JPH06342837A - Inspection and repair device and burn-in inspection device for semiconductor wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an inspection and repair device for a semiconductor device which executes a burn-in inspection process for many semiconductor chips on semiconductor wafers and a later repair process by in-line method. CONSTITUTION:A loader 20, which supplies semiconductor wafers 1 one by one, a burn-in inspection part 40, a probe inspection part 50, and a repair part 60, a marking part 70, a baking part 80, and a visual inspection part 90 are arranged, respectively, in radial shape around a rotary carry path 30 equipped with a carry unit 300. The loader 20 prealigns, on a chuck 28a, the semiconductor wafers 1 taken out of a cassette 22, and detects the ID information given to the wafer 1. The carry unit 300, which has taken out the semiconductor wafer 1 from the loader 20, carries the semiconductor in and out of each inspection part and the repair part, according to the predetermined inspection procedure, and executes a plurality of inspection items and repair process by in line method.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inspection / repair device and a burn-in inspection device capable of performing a burn-in inspection of semiconductor chips in a semiconductor wafer state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a final step of a semiconductor manufacturing process,
A plurality of inspection processes are required to prevent defective chips from being distributed to the user side. A typical example of this type of inspection process is probe inspection. The probe inspection includes a probe needle that contacts all electrode pads of one chip of a large number of semiconductor chips existing on a semiconductor wafer, sends a signal pattern to the semiconductor chip, and monitors the output of the semiconductor chip. Inspecting the electrical characteristics of. In this probe inspection device, in order to inspect all the chips on the semiconductor wafer, it is necessary to repeatedly move up and down the wafer chuck on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted and perform step movement for one chip every time inspection of one chip is completed. there were. Further, as a final step of the semiconductor manufacturing process, in addition to the probe inspection, it is necessary to perform marking on a defective chip determined to be defective by the inspection by an ink method or a repair process for repairing a repairable defective chip. As a final inspection process,
There is a demand for visual inspection by enlarging a semiconductor chip on a semiconductor wafer. There has been proposed an apparatus for performing various inspections and repairs of this kind by an in-line method.

One of such methods is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 26525/1990.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5, a plurality of inspection parts and repair parts are arranged on both sides or one side of a linear transfer path for transferring a cassette on which a plurality of semiconductor wafers are mounted, and each inspection part and repair part are provided. The cassette is conveyed and supplied.

Another method is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-13985.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1, a plurality of inspection parts and repair parts are arranged on both sides or one side of a straight transfer path for transferring semiconductor wafers, and semiconductor wafers are transferred and supplied one by one to each inspection part and repair part. To do.

The above-mentioned two methods are different depending on whether a cassette or a semiconductor wafer is carried, but both are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-22057 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-19.
It can be understood that the so-called cluster tool method disclosed as a rotary transfer method in Japanese Patent No. 2525 is applied to an inspection / repair device by replacing it with a linear transfer method.

As a final inspection of the semiconductor manufacturing process, there is a so-called burn-in inspection in addition to the above-mentioned probe inspection. The burn-in inspection is to detect a chip that causes an initial failure by performing an element driving state close to an actual driving state while applying a temperature stress and / or a voltage stress to the semiconductor chip. Is. Conventionally, this burn-in inspection is not performed on semiconductor chips on a semiconductor wafer, but is performed on semiconductor devices that are packaged after the semiconductor wafer is cut into chips.

[0007]

The significance of burn-in inspection of semiconductor devices is to remove devices having inherent defects and potential defects by applying temperature stress or voltage stress. Even if the contents of the defects are found out. However, it was almost impossible to repair the semiconductor device after it was packaged. As described above, the semiconductor device determined to be defective by the burn-in inspection has to be discarded, and there is much waste in terms of time and economy. Therefore, it has been earnestly desired to carry out this type of burn-in inspection in the state of a semiconductor wafer.

The biggest problem in conducting the burn-in inspection of the semiconductor chip in the state of the semiconductor wafer, not in the state of the semiconductor device, is that the burn-in inspection is a screening test for finding a semiconductor chip causing an initial defect. This means that the time required for the burn-in inspection of the chip is longer than that required for the probe inspection. For example, 1
Taking the semiconductor chip of M DRAM as an example, 1024
It is necessary to sequentially supply signals to the word lines of the book, and
In order to find a gate oxide film defect due to stress, it takes a considerable amount of time to inspect each word.
It took about 24 hours to perform the burn-in inspection of the entire chip of the M DRAM.

Even if this burn-in inspection time is shortened by devising a wiring line or the like, there are the following problems in applying the above two in-line methods to the burn-in inspection.

For example, if a burn-in inspection is included in the in-line apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-265255, the inspection time of all the semiconductor wafers in the carried-in cassette is finished as long as one inspection unit is occupied. It takes time to do so, in other words, it is occupied until the inspection of the semiconductor wafer group for each lot is completed. In particular, even if another identical inspection unit becomes empty, it is impossible to carry an uninspected semiconductor wafer into another empty inspection unit. Therefore, the operating rate of the entire device is reduced, and high throughput cannot be expected.

On the other hand, if the burn-in inspection apparatus is applied to the in-line apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-139851, the above-mentioned problems can be solved. However, each of the above-mentioned two in-line devices is merely a probe inspection device or other inspection device that is a finished product arranged on both sides or one side of a linear robot transfer device, and each inspection unit has a semiconductor device. There was a waste of repeating the same operation, such as pre-alignment, every time a wafer was loaded.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and enable burn-in inspection of a semiconductor chip in a state of a semiconductor wafer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor wafer inspection / repair device and a burn-in inspection device capable of efficiently performing a repair process or the like by an in-line method.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A semiconductor wafer inspection / repair device according to the present invention is a semiconductor wafer on which a large number of semiconductor chips are formed. After the wafer is pre-aligned, a supply means for supplying the semiconductor wafer to the transfer means, and a semiconductor chip on the semiconductor wafer radially arranged around the rotation transfer path and delivered by the transfer means. At least a burn-in inspection, among a plurality of inspection units each performing a plurality of inspection items including a burn-in inspection, and the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer that are arranged along the transfer path and passed by the transfer unit. A burn-in inspection unit having a repair unit for repairing the semiconductor chip determined to be defective at the time of the subsequent inspection. A wafer chuck having a function of heating and / or cooling the semiconductor wafer; a fine alignment section for fine alignment of the semiconductor wafer on the wafer chuck; A contact portion that simultaneously contacts the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip group in the region; and a tester that conducts burn-in inspection of the semiconductor chip in a state of being electrically connected to the contact portion and subjected to temperature and / or voltage stress. Is characterized by.

