JP5463198B2 - Probe card inspection method and inspection system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for inspecting a probe card.

  Generally, inspection of electrical characteristics of an integrated circuit formed on a semiconductor wafer is performed using an inspection jig called a probe card. This type of inspection is performed on the electrical characteristics of an integrated circuit of a chip formed on a semiconductor wafer or the electrical characteristics of an evaluation integrated circuit called a TEG (test element group). The probe card includes a large number of probe needles for contacting the surface of the electrode pad of the semiconductor integrated circuit. The probe card is used to bring the probe needle into contact with the corresponding electrode pad and to electrically connect the integrated circuit to the measuring device (tester) through the probe needle.

  For example, if the tip of the probe needle is not sufficiently polished, the contact resistance of the probe needle may not meet the standard. In addition, if the tip of the probe needle is worn due to repeated use, or if a high-resistance foreign matter adheres to the tip of the probe needle, it is difficult to accurately measure the electrical characteristics of the integrated circuit, Reliability decreases. Therefore, it is necessary to inspect the probe needle before actually measuring the electrical characteristics using the probe card.

  As a prior art document relating to a probe card inspection method, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-100658 (Patent Document 1) is cited. Patent Document 1 discloses an inspection method for measuring the electrical resistance value of each probe needle. That is, this inspection method applies a potential difference between the conductive plate and the contact pin in a state where the contact pin of the card checker is in contact with the proximal end portion of the probe needle and the tip of the probe needle is in contact with the conductive plate. The current value is measured, and the electric resistance of the probe needle is measured based on the current value.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-1000065

  However, the inspection method of Patent Document 1 requires a step of accurately contacting the contact pin of the card checker with the proximal end portion of the probe needle, which causes the inspection time to be delayed. In addition, when a contact failure occurs between the contact pin of the card checker and the proximal end portion of the probe needle, the electrical resistance of the probe needle cannot be measured accurately.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a probe card inspection method and inspection system capable of inspecting a probe needle in a short time and with high reliability.

A probe card inspection method according to the present invention is a probe card inspection method executed by an inspection system for a probe card having three or more probe needles, and includes a plurality of contact areas in a common conductive portion. A plurality of pairs of probe needles from among the plurality of probe needles after contacting the tips, and between the probe needles forming each pair. A step of measuring an electrical characteristic between the probe needles by applying a potential difference, a step of determining pass / fail of each of the plurality of probe needles based on the electrical characteristic, and the probe needles of the plurality of probe needles When there is a probe needle that cannot be determined for pass / fail judgment, a pair of probe needles is newly constructed from the plurality of probe needles, A step of newly measuring the electrical characteristics providing a potential difference between the probe needles which form a pair of forms, and performing a quality determination of the unidentifiable probes based on the electrical properties the new measurements, It is characterized by providing.

The probe card inspection system according to the present invention is a probe card inspection system having a plurality of probe needles of three or more, and a common conductive portion having a holding member for holding the probe card and a plurality of contacted areas. A support member that supports the plate-like member so that the contacted region faces the plurality of probe needles, and a drive mechanism that causes the tip portions of the plurality of probe needles to contact the plurality of contacted regions, respectively. After the contact of the tip, a plurality of probe needle pairs are formed from the plurality of probe needles, and an electric potential difference is applied between the probe needles forming each pair to measure electrical characteristics between the probe needles. comprising: a measuring unit, and a probe inspection unit that performs quality determination of each of the plurality of probe needles based on said electrical characteristic, the measurement unit, the one of the plurality of probe needles pro When there is a probe needle that cannot be judged for pass / fail judgment of the needle, a pair of probe needles is newly formed from the plurality of probe needles, and a potential difference is applied between the newly formed probe needles. An electrical characteristic is newly measured, and the probe inspecting unit performs pass / fail determination of the probe needle that cannot be determined based on the newly measured electrical characteristic .

  According to the present invention, a highly reliable test can be performed in a short time based on a measurement result of electrical characteristics between probe needles interconnected via a contacted region.

