JPH0536766A - Probe apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a probe apparatus wherein the electric characteristic of a substrate under test can be tested and measured under an ordinary atmosphere and it is possible to sharply reduce the possibility that dust particles adhere to undesired parts. CONSTITUTION:A probing mechanism part 2 and an autoloader 3 are installed inside an enclosure 1, and an operating part 4, a power-supply part 5 and an electronic-circuit part 6 are installed at the inside of the enclosure 1. The title apparatus is constituted in the following manner: a plurality of air intake ports which take the outside air into the enclosure 1, a fan for air intake use and a filter which is used to remove dust particles in the air and clean the air are installed at the upper part of the enclosure 1; the outside air is cleaned and taken into the enclosure 1; and the down flow of the clean air which is directed from the upper part to the lower part is formed inside the enclosure 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a probe device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, many semiconductor devices are formed on a semiconductor wafer by using a precision photo transfer technique or the like.
After that, each semiconductor device is cut. In such a semiconductor device manufacturing process, conventionally, a probe apparatus has been used to perform a test measurement of electrical characteristics of a semi-finished semiconductor device in a semiconductor wafer state, and the result of this test measurement is determined to be a good product. It is attempted to improve productivity by sending only the processed products to the subsequent process such as packaging.

The probe apparatus includes a wafer holder which is movable in the XYZ directions, and a large number of probes corresponding to electrode pads of semiconductor devices are mounted on the wafer holder. A probe card with a needle is fixed.
Then, the semiconductor wafer is placed on the wafer holder, the wafer holder is driven to bring the probe into contact with the electrode of the semiconductor device, and test measurement is performed by a tester via the probe.

In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device as described above, since a minute circuit pattern is formed, if dust exists in the atmosphere, the dust adheres to a semiconductor wafer or the like and causes a defect. Become. For this reason, the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices is usually carried out in a clean room where a clean air downflow is formed, and the above-mentioned probe device is also installed in the clean room. It will be installed in the clean room and the test measurement will be carried out.

[0005]

However, since the above-mentioned clean room has a high construction cost per floor area, it is desirable to reduce the number of devices installed in the clean room as much as possible. It is rare. Further, since the human body is a source of dust, it is desired to keep workers from entering the clean room as much as possible.

Further, an oxide film is usually formed on the surface of an electrode pad of a semiconductor device by contact with air, and in a probe device, the tip of the probe is slid along the surface of the electrode pad, The oxide film is scraped off at the probe tip to obtain an electrode-like contact. For this reason, there is also a problem that the scraped-out oxide film or the like becomes dust and floats, and is likely to adhere to an undesired portion.

The present invention has been made in response to such a conventional situation, and it is possible to perform a test measurement of the electrical characteristics of a substrate to be measured under a normal atmosphere, and to dust the undesired portion. It is an object of the present invention to provide a probe device capable of significantly reducing the possibility of the adherence.

[0008]

That is, the probe device of the present invention moves the substrate holder in the XYZ directions and attaches the probe to the electrode on the substrate to be measured held by the substrate holder. A probing mechanism for contacting, an autoloader for loading and unloading the substrate to be measured on the substrate holding table, an electronic circuit section for controlling the operation of the probing mechanism and the autoloader, the probing mechanism and the autoloader. In a probe device having a power supply unit for supplying electric power, the probing mechanism and the autoloader are housed in a housing provided with a downflow forming mechanism that internally forms a downflow of clean air from above to below. However, the electronic circuit unit and the power supply unit are arranged outside the housing.

[0009]

As described above, since the clean room has a high construction cost per floor area, it is desired to install as few devices as possible in the clean room. Further, since the human body is a source of dust, it is desired to keep workers from entering the clean room as much as possible. Therefore, even in the test measurement of semiconductor devices in the state of a semiconductor wafer using a probe apparatus, measurements other than the test measurement in the normal manufacturing process, such as measurement for evaluation in design and process control, etc. It is desirable to carry out outside the room.

In the probe device of the present invention, the probing mechanism and the autoloader are housed in the housing having the downflow forming mechanism for forming the downflow of the clean air from the upper side to the lower side. An electronic circuit unit and a power supply unit are arranged outside the housing.

Therefore, the test measurement and the like of the semiconductor device in the state of the semiconductor wafer can be carried out in the normal atmosphere. Moreover, while preventing the distribution of downflow,
An electronic circuit section that serves as a heat source and a power supply section are provided outside the housing. Therefore, the downflow can be efficiently circulated to each part in the housing, the possibility of dust adhering to undesired parts can be significantly reduced, and the temperature inside the housing is prevented from rising. can do.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the probe apparatus of this embodiment is provided with a casing 1 made of metal or the like and formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The casing 1 has an airtight side wall portion except for the lower end portion so that ambient air including dust and the like from an undesired portion does not flow in. Mechanism unit 2 and auto loader unit 3
Is provided.