The burn-in inspection apparatus according to the present invention comprises a transfer means for rotating and transferring a semiconductor wafer on which a large number of semiconductor chips are formed along a rotation transfer path, and pre-aligning the semiconductor wafer, and then the semiconductor wafer. A supply unit that supplies the transfer unit; and a burn-in inspection unit that is arranged radially around the rotary transfer path and that performs a burn-in inspection of the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer transferred from the transfer unit. The burn-in inspection unit includes a wafer chuck having a function of heating and / or cooling the semiconductor wafer, a fine alignment unit for fine alignment of the semiconductor wafer on the wafer chuck, and an entire area of the semiconductor wafer. Alternatively, the contact pads are simultaneously formed on the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip group in the divided areas which are divided into areas. A contact portion for bets, electrically connected to the contact portion, characterized in that it comprises a tester for burn-in test of said semiconductor chip in a state where plus temperature and / or voltage stress, the.

[0015]

In the present invention, the semiconductor wafers are collectively pre-aligned before being supplied by the supply means for supplying the semiconductor wafers to the rotary transfer path. It is necessary to re-align at the burn-in inspection section radially arranged around the rotary conveyance path, or at another inspection section or repair section, but it is sufficient to perform only fine alignment at each location. Since it is unnecessary and pre-aligned collectively in advance, the time for fine alignment can be shortened.

In the semiconductor wafer inspection / repair device according to the present invention, after the pre-aligned semiconductor wafer is supplied to the transfer means on the rotary transfer path through the supply means, the transfer means is predetermined by the transfer means. According to the inspection procedure, semiconductor wafers are sequentially carried in and out of a plurality of inspection units and repair units arranged around the rotary transfer path. Here, in order to perform a plurality of inspections and repairs inline, it is necessary to shorten the inspection time required in the burn-in inspection unit. In view of this, in the present invention, the burn-in inspection section is provided with a contact section that simultaneously contacts the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip group in the entire area on one semiconductor wafer or in the surface-divided divided areas. Therefore, it is not necessary to reduce the number of times of step driving of the wafer chuck or to carry out this step driving during the inspection as compared with the case of contacting the electrode pad of one semiconductor chip, and the inspection time can be shortened accordingly. it can. Further, the semiconductor wafer having the semiconductor chip determined to be defective after the burn-in inspection is carried into the repair section, and the repairable defective chip is repaired. Therefore, as compared with the burn-in test performed after the conventional packaging, the defective chip that had to be discarded can be repaired as a good product, and the final product yield can be improved.

According to the burn-in inspection apparatus of the present invention, after the pre-aligned semiconductor wafer is supplied to the transfer means on the rotary transfer path through the supply means, a plurality of burn-in devices arranged around the rotary transfer path. The semiconductor wafers are sequentially loaded into the inspection section. Each of the burn-in inspection units individually performs the burn-in inspection. However, when viewed as the entire apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of semiconductor wafers can be intensively and efficiently subjected to the burn-in inspection by the in-line method.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a semiconductor wafer inspection / repair device according to the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

Overview of Overall Configuration of Apparatus First, an overview of the overall configuration of the apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus of this embodiment, showing an example of the layout of the inspection section and the repair section. In the figure, a transfer unit 300 that can rotate around a center O is provided in the circular frame 10.
The inside of the circular frame 10 is the rotary transfer path 30 for the semiconductor wafer 1.
Is configured as. The loader unit 20, the various inspection units, and the repair unit 4 are radially arranged around the rotary conveyance path 30.
0 to 90 are provided respectively.

A downflow section for downflowing clean air toward the rotary transfer path 30, various inspection sections and repair section is provided in an upper region facing each of the sections 20 to 90 and the rotary transfer path 30 to generate dust. Measures are taken.

The loader section 20 includes, for example, four cassettes 2
2, each cassette 22 is loaded with, for example, 25 semiconductor wafers 1. A transport path 24 is arranged across the array width of the four cassettes 22.
The delivery unit 200 is movably provided along the line 4. A pre-alignment unit 26 is provided at a position facing the four cassettes 22 with the transport path 24 interposed therebetween and at a position facing the rotary transport path 30. The pre-alignment unit 26 has a chuck 28a on which the semiconductor wafer 1 can be mounted, and, for example, three push-up pins 28b which can be projected and retracted from the surface of the chuck 28a. The chuck 28a is movable in the directions of arrows X, Y and θ in the figure under the control of the pre-alignment controller 105. Under the control of the pre-alignment controller 105, the semiconductor wafer 1 on the chuck 28a is pre-aligned. At this time, positioning of the orientation flat 1a of the semiconductor wafer 1 is also performed. Further, an ID detection unit 106 for detecting ID information of the semiconductor wafer 1 on the chuck 28a is provided. The semiconductor wafer 1 is provided with characters or a bar code as ID information, and the ID detection unit 106 optically detects this ID information.

As a semiconductor wafer inspection unit and a repair unit arranged around the rotary transfer path 30, a burn-in inspection unit 40, a probe inspection unit 50, a repair unit 60 including a laser repair unit and a deposition repair unit, and a marking unit 70. , A baking unit 80 and a visual inspection unit 90 are arranged.

