JPH08264600A - Test head, prober apparatus and performance board - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable installing a performance board in a halfway standing state on a test head easily and safely without raising up the test head from a prober and spreading it in a horizontal state, which test head can be mounted freely on the prober in a standing or lying state. CONSTITUTION: Provided is a guide 5 for sliding a performance board 3 in parallel to the surface of a test head 2 and installing it to the test head 2. A stopper 6 for preventing mis-installation is provided on the opposite side from the sliding direction so that the installation direction is not mistaken.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a test head, a prober device, and a performance board which have improved workability when mounting a performance board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 shows a conventional prober apparatus for testing a semiconductor wafer. The prober device includes a prober 1 on which a wafer is mounted, and a test head 2 that contacts the wafer on the prober 1 to test the wafer. The test head 2 is attached to the prober 1 so that it can be tilted up and down.

Normally, the performance board 3 is mounted on the test head 2 at a standby position (position A indicated by a chain double-dashed line) in which the test head 2 is raised and deployed in a horizontal state, and from that state, the test head is moved to the prober 1 side. The wafer is tested at the test position (position C indicated by the solid line) in which 2 is turned over to be in the inverted state.

The performance board 3 is attached to the test head 2
To mount it on, the operator can carry the performance board 3 right above the test head 2 that is unfolded in a horizontal state, and insert the positioning pins provided on the test head 2 and the positioning holes provided on the performance board. It is also mounted on the test head 2. After that, the holding frame 4 is closed and the performance board 3 is pressed onto the test head 2.

However, in this type of prober device,
As can be seen from the figure, when the performance board 3 is mounted, the test head 2 pops out from the side of the prober 1 in the shape of a wing, so that a large floor area is occupied.

Therefore, the performance board 3 should be able to be mounted at a midway position before the test head 2 is unfolded until it is in a horizontal state, but in a standing state (position B shown by a chain line) before the test head 2. However, it is preferable in reducing the occupied floor area.

[0007]

However, recent performance boards 3 have become large and very heavy as the testers have become multifunctional, and some of them are about 10 kg, and some of them are about 15 kg. . Therefore, when the operator wants to mount the performance board on the test head 2 in the standing state, as shown in FIG. It must be moved, positioned and mounted on the test head 2. At this time, since the performance board must be held in an unnatural posture with the left and right hands up and down, it is extremely difficult to do the work, and it is extremely dangerous if accidentally dropped.

Moreover, the positioning is usually performed by engaging the pin with the pin hole, but it is very difficult to look into the depth from the lateral direction and confirm the engaged state. It is difficult to align the test head with the performance board because the engaging pins are hidden behind the performance board even when the test head is in a horizontal state.

Further, when the performance board 3 is pressed against the test head 2 by the presser frame 4 after the positioning is completed, the performance board 3 performs the performance with one hand so as not to drop from the test head 2. The support frame 4 must be closed with the other hand while supporting the board 3. Performing different tasks with the left and right hands in this manner requires skill and is dangerous.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a test head on which a performance board can be mounted easily and safely even in an upright state.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a test head which can easily perform positioning and work when mounting a performance board regardless of posture. Another object of the present invention is to provide a performance board in which the mounting direction is correct.

[0012]

The test head of the first invention is provided with a guide for mounting the performance board on the test head by sliding the performance board parallel to the surface of the test head.

The test head of the second invention is the test head of the first invention, wherein the guide is provided so as to be retractable, and each performance board is pushed down when it is immersed so that the performance board is pressed against the test pins on the test head. It is a thing.

In the test head according to the third aspect of the invention, the performance board is pressed against the test head by the holding frame and pressed against the test pins on the test head. A guide that slides the board parallel to the surface of the test head and is mounted on the test head is provided, and the guide frame and the two front and rear sides of the performance board that are not engaged with the guide are pressed onto the test head by the holding frame. The performance board is pressed against the test pins on the test head.

A test head according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the test head according to the third aspect of the present invention, in which a holding frame and a guide are provided so as to be retractable, and the pressing frame and the guide are pushed down during the immersion to promote pressure contact.

A fifth aspect of the invention is to mount a test head on a prober so that it can be tilted up and down, mount a performance board on the test head at a standby position raised from the prober, and place a wafer at the test position where the test head is tilted on the prober side. In the prober device for performing the test of
The test head according to any one of the first through fourth inventions is used.

A sixth aspect of the invention provides a stopper for preventing erroneous mounting on one side of the performance board.

[0018]

When the guide capable of sliding the performance board is provided on the test head as in the first aspect of the present invention, the positioning and work when mounting the performance board can be facilitated regardless of the posture of the test head.