An operation section 4, a power supply section 5, and an electronic circuit section 6 are provided on the side of the housing 1. The operation unit 4 is composed of a display, a keyboard, etc. connected to each device in the housing 1 via a cable (not shown), so that the device in the housing 1 can be operated from outside the housing 1. It is for doing. The power supply unit 5 is composed of a power supply mechanism for supplying electric power to the probing mechanism unit 2 and the autoloader unit 3 provided in the housing 1, and a box body made of metal or the like for housing the power supply mechanism. The electronic circuit unit 6 includes a plurality of electronic circuit boards for controlling the operations of the probing mechanism unit 2 and the autoloader unit 3,
It is composed of a box made of metal or the like for housing this electronic circuit board.

As shown in FIG. 2, the probing mechanism 2 holds the semiconductor wafer 10 by suction, for example, by a vacuum chuck, and holds the semiconductor wafer 10 in the Z direction (vertical direction). Stand 1
1. Move the wafer holder 11 in the XY direction X
-Y table 12 and the like are provided, and the wafer holding table 1
1. Probe 14 of probe card 13 fixed above
To contact the electrode pads of the semiconductor device formed on the semiconductor wafer 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the XY table 12 has an X-direction drive mechanism including an X-direction drive rail 15 and an X-direction movable plate 16 provided on the X-direction drive rail 15; The directional drive rail 17 and the Y-direction drive mechanism including the Y-direction movable plate 18 provided on the Y-direction drive rail 17 are configured to be stacked in two stages.
For example, a sturdy base plate 2 made of a cast plate or the like
0 is provided above. In this base plate 20,
As will be described later, a plurality of through holes 21 for passing the downflow formed in the housing 1 are provided.

Further, on the upper part of the probing mechanism section 2,
A test head 22 is provided. The test head 22 is configured to be rotatable as shown by an arrow in FIG. 1, and the test head 22 is placed on the probing mechanism unit 2 during measurement and used for maintenance such as replacement of the probe card 13. Is configured so that the test head 22 can be rotated to form a space for maintenance above the probe card 13.

A cassette elevator 24 for vertically moving a wafer cassette 23 configured to accommodate a plurality of semiconductor wafers 10, for example, 25 semiconductor wafers, is provided in an autoloader section 3 provided on a side of the probing mechanism section 2 having the above-described structure. A wafer transfer mechanism 25 for transferring, loading and unloading the semiconductor wafer 10 between the wafer cassette 23 on the cassette elevator 24 and the wafer holding table 11 is provided. Although only one cassette elevator 24 is shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of cassette elevators 24 are provided.

A plurality of air intake ports 26 for taking in outside air into the case 1, an air intake fan 27, and a filter for removing dust in the air for cleaning are provided on the upper part of the case 1. 28 is provided and is configured to clean the outside air and take it into the housing 1 to form a downflow of clean air in the housing 1 from top to bottom. The filter 28 may be, for example, ULPA.
A filter (product name) or the like can be used.

Further, a plurality of exhaust ports 29 are provided on the bottom surface of the housing 1 and the lower side surface of the housing 1, and the housing 1
The air taken in is exhausted to the outside by these exhaust ports 29. In addition to the through hole 21 of the base plate 20 described above, each member arranged in the housing 1 is formed with an opening for allowing the downflow to pass therethrough. That is, for example, the top plate 30 of the autoloader unit 3 is configured by a mesh member, and the top plate 31 of the probing mechanism unit 2 is provided with 32.

Then, by rotating the air intake fan 27, the outside air is taken in through the air intake port 26 as shown by the arrow in the figure and is cleaned by the filter 28. This clean air is through holes 21, 32 and the mesh-shaped top plate 31. Etc., and through each part in the housing 1 to be discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 29. That is, a downflow of purified air similar to a clean room is formed in the casing 1 so that the inside of the casing 1 becomes a cleaning atmosphere. An exhaust fan may be provided near the exhaust port 29.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a cassette transfer mechanism 33 is provided in front of the housing 1, and when an airtight container 34 containing the wafer cassette 23 is placed,
The opening / closing mechanism provided in the lower part of the airtight container 34 is opened so that the wafer cassette 23 inside the cassette elevator 2
The semiconductor wafer 1 which has been transported to No. 4 and whose measurement has been completed
The wafer cassette 23 containing 0 is transported from the cassette elevator 24 into the airtight container 34. As the airtight container 34 and the cassette carrying mechanism 33, for example, a SMIF system (trade name, manufactured by MBK Assist) can be used.

The probe device of this embodiment having the above-mentioned structure is
It is installed in a normal atmosphere outside the clean room. Then, by rotating the air intake fan 27,
A down flow of cleaning air similar to a clean room is formed in the housing 1 to keep the housing 1 in a cleaning atmosphere. As described above, the operation of the device can be performed from the outside of the housing 1 by the operation unit 4, and the cleaning atmosphere in the housing 1 is not damaged.