The burn-in inspection unit 40 is for performing a burn-in inspection of the semiconductor chip on the semiconductor wafer 1 under the condition that the temperature stress and / or the voltage stress is applied, and the probe inspection unit 50 does not apply the above stresses. In this state, the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor chip are inspected. The burn-in inspection unit 40 and the probe inspection unit 5
When 0 requires a longer inspection time than other inspection units, the burn-in inspection units 40 and the probe inspection units 50 may be arranged in a number proportional to the inspection time. If the burn-in inspection requires more time than the probe inspection, the burn-in inspection unit 40 may be additionally installed. On the contrary, when the probe inspection requires more time than the burn-in inspection, the probe inspection unit 50
Can be added.

For example, when one probe repair section 50 finds that a pattern short circuit has occurred in the semiconductor chip, one laser repair section of the repair section 60 melts the pattern short circuit section by laser light. To repair. The other deposition repair part of the repair part 60 is for repairing a deposition film formed in the pattern open part when a pattern open occurs in the semiconductor chip in the probe inspection part 50.

The marking section 70 is for marking, for example, by inking or scratching on a defective chip which cannot be repaired by both the laser repair section and the debodiment repair section.

The baking section 80 is necessary when the marking section 70 is of the ink marker type, and is used to dry the ink ejected onto the defective chip by baking.

The visual inspection section 90 is for visually inspecting the external appearance of each semiconductor chip 2 on the semiconductor wafer 1 using a microscope or a TV monitor. The visual inspection unit 90 is used as a final inspection item of the apparatus of this embodiment, and also the burn-in inspection unit 40 or the probe inspection unit 5 is used.
It can also be used for visual inspection after the inspection at 0.

FIG. 2 shows the control system of the apparatus of this embodiment. The CPU 100 controls the control of the apparatus according to the present embodiment, and has a storage unit 102 having a built-in ROM and RAM.
In addition to the above-described various inspection units and repair units 40 to 90, the pre-alignment control unit 105 and the ID detection unit 106, the following various control units are connected to the bus line. . In the loader unit 20, the loader control unit 104 performs rotational drive in the θ direction of the entire unit of the delivery unit 200 that moves along the transport path 24, vertical drive, and forward / backward drive of the tweezers. The drive control of the push-up pin 28b that is pushed in and out is performed. The transport control unit 108 performs rotational drive of the transport unit 300 that moves along the rotary transport path 30, raising / lowering drive thereof, and forward / backward drive of tweezers.

Inspection of a semiconductor wafer having the above structure
The operation of the entire repair apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, one semiconductor wafer 1 is unloaded from the loader section 20 toward the transfer unit 300 on the rotary transfer path 30 (step 110). For this purpose, the CPU 1
00 sends a command to the loader control unit 104, and the delivery unit 200 controlled by the loader control unit 104 is stopped at a position facing one cassette 22. After that, one semiconductor wafer 1 is taken out from the cassette 22 by the forward drive, the upward drive and the backward drive of the tweezers of the delivery unit 200. Further, the delivery unit 200 is rotated by 180 °, and one semiconductor wafer 1 is placed on the three push-up pins 28b on the chuck 28a by driving the arm thereafter. After that, the push-up pin 28b is lowered, so that one semiconductor wafer 1 is placed on the chuck 28a. And the chuck 28a
The pre-alignment of the semiconductor wafer 1 is performed on the semiconductor wafer 1 placed on the semiconductor wafer 1 under the drive control of the pre-alignment control unit 105. Furthermore, the ID detection unit 10
6, the ID information given on the semiconductor wafer 1 is detected.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, each inspection section or repair section after being carried out from the loader section 20 individually performs fine alignment. I am doing pre-alignment. In this way, by performing the pre-alignment collectively by the loader unit 20, the alignment time at each inspection unit or repair unit can be shortened, and compared with the case where the pre-alignment unit is provided at each inspection unit and repair unit. Therefore, the number of members can be significantly reduced.

After that, the push-up pin 28b is driven to project from the chuck 28a, and further, the tweezers of the transport unit 300 on the rotary transport path 30 are driven forward, upward and backward to drive one pre-aligned semiconductor wafer 1. Is transferred from the loader unit 20 to the transport unit 300.

After this, the CPU 100 gives a command for carrying in one semiconductor wafer 1 to the transfer control unit 108 toward, for example, the burn-in inspection unit 40 which carries out the first inspection item (step 112). Transport control unit 108
Performs the stop position control of the transfer unit 300 on the rotary transfer path 30 and the drive control of the tweezers in the unit 300, so that one semiconductor wafer 1 is carried into the burn-in inspection unit 40 in the empty state. At this time, the loader unit 2 is provided between the transport unit 300 and the burn-in inspection unit 40.
It is also possible to provide the delivery unit 200 having the same configuration as that of the unit inside 0, and carry in the semiconductor wafer 1 via the delivery unit 200. In this way, the operating rate of the transport unit 300 can be increased, and the drive stroke of the tweezers in the unit 300 can be shortened.

Here, in order to smoothly carry out the visual inspection, which is the final inspection item, from the burn-in inspection by the in-line method, even if a plurality of burn-in inspection units 40 are provided, the inspection time in the burn-in inspection unit 40 is increased. Must be shortened. In this embodiment, the burn-in inspection unit 40
In performing the burn-in inspection in (1), not only a single semiconductor chip on the semiconductor wafer 1 is contacted, but all semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer 1 are contacted. Further, in the present embodiment, since the burn-in inspection can be performed in the state of the semiconductor wafer instead of performing the packaged state like the conventional burn-in inspection, for example, a dedicated electrode for inspection is provided on the semiconductor wafer. In this way, the time required for burn-in inspection is shortened. By doing so, the time required to perform the burn-in inspection of all 1M DRAMs formed on, for example, an 8-inch semiconductor wafer is reduced to about one and a half hours.