It is a figure which shows schematically the structure of the wafer inspection system (prober) used for the probe card inspection of embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows roughly the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer used for the probe card test | inspection of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a monitor area | region. It is a figure which shows an example of the monitor pattern formed in a monitor area | region. It is a figure which shows the other example of the monitor pattern formed in a monitor area | region. It is a figure which shows schematically the upper surface of the electroconductive part for probe needle inspection which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows roughly the procedure of the inspection process which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows roughly the procedure of the electrical property measurement in the test | inspection process which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display image which shows a test result in a list format. It is a figure which shows the other example of the display image which shows a test result in a list format. It is a figure which shows the other example of the electroconductive part for a probe needle test | inspection.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a wafer inspection system (prober) 1 used for probe card inspection according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a wafer inspection system 1 includes a mounting table 28 movably arranged in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction, and a drive mechanism (stage) 29 that drives the mounting table 28. With. The mounting table 28 can also rotate around its own central axis (Z-axis). On the mounting table 28, the semiconductor wafer 10 which is a plate-like member is arranged.

  2A and 2B are diagrams schematically showing the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 10 used for the probe card inspection of the present embodiment. A chip 12 having a semiconductor integrated circuit is formed in each of the plurality of shot regions 11,..., 11 on the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 10, and between the chip 12 and the chip 12, FIG. As shown, a band-shaped scribe region 15 is formed. The scribe region 15 is a cutting region for separating (separating) each chip 12 from the semiconductor wafer 10. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, a monitor region 13 and a probe needle inspection conductive portion 14 are formed in the scribe region 15.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the monitor region 13 includes a monitor pattern 130 and electrode pad groups 131 and 132 electrically connected to the monitor pattern 130. The monitor pattern 130 is a TEG (test element group) circuit formed for evaluating a semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing process, a basic circuit, or a failure mechanism of the semiconductor integrated circuit. The monitor pattern 130 and the electrode pad groups 131 and 132 are formed together with the chip 12 in a wafer process.

  Examples of the constituent elements of the monitor pattern 130 include a transistor group, a resistor element, and a capacitor element. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a monitor pattern 130 having a capacitive element composed of a pair of wirings 130A and 130B facing each other. Of the electrode pad group 131 including the electrode pads 131A to 131C, the central electrode pad 131B is connected to the wiring 130A, and the electrode pads 132A and 132C at both ends of the electrode pad group 132 including the electrode pads 132A to 132C are connected to the wiring 130B. Has been. If the measurement result of the inter-wiring capacitance of the monitor pattern 130 is used, the insulating property of the chip 12 can be evaluated. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the monitor pattern 130 having a resistance element composed of a wiring 130 </ b> C formed in a zigzag shape. As shown in FIG. 5, one end of the wiring 130C of the monitor pattern 130 is connected to the electrode pad 131A, and the other end of the wiring 130C is connected to the electrode pad 132A.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the upper surface of the conductive portion 14 for probe needle inspection. The conductive portion 14 has a planar shape having a two-dimensional extension, and has a rectangular shape when viewed from above. The conductive portion 14 is a conductive layer having a substantially constant thickness. The conductive portion 14 only needs to have a single-layer structure or a multilayer structure made of a metal material such as aluminum, copper, and gold. From the viewpoint of improving the reliability of the probe card inspection, it is preferable that at least the surface portion of the conductive portion 14 is made of the same conductive material as the electrode pad material of the chip 12.

  As for the method of forming the conductive portion 14, a single layer or a multilayer film made of a metal material is deposited on the insulating film in the scribe region 15, a resist pattern is formed on the film, and etching using the resist pattern as a mask is performed. It is possible to form the conductive part 14 by executing. Since the conductive portion 14 is formed so as to have a substantially constant thickness, a rectangular shape, and a planar shape, there is an advantage that the electrical resistance of the conductive portion 14 is unlikely to deviate from the design value due to dimensional variations. Further, from the viewpoint of suppressing the deviation of the electrical resistance from the design value, it is preferable that the entire conductive portion 14 is made of the same conductive material.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the wafer inspection system 1 includes a holding member 26 that holds a probe card 21 and a test head 24, and electrically connects the probe needle group 22 of the probe card 21 and the test head 24. Interface board 23. The probe card 21 is used for inspecting the electrical characteristics of the monitor pattern 130 on the scribe region 15 of the semiconductor wafer 10. The probe card 21 has probe needles in the same arrangement as the arrangement of electrode pads formed in the monitor region 13 of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the conductive portion 14 has contacted areas 141A to 141C and 142A to 142C corresponding to the arrangement (alignment) of the electrode pads 131A to 131C and 132A to 132C in the monitor area 13. These contact areas 141A, 141B, 141C, 142C, 142B, and 142A are respectively probe needles P (1), P (2), P (3), and P (4) that constitute the probe needle group 22 of the probe card 21. ), P (5), and P (6).