As in the second invention, a guide is further provided in the first invention so that the guide can be immersed therein, and when the guide is depressed, the performance board for each guide is pushed down to press the performance board against the test pins on the test head. The electrical connection between the and performance board can be reliably performed.

As in the third invention, when the guide for mounting the performance board on the test head by sliding the performance board parallel to the surface of the test head is provided, the performance board is supported by the guide even if the hand is released after the mounting. Therefore, when performing the pressing work with the pressing frame, it is not necessary to press the performance board by hand.

As in the fourth invention, the pressing frame and the guide are further provided in the third invention so that the pressing frame and the guide can be pushed down at the time of immersion to press the test pin on the test head against the performance board. This helps ensure the electrical connection between the test head and the performance board.

As in the fifth invention, when the test head of the first invention to the fourth invention is used for the test head which is attached to the prober so that it can be tilted up and down, the performance board is tested in parallel with the surface of the test head. Since it can be mounted on the head, the performance board can be mounted easily and safely even when the test head is upright, there is no need to deploy the test head in a horizontal state, and the floor area occupied by the device can be reduced.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, since the stopper for preventing erroneous mounting is provided on one side of the performance board, it is possible to effectively avoid erroneous mounting on the test head provided with the guide to be slid on the test head. .

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a test head of this embodiment in a standing state and a performance board mounted on the test head.

Guides 5 are provided on the left and right (upper and lower sides in the figure) of the upper surface of the test head 2 on which the performance board 3 is mounted, and the left and right sides of the performance board 3 are engaged with these guides 5 so that the performance board 3 is mounted. It can be mounted on the test head 2 by sliding parallel to the surface of the test head 2.

The performance board 3 is provided with a stopper 6 for preventing erroneous mounting on one side opposite to the sliding direction, and when the insertion direction of the performance board 3 into the guide 5 is incorrect, the stopper 6 is inserted into the guide 5. The entrance end of the is hit so that it cannot be inserted. If the performance board 3 is for a wafer test, the wafer board 7 is mounted on the performance board 3 as in the illustrated example, but if it is for a product test, a product socket board is mounted.

A rectangular holding frame 4 for pressing the performance board 3 against the test pins 10 is attached to the upper surface of the test head 2 so as to be openable and closable, and when the holding frame 4 is closed, a lock provided on the holding frame 4 is provided. The stopper 9 is adapted to be engaged with the engaging groove 8 provided on the test head 2 side.
Due to this locking, as shown in FIG. 2A, the left and right frames 4a and 4c of the four left, right, front and rear frames of the press frame 4 indirectly press the left and right sides of the performance board 3 via the guides 5. (FIG. 2C), the front and rear frames 4d and 4b are designed to directly press the front and rear sides of the performance board 3 (FIGS. 2B and 2D). In order to make the left and right frames 4a, 4c and the front frame 4d flush with each other, the thickness of the stopper 6 with which the front frame 4d abuts is made equal to the thickness of the guide 5. Also,
In order to press the rear side of the performance board 3 which is depressed by the thickness of the guide 5 by the rear frame 4b, the rear frame 4b is projected to the test head side more than the other frames (see FIG. 1).

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the guide 5 and the holding frame 4 are both provided so as to be retractable with respect to the test head 2, and the performance board 3 inserted in the guide 5 is pressed by the holding frame 4. The performance board 3 is pressed into contact with the test pins 10 by being immersed together. An actuator 11 such as an air cylinder is suitable as the retracting means for the guide 5 and the pressing frame 4, and it is preferable to provide four actuators, two each at the top and bottom, as shown in the figure.

Next, a method of mounting the performance board 3 when the test head 2 and the performance board 3 described above are used in the prober device shown in FIG. 3 will be described. The test head 2 is stopped in an upright state (position B on the alternate long and short dash line), and the holding frame 4 is left open. The operator lifts the performance board 3 with the stopper 6 side facing forward, makes the upper and lower postures of the board 3 slightly inclined, and stops the stopper 6
And slightly project the lower edge of the other side opposite.
Here, returning to FIG. 1, first, the lower edge of the performance board 3 is hooked in the groove of the lower guide 5, the posture is corrected when it is caught in the groove, and then the upper edge is inserted in the groove of the upper guide 5. Hook. With this configuration, even the heavy performance board 3 can be easily engaged with the guide 5. Of course, both edges may be hooked on the upper and lower guide grooves at the same time. Then, slide it as it is and push the performance board 3 into the guide 5.