When the burn-in inspection is completed, the CPU 10
In step 0, the semiconductor wafer 1 that has undergone the burn-in inspection is then transferred to the visual inspection unit 90 (step 11).
4). In the visual inspection unit 90, after finely aligning the loaded semiconductor wafer 1, the semiconductor chip on the semiconductor wafer 1 is magnified and visually inspected with a microscope, or an enlarged image of the semiconductor chip is displayed on a TV monitor. Will be displayed and a visual inspection will be performed. Here, when the presence of a defective chip is detected by this visual inspection, the operator can input the information through the input unit provided in the visual inspection unit 90. Information about the defective chip is stored in the storage unit 102 via the CPU 100.
It is stored therein in association with the ID information of the wafer 1. As will be described later, the transport unit 300 can also have two upper and lower tweezers. In this way, when the transfer unit 300 moves to the burn-in inspection unit 40 that has completed the burn-in inspection, for example, the uninspected semiconductor wafer 1 transferred from the loader unit 20 to the upper tweezers.
Can be installed. Then, the transfer unit 300 receives the uninspected semiconductor wafer 1 on the upper tweezers immediately after receiving the semiconductor wafer 1 after the inspection from the burn-in inspection unit 40 on the lower tweezers in the empty state. It can be carried into the burn-in inspection unit 40.

Next, the CPU 100 has its visual inspection section 9
0 and the transfer control unit 108 are controlled to control the transfer of one semiconductor wafer 1 that has undergone the visual inspection to the probe inspection unit 50 that carries out the next inspection item (step 116). The transport unit 300 driven and controlled by the transport control 108 is moved to a position facing the probe inspection unit 50, and then the semiconductor wafer 1 is delivered to the probe inspection unit 50 by the drive control of the tweezers.

In the probe inspection section 50, as is well known,
By contacting the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip on the semiconductor wafer 1 and monitoring the output of the input signal given by the tester with the tester, the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor chip in a stress-free state such as burn-in can be obtained. To be inspected. In this probe inspection, a short circuit or an open pattern in the semiconductor chip is also inspected.
The inspection result is stored in the storage unit 102 via the CPU 100 in association with the wafer ID information.

When the probe inspection by the probe inspection unit 50 is completed, the CPU 100 then controls the transfer of the semiconductor wafer 1 to the visual inspection unit 90 again, and the appearance inspection of the semiconductor chip after the probe inspection is performed (step 118). ).
Here, when a defective chip is detected, information about the defective chip is input via the input unit in the same manner as above.

Next, the CPU 100 executes steps 112-1.
In each of the inspection steps of 18, it is determined whether or not any semiconductor chip on the semiconductor wafer 1 has a defect (step 120). If there is a defective chip, then C
The PU 100 determines whether the defect content can be repaired by the laser repair section or the deposition repair section in the repair section 60 (step 122). When it is determined in step 122 that the repair is possible, the CPU 100 next determines whether the repair can be performed by the laser repair, in other words, whether or not the pattern short circuit exists in the semiconductor chip. (Step 12
4). If the defect is a pattern short, the CPU
In 100, the semiconductor wafer 1 is carried into the laser repair portion, and the pattern short-circuit portion is melted and repaired by the laser light (step 126). After completion of step 126 or when the determination in step 124 is NO, the CPU 100 can repair the defect content by deposition repair, in other words, a pattern open in the semiconductor chip. It is determined whether it has occurred (step 128). If a pattern open has occurred, the CPU 100 carries the semiconductor wafer 1 into the deposition repair section and repairs the pattern open section by film formation (step 130).

As described above, according to the apparatus of this embodiment, by performing the burn-in inspection in the state of the semiconductor wafer, it is possible to apply the intrinsic stress by applying the temperature stress or the voltage stress.
A semiconductor chip with a potential defect can be detected in advance. Moreover, the semiconductor wafer 1 having the defective chip mounted thereon is carried into the repair section 60 by the in-line method to repair the defective chip that can be repaired, whereby the final yield can be greatly improved.

When the laser repair portion and / or the deposition repair portion is repaired as described above, the procedure returns to step 116 and the probe inspection is performed again. In step 122 after completion of the first or second probe inspection, if there is a defective chip that cannot be repaired, the CPU 100 then carries the semiconductor wafer 1 to the marking unit 70 ( Step 132). In this marking unit 70, the CPU 1
According to the control of No. 00, ink is ejected onto the defective chip based on the address information of the defective chip, and the defective chip is marked. After the marking on the defective chip is completed, the CPU 100 carries the semiconductor wafer 1 to the baking section 80, and dries the ink ejected on the defective chip by baking (step 134). As is well known, the baking unit 80 mounts the semiconductor wafer 1 on, for example, a hot plate, and dries the ink of the defective chip on the semiconductor wafer 1 via the hot plate.

After the baking process in step 134 is completed, or when it is determined in step 120 that there is no defective chip even after the probe inspection, the CPU
Next, 100 carries in the semiconductor wafer 1 to the visual inspection part 90 to perform a final visual inspection (step 1).
36). After the final visual inspection, the CPU
Reference numeral 100 denotes a transfer unit 300 for transferring the semiconductor wafer 1.
The chuck 28a in the loader unit 20, the delivery unit 200
Then, the sheet is returned to the original cassette 22 via the (step 138).

In this way, a series of processes from the burn-in inspection process to the visual inspection process for one semiconductor wafer 1 and the repair process therebetween is carried out by the in-line system. Further, the CPU 100 receives the semiconductor wafer from the inspection section or the repair section after the processing is completed in the inspection section or the repair section, and at the same time, carries in a new semiconductor wafer 1 and repeats this. By doing so, it is possible to repeatedly execute the above-mentioned in-line processing for all the semiconductor wafers 1 in the four cassettes 22 mounted in the loader unit 20.