  In addition, the wafer inspection system 1 includes a measuring device 31, a display device (monitor) 37, and an operation input unit (operation panel) 38. The measurement device 31 includes a measurement processing unit 32, which supplies a test signal to the probe card 21 through the test head 24 and the interface board 23 and is electrically connected to the probe needle group 22. It includes a measuring unit 32A that measures the electrical characteristics of the object to be inspected, and a probe inspection unit 32B that determines the quality of the probe needle (whether or not it is abnormal) based on the measurement result. The user can input information related to measurement conditions and measurement processing by operating the operation input unit 38. The operation input unit 38 transfers the input information to the measurement processing unit 32 via the interface unit (I / F unit) 36.

  Further, the measuring device 31 has a drive control unit 34 that controls the operation of the drive mechanism 29. The user can input an instruction for adjusting the relative position of the semiconductor wafer 10 with respect to the probe card 21 by operating the operation input unit 38. The operation input unit 38 transfers the input instruction to the drive control unit 34 via the I / F unit 36. The drive control unit 34 can move the mounting table 38 in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction by controlling the operation of the drive mechanism 39 according to the input instruction.

  All or part of the measurement processing unit 32 and the drive control unit 34 constituting the measurement device 31 are, for example, a microprocessor, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a timer circuit, an input / output interface, and a dedicated unit. It can be constituted by an integrated circuit including a processing unit. All or some of the functions of the measurement processing unit 32 and the drive control unit 34 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by a computer program executed by a microprocessor. When all or some of the functions of the measurement processing unit 32 and the drive control unit 34 are realized by a computer program (including an executable file), the microprocessor loads the computer program from a storage medium (not shown). This function can be realized by executing it.

  An inspection method of the probe card 21 using the wafer inspection system 1 having the above configuration will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts schematically showing the procedure of the inspection process executed by the measurement processing unit 32.

  The measuring device 31 is on standby until an inspection start instruction is input by a user operation or an operation input for position adjustment is made (NO in step S10 and NO in step S11). When there is an operation input for position adjustment (YES in step S11), the drive control unit 34 drives the drive mechanism 29 according to the operation input and moves the mounting table 28 to the drive mechanism 29 (step S12). ).

  When there is an inspection start instruction (YES in step S10), the measurement unit 32A issues a contact request to the drive control unit 34 in response to the inspection start instruction. In response to this contact request, the drive control unit 34 causes the drive mechanism 29 to move the mounting table 28 in the direction of the probe card 21 (+ Z axis direction) to move the probe needle group 22 to the conductive unit 14 of the semiconductor wafer 10. The surface (contacted area) is brought into contact (step S13). And measurement part 32A performs an electrical property measurement (Step S14).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart schematically showing a procedure for measuring electrical characteristics. First, the measuring unit 32A includes a plurality of probe needle pairs C (i, j) from N (N is an integer of 3 or more) probe needles P (1) to P (N) constituting the probe needle group 22. Configure (step S141). Here, i and j are arbitrary integers in the range of 1 to N that satisfy the condition of i ≠ j. The pairs C (i, j) can constitute a maximum of _N C ₂ (= N! / (2! × (N−2)!)). _N C ₂ is the total number of combinations for selecting two probe needles from N probe needles.

  In Step S141, measurement part 32A can constitute two or more pairs to which the same probe needle belongs. For example, two pairs C (k, m) and C (k, n) to which the k-th probe needle P (k) belongs (where k ≠ m, k ≠ n, m ≠ n) are configured. Can do. Further, for example, when the six probe needles P (1) to P (6) shown in FIG. 6 are used, a pair C (2,3) consisting of the probe needles P (2) and P (3) is used. , A pair C (3,4) consisting of probe needles P (3), P (4), a pair C (4,5) consisting of probe needles P (4), P (5), and a probe needle P (5 ), P (6), and five pairs of pairs C (5, 6) can be formed.

  After the probe needle pair configuration (step S141) is completed, the measuring unit 32A determines the potential difference ΔV (i) between the probe needle P (i) and the probe needle P (j) forming each pair C (i, j). , J) and the electrical characteristic R (i, j) between the probe needles P (i) and P (j) is measured (step S142). Here, the measurement unit 32A applies a high voltage to at least one of the probe needles P (1) to P (N) and applies a low voltage (for example, ground voltage) to the other probe needles. do it. As the electrical characteristic R (i, j), for example, the electrical resistance (DC resistance or impedance) between the probe needles P (i) and P (j) can be calculated.

