the above-mentioned clearance holding member 210, excessive suction by the fixing portion (suction portion) 206 of the chuck guide 204 is suppressed and the chuck guide 204 is fixed to the head stage 30. It is possible to prevent the chuck guide 204 from being tilted.

After the chuck guide 204 is sucked and fixed to the head stage 30 in this way, the shutter closing step, the depressurizing step, and the determination step are sequentially performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and further, the wafer chuck fixing release step is performed. It is said.

In the wafer chuck fixing release step, when the wafer chuck 34 is released from being fixed by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72, the wafer chuck 34 is separated from the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72 and the wafer chuck 34 is depressurized in the internal space R. Is moved so as to be attracted toward the probe card 32. At this time, the wafer chuck 34 is guided and moved in the Z direction while the movement in the X and Y directions is restricted by the chuck guide 204 fixed to the head stage 30 (see FIG. 17C).

As a result, the contact operation in the prober 10 according to the second embodiment is completed.

Next, a release operation (an example of a probe inspection method) in the prober 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining a release operation in the prober 10 according to the second embodiment.

First, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the Z-axis ascending step is performed, and then the chuck release step is performed.

In the chuck release step, the shutter control unit 116 controls the shutter means 58 to open the communication passage 56. As a result, air flows from the external space into the internal space R, the pressure in the internal space R rises, and the wafer chuck 34 is released from the probe card 32 side at a sufficiently high release speed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 18B, the wafer chuck 34 is guided in the Z direction while being restricted from moving in the X and Y directions by the chuck guide 204, descends, and is supported by the Z-axis moving / rotating portion 72. Will be done.

After that, the chuck fixing solenoid valve control unit 112 turns on the chuck fixing solenoid valve 84 (open state), and fixes the wafer chuck 34 via the suction port 80 (see FIG. 4) of the Z-axis moving / rotating unit 72. To do.

Next, as a chuck guide release step, the internal space Q formed inside the chuck guide seal rubber 208, the head stage 30, and the fixing portion 206 is evacuated by opening to the atmosphere or by micropressurizing. As a result, as shown in FIG. 18C, the chuck guide 204 is released from being attracted to the head stage 30.

After that, the Z-axis movement control unit 106 controls the Z-axis drive motor 122 to lower the Z-axis movement / rotation unit 72.

As described above, the release operation in the prober 10 according to the second embodiment is completed.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the chuck guide mechanism guides the wafer chuck 34 in the Z direction along the chuck guide 204 in a state where the chuck guide 204 (fixing portion 206) is fixed to the head stage 30 by vacuum suction. Since the 200 is provided, it is possible to prevent the wafer chuck 34 from being displaced or tilted when the wafer chuck 34 is delivered in the contact operation or the release operation of the wafer chuck 34. Therefore, it is possible to prevent tilting and misalignment due to eccentric load due to the components of the wafer chuck 34, and to stably perform the transfer operation of the wafer chuck 34 while maintaining the parallelism between the probe card 32 and the wafer W. It becomes possible to realize good contact between the electrode pad on the wafer W and the probe 36.

In the second embodiment, as the fixing method of the chuck guide mechanism 200, a fixing method by vacuum suction is shown, but various well-known methods as long as the chuck guide 204 can be detachably fixed to the head stage 30. Can be adopted, and a mechanical method such as a clamp may be used.

Further, in the second embodiment, the chuck guide mechanism 200 is provided on the wafer chuck 34 side and the chuck guide 204 (fixed portion 206) is attracted to the head stage 30 side, but the chuck guide mechanism 200 is attached to the head stage. The chuck guide 204 (fixed portion 206) may be attracted to the wafer chuck 34 side by providing the chuck guide 204 on the 30 side.

The prober and probe inspection methods according to the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course it is good.

10 ... prober, 12 ... measurement unit, 14 ... loader unit, 16 ... measurement unit, 18 ... load port, 20 ... card stocker, 22 ... operation panel, 24 ... transfer unit, 26 ... transfer arm, 30 ... head stage, 32 ... Probe card, 34 ... Wafer chuck, 34a ... Wafer holding surface, 36 ... Probe, 40 ... Suction port, 42 ... Suction path, 44 ... Suction device, 46 ... Wafer suction electromagnetic valve, 48 ... Ring-shaped seal member, 50 ... Pressure supply port, 52 ... Supply path, 54 ... Decompression regulator, 56 ... Communication path, 58 ... Shutter means, 60 ... Piston, 70 ... Alignment device, 72 ... Z-axis moving / rotating part, 72a ... Wafer chuck support surface , 74 ... X-axis moving table, 76 ... Y-axis moving table, 78 ... Ring-shaped seal member, 80 ... Suction port, 82 ... Suction path, 84 ... Chuck fixing electromagnetic valve, 86 ... Squeeze valve, 88 ... Positioning pin, 90 ... V block, 100 ... Overall 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 ... Electromagnetic valve control for wafer adsorption Unit, 112 ... Chuck fixing electromagnetic valve control unit, 115 ... Pressure control unit, 116 ... Shutter control unit, 118 ... X-axis drive motor, 120 ... Y-axis drive motor, 122 ... Z-axis drive motor, 124 ... Rotary drive motor , 200 ... Chuck guide mechanism, 202 ... Bearing part, 204 ... Chuck guide, 206 ... Fixed part, 208 ... Chuck guide seal rubber, 210 ... Clearance holding member, 300 ... Air cylinder mechanism, 302 ... Open / close valve, 304 ... Cylinder, 306 ... Piston, 308 ... Piston rod, 310 ... Air cylinder drive, W ... Wafer, R ... Internal space, Q ... Internal space

Claims (3)

A wafer chuck that holds the wafer and
A probe card having a plurality of probes on the surface facing the wafer chuck, and
An annular sealing member forming an internal space between the wafer chuck and the probe card,
A mechanical elevating means for raising and lowering the wafer chuck fixed to the wafer chuck fixing portion and having a wafer chuck fixing portion for detachably fixing the wafer chuck.
A negative pressure applying means that attracts and holds the wafer chuck to the probe card side by applying a negative pressure to the internal space.
It is a communication passage that communicates between the internal space and the external space, and is necessary for releasing the wafer chuck from the probe card side at a target release speed when the internal space is switched to the non-sealed state. A continuous passage with an effective cross-sectional area that can secure the flow rate of air,
A shutter means attached to the communication passage and capable of selectively switching the internal space between a non-sealed state and a closed state,
Prober with. The prober according to claim 1, further comprising a shutter control means for controlling the shutter means to switch the internal space from a non-sealed state to a closed state when the wafer chuck is released from the probe card side. By applying a negative pressure to the internal space formed between the wafer chuck and the probe card, the wafer chuck is attracted and held on the probe card side, and the wafer held by the wafer chuck is inspected. It ’s an inspection method,
When the wafer chuck is released from the probe card side, a step of opening the communication passage communicating between the internal space and the external space by a shutter means to make the internal space unsealed is provided.
The communication passage has an effective cross-sectional area that can secure the flow rate of air required to release the wafer chuck from the probe card side at the target release speed when the internal space is switched to the non-sealed state. Probe inspection method.

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