The burn-in inspection unit and the probe inspection unit
In order to efficiently carry out the burn-in test and the probe test by the in-line method, the structure of the probe device disclosed in the previous patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 4-226378) filed by the applicant of the present invention is preferably adopted. it can. This structure is shown in FIGS. Each drawing shows a structure common to the burn-in inspection unit 40 and the probe inspection unit 50. When this is used as the burn-in inspection unit 40, a heating or cooling mechanism is mounted in the wafer chuck 402 shown in each drawing. And test head 440
However, the input signal peculiar to the burn-in inspection can be applied to each semiconductor chip on the semiconductor wafer 1, and the output signal thereof can be monitored. In addition, the connection unit 42 on the back side of the probe card 420
A heating or cooling mechanism may be mounted in the unit 8.

As a common structure of the burn-in inspection unit 40 and the probe inspection unit 50, a wafer chuck 402 capable of mounting and fixing the semiconductor wafer 1 in the housing 400 by, for example, a vacuum suction method is provided. When configuring the burn-in inspection unit 40, the wafer chuck 40
2 may be a hot chuck, for example. Below the wafer chuck 402, a rotating mechanism 404 for rotating the wafer chuck 402 around a vertical axis is provided.
Below the rotating mechanism 404, an elevating mechanism 406 that drives the rotating mechanism 404 up and down is provided.

Below the elevating mechanism 406, there are provided an X-direction fine movement mechanism 408 and a Y-direction fine movement mechanism 410 for finely moving the wafer chuck 402 by a few semiconductor chips in the X and Y directions, respectively. These fine movement mechanism 40
For 8, 410, for example, a mechanism using a ball screw or a piezo element can be used. In the present embodiment, the X-direction fine movement mechanism 408, the Y-direction fine movement mechanism 410, and the rotation mechanism 404 constitute a fine alignment mechanism for finely aligning the position of the semiconductor wafer 1 in the plane.

A probe card 420 is supported above the wafer chuck 402. The probe card 420 is supported by an insert ring 430 attached to the housing 400. This probe card 4
A sheet-like body 422 made of an elastic material is provided on the surface side of 20, and a large number of conductive protrusions 424 projecting downward from the surface thereof are formed on the sheet-like body 422. The conductive protrusions 424 are arranged in a number corresponding to the total number of electrode pads of all the semiconductor chips existing on the semiconductor wafer 1. Therefore, by driving up the wafer chuck 402 on which the semiconductor wafer 1 is mounted, all the electrode pads of all the semiconductor chips existing on the semiconductor wafer 1 are
The conductive protrusions 424 of the probe card 420 are collectively contacted. Further, even if the semiconductor wafer 1 or the probe card 420 is tilted or bent, elastic deformation of the planar body 422 made of an elastic body absorbs variations in the height direction to enable collective contact.

On the back surface side of the probe card 420, a connection unit 428 having electrodes electrically connected to all the conductive protrusions 424 is mounted. A test head 440 is arranged on the upper part of the housing 400 so as to face the connection unit 428. The test head 440 has a built-in tester and has a large number of pogo pins 426 connected to the signal lines in the test head 440. The pogo pins 426 are constantly urged to move in the protruding direction. Then, the pogo pins 426 elastically contact the electrodes of the connection unit 428, so that the test head 440
And the conductive protrusion 424 of the probe card 420 are brought into conduction. When this device is used as the burn-in inspection unit 40, a heating or cooling mechanism is mounted in the connection unit 428, and the conductive protrusions 424 of the probe card 420 that come into contact with the semiconductor wafer 1 are connected to the semiconductor wafer 1.
The heating temperature or the cooling temperature can be set to almost the same temperature.

Wafer chuck 402 and probe card 4
A cylindrical fine alignment detection unit 450 is provided between the unit 20 and the unit 20 so as to be movable back and forth. Both ends of the fine alignment detection section 450 are guided by two guide rails 460 and 460 provided inside the upper wall of the housing 400. As a result, the fine alignment detector 450 can be retracted and moved to a region below the conductive protrusions 424 and outside the ascending / descending region of the wafer chuck 402.

This fine alignment detecting section 450
Are openings 450a and 45 on the upper and lower surfaces of the central portion, respectively.
With 0b. Further, the fine alignment detection section 450 has a TV camera 45 at one end in the longitudinal direction.
2, a half mirror 454 is arranged at the middle portion thereof, and a total reflection mirror 456 is arranged at the other end portion thereof. The half mirror 454 is mounted on the moving unit 458. By moving the moving unit 458 along the longitudinal direction of the fine alignment detecting unit 450, the half mirror 45 is moved.
4 can be moved over a range from one end side to the other end side of each row of semiconductor chips arranged on the semiconductor wafer 1.

Next, the burn-in inspection unit 4 having the above-mentioned structure
The operation of 0 will be described. As described above, one semiconductor wafer 1 is loaded into the burn-in inspection section 40 via the transport unit 300.
The semiconductor wafer 1 is placed on the wafer chuck 402 by the tweezers drive of the transfer unit 300. The wafer chuck 402 has, for example, three push-up pins (not shown) capable of projecting and retracting, and after supporting the semiconductor wafer 1 on the tweezers of the transfer unit 300 on the three push-up pins. The semiconductor wafer 1 can be placed on the wafer chuck 402 by driving the pins downward. This wafer chuck 402
Since it is composed of a hot chuck, the semiconductor wafer 1 composed of a silicon substrate having good thermal conductivity can be heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 125 ° C. in a relatively short time.

On this semiconductor wafer 1, several hundreds of 8 mm × 12 mm semiconductor chips provided with, for example, 32 electrode pads are formed. In order to accurately contact the electrode pads of all the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer 1 with the conductive protrusions 424 of the probe card 420, X, Y of the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer 1 with respect to the conductive protrusions 424 of the probe card 420. Fine alignment in the θ direction is performed.

For this reason, the fine alignment detecting section 450 is set at a position between the probe card 420 and the semiconductor wafer 1. Then, the TV camera 452 in the fine alignment detection unit 450 drives the X-direction fine movement mechanism 408, the Y-direction fine movement mechanism 410, and the rotation mechanism 404 while observing the conductive protrusion 424 and the image of the surface of the semiconductor wafer 1. It is possible to align the semiconductor chip with the conductive protrusions 424 in the X, Y, and θ directions.