  Thereafter, the probe inspection unit 32B determines whether or not the electrical characteristic R (i, j) measured by the measurement unit 32A is within the allowable range Δ (i, j) (step S143). The pair C (i, j) in which the electrical characteristic R (i, j) is determined to be within the allowable range Δ (i, j) is determined to meet the standard, and the electrical characteristic R (i, j) is The pair C (i, j) determined not to be within the allowable range Δ (i, j) is determined not to meet the standard. Here, the allowable range Δ (i, j) is set in advance based on the inspection result for the probe card having only normal probe needles. In addition, the allowable range Δ (i, j) can be set individually for each pair C (i, j).

  Next, when the probe inspection unit 32B determines that all the electrical characteristics R (i, j) are within the allowable range Δ (i, j) (YES in step S144), all the probe needles P ( 1) It is determined that there is no abnormality in P (N), and the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

  On the other hand, when the probe inspection unit 32B determines that all the electrical characteristics R (i, j) are not within the allowable range Δ (i, j) (NO in step S144), the electrical characteristics R ( Based on the measurement results of i, j), it is attempted to determine whether each of the probe needles P (1) to P (N) is good (normal or abnormal) (step S145).

  For example, there exists a pair C (p, q) whose electrical characteristic R (p, q) meets the standard and a pair C (α, β) whose electrical characteristic R (α, β) does not meet the standard. In this case, a normal probe needle and an abnormal probe needle can be detected based on these pairs C (p, q) and C (α, β). Specifically, for the pair C (p, q) whose electrical characteristics R (p, q) meet the standard, the probe needles P (p), P (q) forming this pair C (p, q) It can be determined that both are not abnormal. In addition, when there is a pair C (α, β) whose electrical characteristic R (α, β) does not meet the standard and a pair C (β, p) whose electrical characteristic R (α) meets the standard These pairs C (α, β) and C (β, p) share the same probe needle P (β), and the probe needles P (β) and P (p) are both abnormal. It can be determined that the probe needle P (α) is abnormal.

  Five pairs C (1,2), C (2,3), C (3,4), C (4,5) from the six probe needles P (1) to P (6) shown in FIG. ), C (5, 6), the electrical characteristics R (1, 2) meet the standard, and other electrical characteristics R (2, 3), R (3,4), When R (4,5) and R (5,6) do not meet the standard, it can be determined that the probe needle P (1) is abnormal.

  However, there may be a probe needle P (γ) that could not be determined in step S145 among the probe needles P (1) to P (N) (YES in step S146). In such a case, if there is a normal probe needle P (p) determined to be normal in step S145 (YES in step S147), the measurement unit 32A determines that the probe needle P (γ) that cannot be determined and step A pair C (γ, p) consisting of the normal probe needle P (p) determined to have no abnormality in S145 is newly constructed (step S148). On the other hand, if there is no normal probe needle P (p) (NO in step S147), the measurement unit 32A returns the process to the main routine in FIG.

  After step S148, the measuring unit 32A gives a potential difference ΔV (γ, p) between the probe needles P (γ) and P (p) that form the pair C (γ, p), and the probe needles P (γ), P The electrical characteristic R (γ, p) between (p) is measured (step S149). Based on the measurement result, the probe inspection unit 32B determines that the probe needle P (γ) is abnormal when the electrical characteristic R (γ, p) does not meet the standard, and the electrical characteristic R (γ , P) meets the criteria, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the probe needle P (γ) (step S150).

  For example, in the above step S141, five pairs C (1,2), C (2,3), C (3,4) from the six probe needles P (1) to P (6) shown in FIG. ), C (4,5), C (5,6), even if the electrical characteristics R (4,5) and C (5,6) meet the standard, the electrical characteristics R If all of (1, 2), R (2, 3), and R (3, 4) do not meet the criteria, the quality of the probe needles P (1) and P (2) cannot be determined. At this time, the measuring unit 32A is normal with the pair C (1, 4) including the probe needle P (1) that cannot be determined and the normal probe needle P (4) and the probe needle P (2) that cannot be determined normally. A pair C (2, 5) consisting of the probe needle P (5) is newly constructed (step S148), and the electrical characteristics R (1, 4), R (2, 5) are measured (step S149). . The probe inspection unit 32B can reliably determine the quality of the probe needles P (1) and P (2) based on the measurement result.

