JPS5929147B2 - manual prober - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to a manual prober.

A prober is used to process a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) in a semiconductor device manufacturing process.

) is a device connected to a tester and used to measure the electrical characteristics of transistors and semiconductor integrated circuit devices (hereinafter simply referred to as ICs). This prober is mainly used for each wafer or 10 to 2 wafers during the wafer process.
There is a manual prober used to sample and check the characteristics of several monitor transistors and monitor ICs in order to determine the quality of the rod formed from zero pieces. In the case of this manual type prober, for example, as shown in "Electronic Materials" October 1980 issue, document request numbers 200 and 201, in order to reduce costs, the wafer mounting table is a handle-type X, It is attached to the Y stage.

For this reason, the feeding speed of the wafer mounting table is slow and the operation is cumbersome. Therefore, there is a problem that not only is the workability poor, but also that rotating the handle causes languoritis to the operator. An object of the present invention is to provide a manual prober that can reduce costs and improve operability.

According to the basic feature of the present invention, air bearing means is provided between the lower surface of the base body to which the wafer mounting table is attached and the upper surface of the bottom plate of the prober body.

Hereinafter, this invention will be explained in detail together with examples.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a manual prober feeding mechanism according to the present invention.

Wafer mounting table 1 for suctioning and fixing a wafer as an object to be measured
5 is attached to the upper surface of the base body 22.

The slide base 13, which constitutes the lower surface of the base body 22, has a plurality of air outlet ports formed on the lower surface, through which compressed air from a compressor (not shown) is blown out. Therefore, an air flow film Air is formed between the lower surface of the slide base 13 and the opposing upper surface of the bottom plate 1 of the prober body, and an air bearing is constructed by floating the base body 22.

Thereby, the base body 22 can be intuitively moved to any position on the bottom plate 1 of the prober body with extremely small manual force. In other words, the handle type X, Y
Unlike a stage, there is no need for the operator to change the direction of movement of the stage to the direction of rotation of a handle.In this embodiment, the base body 22 as a stage can be intuitively moved toward the target position. It can be moved.
Moreover, when an air bearing is used as described above, the air blowing can be stopped without using a special fixing mechanism, and the base body 22 can be fixed on the bottom plate 1 of the prober body by its own weight. can. Therefore, the conditions for movement and fixation required for the movement mechanism of the prober can be achieved by extremely simple means. This makes it possible to significantly reduce costs and improve operability. Furthermore, since there is no mechanical friction part in the moving mechanism of the prober, durability can be improved. In another embodiment of the present invention, the air outlet provided on the lower surface of the slide base 13 is selectively used as an air inlet.

That is, the base body 22 is fixed to the bottom plate 1 of the prober body by suction and fixation by the air suction of the slide base 13.
It is firmly fixed on top. For this reason, when the base body 22 is moved to align the wafer on the wafer mounting table 15 and the probe needle attached to the probe head, the air port of the slide base 13 is connected to the compressed air source of the compressor. After the alignment is completed, the air port of the slide base 13 is connected to a vacuum source using a vacuum pump. Further, in another embodiment of the present invention, the air blowing pressure of the slide base 13 is made variable to facilitate minute alignment of the base body 22.

That is, when performing minute alignment, if the force required to move the base body 22 is too small, there will be a drawback such as the base body 22 moving too far relative to the target position. This creates mechanical friction with the base member 22, thereby increasing the force required to move the base body 22 during minute alignment. Further, in another embodiment of the present invention, the base body 22 includes X, Y stages 16, 17 for fine adjustment and a rotation mechanism 14.

The X and Y stages 16 and 17 can have a movement amount of about 1011, although not particularly limited, by rotating the X-axis fine adjustment knob 16' and the Y-axis fine adjustment knob 17', respectively. Further, the wafer mounting table 15 can be rotated by operating the rotation lever 14'. In the case of the base body 22 equipped with such a fine adjustment mechanism, after the base body 22 is moved to near the target position using an air bearing and fixed, the fine adjustment mechanism performs highly accurate positioning (needle adjustment). combination) can be performed.

Even when such an X, Y stage is used, since a small one is used, the cost can be lower than that using a conventional X, Y stage. Furthermore, since the amount of movement may be small, it is possible to perform alignment with higher precision without impairing operability. Also,
It is preferable to use a foot switch to switch between the compressed air source and the vacuum source for the air stamp as described above, or to vary the compressed air pressure. As a result, for example, the right hand is used to move the base body 22 to the target position, and one foot is used to switch between moving and fixing.
Alternatively, it can be used to operate the Z up lever, etc., and the operability can be improved more easily.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the movement guide guard according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, a Y-axis rail 18 is provided on the upper surface of the bottom plate 1 of the prober body.

Four rotating wheels 1 sandwiching both sides of this Y-axis rail 18
An X-axis rail 21 is provided to which the X-axis rail 8a is attached. Further, this X-axis rail is provided with rotating wheels at both ends that are in contact with the bottom plate 1 (not shown). A connecting body 13b is provided to sandwich both side surfaces of the X-axis rail 21 and to which rotating wheels similar to those described above are attached.