The image of the conductive projection 424 is taken in through the opening 450a on the upper side of the fine alignment detection section 450, reflected by the half mirror 454, and then transferred to T
An image is taken by the V camera 452. On the other hand, semiconductor wafer 1
The upper image is taken in through the opening 450b on the lower side of the fine alignment detection section 450. Then, this image is reflected by 90 ° toward the total reflection mirror 456 by the half mirror 454, and then the total reflection mirror 456.
The light is totally reflected at, is transmitted through the half mirror 454, and is imaged by the TV camera 452.

At this time, the half mirror 454 is moved to the moving unit 4
By moving the X-direction by 58 and the entire fine alignment detecting section 450 in the Y-direction, it is possible to image any of the semiconductor chips in the entire region on the semiconductor wafer 1.

After the above fine alignment is completed, the fine alignment detecting section 450 is retracted from the lower region of the probe card 420. After that, the wafer chuck 402 is raised by the elevating mechanism 406 to remove the electrode pads of all the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer 1.
The conductive protrusions 424 of the probe card 420 are collectively contacted. After that, a known burn-in test, that is, a dynamic burn-in test, a static burn-in test, a monitor burn-in test, or the like can be performed on all the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer 1. At this time, the array pattern on the semiconductor wafer 1 can be configured so that the voltage stress is applied to all the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer 1 at the same time. In this way, the processing time of the burn-in inspection can be reduced. Can be greatly shortened.

Further, by using the above structure, the probe inspection by the probe inspection unit 50 is performed without contacting all the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer 1 with temperature stress and voltage stress. Known probing tests can be performed.

As described above, according to the burn-in test and the probe test described above, the test can be performed in a state of being in contact with the electrode pads of all the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer 1, so that each semiconductor chip is measured. It is not necessary to move the wafer chuck 402 up and down and stepwise every time, and the inspection time can be shortened as much as the movement time can be omitted, and high throughput can be achieved. Further, since the wafer chuck 402 can perform the alignment only by slightly moving in the X and Y directions as described above, the burn-in inspection unit 40 and the probe inspection unit 50 can be downsized.

The data relating to the defective chip obtained by the burn-in test and the probe test is stored in the CPU 1
Wafer ID in the storage unit 102 via the 00 bus line.
Is stored in association with, and is used for the repair operation in the above-described repair unit 60, and is provided as the marking information in the above-described marking unit 70 for the unrepairable defective chip.

Next, a modified example of the burn-in inspection section 40 and the probe inspection section 50 will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, on the semiconductor wafer 1,
Of the semiconductor chips 1a arranged in the X and Y directions, for example, they are arranged corresponding to all the electrode pads of one row of semiconductor chips 2 (hatched portions) arranged in the Y direction, and are collectively contacted to these pads. A probe card 470 having probe needles 472 is provided.

Below the wafer chuck 402, a rotating mechanism 404, an elevating mechanism 406, and a Y-direction fine moving mechanism 410 are provided as in the above embodiment. Below the Y-direction fine movement mechanism 410, a movement mechanism 480 for moving the wafer chuck 402 in the X direction between the delivery area S1 of the semiconductor wafer 1 and the alignment area S2 is provided. The moving mechanism 480 includes a motor 482 and a ball screw 484 driven by the motor 482. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the wafer chuck 402 is positioned in the delivery area S1, and the semiconductor wafer 1 is placed and fixed on the wafer chuck 402 at this position. Further, in the subsequent fine alignment of the semiconductor wafer 1, the wafer chuck 402 is set in the alignment area S2, and the semiconductor wafer 1 is positioned by using the fine alignment detection section 450 as in the above embodiment.

Regarding the burn-in inspection and the probe inspection in the apparatus of this embodiment, the probe needles 472 formed on the probe card 470 are attached to all the electrode pads of the semiconductor chips 2 arranged in the Y direction on the semiconductor wafer 1 in one row. This is done by contacting all at once. Then, every time the inspection on the semiconductor chip 2 in one row in the Y direction is completed,
By moving the wafer chuck 402 in the X direction by one chip of the semiconductor chip 2 by the moving mechanism 480 and repeating this, burn-in inspection or probe inspection can be performed on all the semiconductor chips 2 on the semiconductor wafer 1. .

According to this embodiment, it is necessary to move the semiconductor chip 2 in the X direction by one step each time the measurement of one row of the semiconductor chips 2 in the Y direction is completed, as compared with the collective contact method described above. Compared to the step driving in the X and Y directions each time the measurement of each chip 2 is completed, the device can be downsized and the number of members can be reduced, and the inspection time can be shortened.

Delivery unit 200 and transport unit 3
Structure of 00 First, the delivery unit 200 arranged in the loader unit 20.
The configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

In the delivery unit 200, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair of articulated arms 202 and 204 are arranged so as to be inclined so that their moving planes intersect. And
An inclined portion 206a whose both ends are inclined at the same angle as the articulated arms 202 and 204, and a horizontal portion 206 formed between them.
An arm connecting portion 206 configured with b is provided. The inclined portions 206a, 206 of the arm connecting portion 206
The a is rotatably supported by the moving ends of the pair of articulated arms 202 and 204.

On the arm connecting portion 206, tweezers 208 are fixed along the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the arm connecting portion 206. This tweezers 20
The reference numeral 8 has vacuum suction portions 208a, 208a capable of supporting the semiconductor wafer 1 on both ends thereof by, for example, vacuum suction.

One articulated arm 202 is composed of a first arm 202a and a second 202b, and similarly, the other articulated arm 204 is composed of a first arm 204a and a second arm 204b. Has been done. Then, by making both ends of each arm rotatable, three joints (a,
The structure has b, c).

A base 210 for rotatably supporting the first arms 202a and 204a is provided.
10 rotates tWo the? Rst arm 202 by a motor 212 and a belt 214, and thus tweezers 2
08 can be driven back and forth. In addition, the base 210 is
It can be rotationally driven in the θ direction of FIG. 7, and
It is vertically movable in the Z direction, which is the height direction.