  After the electrical characteristic measurement (step S14 in FIG. 7) is completed, the probe inspection unit 32B issues a separation request to the drive control unit 34. In response to this separation request, the drive control unit 34 moves the mounting table 28 relative to the probe card 21 in the direction opposite to the probe card 21 (−Z-axis direction) to drive the probe needle group 22 to the conductive state of the semiconductor wafer 10. Separated from the surface (contacted area) of the portion 14 (step S15).

  The probe inspection unit 32B displays a list of determination results on whether or not the probe needles P (1) to P (N) are abnormal on the monitor 37 (step S16). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the probe inspection unit 32B determines the determination result (“OK” indicating no abnormality) corresponding to the numbers (Pin No.) of the probe needles P (1) to P (N) or A list-format image representing “NG” indicating the presence of an abnormality can be displayed on the monitor 37. Thereafter, when it is determined that the process is to be ended (YES in step S17), the inspection process ends. In other cases (NO in step S17), the procedure of the inspection process returns to step S10.

  The measurement unit 32A may measure the electrical characteristics (for example, contact resistance value and internal resistance value) of each of the probe needles P (1) to P (N). In this case, in step S <b> 16, the probe inspection unit 32 </ b> B may display a list of the electrical characteristic values together with the determination result on the monitor 37. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image representing a determination result and a resistance value (contact resistance value or internal resistance value) for each of the probe needles P (1) to P (N) in a list format.

  As described above, the probe card inspection method according to the present embodiment makes a pair of probes in a state where the tip portions of the probe needles P (1) to P (N) are in contact with the surface of the conductive portion 14. The electrical characteristics between the needles are measured, and pass / fail judgment of each probe needle is executed based on the measurement result. Therefore, since a step of bringing the contact pin of the card checker as disclosed in Patent Document 1 into contact with the proximal end portion of the probe needle is not required, the quality of the probe needle can be determined in a short time. Moreover, since the pass / fail determination of each probe needle is performed based on the electrical characteristics between the probe needles interconnected via the conductive portion 14, it is possible to perform an inspection with high determination accuracy and high reliability.

  Further, when there is a probe needle P (γ) that cannot be determined (YES in step S146 in FIG. 8), a new pair with a different combination of probe needles is formed (step S148), and based on the electrical characteristics of these pairs. The quality of the probe needle P (γ) that cannot be determined can be determined (step S150). Therefore, if a minimum number of pairs are first constructed from the probe needles P (1) to P (N) (step S141), all the probe needles P (1) to P (N) are normal. Non-defective product determination for a simple probe card (YES in step S144) can be performed in a very short time.

  In step S141, the measurement unit 32A may randomly select a pair of probe needles from the probe needles P (1) to P (N), or may probe according to a predetermined rule. A pair of needles may be configured.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment concerning this invention was described with reference to drawings, these are the illustrations of this invention and various forms other than the above are also employable. Since the conductive portion 14 of the above embodiment is formed in the scribe region 15 of the semiconductor wafer 10, it is difficult to inspect the quality of the probe needle for testing the electrical characteristics of the chip 12 using this conductive portion 14. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, a conductive portion 28C is provided on the upper surface 28t of the mounting table 28, and the quality of the probe needle for testing the electrical characteristics of the chip 12 can be inspected using this conductive portion 28C.

  In addition, the material, shape, or layout of the conductive portion 14 can be appropriately changed according to the measurement conditions of the electrical characteristics between the probe needles.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wafer inspection system, 10 Semiconductor wafer, 11 Shot area, 12 Chip, 13 Monitor area, 130 Monitor pattern, 131,132 Electrode pad group, 14 Conductive part, 141A-141C, 142A-142C Contact area, 15 Scribe area, 21 probe card, 22 probe needle group, P (1) to P (6) probe needle, 23 interface board, 24 test head, 26 holding member, 28 mounting table, 28C conductive part, 29 drive mechanism (stage), 31 measurement Device (tester), 32 measurement processing unit, 32A measurement unit, 32B probe inspection unit, 34 drive control unit, 35, 36 interface unit (I / F unit), 37 display device (monitor), 38 operation input unit.