On the other hand, a connecting body 13a is attached to the upper surface of the slide base 13. And both the above-mentioned connecting bodies 13a, 13b
is fixed with screws or the like. By providing the guide guard mechanism using such a sliding means, the base body 2
The movement of 2 is restricted only to movement in the X and Y directions. In other words, adjustment in the θ direction can be facilitated when the base body 22 is moved. Thereby, when moving the base body 22 to the target point, it is only necessary to pay attention to the X and Y directions, so that operability can be greatly improved. Further, the sliding means is provided with a brake mechanism 18b.

The brake mechanism 18b prohibits movement of the X-axis rail 21 on the Y-axis rail 18 by being pressed against the side surface of the rail by an operating lever (not shown). A similar braking mechanism is also provided on the connecting body 13b. With such a brake mechanism, the base body 22 can be moved only in the X or Y direction.For example, when a plurality of monitor transistors or monitors C are lined up in the When measuring transistors or ICs, the addition of the brake mechanism allows movement in only one direction, making positioning easier and improving operability over time.

FIG. 3A shows a front view of a prober which is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B shows a side view thereof. Next, the overall configuration and operation of the prober will be described with reference to these figures. On the top surface of the bottom plate 1 of the prober body,
The base body 22 to which the wafer mounting table 15 described above is attached is mounted, and a movement guide guard mechanism is provided.

The base body 22 is attached with an X, Y stage as a fine adjustment mechanism as described above, and a rotation mechanism. In the figure, brake levers 19 and 20 are newly illustrated. Further, 14' is a θ lever that rotates the wafer mounting table 15. On the other hand, a base plate 8 having a parallel surface facing the upper surface of the bottom plate 1 and having a U-shaped opening in the center has a card adapter attached around the opening for attaching a probe head or a fixed probe card. (not shown).

A microscope 7 for observing the tip of the probe needle is provided above the center of the opening.

23 is an adjustment knob for adjusting the pit.

The microscope 7 is attached to a microscope arm, and the microscope 7 is vertically adjusted by a microscope mounting shaft 5 and a vertical adjustment screw 6. Further, 2 is a Z-axis base for the base plate 8.

3 is a spacer.

Each of these mechanisms (excluding the base body and guide guard) is substantially the same as a well-known wafer prober. Note that the base plate 8 is moved in the vertical direction by a Z up lever 12.

That is, by operating the Z up lever 12, the base plate 8 is moved up and down, and the tip of the probe needle attached to the base plate is pressed against or released from the soil surface of the wafer 8. 10 is a Z lead screw knob;
Adjust the standard height of the vertical movement.

Further, in this embodiment, the Z-up cover 11 of the Z-up lever 12 is provided with a notch that connects to the lever shaft, and a predetermined amount of movement is maintained. Two such cuts are provided, and two levels of movement can be selected. In particular, in this embodiment, by employing a cam mechanism, the amount of movement of the base plate 8 corresponds to the amount of operation of the Z up lever 12. Therefore, compared to conventional probers that use air to digitally raise the wafer relative to the probe needle, damage to the probe needle or wafer surface due to incorrect adjustment of the reference height of the base plate is less likely. occur less often. That is, when operating the Z-up lever 12 while observing with the microscope 7, the relationship between the probe needle and the wafer surface can be controlled in an analog manner, so that the above-mentioned adjustment errors can be detected.
This is because by stopping the operation of the Z up lever 12, damage to the probe needle or the wafer surface can be avoided.
The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the air port for floating the base body 22 may be formed in the surface of the bottom plate 1 of the probe body.

As a result, an air flow film can be formed between the slide base and the bottom plate, and a similar effect can be obtained. Further, the movement guide guard mechanism may utilize other sliding means using ball bearings or the like.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a prober feeding mechanism according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a movement guide guard showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3B is a front view showing one embodiment of the prober according to the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a side view thereof.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A manual prober characterized in that it includes an air bearing means provided between the lower surface of the base body to which the semiconductor wafer mounting table is attached and the upper surface of the bottom plate of the prober body. 2. The manual prober according to claim 1, wherein the air outlet serving as the air bearing means is provided on the lower surface of the base body to which the semiconductor wafer mounting table is attached. 3. Claim 1, characterized in that the base body to which the semiconductor wafer mounting table is attached is provided with an X and Y stage mechanism for fine adjustment and rotation means for moving the semiconductor wafer mounting table. Or a manual prober according to item 2. 4. The manual prober according to claims 1 to 3, wherein the air outlet serving as the air bearing means is selectively used as an air suction port. 5. The manual prober according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the air blowing pressure as the air bearing means is variable. 6 The base body attached to the semiconductor wafer mounting table is
6. The manual prober according to claim 1, wherein the manual prober is attached to a slidable movement guide guard provided on the prober body for movement in the X and Y directions. 7. The manual prober according to claim 6, wherein the slidable movement guide guard has brake means for prohibiting movement in each direction. 8. The manual prober according to claim 4, wherein switching between air blowing as the air bearing means and air suction as the fixing means is performed by a foot switch.