Delivery unit 2 arranged in loader section 20
00 is capable of loading / unloading one semiconductor wafer 1 into / from the cassette 22 by advancing / retreating the tweezers 208 and raising / lowering the entire unit. Further, the semiconductor wafer 1 can be delivered to the chuck 28a arranged in the loader section 20 by the above-described operation of the delivery unit 200.

Next, the transport unit 300 will be described with reference to FIG. The transfer unit 300 includes tweezers 302 for vacuum-sucking the semiconductor wafer 1, for example, and a first arm 304 to which the tweezers 302 are fixed.
It has this 1st arm 304 and the 2nd arm 306 rotatably connected. And this transport unit 3
00 indicates the second arm 3 around the rotation center O shown in FIG.
06 is rotationally driven, and the first arm 302 is rotationally driven at the free end side of the second arm 306, so that semiconductor wafers are radially arranged around the rotary transfer path 30. 1 can be rotatably conveyed.

A first motor 310 is provided to rotate the second arm 306. A first pulley 312 is fixed to the motor output shaft of the first motor 310, and a belt 316 is stretched between the first pulley 312 and an adjacent second pulley 314. In addition, the second pulley 31
A third pulley 318 fixed coaxially with the No. 4 is provided. The third pulley 318 is connected to the second arm 30.
The belt 322 is stretched between the fourth pulley 320 fixed to the rotating shaft 324 of the No. 6 and the fourth pulley 320. Therefore, the first
By rotationally driving the motor 310, the rotational output is transmitted to the rotary shaft 324 and the second arm 304 is rotationally driven.

On the other hand, a second motor 330 is provided to rotate and drive the first arm 304. The second motor 330 is provided with the rotation shaft 32 of the second arm 306.
The fifth pulley 332 arranged concentrically with No. 4 is driven to rotate. Further, a sixth pool 334 fixed to the rotating shaft 336 of the first arm 304 is provided, and a belt 338 is stretched between the fifth and sixth pulleys 332 and 334. Therefore, by rotationally driving the second motor 330, this rotational output is transmitted to the rotary shaft 336, and the first arm 304 can be rotationally driven.

By combining the rotary drives of the first and second arms 304 and 306, the semiconductor wafer 1 mounted and fixed on the tweezers 302 can be rotatively transported along the rotary transport path 30, and The semiconductor wafer 1 can be loaded and unloaded in various locations radially arranged around the rotary transport path 30. In addition, this transport unit 30
For 0, the entire unit can be lifted and lowered, so that the semiconductor wafer 1 can be transferred between the chuck 28a in the loader 20 and the wafer chuck in the inspection section or the repair section.

Since the transfer unit 300 of the apparatus of this embodiment is used to rotate and transfer the semiconductor wafer 1, a drive system for arranging a plurality of inspection parts or repair parts in a straight line, for example, a ball screw is not required. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the transport mechanism.

The transport unit 300 described above is realized by the expansion / contraction drive of the tweezers 302, the rotational drive of the tweezers 302, and the rotational drive of the first and second arms 304, 306, but the drive system is limited to this. Not a thing. For example, the expansion / contraction drive of the tweezers 302 may be realized by a linear drive system.

As described above, according to the apparatus of this embodiment, the burn-in inspection is performed on the semiconductor chip in the state of the semiconductor wafer, instead of the conventional method in which the packaged semiconductor device is subjected to the burn-in inspection. it can. Therefore, a defective chip that causes an initial defect can be detected in the state of the semiconductor wafer. Furthermore, by performing the burn-in inspection and the subsequent repair process by the in-line method, many of the defective chips that have caused initial defects can be repaired, and as a result, the overall yield can be improved. In particular, an element which is not packaged, for example, an element such as a chip used for bare chip mounting (COB) or an element such as a multi-chip module (MCM) can be efficiently burned-in for the first time by the apparatus of this embodiment. Further, even if the semiconductor manufacturing process shifts to cassette-less single-wafer processing due to an increase in the diameter of a semiconductor wafer in the future, the apparatus of this embodiment can perform cassetteless inspection and repair as a post-process of the semiconductor manufacturing process. It can be used as a device that can

Next, an embodiment of the burn-in inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

This burn-in inspection apparatus is constructed by arranging a plurality of, for example, six burn-in inspection units 40 radially around the rotary conveyance path 30 in the circular frame 10. Other configurations, that is, the loader unit 20 and the transport unit 300 moving on the rotary transport path 30 are the same as those in the above-described embodiment. In addition, each burn-in inspection unit 4
For 0, either the structure shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 or the structure shown in FIG. 6 can be adopted.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, only a plurality of burn-in inspection units 40 having the same inspection items are arranged. Therefore, unlike the above-described embodiment, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the transport unit is provided to the burn-in inspection unit 40 which is in an empty state among the plurality of burn-in inspection units 40 according to the cycle time required by the burn-in inspection unit 40. One semiconductor wafer 1 may be carried in one after another via 300. Therefore, each of the burn-in inspection units 40 burns-in the semiconductor wafer 1 in a single-wafer manner, and the carrier unit 300 shared by the plurality of burn-in inspection units 40 efficiently loads and unloads the semiconductor wafer 1. By doing 1
It is possible to intensively perform a burn-in inspection of a large number of semiconductor wafers 1 with a burn-in inspection device on a stand.