Claims (13)

A probe card inspection method executed by an inspection system for a probe card having three or more probe needles,
Contacting the tip portions of the plurality of probe needles with a plurality of contact areas in a common conductive portion, and
After the contact of the tip, a plurality of probe needle pairs are formed from the plurality of probe needles, and a potential difference is applied between the probe needles forming each pair to measure electrical characteristics between the probe needles. When,
Performing pass / fail judgment of each of the plurality of probe needles based on the electrical characteristics;
When there is a probe needle that cannot be determined for pass / fail judgment of the probe needle among the plurality of probe needles, a pair of probe needles is newly constructed from the plurality of probe needles, and the newly constructed pair is formed. Applying a potential difference between the probe needles to newly measure the electrical characteristics;
Performing pass / fail judgment of the indeterminate probe needle based on the newly measured electrical characteristics;
A method for inspecting a probe card, comprising:   2. The probe card inspection method according to claim 1, wherein the pass / fail determination is performed by determining whether at least one pair of the plurality of pairs in which the electrical characteristics meet a predetermined standard and the electrical characteristics of the plurality of pairs. The probe card inspection method is performed based on at least one pair that does not meet the predetermined standard.   3. The probe card inspection method according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of probe needles are determined to have no abnormality when the electrical characteristics of the plurality of pairs match the predetermined standard. An inspection method for a probe card, further comprising: A method for inspecting a probe card according to claim 2 or 3,
The electrical characteristic is an electrical resistance between the paired probe needles,
Of the plurality of pairs, a pair in which the electrical resistance is determined to be within the predetermined range meets the predetermined criterion,
Of the plurality of pairs, the pair determined to have the electrical resistance not within the predetermined range does not meet the predetermined criterion;
A method for inspecting a probe card.   5. The probe card inspection method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pairs includes at least two pairs to which the same probe needles of the plurality of probe needles belong. A method for inspecting a probe card, comprising: The probe card inspection method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the newly configured pair includes a normal probe needle determined to have no abnormality among the plurality of probe needles. A probe card inspection method comprising the probe needle that cannot be determined. An inspection method of a probe card according to any one of claims 1 6, wherein the conductive portion is characterized by having a surface shape with a two-dimensionally spread made of the same conductive material Probe card inspection method. 8. The probe card inspection method according to claim 7 , wherein the conductive portion is formed in a scribe region between element formation regions on a main surface of the semiconductor wafer. An inspection method of a probe card according to any one of claims 1 8, further comprising the step of displaying a list on a display device the of determining whether the result probe needle is abnormal A method for inspecting a probe card. 10. The probe card inspection method according to claim 9 , further comprising a step of measuring electrical characteristics of each of the probe needles and displaying the list on the display device. An inspection system for a probe card having three or more probe needles,
A holding member for holding the probe card;
A support member for supporting a plate-like member having a common conductive portion having a plurality of contact areas so that the contact areas face the plurality of probe needles;
A drive mechanism for bringing the tip portions of the plurality of probe needles into contact with the plurality of contact areas, respectively.
After contact with the tip, a plurality of probe needle pairs are formed from the plurality of probe needles, and an electrical characteristic is measured between the probe needles by applying a potential difference between the probe needles forming each pair. And
A probe inspection unit for determining pass / fail of each of the plurality of probe needles based on the electrical characteristics;
Equipped with a,
The measurement unit newly configures a pair of probe needles from the plurality of probe needles when there is a probe needle that cannot be determined for pass / fail judgment of the probe needles among the plurality of probe needles. The electrical characteristics are newly measured by applying a potential difference between the paired probe needles,
The probe inspection unit performs pass / fail determination of the indeterminate probe needle based on the newly measured electrical characteristics.
Inspection system characterized by that. 12. The inspection system according to claim 11 , wherein the pass / fail judgment is performed by determining whether at least one pair of the plurality of pairs whose electrical characteristics meet a predetermined standard and the electrical characteristics of a predetermined standard. The inspection system is performed based on at least one pair that does not conform to. The inspection system according to claim 11 or 12 ,
The electrical characteristic is an electrical resistance between the paired probe needles,
Of the plurality of pairs, a pair in which the electrical resistance is determined to be within the predetermined range meets the predetermined criterion,
Of the plurality of pairs, the pair determined to have the electrical resistance not within the predetermined range does not meet the predetermined criterion;
Inspection system characterized by that.

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