Positioning on the test head 2 when the stopper 6 hits the entrance end of the guide 5 and the performance board 3 stops, or when the other side of the guide 5 is blocked and the performance board 3 hits and stops there. When the performance board 3 is positioned, the positioning of the performance board 3 can be automatically performed by pushing in the performance board 3. When the mounting of the performance board 3 is completed, the left and right sides of the performance board 3 are already supported by the guides 5, so that the operator can completely separate both hands from the performance board 3. Therefore, the work of closing the holding frame 4 by using both hands and locking the holding frame 4 can be easily performed. After the locking, the actuator 11 is operated to immerse the guide 5 and the pressing frame 4 to promote the pressure contact of the performance board 3 with the test pin 10. This completes the work of mounting the performance board 3.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the performance board is mounted on the test head by the slide system, the positioning and the work at the time of mounting can be easily performed even when the test head is in the standing state. Moreover, since the weight of the performance board is borne on the guide by engaging the performance board with the guide, the burden on the operator is reduced and the safety can be improved. Further, since the performance head can be mounted with the test head standing up, it is not necessary to horizontally deploy the test head for mounting, and the floor area occupied by the prober device can be reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the performance board for wafer measurement is mounted has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to mounting a performance board for product measurement. Further, the posture of the test head is not limited to the standing state, and the test head can be easily mounted at any position including the horizontal state. Also, the guide was pressed using the presser frame, but by omitting the presser frame and immersing the guide,
The performance board can be pressed onto the test pins. Further, although the guide is fixed so as not to move back and forth, the guide may be pushed forward so that the performance board can be mounted more easily. Further, in the present embodiment, the guide is constituted by the guide rail having the groove, but this may be used as the guide roller. Also,
A guide groove may be provided on the performance board, and the test head side may be a rail that engages with the guide groove. The present invention can be applied not only when the performance board is attached but also when the performance board is removed.

[0033]

According to the invention described in claim 1, since the test head is provided with the guide, positioning and work at the time of mounting the performance board are facilitated regardless of the posture of the test head.

According to the invention of claim 2, claim 1
Since the invention is further provided with a guide that can be immersed therein, the test head and the performance board can be reliably electrically connected.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the guide for mounting the performance board on the test head by sliding parallel to the surface of the test head is provided, the performance board mounting work and the pressing work by the holding frame are performed. Can be separated, the workability of mounting is improved, and work safety can be achieved.

According to the invention of claim 4, claim 3
Since the pressing frame and the guide are provided so as to be freely retractable, the test head and the performance board can be reliably electrically connected.

According to the invention described in claim 5, the test head attached to the prober so as to be able to move up and down is provided.
Since the test head of the invention described in claim 4 is used, the performance board can be easily mounted even when the test head is upright, there is no need to deploy the test head in a horizontal state, and the floor space occupied by the device is reduced. Can be reduced. Also, since the performance board is mounted on the test head by the guide, the performance board mounting work and the pressing work by the presser frame can be performed separately, which improves workability and enhances safety. it can.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the stopper for preventing erroneous mounting is provided on one side of the performance board, the mounting direction of the performance board is not mistaken.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a test head showing an embodiment of the present invention and a performance board attached to the test head.

2A and 2B are explanatory views of a main part with a holding frame closed according to the present embodiment, in which FIG. 2A is an overall perspective view, FIG. 2B is an AA arrow view, and FIG. A line sectional view, (d) is a CC sectional view.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a prober device for explaining a method of mounting a conventional performance board on a test head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Prober 2 Test head 3 Performance board 4 Holding frame 5 Guide 6 Stopper 10 Test pin 11 Actuator

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A test head provided with a guide for mounting the performance board by sliding the performance board parallel to the surface of the test head. 2. The test head according to claim 1, wherein the guide is provided so as to be retractable, and the performance board for each guide is pushed down when the guide is immersed so that the performance board is pressed against the test pin on the test head. 3. A test head in which a performance board is pressed against a test head by a holding frame to press against a test pin on the test head, the left and right sides of the performance board are engaged, and the performance board is parallel to the test head surface. Slide the guide onto the test head and slide it onto the test head.Press the guide with the holding frame and the front and rear sides of the performance board that are not engaged with the guide onto the test head, and then press the test pin on the test head. The test head is characterized in that the performance board is pressed against. 4. The pressing frame and the guide are provided so that they can be immersed.
4. The test head according to claim 3, wherein the press frame and the guide are pushed down when immersing to promote the pressure contact. 5. A test head is attached to a prober so that it can be tilted up and down, a performance board is mounted on the test head at a standby position raised from the prober, and a wafer is tested at a test position where the test head is tilted on the prober side. A prober apparatus, wherein the test head according to claim 1 is used as the test head. 6. A performance board having a stopper for preventing erroneous mounting on one side.