Then, the semiconductor wafer 10 to be measured is
It is housed in the airtight container 34 from the clean room, and is carried out in a normal atmosphere in an airtight state, and placed on the cassette transfer mechanism 33 of the probe device.

Then, by the cassette carrying mechanism 33,
The wafer cassette 23 in the airtight container 34 is taken out and placed on the cassette elevator 24. As a result, the semiconductor wafer 10 can be carried from the inside of the clean room into the housing 1 in the cleaning atmosphere without coming into contact with the outside air. It is also possible to prevent external dust from entering the housing 1.

Then, while the wafer cassette 23 is moved up and down by the cassette elevator 24, the semiconductor wafers 10 in the wafer cassette 23 are sequentially loaded (and unloaded) on the wafer holding table 11 by the wafer transfer mechanism 25 to hold the wafer. By driving the table 11, the probe 14 of the probe card 13 is brought into contact with the electrode pad of the semiconductor device formed on the semiconductor wafer 10 to obtain electrical continuity, and through this probe 14. , Automatically test and measure the electrical characteristics of semiconductor devices.

As described above, the probe apparatus of this embodiment is installed in a normal atmosphere, and the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device formed on the semiconductor wafer 10 can be tested and measured in the normal atmosphere. . Therefore, for example, measurements other than test measurements in normal manufacturing processes, such as measurements for evaluation in design and process control, can be carried out by this probe apparatus in a normal atmosphere. For this reason,
It is possible to effectively utilize the inside of the clean room where the construction cost per floor area is high, and it is possible to reduce the entry of workers such as dust sources into the clean room.

Further, it is not necessary to install in a clean atmosphere, the downflow distribution is obstructed, and the power source section 5 and the electronic circuit section 6 which are heat sources are provided outside the housing 1. Since the semiconductor wafer 10 is arranged, the opening ratio of the device is increased, and the clean air is circulated to each part inside the device to improve the cleanliness inside the device.
It is possible to significantly reduce the possibility of dust adhering to the undesired part. In this embodiment, this effect is obtained by further providing an opening (for example, the through hole 2 of the base plate 20) for allowing the downflow to flow through the member provided in the housing 1.
1, through holes 32 of the top plate 31, mesh member of the top plate 30)
It is further enhanced by the fact that Further, it is possible to prevent the temperature inside the housing 1 from rising.

Although the power supply unit 5 and the electronic circuit unit 6 are arranged laterally of the housing 1 in the above embodiment, the power supply unit 5 and the electronic circuit unit 6 are arranged in the housing 1 as shown in FIG. It can also be placed above. In this case, the installation space can be reduced, but the maintainability is slightly reduced.

Further, the cassette transport mechanism 37 automatically and automatically moves the wafer cassette 23 in the airtight container 38.
Although the wafer cassette 23 is configured to be taken in without being exposed to the outside air, the wafer cassette 23 may be manually carried in into the housing 1. In this case, the case 1
It is necessary to provide an openable and closable door for loading and unloading the wafer cassette 23, but if an air curtain mechanism that operates only when the door is opened is provided at the location of such a door, the wafer It is possible to prevent external dust from entering the housing 1 when the cassette 23 is loaded.

[0031]

As described above, according to the probe device of the present invention, the electrical characteristics of the substrate to be measured can be tested and measured in a normal atmosphere, and an undesired portion can be measured. It is possible to significantly reduce the possibility of dust adhesion.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a probe device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a vertical cross-sectional structure of the probe device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an XY table.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a probe device according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 case 2 Probing mechanism 3 Autoloader section 4 operation part 5 power supply 6 Electronic circuit section 10 Semiconductor wafer 11 Wafer holder 12 XY table 13 probe card 14 probes 20 base plate 21 through hole 22 Test head 23 Wafer cassette 24 cassette elevator 25 Wafer transfer mechanism 26 Air intake 27 Air intake fan 28 filters 29 Exhaust port 30 Top plate (mesh shape) 31 Top plate 32 through holes

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A probing mechanism for moving a substrate holder in X, Y, and Z directions to bring a probe into contact with an electrode on a substrate to be measured held by the substrate holder, and a measured object on the substrate holder. In a probe device including an autoloader for loading / unloading a substrate, an electronic circuit section for controlling the operation of the probing mechanism and the autoloader, and a power source section for supplying electric power to the probing mechanism and the autoloader The housing is equipped with a downflow forming mechanism for forming a downflow of clean air from the upper side to the lower side, and the probing mechanism and the autoloader are housed in the housing. A probe device characterized in that a power supply section is arranged. 2. An opening for circulating the downflow is provided by forming at least a part of a member provided in the housing by a mesh member or a plate member having a through hole. A probe device characterized by.