Also in the apparatus of this embodiment, the semiconductor chip which causes the initial failure can be detected in the state of the semiconductor wafer, which is the same as the above-mentioned embodiment. Further, by registering the address and the content of the defect related to the defective chip in the storage unit, and then repairing the defective chip on the semiconductor wafer 1 by another repair device, the final chip is finally obtained as in the above-described embodiment. The point that the yield can be increased is the same as that of the above-described embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIG.
Burn-in inspection unit 4 arranged around the rotary conveyance path 30
Regarding the inspection unit or the repair unit other than 0, it is possible to mount the inspection unit and the repair unit other than FIG.
The procedure for inspection and repair is not limited to that shown in the flowchart of FIG. For example, a preheater unit that preheats the semiconductor wafer 1 before being carried into the burn-in inspection unit 40 or a cooling unit that cools the semiconductor wafer 1 after the burn-in inspection is arranged inside the loader unit 20 or around the rotary transfer path 30. You can also do it. The preheater unit and the cooling unit may be arranged inside the burn-in inspection unit 40.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the loader section 20 which is commonly used for loading and unloading the semiconductor wafer 1 is arranged at one place around the rotary transfer path 30, but the supply cassette is used. It is also possible to divide it into two parts, a loader part having the above and an outloader part having the returning cassette, and to arrange the loader part and the unloader part at two locations around the rotary conveyance path 30.

As the structure of the transfer unit 300 for moving the semiconductor wafer 1 along the rotary transfer path 30, the double tweezer structure is preferable as described above.
It may be a pair of tweezers, or may have three or more tweezers in order to further improve the operation rate of the transport unit. In addition, this transport unit 3
00 itself may be connected to a stocker capable of stocking one or a plurality of semiconductor wafers, and tweezers provided in the transfer unit 300 may access the stocker.

[0087]

As described above, according to the semiconductor wafer inspection / repair apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of inspection units including the burn-in inspection unit are radially arranged around the rotary transfer path for the semiconductor wafer. And a repair unit are arranged, and a pre-aligned semiconductor wafer is loaded into each inspection unit and repair unit via a transport unit on a rotary transport path to repair a plurality of test items including burn-in test and defective chip repair. Can be carried out inline. When carrying out this in-line inspection,
In the burn-in inspection unit, a plurality of semiconductor chips can be simultaneously subjected to burn-in inspection while being brought into contact with the electrode pads of a part or all of the semiconductor chip groups on the semiconductor wafer at the same time and being subjected to temperature and / or voltage stress. Therefore, the time required for the burn-in inspection can be shortened and the inline inspection can be smoothly performed.

According to the burn-in inspection apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of burn-in inspection units are arranged radially around the rotary transfer path along which the semiconductor wafer is rotationally transferred, and the pre-aligned semiconductor wafer is rotationally transferred. By carrying in each burn-in inspection section via the transportation means on the road,
Even if each burn-in inspection unit performs the single-wafer inspection, it is possible to perform the burn-in inspection of a plurality of semiconductor wafers intensively and efficiently by the in-line method as the entire apparatus.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a semiconductor wafer inspection / repair device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the embodiment apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the device shown in FIG.

4 is a schematic perspective view showing structures of a burn-in inspection unit and a probe inspection unit shown in FIG.

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a burn-in inspection unit and a probe inspection unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a modified example of a burn-in inspection unit and a probe inspection unit.

7 is a schematic perspective view of the delivery unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of the transport unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of the burn-in inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor wafer 2 Semiconductor chip 20 Loader part 26 Pre-alignment part 30 Rotation conveyance path 40 Burn-in inspection part 50 Probe inspection part 60 Repair part 70 Marking part 80 Baking part 90 Visual inspection device 100 CPU 105 Pre-alignment control part 106 ID detection part 200 Delivery unit 300 Transfer unit 402 Wafer chuck 404 Rotation mechanism 406 Lifting mechanism 408 X direction fine movement mechanism 410 Y direction fine movement mechanism 420 Probe card 424 Conductive protrusion 440 Test head 450 Fine alignment detector

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A transfer means for rotating and transferring a semiconductor wafer on which a large number of semiconductor chips are formed along a rotation transfer path; pre-aligning the semiconductor wafer; and supplying the semiconductor wafer to the transfer means. Means, and a plurality of inspection units that are arranged radially around the rotary transfer path and that respectively perform a plurality of inspection items including burn-in inspection of the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer transferred from the transfer means, Among the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer that are radially arranged around the rotary transfer path and are transferred from the transfer means, at least the semiconductor chips that are determined to be defective at the time of burn-in inspection or at the time of subsequent inspection. And a repair unit for repairing, wherein the burn-in inspection unit is a machine for heating and / or cooling the semiconductor wafer. A wafer chuck having a function, a fine alignment section for finely aligning the semiconductor wafer on the wafer chuck, and a contact section for simultaneously contacting a part or all of the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip group on the semiconductor wafer, A tester for testing and repairing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: a tester which conducts a burn-in test on the semiconductor chip in a state of being electrically connected to the contact portion and subjected to a temperature and / or voltage stress. 2. The probe inspection unit for inspecting electrical characteristics of a semiconductor chip on the semiconductor wafer as an inspection unit other than the burn-in inspection unit, and enlargement of the semiconductor chip on the semiconductor wafer according to claim 1. With a visual inspection part that visually inspects the image and inspects the appearance,
An inspection / repair device for a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that either one or both are provided. 3. The inspection / repair device for a semiconductor wafer according to claim 1, further comprising a marking portion for marking a defective chip that cannot be repaired by the repair portion. 4. A transfer means for rotating and transferring a semiconductor wafer on which a large number of semiconductor chips are formed along a rotary transfer path, and a supply means for supplying the semiconductor wafer to the transfer means after pre-aligning the semiconductor wafer. And a burn-in inspection unit arranged radially around the rotary transfer path and performing a burn-in inspection of the semiconductor chips on the semiconductor wafer transferred from the transfer unit, wherein the burn-in inspection unit is A wafer chuck having a function of heating and / or cooling the semiconductor wafer, a fine alignment section for finely aligning the semiconductor wafer on the wafer chuck, and a divided area in the entire area or surface division on the semiconductor wafer A contact portion that simultaneously contacts the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip group in Conducting the Ntakuto unit, temperature and / or burn-in test apparatus for a semiconductor wafer which comprises a tester for burn-in test of said semiconductor chip in a state plus the voltage stress, the.